Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 9, 1 November 1984 — Kupuna Program Doing Well at DOE Centers [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kupuna Program Doing Well at DOE Centers

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Kupuna Coordinator Betty Jenkins recently visited two of the North Shore elementary schools where she established Hawaiian Learning Centers in conjunction with the Kupuna program.

Her first stop was at Haleiwa Elementary School where Kupuna Kalima Burke was wrapped up with kindergarten children. She spoke to eaeh one individually in Hawaiian and they responded in kind. The children employed simple phrases in greeting Pnneipal Aiko Eckerd and State House Rep. Joseph Leong when they also visited the class. Hawaiian was also spoken when they bid the class goodbye. Second graders were next and this group was handled a little differently as they had already been tutored in the Hawaiian language earlier. Eaeh student was asked his or her name and they responded in Hawaiian. Several other questions were asked and eaeh

was required to answer with little or no assistance. That the Kupuna program and the learning centers have been successful was quite evident in the proceedings at Haleiwa. The next stop was at Waialua Elementary School where Kupuna Vivian Kamahele and Kaimi Kealoha took their second and third graders outside under the shade of two large monkeypod trees to conduct their sessions.

They sang and they talked with Principa) Ed Forsythe and Rudy Mitchell, superintendent at Waimea Falls Park who is a member of the OHA Culture Committee and the Makahiki Commission. Rep. Leong was quite impressed at what he saw and the two principals were very pleased with the way the program was being run. Similar visits are made regularly by Kupuna Jenkins at DOE Hawaiian Learning Centers throughout the state.

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Kupuna Kalima Burke leads Haleiwa Elementary School kindergarteners in a Hawaiian song to the accompaniment of some clapping.