#Kamehameha III Elementary

Op-Ed: Howard Kihune Sr. (a businessman, alumni of King Kamehameha III, and former chair of the Maui County Council) and Howie Kihune Jr. (President of ʻĀina Lani Pacific, a workforce housing developer) share their perspective on rebuilding Kamehameha III Elementary closer to its original location in Lahaina. *****Views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author’s alone and do not reflect or represent the opinions, policies or positions of Maui Now.*****  

Three Maui Rotary Clubs captured excellence awards at the District 5000 awards event held recently to recognize the work of service volunteers across the state. Nine of the 52 Rotary clubs in Hawaiʻi are located on the island of Maui.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reflected upon a challenging year marked by the Aug. 8 wildfires disaster. FEMA administrators say major recovery projects highlight the community’s resilience and the role of FEMA in supporting rebuilding efforts.

A community meeting to discuss the future site for King Kamehameha III Elementary School will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at the cafeteria of the temporary campus, located at 100 Akahele Street in Lahaina. The goal is to ask the community for feedback on where the permanent location should be. The agenda will include presentations on the three possible location options, community feedback in small groups or individually, and an explanation of next steps in the selection process.

The initial indication is the concerns reported were the result of stagnant water that was not properly cycling through the system due to low usage prior to students returning to the school. While waiting for test results, Pono Aina Management, the contractor who built the school, will provide bottled drinking water to students, faculty and staff.

The site is designed for 600 students and features 30 planned classrooms. As of Christmas, 17 classrooms were already in place. The entrance to the 10 acre site is via Akahele Street below the Kapalua Airport.

Santa Claus—in the guise of longtime Maui businessman Richard Dan—gave away hundreds of ʻukulele on Saturday to children at Lahaina schools who lost their homes in the August wildfires.

Children and staff of Princess Nahiʻenaʻena Elementary School and Kamehameha III Elementary were treated to a Lahaina Toy Surprise and Delight event on Wednesday. The event aimed to bring joy to families impacted by the Lahaina wildfires and create a Winter Wonderland filled with surprises and delights for students and staff.

Officials with the US Army Corps of Engineers tell Maui Now that the $53.7 million base contract covers all the utilities, terracing, installation of the modular facilities and the first 6 months of leasing the buildings.

Lahainaluna High School faculty and staff welcomed approximately 700 students back to their home campus on Monday for the first time in more than two months since the Maui wildfires.

FEMA will be fronting the initial $5.36 million in funding for a temporary campus on 10.2 acres in Honokōwai below the Kapalua Airport. The build time for the temporary site will be around 95 days.

Hawaiʻiʻs congressional delegation is urging the Army Corps to provide the Hawai’i Department of Education with the resources and support it needs to build a school to temporarily replace Kamehameha III Elementary School as quickly as possible. 

When schools reopen after fall break, the immediate plan is for King Kamehameha III Elementary students and staff to share a campus with Princess Nāhi‘ena‘ena Elementary while a future temporary site for the school is planned.

When Lahainaluna High science teacher Jackie Ellis was fleeing deadly Lahaina wildfires last week, she never imagined a chance encounter at a stoplight would mean saving her former student’s life.

Volunteers with the Hawaiian Airlines’ community outreach group, Team Kōkua, will be on Maui this month, working on projects to freshen up the King Kamehameha III Elementary campus and prepare it for the new school year.