Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 4, 1 April 1988 — Students Speak on Queen, School [ARTICLE]

Students Speak on Queen, School

The life and accomplishments of Queen Elisabeth Kaahumanu and the history and current status of the public elementary school whieh bears her name were given by two special speakers at the Mar. 17 memonal services at Mauna 'Ala. They were Queen Kaahumanu Elementary School fourth grade students Kahipuananipuiki Brooks-Weight and Kahealani Midori Brown who warmed the hearts of the crowd with their eloquent deliveries.

Brooks-Weight noted that Kaahumanu's father was the great warrior Keeaumoku who was also a counselor to King Kamehameha the Great and a chief of the island of Hawaii. Namahana, her mother, was a widow of the king of Maui. "Kaahumanu," she explained, "was named after a relative, Kahekili-nui-ahumanu, whieh meant the feather eloak." She was responsible for lifting the kapu system, establishing the first code of laws and also embraced Christianity. Her people refused to accept Christianity but she defended religion and the missionaries.

By 1827 her health had been failing and she was seriously ill for three weeks before her death in 1832. "Before her death, Kaahumanu was rushed a copy of the New Testament in Hawaiian so she might have one. Her copy was bound in red leather with her name in gold. She died at her country home in Manoa Valley," Brooke-Weight stated. "By birth, marriage, circumstances and personaility," said Barbara Bennett Peterson in her book Notable Women ofHawaii, "Kaahumanu was one of the most powerful persons in Hawaii. She exerted a steady influence in leading her islands from isolation to world contacts, from a primitive

culture to Western civilization," the youngster concluded. Young Brown, first runnerup in the 1987 Miss Keiki Hula competition, talked about the school and how it has grown from one teacher and 18 students to 41 teachers and 831 students. In addition to the regular school program, Kaahumanu also has extracurricular classes like writing, Junior Poliee Officers, charity drives, holiday contests, talent showcase, a newsletter and a kupuna who teaches Grade K-4 Hawaiian games, songs and vocabulary, she reported.

Additionally, there are special classes for foreign students who don't speak English and who can't read very well. There are also special education classes whieh teach math, reading and writing. Monetary support also comes from the PTA for certain school projects and programs. "The staff and parents of Kaahumanu School hope to educate the students well so when they become adults they will become like Queen Kaahumanu and bring religious, legal and social changes for the good of Hawaii and its citizens," Brown concluded. They were accompanied to the ceremonies by Principal Frank Sasaoka. Have Your Say The American Way TOTI: