
When she started teaching Hawaiian studies at Honokaa High School, Kahakalau noticed students were earning A’s in her class and struggling in their other classes and realized that, “Students need more than one class where they can work up to their potential,” she said. As the focus of her subsequent doctoral studies, Kahakalau and her husband, Nalei, created Kano o ka Aina Academy, a school within a school at Honokaa High School.
Then in 1999, through the efforts of the Kahakalau’s and many other community members and organizations, funding was obtained to begin Kanu o ka Aina New Century Public Charter School. “We believed that as Hawaiians we should design our own educational system,” she said. “Hawaiian children have a lot more capacity and potential than people give them credit for. Kanu was designed for students to explore their gifts and talents and become contributing members of the community.”
Graduates Polani Kahakalau and Luana Zablan are shining examples of this educational wisdom. Polani was part of the first group of students who attended Kanu o ka Aina from kindergarten through high school. Her passions are hula and performing arts, and on May 13 she graduated from UH-Hilo with honors and a bachelor’s degree in performing arts. “Kanu definitely helped me get to where I am. With Kanu we're always reminded who we are and where we come from, and I've been blessed to have wonderful parents that really, really encourage education,” said Polani.

Back at the beginning, Ku Kahakalau saw the brilliancy in her Hawaiian students and predicted that students could build on the successes they had in Hawaiian studies to excel in other subjects.
“It's created a stability within my life and made me be more open-minded. Being raised in the Hawaiian culture has created a wonderful foundation of being accepted, and being understanding of others and things taught to me,” said Polani. In the fall, she plans to begin a master’s degree in organizational leadership at Argosy University, and has a long-range goal to open a culturally-focused theater company to educate people around the world about Hawaii’s culture, language and history. “I have these beautiful two platforms (parents, Kanu) back at home. I want to make them proud and make my community proud,” said Polani.

Upon graduation from Kanu o ka Aina, Zablan was the first student there to receive the Dorrance Foundation Scholarship, which enabled her to travel across the U.S. and to several European countries including Budapest and Hungary, working with Habitat for Humanity building and renovating small apartments. Zablan also visited the East Coast of the U.S. and participated in an entrepreneurship class in Tucson, Arizona.
In 2015, she received the Audrey S. Furukawa Study Abroad Scholarship which enabled her to attend the Anglo-American University in the Czech Republic for a semester. After graduation, Zablan accepted a paid position with the Dorrance Program, and in the fall will be working as a study abroad mentor in Orvieto, Italy. She also plans to pursue a master’s degree in drawing and painting at UH-Manoa.
Zablan’s words of advice are, “Learn from the past, be active in the present and prepare for the future. Take it upon yourself to strive for excellence, focus on opportunities and give back to your communities.”