At the bottom of the valley, Nānākuli Intermediate School’s Hoʻopulapula Academy continues to grow strong with culture, teamwork, and aloha.
Every year, the academy brings life to the school through gardening, hands-on projects, and activities that help students feel connected to their community.
Hoʻopulapula Academy is a special two-year program for seventh- and eighth-graders. It focuses on culture-based learning and gives students opportunities to learn beyond the regular classroom.
Students work in the school garden, known as the mala, take part in a livestock program, and learn science, math, and social studies through real experiences that relate to Hawaiian traditions.
Founder John Ezell explained how the academy teaches the same standards as regular middle school classes, but with a different approach.
“We still do standards-based teaching. We are required to teach the same standards that all students in the DOE have to have. The little extra that we have is that we thematically align things we do, the lessons, or the curriculum toward homesteading or Hawaiian cultural traditions or experiences. I think that is something that really makes us different,” Ezell said.
Students in the academy say the program has helped them learn new skills and understand more about Hawaiian culture.
“The Hoʻopulapula Academy helped me with my knowledge of our monarchs, and I learned how to take care of our aina and animals. Coach Devin helped us learn how to start a market and cook local food from our mala. Kumu Ezell and Kumu Werner take us to the mala, and we learn how to plant, make, and grow our mala and academy,” said seventh grader Dezarae Weatherholtz.
Ezell also shared that he hopes to expand the program in the future.
“Truth be told, the original intention that I wanted for the academy was to be in high school,” he said. Ezell had this vision ever since he began teaching at NHIS, but the academy was placed at the middle school instead.
Students and teachers look forward to what the program will continue to build in the coming years. With big ideas and growing excitement, the Hoʻopulapula Academy hopes to bring even more opportunities and culture to the school community in the future.
