Projects
Imiloa Astronomical Center
E Malama `Aina Festival - 11/8/08
The "E Malama `Aina Festival" is an annual event held at Mo`oheau Park in downtown Hilo. It is an event that is organized and run by the Hawai`i Island Chamber of Commerce and has events held by numerous organizations such as the Puna Geothermal Venture, Hawaii Electric and Light Company, Big Island Film Office, Hamakua Spring Country Farms, University of Hawaii at Hilo, and many others. Nine students from Na Kahumoku (the class and the after-school Polynesian Cultural Club) came to Hilo with Daniel Benner and Douglass Bartlett. These students volunteered their time to stand by the various trash bins and recycling bins to show people attending the event what could be recycled and what could not be. Students did this for two hours, and then they got some food for their work. Afterwards, the Polynesian Cultural Club boys did two dances for the day: the Maori Ka Mate Haka, and the Samoan Fa`ataupati. http://malamaainahawaii.org/
Hau`oli Mau Loa Presentation - 3/3/09
This day was presentation for another non-profit organization, the Hau`oli Mau Loa Foundation. This organization is meant to to help under-privileged students and children in Hawaii through providing programming and funds for students and student organizations that seek to give students more opportunities in life and to help preserve and protect the environment. Na Kahumoku students from the Polynesian Cultural Club gave a performance to their executives, and also some students from the club and class were part of a panel that were asked questions about the work they have done. http://www.hauolimauloa.org/
Family Fun Day - 4/18/09
The Family Fun Day is a free event for families of the Kona community to come see all the work that the students are involved with in their after-school programs and also a day to show-case different services that are offered from various state and non-profit organizations.
Na Kahumoku had a large 8'x4' booth that showed community members of the various projects that we were involved with over the course of the last year. Students had written in their own words their experiences being involved with the program, and we had seven Na Kahumoku students host the booth and talk with people about what Na Kahumoku was all about.
Near the end of the event, the Polynesian Cultural Club gave three dance performances: Ka Uluwehi o Ke Kai (a Kahiko hula that talks about the work and beauty of picking Limu in the ocean), Tiene La Lalei o Samoa (as Samoan dance that talks about the beauty of Samoa and how they never want to change), and Tahiti Tahiti.
Donkey Mill Art Center Project
This has been an ongoing project for the students of the Na Kahumoku class. Started in November, 2008, Gerald Lucina of the DMAC has been coming to the classroom during class time and during weekends to help students learn a little bit about drawing and painting our natural environment (particularly Hawaii and its native plants). Afterwards, students used these skills to help paint the outside of the Na Kahumoku classroom under the supervision of Gerald. Most of the mauka (mountain (east) side) of the building has been painted with a mural that shows many of the different climates and environments of the island. This is an on-going project and will be continued in the 2009-2010 school year.
Garden Project
The Kohala Center and Kona Soil and Water Conservation District have awarded Na Kahumoku funding to start a campus garden. While Kealakehe Intermediate has had a school garden for a number of years run by Zohreh Furtado, Na Kahumoku went out to make its own garden down below hers. The Na Kahumoku garden is small; only growing small amounts of tomato, cucumber, kalo, and ti.