Aloha from Kumu Jeannette! |
Lono i ka makahiki! As we welcome the rains of this season, I’m filled with gratitude for the many hands that uplifted the teachers and students of the Hawaiʻi Island School Garden Network. This year, inspired by the Culinary Garden at Waimea Middle School, our HISGN team shared resources and strengthened instruction across the island. Together, we supported school gardens—and the educators and youth who tend them—so they could flourish in body, mind, and spirit. And there’s more to come in 2026! We are expanding our network of garden educators, designing a professional development course on how to build soil health using native Hawaiian practices rooted in place, and continuing to distribute resources to Hawaiʻi Island school gardens. It’s going to be so much fun and we invite you to share our story with a teacher near you! Me ka haʻa haʻa, Jeannette Soon-Ludes, PhD, Executive Director
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Mahalo nui for supporting Mālaʻai on our journey of growth, with the ʻāina, youth, and educators of Hawaiʻi Island.
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The Ke Kumu Uluwehi mentorship program offers Hawaiʻi Island educators a rich learning experience through the Pilina ʻĀina course, designed to deepen student learning in school gardens. Grounded in pilina—connection—the program invites teachers to build meaningful relationships with ʻāina and wahi pana, exploring how place-based knowledge can transform teaching and learning. Educators from schools across the island come together to form a supportive learning community, strengthening their own practice while uplifting one another. Through this shared journey, participants weave together the concepts of Nā Hopena Aʻo (HĀ) with insights from cognitive neuroscience, discovering how cultural values and brain-based learning can work hand-in-hand to support thriving students. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy grant program, Ke Kumu Uluwehi helps educators cultivate confidence, capacity, and inspiration to nurture vibrant school garden programs in their own communities. In 2025, we welcomed two Ke Kumu Uluwehi cohorts—one serving teachers from Kaʻū, Hilo & Puna, and another from Kona, Hāmākua & Kohala—allowing educators to learn within the ʻāina they call home. Each cohort participated in six huakaʻi, exploring the wahi pana of their moku and learning directly from the kiaʻi and kahu who steward these sacred places.
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Special mahalo to our kahu and kiaʻi from Kaʻū to Hilo! Uncle Keone Kalawe and Leilani Waldron or Kahuwai fishing village. Lauaʻe Kekahuna, Uncle Howard Konanui, and Nick Kālāmakani Francisco of ʻO Makuʻu Ke Kahua Community Center. Uncle Kawika Lewis of ʻĀina University. Luka Kanakaʻole of Haleolono and the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation. Lauren DeMent of Keauhou and the Three Mountain Alliance watershed partnership. Danny Randerson of the GoFarm Hawaiʻi ʻAlae training site. |
Special mahalo to our kahu and kiaʻi from Kona to Hāmākua! Sylvia Texeria of Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden. Loke Aloua, Makanui Kitahara, and Kimberley Crawford of Kaloko-Honokōhau fishponds. Zoe Kosmas of Mālaʻai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School. Uncle Chadd Paishon and Keala Kahuanui of Māhukona and Nā Kālai Waʻa. Aunty Kuʻulei Keakealani and Uncle Keoki Carter of Kaʻūpūlehu. Uakoko Chong and Kamalei Matsumura of Koholālele and huiMAU. |
This year’s School Garden Workdays are already in full swing—and what a joyful start it’s been! Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network teams have rolled up their sleeves alongside students, families, and community members at Hawai‘i Academy of Arts & Sciences, Hawaii Pacific Public Charter School, Honaunau Elementary School, Keonepoko Elementary School, Kohala Elementary School, Mountain View Elementary School, and Waikōloa Middle School, with even more schools to join in the new year. Each workday has its own flavor, but all share the same ingredients: energetic garden hana, hands-on learning, and plenty of laughter. Every gathering begins with tending the garden or outdoor learning space, followed by a lively workshop – whether native and canoe plants, agroforestry or preparing and sharing ʻono mea ʻai – and ends with refreshments to celebrate everyone’s hard work. Mahalo to the County of Hawai‘i Department of Research & Development’s Impact Grant program for helping us bring these garden workdays to life and supporting school communities islandwide. Please enjoy these photos from various workdays!
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Mahalo to Mago Aubrey, Heather Brovsky, Nick Chatham, Kalei Kainoa, Nataliya Dmetrieva, Olelopaʻa Ogawa & Clare Bobo of Les Dames d’Escoffier, Stephanie Olson-Moore of Lāʻau Aloha, Dani Preston, Rayna Rasmussen, Samantha Hooper, Lilah Shapiro, Austin Valceschini, Catalina Bu Morrisroe, and Michelle Young for their contributions and partnership! |
Join us for our next Community Workday at our very own Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School on Saturday, December 13th! |
Would you like to learn about how to support or volunteer at a Hawaiʻi Island school garden near you? |
Together we set our intention for 2026 with a readiness to create abundance in Hawaiʻi Island’s school gardens. Will you join us? |
You are receiving this email because you are signed up for a mailing list focused on our overall Mālaʻai organizational news, updates, volunteer opportunities and fundraising events, as well as educational opportunities applicable to the general community. Māla‘ai cultivates the relationship between students and the land through growing and sharing nourishing food in our outdoor living classroom. Our work reaches beyond the boundaries of our garden connecting land stewardship, culture, health and pleasure with lifelong learning. Learn More About Our Mission
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