NK Class

Na Kahumoku's elective leadership course is held during 5th period at Kealakehe Intermediate in room P-14. The class has a student capacity of about 18-20 students (the maximum amount we can accommodate for field trips), and the class is held three times a week. The class stresses hands on learning and community service as integral part of the work and curriculum in the class, so the class take numerous field trips and does much work outside the classroom.

Curriculum

Na Kahumoku in Hawaiian means "Keepers of the Island". It is a very deep concept that carries with it a necessary commitment to the island in protecting it, and no one should hold this title without sincere integrity and dedication to the land. That is why are program stresses commitment and responsibility for the youth in order to make significant change for their local community.

Our curriculum is divided into three different over-lapping sections: environmental, cultural, and leadership education & service.

Leadership skill building is very important for our curriculum. It is our goal to help our students become independent (both in thought and action), responsible, and self-motivated leaders in their communities advocating for the environment. We believe that this is foundational for making change on the island and the world; that students must know that what they do and think matters not only for their future, but for others. Our belief is that leadership skill development raises self-esteem and purpose in youth, which not only makes them stronger, more confident advocates for the `aina, but also in their lives in general, giving them resiliency towards the adversities they are challenged with in their own adolescent development.

The environmental components of our curriculum are mainly focused on understanding the eco-systems that we live in. The big island of Hawaii has a rich diversity of climates and eco-systems, and the district of Kona has many different eco-systems and environments within it as well, from deserts to cloud rain-forests and everything in between. In teaching about the local environment, we stress the importance of resource management and sustainability. Students are taught that everything that we have comes from nature in some form or way, that the resources that allow us to live in such affluence are limited, and that if we do not change the way we use those resources they may not exist for the next generation.

Students are also taught about broader environmental issues as well, and how Hawaii and our world is affected by them. Very complex global issues such as the world economy's degradation of third-world ecosystems to support vast American consumerism is also discussed, for example, in the "Story of Stuff", which students did their semester project on (see www.storyofstuff.com for the video that we use to teach this concept). Other broad global concepts that are discussed are the effects of plastics in the world?s oceans, and how these plastics wind up on Hawai`i's shores (such as Kamilo Beach). These plastics do not bio-degrade, and so they are an ever-accumulating body of waste that may never disappear from our oceans. This is a serious problem for future generations, so Na Kahumoku students do their part by cleaning up local beaches to make them clean once again. Although this is small effort, we hope it is a seed that will grow into a larger awareness about this challenging issue.

The cultural component of our program is very significant to its effectiveness as well. Many students hold high-esteem and respect for traditional Hawaiian values and culture, but do not always have the chance to practice it or see its importance in our world today. Hawaiian values tie in heavily with environmental awareness in Hawaii. Malama I ka `aina, malama I ke kai, (care for the land, care for the ocean) are values that are of great relevance to not only to environmental activism in general, but also to Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) innate spiritual connection to the land and ocean. A deeper understanding of these cultural values helps foster deeper emotional and spiritual connections to nature in the youth, for Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike.

An example of this cultural relevance is best said by one of our field trip leaders, Mahealani Pai: "The land has made many sacrifices for us, now it is our turn to make some sacrifices for it." All too often, it is easy for us to take for granted our way of living and neglect to think of our effect on the island and its resources. Through the teachings of "Kumu's" (teachers) in the local community, students start seeing the land as a living being as worthy of respect and our service. One proverb that we keep in our classroom wall summarizes this: "He ali`i ka `aina, he kaua kanaka" - The land is the chief, and man is its servant.

Every person learns in different ways; some learn through listening (auditory learners), some learn through seeing (visual learners), and some learn through doing (tactile learners). We try to give students the opportunity to learn through their own learning strengths. This is done by providing a diverse range of activities to get involved in during class-time.

Field Trips

Na Kahumoku believes strongly in experiential education, that physical experiences make certain concepts more concrete, which is necessary to understand the environmental issues the island and world is struggling with today. This makes field trips a very crucial part of our teaching method, that students must be taken out of the classroom to work in the natural world to both:

A. Become connected to their natural world.

B. To learn through hands-on work.