Twisted bodies, happy faces, frozen shapes like statues of ancient chiefs or fishermen, battle scenes with war clubs and flying spears … it was all happening within the classrooms of Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Kapa‘a thanks to a grant from
Twisted bodies, happy faces, frozen shapes like statues of ancient chiefs or fishermen, battle scenes with war clubs and flying spears … it was all happening within the classrooms of Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Kapa‘a thanks to a grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. OHA made it possible for teaching artist Mauli Ola Cook to share her passion for dance and drama with the students and teachers of Kapa‘a Kaiapuni grades K-5.
Mauli has had the pleasure of teaching Hawaiian Studies at Kaiapuni for the last eight years under the DOE Kupuna program. Two years ago working together with Kaiapuni teachers Alohilani Rogers, Kaleimakamae Ka‘auwai and Leimomi Cummings, Mauli was awarded an Artists in the Schools Grant to teach sessions in storytelling and creative movement to grades K-5. The children worked with stories of the superhero Maui using beautifully illustrated texts by Peter Gossage from Aotearoa (New Zealand).
Last summer Kaleimakamae and Leimomi joined Mauli in attending an Arts Focus summer institute at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. For one week they were immersed in powerful experiences in drama, music and dance designed to bring excitement and a love of learning to the classroom.
Everyone at Kaiapuni was grateful to be able to continue the creative arts work this year thanks to funding from OHA. The older students worked with a drama technique called tableau to create “living pictures,” representing moments in the lives of two very important ali‘i. Grades 4/5 were studying Kamehameha the First. They were particularly interested in his life on Hawai‘i island as they enjoyed a wonderful field trip to that island in April. Grades 2/3 focused on Kaua‘i’s last king, Kaumuali‘i. The students reenacted the moment of his birth at Holoholoku heiau in Wailua, his interactions with Captain Vancouver and the historic meeting with Kamehameha that brought about the final unification of the Hawaiian Islands. Acting out the scenes from history helped the students connect more deeply to the characters, places and dates. It was always a bright moment in their school day, giving them an opportunity to get out of their chairs, be creative and discover new ways to express themselves.
Mauli used an outstanding new book in drama education to guide her lessons in tableau. Her friends and colleagues from the Kennedy Center Arts Education National Tour, Lenore Blank Kelner and Rosalind Flynn, coauthored “A Dramatic Approach to Reading Comprehension.” It is a very rich source of information about how to teach drama effectively. OHA provided funding for resource material and the teachers received a copy of this book as well as the book on reading comprehension entitled “Mosaic of Thought.”
Kumu Namomi McCorriston’s K/1 classes studied creative movement, learning about shapes, levels, directions, creative expression and self control. Several of the lesson plans Mauli taught the children of the K/1 class came from an exciting new teaching resource called the Essential Arts Toolkit, Hawai‘i Fine Arts Grade Level Guide. The Toolkit has detailed lesson plans for every grade level in dance, drama, music and the visual arts. Every DOE school has been given several copies of the Toolkit and there are workshops being offered to help classroom teachers and Teaching Artists better understand how to make full use of this document. Mauli will be offering a workshop on Kaua‘i, Aug. 3 to any artists who are interested in becoming an Artistic Teaching Partner and bringing their artistry into the schools. For information on registration call Marcia at 533-2787 or e-mail marcia@hawaiiartsalliance.org.
Mauli will also be offering a workshop for teachers, artists, hula dancers and children of all ages in the art of Hula Ki‘i or Hawaiian puppetry. This workshop will be held July 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Hanapepe at the Storybook Theater. Call 335-0712 for registration information.
OHA awarded this grant to Papa Laua‘e ‘O Makana, the nonprofit branch of the halau that Mauli belongs to here on Kaua‘i. Vicky Holt Takamine is the kumu for the halau and sets an extraordinary example to all her students creating projects that bring arts, culture and environmental awareness to our communities.
