For the second year in a row, an incredibly generous donor has pledged $100,000 to Namahana if 100 people donate $1 or more to our middle school classrooms campaign. Last year’s effort was a huge success: the community pulled together and we reached 100 donors in 6 days, unlocked the $100,000, and raised an additional $50,000 in the process.  We believe our community can have a greater impact this year!  

Even if just $1, every donation counts towards the 100 donor goal. Give whatever you can, the amount doesn't matter!  

And please tell your ʻohana, neighbors, friends, and social media followers to do the same! We need your support to amplify the voice of Namahana School. We are 80% to goal to build our middle school classrooms and working hard to raise the remaining funds by the end of June. This campaign is live; share our story and donate any amount today. 

We’re thrilled to share a short video that beautifully captures Namahana and the community behind it.  It’s a powerful story that reflects the values and vision we are all building together.  We hope it moves you as much as it moved us.

It was an honor to collaborate with Noah Semeria of Mira Productions.  We have immense gratitude for his countless in-kind hours producing, filming, and editing.  Mahalo to Bradford Schmidt who supported b-roll footage, as well as Andrew Vastola of Mauka View who captured audio recordings.  And mahalo to Lahela Correa, Kirstie Daly, Kauʻi Fu, Lorraine Mull, Elliot Washor, Andrea Purcell, Quillen Domingue, April Yagihara, Kristin Foster, Pam Murphy, Jennifer Luck, Melanie Parker, and Kapua Chandler for your support and sharing your manaʻo!

Congratulations to Dr. Kapua Chandler, Namahana School Leader, for being named a Pacific Business News “40 Under 40” honoree! Kapua is being recognized for being the visionary leader and driving force behind the creation of Namahana School.

The program is a prestigious statewide honor recognizing 40 of Hawaiʻi’s most impactful leaders under 40 years of age. Celebrated for both professional excellence and community leadership, honorees are recognized as rising influencers shaping Hawaiʻi’s future. Check out the full list of 2025 honorees here. 

Mahalo to our Kaua’i delegation for securing this critical funding for Namahana School. If you missed our announcement on Instagram, check it out here.  

With this grant and other recent gifts, we’ve now raised 80% of our $10 million goal. We’re working hard to close the last $2M by the end of June, as we prepare to welcome our very first 7th and 8th graders to our temporary site this August! 

Mahalo to the delegation for including Namahana Education Foundation in this critical funding, including Senate President Ron Kouchi, House Speaker Nadine Nakamura, Representative Luke Evslin, and House Majority Floor Leader Dee Morikawa.  To see the official press release from the State noting to where all the funding went this year, click here.  

Mahalo nui to all of those who have been helping prepare our temporary campus for students this August!  We welcome you to join us at the Kula campus on Saturday, 6/22 and/or Friday, 7/12 from 9AM–12PM for ʻohana work days. Simply wear comfy clothes and come ready to have fun and lend a hand.  

Please RSVP to taeko@namahanafoundation.org. We’ll send you a short list of helpful items to bring when you sign up.  All are welcome to join.

Namahana School’s Dr. Kapua Chandler and Taeko Onishi recently joined the Hawai‘i State Charter Commission and global colleagues from Big Picture Learning schools across the U.S., Caribbean, Canada, Africa, and Europe for an International Conference. Hosted by Big Picture Learning Australia, Kapua and Taeko were joined on the trip by the Executive Director of the State of Hawaiʻi Charter School Commission, Ed Noh. 

Kapua was invited to join a panel of Indigenous women from Australia, Kenya, and Canada to reflect on supporting Indigenous students in BPL environments. She shared Namahana’s ʻāina-based model and the importance of honoring students’ passions, including cultural and community-rooted pathways.

They also visited Launceston Big Picture School and Hobart Big Picture in Tasmania, experiencing student-led learning and gaining insight into the BIGA International Big Picture Learning Credential (IBPLC). Tasmania was a meaningful space to build pilina with our international group and BPL Australia. 

Kapua and Taeko are now home with ʻike to hānai for Namahana! Check out more photos from the trip on Instagram here.

In preparation for the upcoming school year, hiring continues at Namahana School.  Six Kumu and one Special Education Kumu have been hired. Leadership continues to actively hire for the following positions:

• Student Health Steward

• Campus Steward

• Educational Assistant

• Teachers

Today Namahana School announced a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor couple, catapulting it into the final stretch of a major capital campaign to build middle school facilities on its 11.3-acre site in Kīlauea. With the public charter school’s first cohort of seventh and eighth graders already enrolled for the 2025-2026 academic year and campus construction slated to begin as soon as permits finalize, the seven-figure donation pushes Namahana’s fundraising progress to $7.5 million, or three-quarters of the $10 million goal needed to complete its middle school.

On April 12th 2025, Namahana hosted its very first signing day. Over 100 of the inaugural 7th and 8th graders starting school with us this August were joined by their 'ohana to receive a ti leaf lei from our School Leader Dr. Kapua Chandler and officially sign their enrollment with a koa pen.

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.

Mahalo to “The Garden Island” and “Kaua’i Now News” for their recent coverage of Namahana School’s signing day. Both pieces do a great job of not only showcasing the event, but also the long road that led to the day, as well as the effort that needs to be done as we work towards welcoming Namahana’s first students in August and beginning construction on the permanent campus. 

Mahalo to Zach Arreola, the designer behind our latest logo iteration featured on the recent round of Namahana t-shirts and other gear. For the design, he expertly weaved together the Namahana mountain range and its two highest peaks with the school’s core values: aloha ʻāina, aloha kanaka, and aloha i ke ao. 

Thank you for the great work and support, Zach! 

Namahana Education Foundation welcomes Kevin Newburg to the Board. A dynamic and visionary leader, he has a talent for innovation and strategic growth, and thrives on turning ideas into impactful realities. As a Co-Founder & Managing Partner of JuneShine, Mana Companies Asset Management, and Hale Real Estate Partners, the Board is grateful for his skills and energy. 

Welcome, Kevin!

As one of the six pillars of Big Picture Learning (Namahana’s academic framework), we embrace Hānai (eating healthy) as a key component to teaching both academically successful and healthy students. With this goal in mind, Namahana leadership is engaging with Thyme Culinary Market, owned and operated by Paulina Barsotti, to kickstart Namahana’s locally-sourced lunch program.

In preparation for the upcoming school year, hiring continues at Namahana School.  Six Kumu and one Special Education Kumu have been hired. Leadership continues to actively hire for the following positions…

Mahalo nui to all the prospective students and ʻohana who joined us for this productive day. At the open house, we explored a lot of great questions, and we’ve compiled some of the more frequently asked ones on our website here. Check them out for more insight into the school, its operations, and its learning model. 

Last week Andrew Vastola, owner of Mauka View, generously donated time and resources to welcome students to his studio and do a few recordings for Namahana School…

Enrollment for the 7th and 8th grades for the 2025-2026 school year closed on Tuesday, March 25th.  All 124 students who applied and live in Hawaiʻi have been offered a seat at Namahana School!  

This month, we’re proud to welcome the newest member of the Namahana School Governing Board, André N. Lister. With a robust history in wealth management and accounting, André brings valuable experience to our Finance Committee. Welcome, André!

The next time you’re in Kīlauea, check out the new sign marking the location of the permanent Namahana School campus…