Pūnana Leo o Honolulu Presents Ho`okupu

 March-April 2010
Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. l Central Office: 458 Keawe St., Honolulu, HI 96813 l Telephone: (808) 535-6700
From the
Director’s
Chair
Aloha kāua,
In this issue, we celebrate the work
that has been done in the past and
present to strengthen our po‘e
Hawai‘i: through the perpetuation
of our language, e ola ka ‘ōlelo
Hawai‘i; publishing children’s
books in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i and giving
these books to keiki attending
immersion schools; collaborative
efforts to increase college
opportunities for Hawaiians; and
partnering with public high schools
to service our families.
Pūnana Leo o Honolulu Presents Ho‘okupu
ALU LIKE, Inc. Acknowledged For Their Support
Twenty-five years ago, the first Pūnana
Leo Hawaiian medium education and
total immersion preschool program
opened its doors. Founded by a group
of parents and educators to address the
plight of the Hawaiian language at the
anniversary of Pūnana Leo o Honolulu,
the staff at ALU LIKE, Inc. were
honored with a visit and treated to a
special ho‘okupu by the kumu, parents
and keiki of Pūnana Leo o Honolulu to
show appreciation to ALU LIKE, Inc.
for their support over
the years.
The keiki charmed
the crowd with their
song and dance and a
book reading of two
new Hawaiian books
produced by the Pūnana
Leo preschool children
and staff. They also
performed a splendid
Mahalo to ‘Aha Pūnana Leo,
Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian
Language, Hawai‘inuiākea School
of Hawaiian Knowledge, Native
Hawaiian Education Association
(NHEA), and Nānākuli High
School for all the work you do.
Me ka ha‘aha‘a,
Keikilani Meyer
time where less than 50 people under
the age of 18 were native Hawaiian
speakers, Pūnana Leo o Hilo and
Pūnana Leo o Honolulu were started.
Very few organizations were willing
to support the pioneer efforts of the
Pūnana Leo. In the early 1990s, ALU
LIKE, Inc. provided some support to
Pūnana Leo, one of the first Native
Hawaiian organizations to do so.
version of the ALU LIKE theme song,
which prompted a spontaneous hula
by the kūpuna in attendance, followed
by cheers from the small crowd of
onlookers. Congratulations, Pūnana
Leo o Honolulu, on celebrating your
25th anniversary!
On April 12, during a week-long period
of events commemorating the 25th
Dr. Noelani Iokepa-Guerrero contributed to
this article.
For more information, go to www.
ahapunanaleo.org.
Our purpose is to kōkua Native Hawaiians with access to information and to
provide materials and services that foster reading and lifelong learning.
Ka Waihona Puke ‘Ōiwi
native hawaiian library
Filling the Void: I MUA NO KA ‘ULU Book Launch
After translating many children’s books
written in English into Hawaiian,
Associate Professor at Kawaihuelani
Center for Hawaiian Language Dr. Sam
L. No‘eau Warner felt there was a need
for original Hawaiian children’s literature.
With federal funding, Dr. Warner, in
collaboration with various talented writers
and illustrators, created the I MUA NO
KA ‘ULU collection. The collection of 31
books is written exclusively in Hawaiian
and covers diverse subjects that will
delight young readers.
ALU LIKE, Inc., along with support from
the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, recognized
Dr. Warner for his contribution to the
Hawaiian language and culture by holding
a book release at Ka Waihona Puke ‘Ōiwi
on March 1. Students, family, friends
and colleagues of Dr. Warner gathered to
celebrate his literary achievement and to
browse through the I MUA NO KA ‘ULU
collection.
The book sets were not allowed to be sold.
They were distributed, free of charge, to
students and staff of Hawaiian language
immersion schools throughout the state of
Hawai‘i as a curriculum supplement.
The Heroes Next Door: ‘Ohana Hero Night at Nānākuli High School
Have you ever thought about who is your
hero and why?
On April 1, Nānākuli High & Intermediate
School’s Vice Principal Corrina Luna
invited the ALU LIKE Ka Waihona Puke
‘Ōiwi staff to do an ‘Ohana Night with a
focus on “Heroes: Honoring the people
that have made a difference in our lives.”
Upcoming Events
May 3 – 8: Annual Charter School
Book Fair, ALU LIKE, Inc. Central
Office
May 15 – 16: 5th Annual Hawai‘i
Book & Music Festival, Frank F. Fasi
Civic Grounds, Honolulu Hale
June 18: 6th Annual Kupukupu
Conference, Honolulu Community
College
November 20: 3 Annual
Kauikeaouli Literacy Fair, ALU
LIKE, Inc. parking lot
rd
An intimate group of about 20 people from
the Wai‘anae and Nānākuli communities
gathered to share about their own
childhood heroes and learn about service
providers in their neighborhood. It was
an excellent opportunity to highlight good
people and their good deeds.
These heroes were not famous or perfect-they were everyday people that shared
their home, food, talent and skills with
family and friends. They were people that
made time to teach, listen, correct and give
advice when needed. Now, as parents and
grandparents, they reflect on how these
heroes shaped their lives and left a legacy
so that the next generation of children
and grandchildren may benefit from their
experiences and live better lives.
Educators Look to the Source for
Inspiration and Guidance
The Native Hawaiian Education
Association held its 11th annual conference
on the beautiful campus of Windward
Community College on March 18 & 19.
This year’s conference theme, Nānā i Ke
Kumu: Look to the Source, highlighted
the guidance and wisdom of our
kūpuna. The conference featured a video
presentation of Eddie Kamae’s “Keepers
of the Flame” along with informative
workshops, huaka‘i and the Educator of
the Year awards banquet, which honors
those who have made an impact in
Hawaiian education and cultural practices.
Literacy Manager Lori Roldan was
excited at the thought of being a
participant rather than a presenter this time
around. “There was so much valuable
information to learn from and to now
share in the communities we service. The
panel of speakers shared valuable ‘words
of wisdom’ with the audience and much
laughter.”
Hana Hou: Windward Community
College will again be host to next year’s
conference which is scheduled for March
17-18, 2011. For more information, go to
www.nhea.net.