Namahana School Welcomes its Founding Families

Inaugural Classes of 2030 and 2031 Formally Enroll

With opening day just around the corner, Namahana School welcomed its founding families at an official “Signing Day” event on Saturday, April 12. Throughout the morning, the charter school’s future seventh and eighth graders, together with their parents and siblings, visited the temporary Kula campus where the school will open its doors in August. Over 100 families have currently enrolled in the inaugural middle school classes that will mark a new era for education on Kaua‘i’s North Shore.

Portraits were photographed for a wall dedicated to Namahana’s founding families, and students gave feedback on surveys for extracurricular and sports preferences. The station manned by Paulina Barsotti of Thyme Culinary Market was buzzing with activity, as students sampled a tasting menu to help define Namahana’s farm-to-table school lunch options. Because of the school’s emphasis on supporting locally sourced, sustainable food systems, students enjoyed unique dishes like kajiki with coconut lime rice and bagels with smoked marlin spread, as well as vegetarian options.

“Today marks a historic moment as our inaugural classes of 2030 and 2031 come together for the first time, forging connections that will become the foundation of their Namahana journey,” said School Leader Dr. Kapua Chandler. "As we connect with our founding families, I'm humbled by their commitment to being part of something transformative. Our inaugural

students aren't just enrolling in a school – they're helping to build one. They're establishing a legacy of leadership, innovation and deep community connection that will benefit generations of keiki to come.”

The new public charter school is quickly ticking off its pre-opening checklist as it prepares to open on August 4. Since receiving its charter approval from the Hawai‘i Public Charter School Commission in 2022, Namahana has been laying its institutional and curricular groundwork. It is currently in an intensive fundraising campaign to raise $10 million for the first phase of construction on its dedicated 11.3-acre campus across from the post office in Kīlauea. In addition to purchasing the site outright in 2023 with widespread community support, Namahana has already raised $6.5 million toward its Phase I goal, and is racing to close the gap by the end of June to ensure that its inaugural eighth grade class can move into permanent facilities by fall 2026. While those facilities are being built, classes will be held at the former Kula School campus in Waipakē, just five minutes away.

“As someone born and raised in Kīlauea, it's powerful to see people that I went to elementary school with now enrolling their kids here,” said Namahana’s Director of Learning Tamra Moriguchi. Like so many North Shore children, Moriguchi commuted to Kapa‘a for middle and high school and eventually to O‘ahu for college. “To help create an institution that’s not only bringing education closer to home, but also reinvesting in our community and genuinely incorporating student feedback... I'm honored to be a part of it.”

Liv Nelson, a rising eighth grader in Namahana’s first graduating class of 2030, said, “I’m impressed and super excited that Namahana is going to have hands-on, real world learning opportunities. Most kids don’t get the chance to help create their school. It’s a big leadership role – we have the chance to impact future generations for both Namahana and our community. That’s a really cool thing.”