Three students from Ke Kula Ni’ihau O Kekaha Learning Center, a New Century Public Charter Laboratory School, were honored Saturday at the school’s first graduation ceremony. Graduating seniors include Uimalamalama Kelley, Hi’ipoilani Kanahele, and Kawaimana Kanahele. Graduation day started out
Three students from Ke Kula Ni’ihau O Kekaha Learning Center, a New Century Public Charter Laboratory School, were honored Saturday at the school’s first graduation ceremony.
Graduating seniors include Uimalamalama Kelley, Hi’ipoilani Kanahele, and Kawaimana Kanahele.
Graduation day started out with a special service held at the Waimea Hawaiian Church. This was a time for the graduates to be together with their families and other students in order to “ho’omaika’i i ke Akua,” or to acknowledge the spiritual side of this important occasion in their lives.
Later in the afternoon, official graduation ceremonies were held on the campus of Ke Kula Ni’ihau O Kekaha, located at the site of the former Kekaha Armory across the street from Kekaha School. In addition to the traditional diploma, each graduate was presented with a lei poo, a shell lei worn on the head; a lei ai, a traditional Niihau shell lei; and a kihei, or cloak.
Both Hipoilani Kanahele and Kelley are currently planning to continue their studies at Kaua’i Community College, and Kawaimana Kanahele’s immediate goal is to make a music CD and pursue his interest in music.
Ke Kula Ni’ihau O Kekaha is unique in that its primary goal is to perpetuate and strengthen the Ni’ihau dialect of the Hawaiian language among Niihau youth, as well as to prepare the students with the necessary skills for both survival and ultimately success in the modern world of the twenty-first century.
The model used in the school is one which has proven successful with other indigenous language speakers throughout the world, such as Welsh in Great Britain, Saami (Lapp) in Norway, and Romansch in Switzerland. This style of teaching has proven to be effective in each of these countries in not only preserving the indigenous languages but also providing a strong academic background ensuring future educational success for the students.
This model provides that children be taught exclusively through their native language in early school years in order to strengthen the language and provide the basic educational skills needed to succeed in the upper grades.
At Ke Kula Ni’ihau O Kekaha, the Niihau dialect of Hawaiian is used as the medium of instruction from kindergarten through the early elementary years. English is then formally taught beginning in the middle school, with core classes continuing to be taught primarily in Hawaiian. In high school, core classes are taught in both Hawaiian and English, and French is added as a third language.
Doubts about the possible negative effects of teaching exclusively in Hawaiian during the early years were basically put to rest when Pua Kanahele, an eighth grader at Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha, recently won first place in the English-language middle-school division statewide essay contest sponsored by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
Guests at the graduation ceremonies included not only families and friends from the Niihau community, but also representatives from Ke Kula O Nawahiokalaniopuu in Keaau on the Big Island, and Ke KulaO Samuel M. Kamakau in Kailua, Oahu. The three graduates had earlier attended graduation ceremonies held at each of these schools.
Other guests included a variety of people who have supported the school over the years, including members of the Aha Punana Leo, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and dignitaries from the state Board of Education, the Kauai Complex Area of the Department of Education, and the County of Kauai.
The staff at the school includes: Paul Koki Williams, administrator; Leimokihana Kanahele and Hiipoi Kanahele, elementary school teachers; Kalei Shintani, middle school teacher; Hokulani Cleeland, high school teacher.
