Education on the Ocean: Pua Ka Ilima Treats Keiki to Sailing Adventures
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu It was a 19-day adventure on the open seas for Ralph Blancato and his crew to pilot a 42-foot sailboat from California to Hawai‘i Island. In July 2022, Ralph and his team of three people sailed successfully…
HEART: Growing Hilo’s Love for Theater
By Mālielani Larish Performing arts lovers of all ages are lucky that Larry Reitzer grew disenchanted with lounging on the beach. After a 30-year career in the entertainment industry, Larry retired and moved to Hilo with the intention of penning…
FreediveSafe! Hawai‘i: Lifesaving Training for the Next Generation of Spearfishers
By Sara Stover On a breezy Saturday morning at the beginning of the summer, 25 of Hawai‘i Island’s youth willingly gather in a classroom at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy (HPA). Dylan Currier and Sandy Hammel of Freediving Instructors International are demonstrating…
Everyone Wins in Honoka‘a’s Feeding Program
By Catherine Tarleton Sustainable, adj. 1: capable of being sustained, 2a: of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged, 2b: of or relating to a…
Local Food: Keiki in the Kitchen, and a Recipe for Frozen Yogurt Banana Bites
By Brittany P. Anderson The high-pitched squeals of three enthusiastic little voices filled the kitchen. Three little boys had just come in from the garden, their pockets full of random ripe vegetables they picked—a few golden cherry tomatoes, a red…
Makahiki at Mālamalama
By Stefan Verbano Students at Mālamalama Waldorf School in Kea‘au will ring in the Makahiki season a little differently this year. Gone will be the crowds of spectators, the buffet tables groaning under the weight of steaming pots of taro…
Hobby Garden: A Happy, Sustainable Learning Center
By Stefan Verbano Every other day, the big four-engine seaplanes would roar over Johnson Lum’s grandfather’s home on the main Fiji island of Viti Levu. The Sunderland Flying Boats were on rescue and reconnaissance missions over vast, isolated stretches of…
Bo Williams: Island Teen Proves “It Takes a Village”
By Fern Gavelek Restrictions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic presented island youth with a variety of challenges: online school instruction, cancelled sporting events, and minimal, in-person interaction with friends. With the help of his community, a Hawai‘i Island teen…
Keiki Hālau Honors Ancient Hula Legacy
By Karen Valentine Kapono Like one of the glistening orbs in a string of pearls, Pelehonuamea Puku‘i Suganuma Harman joins other daughters and granddaughters of hula dancers in a string of generational legacy that is rare in today’s world. In…
The Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island
By Mālielani Larish Embraced by trade winds and an expansive view of the bay, 100 members of the Hilo Boys & Girls Club sing “Ho‘o Nani” to bless the afternoon meal. With a “Pa‘i ka lima!” from their leader, the…
Sailing into the Future: Nā Pe‘a Participants Apply Canoe’s Lessons to Life
By Sara Stover “Stay off the rocks,” Kalani Nakoa instructs his young crew. The wind is light out of the west as they launch one of the three 26-foot single-hull canoes from Kīholo Bay. Within minutes, the wind shifts to…
Mālamalama and Kona Pacific Celebrate 100 Years of Waldorf Education
By Karen Rose On September 19, 2019, Waldorf education proudly marked its 100-year anniversary worldwide. The first Waldorf school was founded in Stuttgart, Germany in 1919 and is based on the educational philosophy of Austrian social reformer, Rudolf Steiner. Today…
The 11th Annual Keiki Fishing Tournament Rocks at Punalu‘u
By Karen Valentine Not long after sunrise at Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach, light sparkles on the waves, tipping the bright blue sea as it splashes on the black rocks lining each tide pool. The parking lot is already filled with…
Ocean Education: Unlocking the Mystery of Underwater Marine Life for Hawai‘i’s Keiki
By Karen Rose The famous French underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau famously said, “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” Junior Program instructors at Jack’s Diving Locker agree, and are striving to inspire…
Kona Dance and Performing Arts Creates More Than Great Dancers
Beyond Shuffle Steps and Pointed Toes By Karen Rose Five, six, seven, eight! Every dancer is well acquainted with these four numbers. For the young students of Kona Dance and Performing Arts, their training goes beyond dance and into life…
Hawai‘i Island Charter Schools, part 3
By Tiffany Edwards Hunt In the past two issues of Ke Ola Magazine, we’ve explored various charter schools on the island, describing these public schools that are focused on Hawaiian language and culture or are project-based. They are unique in…
Summer Activities with Your Keiki
It’s the perennial topic—what to do with the keiki for the summer. On Hawai‘i Island there are ample programs, activities, and excursions—it’s just a matter of online searches and phone calls to get the scoop. Ke Ola Magazine has saved…
ArtWavEs: Nourishes the Children
Imagine a world where care and understanding go hand-in-hand with dignity, respect, creativity, and longevity. Imagine a world which offers education for the body, brain and the deep soul. The founders of Feed the Children Kona imagined such things, and…
Kāko‘o ‘o I Nā Keiki (Support the Keiki) to Advance the Common Good for All Hawai‘i Island Keiki
By Gayle ‘Kaleilehua’ Greco A child’s big, innocent eyes gaze out into the distance. He waits street side, anticipating excitement, yet remaining ever-so-patient. He is surrounded by his ‘ohana who summon the minivan down the street. Reminiscent of waiting for…
Where Art Found Its Place: Donkey Mill Art Center
By Le‘a Gleason Nineteen years ago—before a collaboration like this existed for South Kona—a group of artists gathered to share a vision. It was this decision to come together to “develop and expand opportunities in the community to enrich lives…
A Mele Kalikimaka to All: ‘Elves’ Around Hawai‘i Island Helping ‘Ohana in Need
By Catherine Tarleton This is the first in an occasional series where Ke Ola Magazine highlights some of the important work of our on-island nonprofits. Enjoy learning about these two organizations and please support them. If you have a favorite…
Sounds of Peace: A Joyful Noise in Honoka‘a
By Catherine Tarleton What does peace sound like? In Honoka‘a, on Peace Day, September 21, it sounds like marching bands and taiko drums, ‘ukulele music, bon dance, bells, and gongs. It might sound like rock and roll with a mix…
Hopper Sheldon: Eastside Artist Brings Art and Fun to Keiki of All Ages
By Barbara Fahs Keeping pace with eastside artist Cheryl “Hopper” Sheldon can keep you on your toes. Her free “Artday Saturday” enrichment program at the Hilo Farmers’ Market attracts keiki of all ages, from 10 months to 88 years young.…
A Whole New Palate: Seed-to-Table Gives Kids a New Appreciation for Food
By Prana Mandoe A group of middle-school cooks is hanging out by the blender on a picnic table at Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School (KOKL). The kids just whipped up coconut-liliko’i smoothies… oh!—and grilled beef and lime with…
Slammin’ at the Gym: Local Youth Discover the Sport of Poetry
By Alan D. McNarie The bleachers of Pahoa High School Gym are packed with cheering, clapping students. The noise is deafening. But this isn’t a basketball game, or even a pep rally. It’s…a poetry reading? It’s Guinevere Balicoco’s turn at…
Angel of Aloha
By Jessica Kirkwood Kalau Iwaoka will tell you without hesitation that her life’s goal is to be the embodiment of Aloha. And so far she’s good at it—really good. If you passed her on the warm and weathered street of…
Angels of the Dance: Talented Big Island Youth Aspire to New Heights Under the Tutelage of Angel Prince
By Kim Cope Tait A young woman emerges from darkness, taking tentative steps along the railing of a balcony; sunset sky sends a pale strip of fiery light along the horizon, apparently far below her precarious heights. “I never loved…
More Than a Wooden Big-Top: Soaring High at S.P.A.C.E. in Puna
By Alan D. McNarie Juggler Graham Ellis, who founded Puna’s Hiccup Circus in 1984 to educate and inspire local kids through circus arts, longed for a home base. For nearly two decades, Ellis, his performer friends and students had performed…
Teens Take the Stage in SONG: Stars Of the Next Generation
By Hadley Catalano A group of 15 teenagers—unsupervised and listening to music—gather inside on a sunny Sunday afternoon in early November. It’s hot inside the old attic space of the Aloha Performing Arts Center LOFT and the kids are sweating.…
