Ho‘okahe Wai: Let the Streams Flow
Aloha ‘āina is the foundation of Hālau Kū Māna Public Charter School’s curriculum. Each grade level is involved in project-based learning, giving the students real-world knowledge about everything from the ocean, to the mountains, to voyaging canoes, to traditional crafts, and kalo farming. The haumāna get hands-on, ʻāina-based education that allows them to connect to the land, but also to see how the land is connected to everything else.
The eighth-grade class learns about the uplands and water issues facing Hawai‘i. Their school year culminates in a large community stream cleanup to raise awareness about the political, environmental, and cultural importance of water to our islands. Hundreds of people from different segments of the community show up to do their part, all brought together and led by the eighth-graders.
“To restore, replenish, reclaim the stream is not just an effort to be sustainable, it’s an effort to reclaim who we are as people.”
