Wai'alae Elementary Public Charter School

Lei Day 2013 Kalakaua He Inoa        Lei Day builds community and lifts our spirits!

The eighth annual Lei Day celebration was a spectacular success!  However, the planning actually starts months in advance as Kumu Kaleiomai envisions the concept and maps out the songs and hula that will become the Lei Day celebration.  Her brilliance shines through all of the children.  Students spend weeks intensely practicing.  The ukulele band practices during recess and after school and at home.  Parents and staff help with costumes and lei so that our students are beautifully adorned.  Our business manager, head custodian and PCNC map out a plan for all the logistical details for the day.

At 5:30a.m., on the morning of the performance, trucks deliver the bleachers and chairs.  At 6:00am, the custodial and office staff (and in some cases their spouses!) set up the PA system and chairs for student performers  then report to the kitchen along with other staff members to help pack the Hawaiian plate lunches prepared by our kitchen.

In the meantime, parents arrive with buckets of flowers and foliage to prepare the stage, dress the younger students and make ready for the celebration. Music fills the air and family and friends gather together to celebrate our Hawaiian culture, our school, and our community.

At 9:30, the program starts the echoing of the conch shells and mele and hula by our youngest students.  The student emcees are well prepared and bring alive the performances. Their commentary explains the special significance of each song and dance.  All grades perform their best and the parents capture these cherished moments with camera and video.  The May Day court dazzles us with their grace.  They, too, have had many additional practices.  The faculty takes their turn to dance for the students and the performance closes with everyone singing in unison Oli Mahalo and Hawaii Aloha.

After lunch, our students, faculty, and staff celebrate in a spirited competition fashioned after the Minute to Win it game show.  It is a chance to cheer on participants and end the day in high spirits.

We devote considerable time to these activities not just because we want to celebrate our Hawaiian culture and have fun but because these activities build character and executive functions that support academic and personal achievement.  The Hawaiian values of lokahi and laulima instill in our students and community the value of working together for a common goal.  When we approach life with excitement and energy and we work together to achieve this, we feel alive and vital.  We are more likely to be optimistic which in turn builds resiliency.  When students practice together, unity is built.  They are responsible to and for each other.  It takes stamina to practice day after day. The students must work independently to build focus and stamina, yet, it also requires self-control to work together and dance and chant with one voice.  Relationships and bonds are fostered between students, faculty, staff, parents, and a community comes together in support of all.  Many hands build a community. And this performance provides the perfect venue.  Mahalo to Kumu Kaleiomai and to everyone who contributed their time and talents.  Imua Waialae!

Wendy Lagareta, Chief Educational Officer (CEO)