August 6, 2012
Contributed by Pakalani Bello
The buildings will house the majority of the middle school classrooms and administration. Keli‘imaika‘i (named after the younger and full brother of Kamehameha I) is 74,210 total square feet on three levels and is the main classroom building including seventh and eighth-grade classes on the top two floors, with the Keli‘imaika‘i Learning Center, multi-media areas, health and home economics classrooms on the bottom floor. Ka‘ōleiokū (named after Bernice Pauahi Bishop's grandfather, the first born son of Kamehameha I), is a two-story building that is 37,705 square feet, houses the administrative offices, Kalama dining hall, performing arts classrooms and a counseling center.
The new buildings will support an innovative way of learning - creating an environment that will catapult students into the 21st century of educational and cultural excellence. This educational milestone, featuring a "classroom without walls" team learning approach will further support Kamehameha Schools' 125-year history of equipping students to become tomorrow's leaders.
The dedication included 'oki i ka piko (cutting of the umbilical cord) ceremonies for both buildings, KS Kapālama middle school students and staff performances and protocol, including oli (chants) and hula to commemorate the day. Students presented a hula to the beat of pahu (drums) that were played by middle school teachers. The pahu were created by all KS Kapālama middle school teachers during the two-year span of the construction.
Construction on the two middle school buildings started in June, 2010, the second major project to be completed on the Kapālama campus under the Ke Kupu Mālamalama campus renovation project. The Koai‘a Physical Education and Athletics facility was completed in January, 2012, with the completion of the Ka‘iwakīloumoku Hawaiian Culture Center expected later this month. Construction on new middle school dormitories and a five-story parking structure has begun, with a middle school fitness center to be added in 2014.
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
