NEWS RELEASE

Kamehameha Schools celebrates start of building Community Learning Center in Nānākuli

Nānākuli, Hawai‘i - (April 15, 2019) – Kamehameha Schools (KS) gathered with the Nānākuli community at a formal groundbreaking ceremony this morning to celebrate the start of construction on the Agnes Kalanihookaha Cope Community Learning Center in Nānākuli.

“The vision for the Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center is to create a gathering place that embodies Aunty Aggie’s legacy of working toward improved educational and health outcomes through a Hawaiian world view,” said KS Wai‘anae Regional Director Kalei Ka‘ilihiwa. “We are excited to mark this milestone with the residents of Nānākuli and Wai‘anae, and I am looking forward to seeing the progress in construction.”

The ceremony also marked the release of conceptual drawings showing various views of the future look of the center.

The Center will encompass approximately 6,800 square feet with a large multi-purpose room that can divide into three smaller spaces. Covered lānai will allow for hybrid indoor/outdoor gathering areas, and ample outdoor space for outdoor learning and community māla (gardens) to be incorporated.

The $10.9 million learning center is slated to open to the public by the summer of 2020.

This Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center marks yet another partnership – the second project of this kind – for KS and the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) in this moku. In August 2014, KS opened the Community Learning Center at Mā‘ili. The two organizations have fully executed the ground lease for the land under Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center. KS has also selected Kiewit to design and construct the learning center.

The Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center will serve as a place for gathering and learning for community residents and program partners alike. Programs will emphasize Hawaiian culture-based approaches to health, education and ‘āina (land). The Wai‘anae Coast Region is home to the third- largest concentration of Native Hawaiians in the state with upwards of 28,000, including nearly 10,000 in Nānākuli alone.

The learning center is named for and honors the professional legacy of Dr. Agnes Kalanihookaha Cope, known fondly by many as “Aunty Aggie,” a longtime Nānākuli resident and champion for Native Hawaiian health, education, culture and the arts. Dr. Cope was a founder of community-owned and - driven Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, and served as Board Chair for both Papa Ola Lōkahi and Ke Ola Mamo.

The community can connect with KS by calling the project hotline at 843-9655, visiting https://www.ksbe.edu/waianae_coast/kclc or emailing kclcinfo@ksbe.edu.