ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: AKAHAI

This morning, my son and I visited my mentor Pono Shim’s grave to offer several lei and bask in the warmth of treasured memories. I envisioned conversing with Pono in between bites of poke as we sat in Makiki park waiting for Gen to finish soccer practice.   

I can still hear his rascally laugh and excited way of announcing something huge. Pono was in the middle of writing a book and declared in a half-shout that he would not be using any diacritical marks. “It’s gonna blow everyone’s minds!” Unafraid of weathering a controversy to broaden our perspectives, Pono explained that diacritical marks epitomized how ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi was colonized. Diacritical marks were a crutch to those limited to the literal interpretation of ʻōlelo. They abetted in the displacement of the poetic, metaphoric way of speaking once common amongst the kupuna. As typical of nearly all of our conversations which started casual, my mind was blown.

This memory prompted me to devote the next five posts on this blog to re-sharing Pono’s lessons on each of the components of aloha. So as we begin a new school year, with many new members of our ʻohana (students, their families, and our staff), I will attempt to bring life to Pono’s words, beginning first with akahai.

Akahai literally means modest, gentle, unassuming, unpretentious, unobtrusive, docile, decorous, meek, suave; meekness, modesty [Hawaiian Dictionary (1986) (Hawaiʻi)]But, when Pono’s Aunt Pilahi Paki shared with him the noʻahuna (esoteric, spiritual meaning) of akahai, she focused on grace. She and Pono shared that to be akahai, you are helping others, things, places, to be better. It doesn’t take much. On your walk across campus, you can be akahai by picking up opala and throwing it away in the trashcan or putting aways the dishes when unprompted. These small actions beautify your surroundings, make life easier for those you live with.

Being akahai can also be a major, life-changing act, like how our teachers teach our students to read. This one skill powerfully rewires the brain leading to greater memory, higher focus, and enhanced problem-solving skills. It also strengthens our chances of getting a better, more fulfilling job. In this light, our teachers spread akahai on a daily basis, teaching not just reading, but math, writing, science, teamwork, social skills, health, and how to be an expert learner. 

Even those of us who exist outside the classroom, can change lives and spread akahai everywhere, everyday. Share a compliment you normally keep to yourself. Tell someone you believe in them. Ask a loved one how you can support them. Akahai is simple yet potent…and I believe in you. Spread akahai. You got this.

Listen to a podcast featuring Pono share stories including his “Bag of Flour” story – a great example of he disrupts norms to infuse more akahai and aloha.

5 PURSUITS of AKAHAI:

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch this story about finding inner strength: All are Welcome Herewritten by Alexandra Penfold and illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman. Then with you child, answer the following:

• IDENTITY: Discuss with your kūpuna or makua: how did they feel on their very first day of school? Did they feel similar to how you felt?
• SKILLS: The author used rhyming poetry to tell this story in a joyful song-like way. Find as many words that rhyme throughout the story.
• INTELLECT: Study the flags displayed in the cafeteria scene. What countries do they represent?
• CRITICALITY: What does the author mean when she says, “We’re part of a community. Our strength is our diversity. A shelter from adversity.” How does our diversity make us stronger?
• JOY: Learn from the book’s illustrator Suzanne Kaufman how to draw characters and elements from the story. With your ʻohana, draw someone and a creative learning material from your classroom.

NAESP BEYOND THE BELL: Resilience Skills That Grow With Your Child

Resilience—the ability to adapt, recover, and grow through challenges—is a skill every child can strengthen with support from the adults in their lives. Use these age‑appropriate strategies to help children build resilience at home. Read more here.

KES OHANA FUN FAIR – HOW TO HELP

Our amazing KES Ohana Fun Fair is quickly approaching and it promises to a fun-filled, joyful event for our school community. Additionally, proceeds help to fund our performing arts program as well as the educational resources we use at home and in school. 

Are you wondering how you can contribute? The coordinating committee is looking for volunteers to help. They are looking for a DJ, off-duty police officers, and people who can work a shift so that our kids can fully enjoy a range of awesome activities. Please visit our KES Ohana Fun Fair page to sign-up.

CONTINUED PRACTICES:

NOʻAHUNA OF ALOHA

See Uncle Pono Shim explain the Noʻahuna, the esoteric meaning, of Aloha as taught to him by Aunty Pilahi, the Keeper of Secrets.

WEAR KĀNEʻOHE SHIRT WEDNESDAYS

Help us build unity and show our lōkahi by wearing a shirt that celebrates Kāneʻohe on Wednesdays. Wear any previous Fun Run or grade level shirt.

WEEKLY VIRTUAL PIKO

Our Weekly Piko, has changed back to being broadcasted virtually four times-a-week, Mondays-Tuesday-Thursdays-Fridays. At piko we share thoughts on the Aloha value for the week which helps us become centered and ready to learn. We begin at 8 AM everyday except Wednesdays when we meet in-person. If you would like to share your reflections on the week’s Aloha value, please contact me.

If you’d like to celebrate the accomplishments of our students outside of the school day. Please use this link to share a brief shout-out for your child that we can share at piko.

UPCOMING EVENTS

ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: AKAHAI

As soon as we entered the restaurant, faces glowed seeing my longtime friend Baron Gushiken. Their warm, genuine smiles exuded sincere happiness in knowing he’d be partaking in their lunch service. Baron joyfully greeted Mikey our server, immediately introducing me. He then expressed gratitude for the care and attention he knew Mikey would provide. As we made our way to our table, Baron gave his regards to each member of the staff, introducing me, and sharing the talents he admired about them. When we passed the kitchen, he slipped them a box of Liliha Bakery’s new Dubai Chocolate Cocopuffs. He said he wanted to share something special with them as a thank you for their hard work. But I knew, this wasn’t the reason the restaurant staff were so happy to see Baron.

A now retired longtime public servant, Baron’s wealth is not measured by material means, but by the relationships he forges and the lives he positively impacts. Generously giving gratitude is his default state of being. Even 30 years ago, when I worked for Baron putting on high school leadership camps, showing gratitude for others played a central role. Campers set out personally decorated paper bags which served as their camp mailboxes. Throughout the camp, we encouraged students to fill the paper bags with “warm fuzzies”- notes of appreciation. As campers returned home, a highlight was reading the notes friends new and old left for them, releasing endorphins and engulfing their hearts in fuzzy feelings of warmth, similar to hugging a puppy or favorite stuffed animal.

From tributes posted on Facebook to shoutouts by ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro at Blue Note performances, former campers express a fondness for Baron and the way he positively nudged the trajectories of their lives. They credit him for teaching them more than just everyday leadership skills but helping them see their worth and how they positively impact the world. In this way, Baron continues to be a role model for me, shaping how I lead and informing my reflections about ALOHA. 

After dropping Baron off at his apartment, I reflected upon the effect he has on people and what inspires the happiness they express in his presence. Like the leadership camps, I think gratitude plays an essential part. A congenitally fluent conveyor of gratitude, I think Baron makes people feel seen, valued, and appreciated. It’s easy to miss, because his actions, his words of gratitude feel natural…so natural that I doubt he is even conscientious of how he is constructing these messages. 

For many of us, expressing gratitude is reserved for Thanksgiving, weddings, birthdays, and funerals. It’s as if gratitude is an expensive bottle of wine that must be reserved for special occasions. Yet, just as wine degrades over time, our words lose meaning when not expressed in the moment. In fact, there is a wealth of science showing the benefits of daily gratitude including better health, stronger relationships, and greater life satisfaction. Since it’s like a muscle that must be trained, here are a few exercises I’ve gleaned from observing Baron:

5 Lessons on Gratitude that I learned from Baron Gushiken

1. Give gratitude generously – Yes, for all of its benefits, gratitude is precious. Yet, unlike physical commodities which thrive on scarcity, gratitude increases in value the more you give it away. Giving gratitude often, helps you become more fluent in expressing thanks and in turn reshapes your brain to be more optimistic. 
2. It’s even more important to show gratitude when someone is having tough day – Baron is a master at seeing people who are struggling and saying just the right words. I think this is a skill he’s honed by being haʻahaʻa. And when he shows appreciation to someone that might not be at their best, he acknowledges the greater effort it took to show up and keep trying on those days. His words of appreciation also carries the potential of turning their day around.
3. There is no such thing as a gesture too small – Baron enjoys showering people with small tokens of appreciation: a donut, a yarn lei, a felt heart attached to a safety pin. The value people place on these gifts is more than sentiment. For they are symbols imbued with Baron’s acknowledgement of how our everyday actions are significant, impactful, and truly valued.
4. There is no such thing as an act too small to be grateful for – Like the pebble that fills the empty space in a rock wall and steadies the larger stones, Baron sees how everyday efforts contribute to something much greater. Hence he expresses appreciation for the little actions we take that will someday, collectively lead to great accomplishments.
5. Share why you are grateful – This is probably the greatest, most impactful gratitude practice. Saying ʻthanksʻ is nice, but when you accompany it with what the person did for you or what you admire about the person, ʻthanksʻ go from just a six-letter word to a heartfelt gift. The more specific, the better.

5 PURSUITS of AKAHAI:

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch Thanks a Million written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. Then with you child, answer the following:

• IDENTITY: Talk to your kūpuna or makua about several things for which you are thankful. Include things about your ʻohana you appreciate.
• SKILLS: The poems featured in this read aloud used words that rhymed. Identify as many rhyming words you heard.
• INTELLECT: During the first poem, Principal Clayton said the word film is another word for movie. Look up the word film in a thesaurus and see what are other synonyms for film.
• CRITICALITY: Reflect upon the first poem shared. How might giving thanks help people? How does it feel when someone thanks you? How do you feel when you show someone gratitude?
• JOY: Check out author Nikki Grime’s poem Reward. Write a poem about giving thanks. Share your poem with your ʻohana.

You can also watch a read aloud that features all of the poems in the book here.

MAHALO PIHA FOR BEAUTIFYING OUR CAMPUS

A heartfelt thank you goes out to Jolyn Kresge, Wali Camvel, Dee Fujinaka, Grace Tsubaki-Noguchi, Jenn Keawe, Tricia Kreidler, Destiny Kuhlman, Māpuna Leong and Kalei Tim Sing for organizing our last Campus Beautification event for the year. We also owe many thanks to our families, students, our staff and military partners who put in dedicated effort to show akahai to our campus. Their hana cleaned up the peace path, took care of the agro-forest, and constructed two picnic tables making our campus to be a more inviting, positive place to learn.

MAHALO NUI LOA FOR CELEBRATING EARTH WEEK AT ʻĀINA FEST

On Friday, our Environmental Education Leader, Jordan Kwok, took the lead in organizing ʻĀina Fest. Students, families, and many of our staff attended this unique event that brought together community partners and engaged students in learning about how to better take care of our ʻāina. Mahalo to Jordan and all of our staff who generously volunteered to make this event a huge success.

Permissive Privilege: Freedom favors those who need it least

“When we let students do largely what they want, with minimal consequences: off-task behaviour rises, learning reduces, kids treat each other worse, and anxiety grows (because uncertainty is uncomfortable).

Permissive schooling (and parenting) is bad for all kids… but its effects hit some harder than others.” Read the full article here.

READ FOR THE GOLD – 2026 WINTER READING CHALLENGE

Hawaiʻi’s public libraries are teaming up with Olympic Gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream to celebrate the 2026 Winter Olympics with a special Read for the Gold | Winter Reading Challenge. Every 50 minutes you read earns you a chance to win:

• A limited edition READ poster autographed by Kristi Yamaguchi
• A special edition Kristi Yamaguchi Barbie Doll
• A special virtual meet and greet with Olympic Gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi

To get started, sign up or login to the Beanstack website or via the Beanstack app, join the challenge and log your reading! 

CONTINUED PRACTICES:

NOʻAHUNA OF ALOHA

See Uncle Pono Shim explain the Noʻahuna, the esoteric meaning, of Aloha as taught to him by Aunty Pilahi, the Keeper of Secrets.

WEAR KĀNEʻOHE SHIRT WEDNESDAYS

Help us build unity and show our lōkahi by wearing a shirt that celebrates Kāneʻohe on Wednesdays. Wear any previous Fun Run or grade level shirt.

WEEKLY VIRTUAL PIKO

Our Weekly Piko, has changed to twice-a-week. In-person on the first day of the week and virtual on the last day. At piko we share thoughts on the Aloha value for the week which helps us become centered and ready to learn. We begin at 8 AM everyday except Wednesdays when we meet in-person. If you would like to share your reflections on the week’s Aloha value, please contact me.

If you’d like to celebrate the accomplishments of our students outside of the school day. Please use this link to share a brief shout-out for your child that we can share at piko.

UPCOMING EVENTS

AuntyPuanani Burgess asks, “How do we make room for the gifts of all of our children?  And how do we make these schools really be attentive to and begin to see and teach to the gifts of our children? But it begins with each one of us thinking about and knowing that we have gifts and having the patience to wait for the answer.”

ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: AKAHAI

I still have a stickie note from one of my last phone calls with Aunty Puanani Burgess. On it, I jotted a reminder to ask about a story she wanted to tell me. Running short of time, I had to hang up, so I promised to ask about the story the next time we could connect. After that call, I saw Aunty Puanani two more times at different public events but the story had evaporated from her memory. Given that story-telling was one of her gifts, it saddened me to have lost the opportunity to hear one of her last gems of ʻike and ano.

A humble seeker of wisdom, Aunty Puanani passed through life as a consummate learner. Like a sharp-eyed conchologist scanning the shore for beautiful shells, she could find precious life lessons in any context. In fact, one of my favorite stories from her embodied this ethos. She named it the “Sylvester Stallone Movie Principle.” 

Aunty Puanani started off by asking if you had seen the movie Assassins starring Sylvester Stallone, Julianne Moore, and Antonio Banderas.Few would ever say they’d seen it. So she’d provide a synopsis and then focus on a scene where Stallone asks Moore to tell him a story. Aunty Puanani would then recount the story.

“Once upon a time there was this little sparrow who while flying south for the winter froze solid and fell to the ground. Then to make matters worse, a cow crapped on him. But the manure was all warm and it defrosted him so…there he is all warm and happy to be alive and he starts to sing. A hungry cat comes along and he clears off the manure and he looks at the little bird and he eats him. The moral of the story is everyone who craps on you is not necessarily your enemy. And everyone that gets you out of crap is not necessarily your friend.”

Aunty Puanani then concluded with her own precious insight. “Have patience before deciding. AND, if you can learn something from a Sylvester Stallone movie, you can learn something from anybody.”

5 PURSUITS of AKAHAI:

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch Maryam’s Magic written by Megan Reid and illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel. Then with you child, answer the following:

• IDENTITY: How do you feel about math? Is it a subject you like; find that it something you’re good at? Talk to your kūpuna or makua about how they feel about the subject.
• SKILLS: Maryam loved learning about shapes in Geometry class. List other words that end with the -ape sound.
• INTELLECT: One way Iranians used complex math to express their spirituality was through art. Check out these pictures of the ceilings of Iran showing their amazing talent for incorporating tessellations.
• CRITICALITY: Women face many stereotypes and discrimination that keep them from pursuing careers in math. Check out this infographic that defies the stereotypes.
• JOY: When Maryam studied geometry, she developed a love for shapes. Using stencils, outlines, or plastic models of many different shapes draw shapes on a large piece of paper to create a picture. What happens when you combine shapes? What happens when you draw the same shape repeatedly? What happens when you overlap shapes? Are there different kinds of each shape, such as a triangle, or do all triangles look the same?

KES WELLNESS PRESENTS: Book Talk with author Stephanie Malia Krauss

Join us for a special in-person event with best-selling author Stephanie Malia Krauss to learn about her book, How We Thrive. RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/HWTbooktalk

• Kāneʻohe Elementary School Library
• Thursday, April 9 5:30 – 7 PM
• Dinner & Childcare (for students K – 6) Provided
• Each ʻohana attending will receive a copy of the book, How We Thrive

ULANA LAU HALA

Last call for all those interested in learning the Native Hawaiian practice of weaving lau hala (pandanus tree leaves)? Our wellness committee in partnership with Keanahala are presenting a workshop comprised of four classes for anyone interested in learning how to pick, prepare, weave and care for the lau hala. Classes will be held on four consecutive Saturdays throughout the month of April (4/4, 4/11, 4/18, & 4/25) for a tuition of $50 per person. Classes are 1 – 4 PM and will be held under the KES tent. Register at this link: https://tinyurl.com/KESulanalauhala Deadline to register is Wednesday, April 1.

READ FOR THE GOLD – 2026 WINTER READING CHALLENGE

Hawaiʻi’s public libraries are teaming up with Olympic Gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream to celebrate the 2026 Winter Olympics with a special Read for the Gold | Winter Reading Challenge. Every 50 minutes you read earns you a chance to win:

• A limited edition READ poster autographed by Kristi Yamaguchi
• A special edition Kristi Yamaguchi Barbie Doll
• A special virtual meet and greet with Olympic Gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi

To get started, sign up or login to the Beanstack website or via the Beanstack app, join the challenge and log your reading! 

CONTINUED PRACTICES:

NOʻAHUNA OF ALOHA

See Uncle Pono Shim explain the Noʻahuna, the esoteric meaning, of Aloha as taught to him by Aunty Pilahi, the Keeper of Secrets.

WEAR KĀNEʻOHE SHIRT WEDNESDAYS

Help us build unity and show our lōkahi by wearing a shirt that celebrates Kāneʻohe on Wednesdays. Wear any previous Fun Run or grade level shirt.

WEEKLY VIRTUAL PIKO

Our Weekly Piko, has changed to twice-a-week. In-person on the first day of the week and virtual on the last day. At piko we share thoughts on the Aloha value for the week which helps us become centered and ready to learn. We begin at 8 AM everyday except Wednesdays when we meet in-person. If you would like to share your reflections on the week’s Aloha value, please contact me.

If you’d like to celebrate the accomplishments of our students outside of the school day. Please use this link to share a brief shout-out for your child that we can share at piko.

UPCOMING EVENTS