Efforts to teach Hawaiian to a rising generation of children took a major leap forward 20 years ago when the State Department of Education (DOE) launched "Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawaii," its immersion language program — where most instruction is in Hawaiian. Some Koolauloa parents were so happy that they sent their keiki to the closest schools at Waiau, near Pearl Harbor, and Anuenue in Palolo.

Ten years ago Punana Leo o Koolauloa, part of a statewide nonprofit organization, started its Hawaiian immersion preschool program in Kahuku. The following year as some of those keiki were ready to advance to kindergarten — and after considerable struggles by parents and proponents that continue on behalf of the program to this day — kula kaiapuni [immersion school] opened at Hauula Elementary.

Ka'umealani Walk — a kaiapuni parent who teaches grades 7-11 at Kahuku — recalled back then during an emotional meeting in the Hauula School library parents pleaded for securing a place for an immersion school in Koolauloa. She credited the Hauula School Community-Based (SCBM) management team for giving them their first break. "I say this over and over again, this group of people who trust us with their children have an undying faith in a power beyond all of us. Even when things were looking bleak, they trusted in that," she said.

In 2003, when the first class of fluent Hawaiian speakers was ready to matriculate from Hauula, it took the parents and others a lot more lobbying work with the DOE — as well as five months of temporary assistance from the Hawaiian Studies program at BYU-Hawaii — to get the program continued to the next level at Kahuku Intermediate. At one point the students themselves petitioned the State Board of Education for help.

"Those first five students that were here really shouldered a lot of the responsibility," said Kamoa'e Walk, a professor of Hawaiian Studies at BYUH and Ka'umealani's husband, who helps with the students. "Three of the five are still here. One moved away, and one is now in mainstream [the regular curriculum], but another transferred in from Kamakau [school] in Kaneohe."

"Kula kaiapuni" or Hawaiian immersion students at
Kahuku High with their "kumu" (teachers) in the back row
(from r-l): Maile Johnson, Leone Sa'aga and Ka'umealani Walk

Next year, that first class will graduate from Kahuku High, "and they all want to go to college," said Ka'umealani. This school year the 26 kaiapuni students at Kahuku meet in two new portable classrooms on the makai side of the campus.

Maile Johnson from Punaluu is the other fulltime teacher at Kahuku. Walk's daughter, Kealohimakamae Cravens, teaches half-time in the mornings, and Leone Sa'aga, who also runs Punana Leo o Koolauloa, teaches part-time in the afternoons.

Rebekah Matagi Walker, president of the Na Leo Kakoo o Koolauloa — the immersion parents group for both schools, noted that 37 kaiapuni students are enrolled at Hauula from junior-K through grade 6. They are divided into three classes: Junior-K (for children with late birthdays), K and 1st grade, 2-3 and 4-6.

Walker, who has two children in the program — a first and fourth grader, said she is excited about their progress. "It seems like we have had so many doors open. We've got great teachers, and great parents. The Hawaiian immersion is working together with the English. At Hauula in general, because we're coming out of restructuring, there's excitement in the air. Hauula's just this awesome school. That's so often overlooked."

"One of our kaiapuni students, Chenoa Yorgasen, a 6th grader, took first in science fair in our school. She made it to district, too, and now she's waiting for state."

Ka'umealani explained the kaiapuni students at Kahuku are also "fully integrated." That means they have two classes in the middle of the day where they take mainstream classes: One in English, and an elective. The students participate in all extracurricular activities. For example, Kala'e Johnson recently won her wrestling weight class championship in the OIA and came in second in the state; and Kehau Kamakaala, a JV wrestler, was first in her weight class in the OIA.

The faith of the teachers and parents seems to be paying off, as evidenced by the two new portable classrooms. "I must say, this school has been very supportive of us in recent years," Ka'umealani continued.

"Immersion schools generally, statewide, have all faced the challenges we have. It's taken a little while to talk story with a lot of people as the program unfolds, for people to understand what this program is about. The program flourished once people gave it a chance to flourish."

She pointed out, for example, that the Kamehameha Schools assets division recently asked the kaiapuni students what they thought should happen with their property in Punaluu Valley. The students also met privately with Gov. Lingle just before she went into the Turtle Bay/community meeting on March 4.

"They are engaged in a project where we go out in a selected area," Ka'umealani said, noting they have been visiting "wahi pana or culturally significant sites in the area. They're in the process of documenting all of these places — not only for themselves and for school work, but also as archival purposes for others to understand about these places."

"They have a sense of who they are, their kuleana [responsibility] as grandchildren of ancestors who are here," she continued. "These students are really, really special, because each one of them comes from this moku [district]."

"Moku-based education is the curriculum that was designed for this program. Koolauloa is our classroom," she explained. "Everything in Koolauloa that we need to teach these kids is here. We don't have to send them outside of our moku."

"Our stories that we read in Hawaiian language are connected to this moku. They are reading out of texts of Hawaiian newspapers. When they come to grades 7 and 8, the first story they read is ‘Laieikawai,' which is just down the road. That helps them determine their beginnings."

"We've been really blessed to be here, because we've gone to the sites we've talked about. In fact, I have colleagues in town that call us and ask us where these places are. These kids are familiar with these places that are no longer spoken about."

Ka'umealani noted the students read texts about Kamapua'a and his ties with Kaliuwa'a — Sacred Falls down the road. "We're also reading about Kalakaua and his visit," she said.

"In addition, we're following what the governor has said [about Turtle Bay] and now we're formalizing what their role as students is. They have the time in their instructional day to think about things that only adults think about, but because of the stories they read and the curricular things they're doing, we're thinking in terms of what are the consequences if we have development out here. What are the consequences if we don't have development? If that valley of Punaluu were ours, what would we have there? What would we not have there?"

"We encourage them to seek through all of these ideas," Ka'umelani said, "because one day they're going to have to think about them. Why not start it now? Why not allow them to think and explore? When they get closer to that point, they can see for themselves what their kuleana is."

Walker added similar things are happening in Hauula. "For us, we're seeing this knowledge they wouldn't get in any other program," she said. "My kids are getting this love to learn, and they're learning how to learn. For example, my first grader taught himself how to read in English. He didn't have any instruction…and now he loves to read."

Ka'umealani said the primary issue still facing the program is funding, "because historically our numbers have always been below mainstream."

One solution has been to combine classes. While this presents some tactical challenges, she explained the curriculum calls for "looping," where some subjects are taught on a two-year cycle, which works out for a two-in-one combined class.

But what about the three-in-one class kula kaiapuni has at Hauula? "Basically, the teacher is challenged with presenting three different curricula," replied Kamoa'e Walk. "I know they've gotten some part-time people to come in and help, but that's the reality of what we're dealing with."

"We've developed a structure of our own that meets the needs of the students," Ka'umealani added, "but allows us to address the standards in a different, non-conventional way." She also said, so far, her students' Hawaii Standards Assessment test scores are comparable to, "and in some cases better than" the mainstream students.

Johnson also pointed out, "It's always been up to parents and teachers to be creative" in supporting the program.

"Parents and families have carried quite a bit of the kuleana, the responsibility, in this education process," Kamoa'e confirmed. "There's also a good side to this, too. Through this process, they own it, and expect much more from their children and students than some of the others."

Kamoa'e added that the BYUH Hawaiian Studies program is working with the immersion program by providing teachers such as Johnson, a graduate who originally intended only to work as a substitute but is now in her second year of fulltime teaching.

"Many of our students have gone on to become teachers either in Punana Leo or kaiapuni around the state," Kamoa'e said. He also noted that after next year the K-12 curriculum will have gone through a complete cycle and will provide a "paved path. We'll shear that up as we go along to make it even more solid." Ka'umealani added that other kula kaiapuni have also shared curriculum materials.

"In the next five years, my goal is to, one, get the teacher preparation program together at BYU-Hawaii, because it's a natural partnership," she continued. "Two, to raise the awareness of this program, and raise the numbers by whatever means."

"So we can make it a viable option for families in the area that have the goal of education through the medium of Hawaiian language and culture," Kamoa'e interjected. He invited any interested families to contact the program.

Ka'umealani also said she would like to see the moku-based education go into full force, including "partnerships with all of the entities that serve the native Hawaiian community. They have been there. They have helped as much as they can."

"The process of looking to things in the past for answers helps the students address things here-and-now and also in the generations to come. So, along with these wahi pana, we're talking research papers. We're talking media. We're talking filling all of the DOE areas like they apply to the mainstream — but we're doing it out here, in a relevant environment, in places that they need to go to, to see and feel to understand their significance. It's pretty hard to do that with a book."

"We're absolutely encouraged by how far we've come," Kamoa'e said. "We're very proud of the children and their families. Their families have been amazing from the beginning, showing a lot of resilience and fortitude, sometimes against great odds."

"We're also very proud of those students in the lead class, the 11th grade, who are leading the way for their underclassmen, setting the example and really doing some fine scholarship. The future is very hopeful, bright and encouraging for the program and the upcoming students."

"Twenty years ago we were literally told your students are going to become retarded. They're not going to be able to function in society, and you're doing them a great ill," Ka'umealani said.

"We're preparing young minds to make better changes in this world. I really have faith in these kids, because they have a different lens that most kids their age don't have."

"It's a challenging program," she added. "Sometimes we don't know how we're going to get funding, but we've never let that stop us."

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