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April 29, 2026
Editorial Mission: As the Department's primary publication, we aim to live up to the meaning of ha‘aheo – to cherish with pride – by bolstering and sustaining pride in public education and touting the successes happening across our system.
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Aloha, HIDOE Community –
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter.
Lahaina workforce housing project
Over the weekend I had the honor of joining Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, school leaders and new residents to officially open Ke ‘Ala Punia, a workforce housing development for Lahaina teachers and school staff. It was especially meaningful to meet educators who are now able to live close to the schools and students they serve.
In less than a year, a $20 million investment transformed an undeveloped 5-acre site below Lahainaluna High School into a 47-unit housing complex. The project required significant site preparation and infrastructure to make the land buildable — an important step in delivering housing for our educators.
Our principals have shared that access to stable, nearby housing is critical to recruiting and retaining staff. By providing affordable options close to campus, we’re supporting our educators while helping ensure continuity for students.
Mahalo to Lahainaluna kumu Eva Palakiko for gifting the name Ke ‘Ala Punia, meaning “permeating fragrance.” It reflects how educators uplift students, families and the broader community, with their impact reaching far beyond the classroom. We’re also deeply grateful to Gov. Josh Green and our legislative partners for their support in making this project possible.
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 An aerial view of Ke ʻAla Punia. Photo courtesy: The Image Group
 Ke ʻAla Punia is a $20 million housing project located below Lahainaluna High School’s campus aimed at stabilizing Maui’s educator workforce by providing much-needed housing for teachers and school staff. Photo courtesy: Kimberly Yuen / HIDOE Communications Branch
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 Over the past five weeks, Kea‘au Elementary School’s after-school cheerleading team has spent an hour each session training alongside the Kea‘au High School cheerleaders, learning kicks, chants and routines. This marks the first year organized sports have been offered as part of the school’s Extended Learning Time program.
Each elementary participant was paired with a “big sister” from the high school team, who provided guidance and support throughout the experience. Their efforts came together on April 21 at the Keaʻau High School girls flag football game against Kealakehe High School, where both teams performed side by side in a special showcase.
“This mentorship with the high school girls truly had a huge impact on our students as it created a ‘trickle-down’ effect of confidence, skill, community and a sense of belonging,” shared Melissa Watanabe, Kea‘au Elementary’s family engagement coordinator. “It really highlighted the high school girls' leadership qualities as they were excellent role models for our students who consistently showed patience, positivity and encouragement.”
Credit: Melissa Watanabe / Kea‘au Elementary School
Send us your public school-related image from this school year for a chance to be featured as next week’s Ho‘oha‘aheo Photo of the Week!
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Even though he never played on a high school team, Ephraim J. “Red” Rocha made history as the first player born and raised from Hawai‘i to reach the NBA and earned All-Star honors in 1951 and 1952. He later served as head coach of the University of Hawaiʻi men’s basketball team for 10 seasons, leading the famed “Fabulous Five” squad of the early 1970s—one of the program’s most celebrated eras. Which high school did Rocha attend?
a. Waiākea High
b. Hilo High
c. Honokaʻa High & Intermediate
d. Konawaena High
Find the answer at the end of this newsletter.
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Pukalani Elementary School: Our Pukalani Elementary 4th graders made history as the first public school students in Maui County to participate in a community service field trip with Kaiāulu Initiative. It was a day filled with purpose, learning, and deep connection to ‘āina.
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Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf & the Blind: We are incredibly proud to share exciting news! Two of our students, Novema and Sheylie, were selected to perform the National Anthem and Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī at the University of Hawaiʻi Men’s Volleyball Senior Night alongside the Maui Fire Department Honor Guard. This is a tremendous honor and a proud moment for our entire community. Congratulations to our talented students on this amazing achievement! Special mahalo to Kale Kanaeholo for capturing these wonderful moments.
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Waipahu High School JROTC: We've done it again! For the third time in four years the Marauders have been crowned the Pacific Champions! Thank you to our drill cadets for your dedication, leadership and commitment! Keep up the hard work and continue to strive for success! Our next stop, Daytona nationals! Hooah!! 💙💛😤
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Use the #HIPublicSchoolsProud hashtag for a chance to be featured!
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This month’s Mural Mo‘olelo series highlights a four-part artwork at Lānaʻi High & Elementary School, telling the story of pineapple plantation workers who organized to challenge unfair working conditions. The murals feature striking images where students and community members were invited to leave their handprint in perpetuity. “These stories were held in (the students’) households, but they didn’t really know the history,” said teacher Michelle Fujiye-Kaauamo.
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Sanoe Tenise, an eighth grader at Wai‘anae Intermediate School, will travel to Washington, D.C., in July to represent Hawai‘i at the National Do the Write Thing Summit, for her personal essay titled “Raised by Struggle, Driven by Strength.” The piece was written as part of a classroom assignment challenging students to examine how violence has impacted their lives and what they can do to create change. Read her winning essay.
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Maui High School juniors Ian Payba and Jeter Hondo won the 2026 Hawai‘i Bridge Builder Competition, a statewide competition to inspire the next generation of engineers and problem-solvers. In teams of two, students had to use only provided kit materials (balsa wood and glue) to build a bridge with the best strength-to-weight ratio. All teams documented their projects, prepared and presented a professional portfolio to industry experts, and tested their designs live at the Hawaiʻi STEM Conference.
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HIDOE student-run credit unions prepare students for real-world finances
 Senior Madelyn Evans, senior Phoenix Guerra, junior Mafi Teisina and senior Nathan Dela Rosa (from left to right) operate the CU Hawai‘i credit union branch at Kea‘au High School. Photo courtesy: Heidi Peabody / Kea‘au High School
Hawai‘i public school students are getting hands-on experience in financial literacy by running nine student-operated credit unions on their campuses—some starting as early as fourth grade.
Known as student-operated credit unions (SOCUs), these are fully functioning, on-campus branches run by students for their school communities in partnership with local credit unions. The program helps students build financial literacy while gaining real-world work experience.
Starting with incoming freshmen in the Class of 2030, all students in Hawaiʻi public schools will be required to complete a financial literacy educational opportunity prior to graduation. Working at a SOCU is one of several ways students can meet this requirement, which is documented through their Personal Transition Plan (PTP), a required half-credit course for all students.
Schools may meet the requirement through a variety of approaches, including standalone courses, integration into existing classes, self-paced learning, or other instructional designs aligned with HIDOE’s financial literacy standards.
How SOCUs work: Once a week during the school day, the SOCUs open their doors to students and staff. Members can open accounts, deposit money and learn about finance. While a representative from the partner credit union is present to offer support, students take the lead in running daily operations.
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This month, Hawai‘i public school cafeterias statewide introduced a twist on a local favorite — poke bowls. Tofu poke, prepared fresh in school cafeterias, featured tofu mixed with green onions and onions, tossed in a Hawaiian-style sauce of shoyu, sesame oil, garlic and ginger.
 Students at Kailua Elementary were intrigued by the new plant-based dish and its familiar local flavors.
“I thought it was really good, and I liked the sauce with it,” said fourth-grader Jayzen Neufeldt.
Sixth-grader Julian Bermudez was pleasantly surprised by both the taste and nutritional value.
“The tofu is actually pretty great — it’s healthy. I don’t know why people don’t like it,” he said. “It’s like fish, and the sauce with it is really good. And if you mix it with rice, it’s much better.”
Fifth-grader Kiara Kane-Rodrigues also welcomed the chance to try tofu in a new way. “It was good. I like tofu. I haven’t had it in a long time, so it was nice to taste it again,” she said. “I like how it’s soft. I don’t think I like it plain — I like it with shoyu.”
Although the recent severe weather impacted the availability of local produce across the state, schools were encouraged to incorporate locally grown vegetables, if available, as part of the Department’s broader farm-to-school initiative. This statewide effort promotes food sustainability, supports local agriculture, and aligns with Act 175’s goals to improve student health.
The Department, in partnership with Kapiʻolani Community College’s Culinary Institute of the Pacific and the Culinary Institute of America, is redeveloping menu offerings to feature more locally inspired dishes that incorporate Hawaiʻi-grown ingredients. Select dishes — including a tofu poke bowl recipe — will be introduced next school year, with student feedback helping to refine each item to meet both quality and student preference standards.
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 Mahalo to Kailua Elementary School’s baker, Lyn Grace; school food services manager, Gary Naito; and cook, Neil Hong (pictured left to right) for inviting us into their kitchen, and to the Kailua Elementary students and staff for welcoming us into their cafeteria.
“What’s For School Lunch?” is a monthly column coordinated with the School Food Services Branch that features new and exciting school meal initiatives.
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Charles Matthew Dela Cruz
Title: Educational Assistant
Job site: ‘Ewa Beach Elementary School
Years in the HIDOE: 4
Years in the position: 1
Charles Dela Cruz was named a finalist for the 2025 Sustained Superior Performance Awards, also known as the Department’s Employee of the Year award. Charles was recognized for bringing professionalism and genuine care to his work, helping to keep students focused on their goals while encouraging them. He's also known for being a visible and trusted presence throughout campus, from the cafeteria to recess to afternoon bus pick-up.
Q: How did you get into this field?
A: During the times I worked inside the classroom, I discovered how much I enjoyed spending time with students—talking story with them and providing academic guidance. Building connections with our inclusion special education students was especially meaningful, and celebrating their milestones brought me a lot of joy. Those experiences strengthened my desire to support and help guide our next generation.
Q: What are your primary duties?
A: Being an EA requires flexibility, as our responsibilities can vary throughout the school day. My primary duties include implementing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for our special education students and providing accommodations that support their learning. I work closely with our special education and inclusion teachers to discuss student progress and share observations. My special education teacher and I follow a rotating schedule to provide services across different classrooms.
Q: What advice do you have for people considering this position?
A: My advice to anyone considering this position is to take things one day at a time. There will be cases where the toughest kids may be assigned to you, but a bad day does not mean every day will be bad—it simply means there will be another day to try again. The first step to being an effective EA is building a connection with your students, and once that relationship is established, everything else will follow.
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- April: Month of the Military Child
- April: Autism Acceptance Month
- April: Financial Literacy Month
- April: Child Abuse Prevention Month
- April: National School Library Month
- May 1: School Lunch Hero Day
- May 1: National School Principals Day
- May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 6: National School Nurses Day
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Public School Pop Quiz! Answer: b. Hilo High School. Rocha was unable to make the Vikings' roster which some recall was a combination of his "awkwardness" and that Hilo’s team already had talented players at the time, according to the Honolulu Advertiser. Rocha began his college career at UH before transferring to Oregon State, eventually becoming a three-time all-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference selection for the Beavers.
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This newsletter was produced by the Hawai'i State Department of Education's Communications Branch.
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Nanea Ching
Executive Editor
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Kimberly Yuen
Managing Editor
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Share your story ideas, events, questions and feedback to newsletter@k12.hi.us
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1390 Miller St. Honolulu, HI 96813 Phone: 808-784-6200
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