Hoʻolauna Koʻolauloa, Oʻahu

July 29, 2014

KS’ Hoʻolauna summer program immerses middle school students in learning experiences designed to develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between honua (environment) and kanaka (people). During the week-long residential program, students are introduced to the different moku (districts) of Hawaiʻi learning the mele (songs), moʻolelo (stories) and wahi pana (legendary places) of each region.

Students enrolled in the Hoʻolauna Koʻolauloa, Oʻahu program learned about the area that encompasses the largest ahupuaʻa (mountain-to-sea land division) on the island. From their base at a KS-owned beach house in Punaluʻu, the students took a bus tour of the area, visited farmers in Kahana Valley and learned about aquaponics at Keanuenue Farms.

The Hoʻolauna program is held on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi and is open to students who are not enrolled at a Kamehameha Schools campus.

KS photographer Michael Young tagged along on a day of discovery and captured the highlights below. If your division or campus has pics to share, please send them along with background information and captions to ksonline@ksbe.edu.