Celebrating 35 Years of Hawaiian Language Education

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor
On April 5, Kualapu’u School’s Hawaiian language immersion students took center stage, honoring the efforts of those who had come before. This year’s annual Hana Keaka Hawaiian theater performance had a special significance, as it celebrated 35 years of Hawaiian language education on Molokai.
“This year we honor our treasured voices, our manaleo, Native Hawaiian speakers of Molokai who were the guiding forces behind the founding of both the Punana Leo Hawaiian language preschool in 1991 and subsequently our Kula Kaiapuni o Kualapuʻu and ʻO Hina i ka Malama, elementary and secondary Hawaiian languages schools on island,” explained Ka’ala Fay Camara, current vice principal at Kualapu’u School and next year’s principal.…