WAIPAKE — Namahana Public Charter School for middle and high school students living on Kauai’s North Shore marked a milestone on Saturday towards its opening at the site of the former Kula School.
More than 100 founding families were welcomed to a “Signing Day” event where students — future seventh and eighth graders — confirmed their attendance by signing up for the new charter school that is scheduled to open in August at its temporary location at the former Kula School campus in Waipake.
“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, innovative and deep community connection that will benefit generations of keiki to come.”
During the signing day, photographs were taken for a wall dedicated to Namahana’s founding families. Students gave feedback on surveys for extracurricular and sports preferences, and families had an opportunity to sample the school lunch menu.
Paulina Barsotti of Thyme Culinary Market manned the table that buzzed 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 and families enjoyed unique dishes like kajiki with coconut lime rice and bagels with smoked marlin spread, and vegetarian options.
“It was an incredible day for Namahana,” said Bridget Thorpe of the Namahana Foundation. “As a graduate of Kula School, I had happy tears as more than 100 of the inaugural students received a ti leaf lei from our School Leader Kapua Chandler. It is such a turning point for education and all our ohana on the North Shore.”
The new public charter school is clicking off its pre-opening checklist ahead of its opening on Aug. 4. Since receiving its charter approval from the Hawaii Public Charter School Commission in 2022, Namahana has been laying its institutional and curricular groundwork.
Currently, the school is 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 Kilauea Post Office.
In addition to purchasing the site outright in 2023 with widespread community support, Namahana has already raised $6.5 million towards its Phase I goal, and is racing to close the gap by the end of June to ensure that its inaugural eight grade class can move into permanent facilities by fall of 2026.
While those facilities are being built, classes will be held at the former Kula School campus in Waipake, just five minutes away.
“As someone born and raised in Kilauea, it is powerful to see people that I went to elementary school with now enrolling their kids here,” said Tamra Moriguchi, Namahana’s director of learning. “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 is one of the students in the Namahana’s first graduating Class of 2030.
“I’m impressed and super excited that Namahana is going to have hands-on, real world learning opportunities,” Nelson said. “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 is a really cool thing.”
For more information, visit the Namahana website at www.namahana.org.
