#Lahainaluna

The Hawai‘i State Board of Education (Board) today approved the Hawai‘i State Department of Education’s (HIDOE) recommendation to grant a waiver that would allow for the closures of the Lahaina public schools on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Lahaina wildfires. 

Repairs and installations on County of Maui’s Lahainaluna Road between Honoapiʻilani Highway and Lahaina Bypass will begin in the next several weeks to prepare for the reopening of Lahainaluna Road in August, the County’s Office of Recovery announced.

“I have family on this side able to take me in because if not I would probably be on the Mainland.” – Ivy Navarro, Lahainaluna alum

“I hope there’s changes that can come in our economy that benefits its people first and not necessarily just how much money can you make from it,” Cowell said. “I hope people who are moving there and who are buying space there can acknowledge and realize how that is such a privilege. And that unfortunately there are people who cannot and will never be able to afford the spaces that they are occupying at this time.”

“I would just say we’re a very persistent and resilient class,” senior Lola Donez said Sunday. “We’ve literally been through it all I guess, and we’re still standing, we’re still here graduating. We still accomplished what every other high school student accomplishes when they graduate — we just kind of had to go through a lot more hardships.”

Lahainaluna High School’s Class of 2024 celebrated the end of an emotional four-year journey, with 216 seniors receiving their diplomas Sunday night at the Sue D. Cooley Stadium.

Lahainaluna High School is seeking head coach applicants to fill vacancies in three sports programs including girls and boys cross country, cheerleading and baseball. The deadline to apply for all positions is July 4, 2024.

Students are graduating at a time when median home prices on Maui are $1.3 million and thousands of Lahaina families struggle with displacement. They’re facing big choices that could keep them on Maui or send them to the Mainland. And while some say they want to return, they’re well aware of the cost. 

US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) spent the day in Hilo, where she met with Lahainaluna students participating in the 61stAnnual Merrie Monarch Festival, toured small businesses participating in this year’s 8th Hawaiʻi on the Hill, and viewed the Puainako Paving Project at Waiākea Intermediate School.

The Japanese Cultural Society of Maui is accepting applications for its annual scholarships to be awarded to graduating high school seniors with a record of involvement in promoting and perpetuating Japanese culture and/or language.

The Lahainaluna High School once provided fruit, vegetables and livestock produce to its students and community. Its vast agricultural grounds received a manicure from local students, organizations and volunteers on Wednesday, bringing the school one step closer to its goal of replanting Lahaina.

Present on the field Sunday were Lahainaluna head football coach Dean Rickard, offensive coach Garrett Tihada, former coach Bobby Watson and athletic director John Conrad. Team captains joined their coaches on the field: Kaulana Tihada, Morgan “Bula” Montgomery, Teva Loft and Kuola Watson.

Hawaiian Electric is continuing restoration work to rebuild portions of the electric system in Lahaina in an effort to ensure safe and reliable power to all West Maui customers following the August 2023 wildfires. Ongoing restoration efforts include the rebuilding of transmission and distribution lines along former routes in the Lahaina area with the installation of new interim steel poles and electrical equipment.

The County of Maui is holding two informational workshops on the Right-of-Entry (ROE) process to assist residential and commercial owners who lost Lahaina properties in the August wildfires. The ROE process is necessary for participation in the government-sponsored hazardous debris removal program. 

To help support the recovery efforts in the Maui community, PUMA Golf has teamed up with local Maui artist, Wailani Artates, to design a Limited Edition “L” golf cap inspired by Lahainaluna High School’s “L” on the hill above the school.

About 50 members of the Lahaina Honolua Senior Citizens Club socialized, won prizes through Bingo and lucky drawings and honored one of their own for turning 90 years old Wednesday in a step toward regrouping and recovering after the wildfires.

County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions will be lifted for owners and residents with vehicle passes from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting, beginning Monday, Dec. 4, and Tuesday, Dec. 5, in Zones 10A, 10B, 10C and 10D. Some residential and commercial properties in these zones have been deferred by the federal Environmental Protection Agency for health and safety reasons.

Tools used to trap ash and debris and filter out potential contaminants before they entered the storm drain system proved helpful, according to the Department of Public Works.

The lawmakers’ request for would help to alleviate burdens, providing thousands of students across the island with access to healthy, nutritious meals at no cost to their families as they deal with post-wildfire impacts.

Two-year and four-year scholarships to the University of Hawaiʻi are now available to Lahainaluna High School seniors, thanks to an anonymous philanthropist. The donor agreed to fund the scholarship extensions to two years for any UH community college or four years for any UH university.