‘Ohana Night – Konawaena May 29, 2014

Located on the beautiful hillside of Kealakekua (Hawaii) is Konawaena High School, home of the Wildcats. Partners In Development Foundation’s Ka Hana No’eau mentorship program has been working with the school in developing innovative elective classes for students to learn about Hawaiian traditions using contemporary technology.

There are currently two programs offered at Konawaena led by Brad Wood-Ferren (Landscaping) and Maverick Kawamoto (To Grow, To Eat, To Harvest). At this year’s ‘Ohana Night, each class conducted a group presentation on what they learned throughout the semester.

Landscaping students led demonstrations from knot tying to building complete landscaping irrigation systems, which also included valve and drip emitters. The students also demonstrated how to siphon water from one bucket to another. Wood-Ferren says, “this (Kealakekua) is a very rural community, and many homes have catchment and water storage systems. My students now have learned the skills to siphon and can teach others how to accomplish this task.”

GHE students led a presentation on the delicious food they prepared for the event. From planting and harvesting, to raising and slaughtering, and food preparation, the students provided detailed step-by-step cooking demonstrations of the dishes they later served to those in attendance.

The Ka Hana No’eau mentorship programs at Konawaena have molded students that demonstrate high levels of strategic planning capabilities along with teamwork and knowledge within the areas of skill they acquired through their classes.