Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 2013 — Nā Lei Naʻauao Education with Aloha is having a significant impact for our keiki [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Nā Lei Naʻauao Education with Aloha is having a significant impact for our keiki

Trustee's note: Mahalo nui to Taffi Wise ofKanuoka 'Āina Learning 'Ohanaforher contribution to this trustee eoīumn. Holomua kākou. "Why," by Ernest Tavares, Kanu o ka 'Āina New Century Public Charter School, Class of 2012 This day marks the end ofmy llth year at Kanu. Ithas been an honor learning aIongside my peers and teachers who are like crewmates sailing with me into the unknown like our ancestors did eons ago. Kanu is and forever will be a placefor pioneers. It is the first Hawaiian charter school

and it has birthed a curriculum so radical that 1 myself am amazed at what 1 leam eaeh day. The possibilities are endless: in one class 1 may leam how to solve derivatives in calculus and in the next, I leam how to translate a Hm'aiian story tliat has been restingfor centuries. My experiences at Kanu have shaped me into a confident, young Hawaiian ready to laekle any challenge. I am confident notbecause ofwhatIknow, but because I recognize how mueh more there still is to leani. I anticipate testing the knowledge that Kanu has bestowed upon me and applying it to the world of business as 1 attend the University ofPennsylvania. Without my learning family, who over the years has literally become mv familv. I could not

have achie\>ed all ofthe things that I have. We all have these successes in our schools! To all of our soldiers in the trenches leading Nā Lei Na'auao (NLN), mahalo nui loa for your perseverance, determinahon and ingenuity: • Alvin Parker - Ka Waihona o ka Na'auao • Kaleimakamae Ka'auwai - Kawaikini • Pat Bergin and Allyson Tamura - Kanu o ka 'Āina • Charlene Hoe - Hakipu'u Learning Center • Hedy Sullivan - Kula Aupuni Niihau A Kahelelani Aloha • Haunani Seward - Ke Kula Ni'ihau o Kekaha • Kauanoe Kamanā - Ke Kula 'O Nā wahlokalani ' ōpu ' u • Laara Allbrett - Hālau Lōkahi • Susie Osborne and Keiki Kekipi - Kua o ka Lā

• Mapuana Waipa - Ke Ana La'ahana • Ipo Torio - Kanuikapono • Huihui Kanahele-Mossman - Ka 'Umeke Kā'eo • Mahina Paishon Duarte - Hālau Kū Māna • Meahilahila Kelling - Ke Kula 'o Samuel M. Kamakau It is working! Kanu o ka 'Āina Learning 'Ohana is a Native Hawaiian Organization that serves Native Hawaiians throughout the state of Hawai'i. The piko of the communities we serve is NLN. They have cre-

ated community-designed and controlled models of education that embrace Hawaiian cultural values, philosophies and ideologies. Collectively, we believe in the indigenous right of self-determination and community control over education to promote educational interests grounded in traditional practices that advocate cultural vitality, environmental stewardship and community sustainability. United, we are committed to sustaining lifelong learning through education, thus preparing the children of Hawai'i to thrive in the modem world, free from oppression, with pride in their heritage. The puhlie charter school movement serves as the venue for NLN to pursue its quest for relevant leaminu exDeriences

for the haumāna. Despite a perpetual struggle to prove its worth to the state, NLN students have risen above these challenges proving their resilience by demonstrating impressive results. Consequently, puhlie education is being redefined because NLN visionaries refuse to give up. We are accountable, transparent, we are still here and our students deserve equitable and adequate resources for their education. OHA has continued to be one of our strongest advocates in self-determination and empowerment. OHA has believed in NLN Education with Aloha, validating our educational epistemology by investing $1.5 million continually for the past four years, directly impacting over 12,800 students. Without the support of the Ali'i Trusts, OHA and the Kamehameha Schools, we would not be in existence. Education is the social injustice issue of this generation! 11/48 ■

j LEO 'ELELE ^ > TRUSTEE MESSSAGES /

www.oha.org/kwo | kwo@OHA.org NATIVE HAWAIIAN » NEWS | FEATURES | EVENTS

Haunani Apnlinna, MSW TrustEE, At-largE