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May 6, 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.
Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders Vision Lab
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders Vision Lab event at the Japanese Cultural Center—an inspiring evening highlighting the impactful work of students in CTL’s Fellows Program. This year-long leadership initiative brings together 20 exceptional high school seniors from across Hawai‘i’s public and private schools, reflecting the diversity of our communities and preparing the next generation of state leaders who are both globally competitive and locally grounded. Throughout the program, fellows developed legacy projects aimed at making a meaningful difference in their schools, communities and across the islands.
Congratulations to this year’s Projects of the Year winners:
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Year 1 (Personal Leadership Project): Lānaʻi High & Elementary – “Harvest from Home,” addressing the limited access to fresh produce in the Lānaʻi community
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Year 2 (Community-wide impact): Waipahu High School – “Project Connect,” focused on expanding access to resources and strengthening connections for Waipahu residents
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Year 3 (Islandwide impact): Kailua High School – “All Are Safe,” creating inclusive and welcoming spaces across the island for the special needs community
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 Student fellows from 22 high schools across six different islands attended the annual Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders’ Vision Lab to showcase their projects on April 30 at the Japanese Cultural Center. The theme of the event was “Ho'omākaukau: We’ve prepared for this.” Photo courtesy: Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders
Teacher Appreciation Week
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! I would like to send a heartfelt mahalo to all our incredible teachers and educators who uplift and support students every day, both inside and outside the classroom. Your energy, creativity and care make a lasting difference. From designing meaningful lessons to serving as encouraging role models, thank you for inspiring our students to reach higher and believe in themselves.
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 From left to right, Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School students Tuaila Onosai Jr., Oriana Olive and Kobe Tautalatasi perform a Samoan dance in the school’s annual May Day on May 1. The theme of this year’s event was “Island Fever” and featured cultural celebrations from Hawai‘i, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and the Philippines to celebrate the island communities represented in the student body at Farrington High School.
Credit: Chanel Horie / HIDOE Communications Branch
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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Kūlanihāko‘i High School in Kīhei will celebrate its first graduating class on May 23. The South Maui campus opened in Aug. 2023 as the state’s newest public high school. Before Kūlanihāko‘i, which HIDOE high school was the most recent to graduate its first class?
a. Kea‘au High School
b. Kapolei High School
c. Kealakehe High School
d. King Kekaulike High School
Find the answer at the end of this newsletter.
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Mōkapu Elementary School: We promised you a look at our Mōkapu Elementary JPOs in action, and they certainly did not disappoint! Check out the video below of yesterday's JPO Drill Showcase to see our keiki demonstrating the discipline and sharp execution they’ve been perfecting all year long. ✨ JPO goes beyond the drill, it’s about resilience, teamwork, and leadership.✨ Discipline: On full display. Spirit: Unmatched. Ae'o Pride: Off the charts! Take a moment to watch their hard work pay off. We couldn't be prouder of this group of future leaders!
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Kula Elementary School: Big day for music at Kula Elementary 🎶✨ Our 4th grade classes won the 2026 Ho’olōkahi Songwriting Competition, an incredible achievement! As part of their win, they also received 30 ‘ukulele generously provided by Free Guitars 4 Kids 🎸 4th grade students and teachers enjoyed an inspiring Q&A with special guest Paula Fuga, followed by a school-wide assembly celebrating music. We are so proud of our students for sharing their voices and celebrating music as one ‘ohana 💛
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Honoka‘a High & Intermediate School: May Day 2026 was a success! Mahalo to everyone for participating in this event. Visit our YouTube channel to see all of these wonderful student dances! This year's May Day theme was “Pua Kiele” which stands for the gardenia flower, symbolizing purity, peace and love. #RahRahHonokaa #D4L #DragonPRIDE
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Use the #HIPublicSchoolsProud hashtag for a chance to be featured!
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What’s for school lunch? Poi is! The local staple is now added to the regular rotation of school meals. While it has appeared before in limited quantities for special events, this is the first statewide procurement under a regular HIDOE contract. Vendors HPC Foods and Aloha ʻĀina Poi Company have been supplying schools with poi this school year.
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Konawaena High School is still recovering from the Kona low storm, which flooded 75 classrooms, disabled five elevators and damaged the library and administrative offices. Interim Principal Chelsea Qualey recently discussed the school’s ongoing recovery efforts in an interview with Hawai‘i Public Radio.
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Small schools made a big statement at the inaugural Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Surfing State Championships at Ho‘okipa Beach on Maui. The North Shore of O‘ahu was well represented, with Kahuku High & Intermediate capturing the boys’ overall state title and Waialua High & Intermediate winning the girls’ overall championship. “It feels amazing to represent Waialua and our community, especially after everything we’ve been through with the flooding,” sophomore Skai Suitt told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
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 Our food, our story, our tradition: Bridging generations through the kitchen
By Noah Ching, ‘Aiea High School
 ‘Aiea High School senior Noah Ching,who was named the Most Outstanding Student in Culinary Arts, is pictured with culinary teacher Emily Mendoza, the 2026 ‘Aiea-Moanalua-Radford Complex Area Teacher of the Year. Photo courtesy: Noah Ching / ‘Aiea High School
Moving to Hawai‘i from California at the age of 4 meant growing up in one of the most culturally diverse places in the world. That diversity became most visible to me through the daily foods that people eat. As I grew up in Hawai‘i, enjoyed family gatherings, shared school lunches with friends and advanced through the ‘Aiea High School culinary arts program, my heart and mind were opened to the richness of many cultures. Bento boxes, plate lunches, lumpia and manapua were some of the things everyone shared. The many cultures that influenced these cuisines include, of course, Native Hawaiian, Polynesian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese and American. These cultural groups arrived in Hawai‘i through migration and plantation labor, bringing their own foods and traditions, along with a variety of cooking techniques. Over time, these traditions began to merge into one rather than remain separate. For an aspiring chef like myself, understanding this history is not just academic; it is the first step toward cooking with purpose and honoring the many ancestors who built a single, delicious table from so many different hands.
Noah Ching is a senior at ‘Aiea High School, where he serves as student council treasurer and vice president of the Math Club. He was named “Most Outstanding Culinary Student” for AHS. Noah enjoys volunteering at the school’s monthly food distribution and loves experimenting with new recipes. In his free time, he likes gardening and learning about natural resources. He plans to attend Kapi‘olani Community College and hopes to become a chef. His favorite foods are braised pork belly and homemade flan.
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Jason Takeuchi
Occupation: Architect
College: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
What school you grad? Roosevelt High '05
Location: Honolulu, HI
Jason Takeuchi is a mission-driven architect at Ferraro Choi and is passionate about building the resilience of his community through stewardship of the unique culture and environment of Hawai‘i and the Pacific. He earned his Doctor of Architecture degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
He currently serves as 2026-28 At-Large Director on The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) national board and was 2024 chair of the AIA National Young Architects Forum, representing 20,000 emerging architects globally. In his community, Jason volunteers with the Liljestrand Foundation, Hawai‘i Architectural Foundation and Scouting America’s Aloha Council. Jason is a recipient of the 2018 AIA Associates Award, Building Design + Construction Magazine’s 40 Under 40 recognition and the 2023 AIA Young Architects Award. His firm is the project designer behind many HIDOE facilities including Honouliuli Middle School, Stevenson Middle School’s Science and Tech Center, Lahainaluna High’s cafeteria, Waipahu Intermediate’s cafeteria, Kohala High’s STEM/Science Facility and Kalani High’s girls locker room. He and his team are also behind the design of Roosevelt High School’s new gymnasium project, which is set to open its doors this summer.
He attended Pauoa Elementary, Prince David Kawānanakoa Middle and President Theodore Roosevelt High. His grandmother, Sachi Takeuchi, taught home economics at Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High and his great aunt, Jean Aten, served as the librarian at Pauoa Elementary for over 40 years while he was a student.
Q: Why did you choose this career path and what do you enjoy most about it?
A: My mom wanted to be an architect but didn't have the opportunity to, so I'm grateful to live her goal. It's meaningful to design buildings that become part of people's livelihood and memories. I may not be able to support people through my volunteer work when I'm gone, but hopefully many of the buildings we design will continue to give back to communities for generations.
Q: Name of a teacher or mentor you’d like to thank?
A: Mrs. Kay Chin. She was a mentor to me for six years at Pauoa Elementary's Challenge program. It was rare to have the same teacher for this long, so without question she shaped my trajectory as a student. The confidence I gained from her allowed me to pursue full academic and extracurricular potential, and that shaped my identity as a student and ultimately who I am today.
Q: Fun fact?
A: I was fortunate to be part of Roosevelt's first ever Engineering and Technology Academy, which was incredible for my growth into becoming an architect. Fellow Roosevelt alum Peter Hernandez (Bruno Mars) happened to be our teaching assistant in one of the academy classes!
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 Jason Takeuchi, an architect with Honolulu-based firm Ferraro Choi, is helping to oversee the construction of the new gymnasium project at his alma mater, Roosevelt High School, which is set to open this summer. Photo credit: Kimi Takazawa / HIDOE Communications Branch
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- May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 6: National School Nurses Day
- May 14: Board of Education Student Achievement Committee Meeting, Finance and Infrastructure Committee Meeting and General Business Meeting
- May 25: Memorial Day (Schools and state offices closed)
- May 28: Last day for students
- May 29: Last day for teachers
- May: Children’s Mental Health Month
- May: National Speech-Language-Hearing Month
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Public School Pop Quiz! Answer: Kapolei High School. The school opened on July 26, 2000 and celebrated its first graduating class in June 2004. The school will be having a 25 year anniversary celebration on May 15 which is open to the community.
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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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