 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009) |
| Konawaena High School | |
 |
|
|
Achievement, character and success for life
|
|
| Location | |
|---|---|
| 81-1043 Konawaena School Rd. Kealakekua Hawaii 96750 United States |
|
| Coordinates | 19°30′34″N 155°54′54″W / 19.50944°N 155.915°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1921 |
| Principal | Shawn S. Suzuki |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Campus | Rural |
| Campus | Outdoor |
| Color(s) | Green ~ |
| Athletics conference | Big Island Interscholastic Federation |
| Affiliation | State of Hawaii |
| Vice Principal | Glen Gray |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
| Website | http://www.konawaenahs.org |
Konawaena High School is a public school located in the community of Kealakekua,[1] Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. Konawaena means "the center of the leeward side" in the Hawaiian Language.[2]
Contents |
History
In 1921, a grammar school in Kona established its first 9th grade class.[3] The school continued to establish 10th, 11th, and 12th grade classes as the years went on. The first graduating class was the Class of 1925. It was originally the only high school in the Kona District (southwestern coast of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi); since Kealakehe High School was built in 1997,[4] it serves rural south Kona.
Throughout the first 40 years, Konawaena operated on what is known as the "coffee schedule", where summer vacation was shifted to September through November so as to allow children to help with harvesting coffee cherries. The coffee schedule made it impossible for Kona to field a football team because potential players were picking coffee. Child labor laws contributed to the demise of the coffee schedule, which was ended in 1966.
Today Konawaena has successfully grown to encompass a middle school and an elementary school. The total school population is around 800 students. At one time it held the most students in the whole state, a total of 2,000 students. The current principal is Shawn S. Suzuki, former band teacher and vice-principal. Suzuki replaced Dr. James Dumaguin who died in 2005.
The school colors are green and white.
Notable alumni
- Ellison Shoji Onizuka class of 1964, was an astronaut who died in 1986 in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
- Harold Sakata won a silver medal in the 1948 London Olympics in weightlifting. He became a professional wrestler (under the name of Tosh Togo) and actor, best known for his role of "Odd Job" as an assassin in the movie Goldfinger.
- Lokelani McMichael was the youngest female to finish the Ironman World Championship triathlon, in 1995 at the age of 18.
- Patrick Shane Dorian, class of 1990, was a professional surfer.
- Koji Ariyoshi was a labor activist who served in World War II and later published a newspaper; he was one of the Hawaii 7.
- Rodney J. T. Yano won the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War.
- Mike Stewart is a nine-time World Champion bodyboarder.
Solar Challenge
In 1990, a solar car team from Konawaena was the first high school team to complete the World Solar Challenge. The 1996 movie Race the Sun, starring Halle Berry, Steve Hogan and James Belushi was roughly based on this story.[5] Bill Woerner, the real-life teacher who led the team, later founded the charter school West Hawaii Explorations Academy.[6]
Alma mater
Words to the school song:[7]
Hail Konawaena pride of Hawaiʻi,
we thy children sing;
Daughters of Pele Mauna Loa cradled,
make us worthy of thy name.
To thee, oh jewel of the Konas,
jewels within thee island jewels;
We thy loyal sons and daughters
pledge our lives our hopes and aims.
May the light of truth you kindle
burn as bright as Pele's fire;
Lead us on throughout all the ages,
Hail Konawaena Hail to thee
References
- ^ "Kealakekua CDP, Hawaii." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 21, 2009.
- ^ Lookup of "konawaena" on Hawaiian Place Names
- ^ Annual Report of the Secretary of the Interior for the Fiscal Year 1921, U.S. Department of Interior, 1921, Page 159
- ^ "Activities help Kealakehe grow" in Honolulu Star-Bulletin, March 24, 2003
- ^ Race the Sun (1996) at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ "A Brief History of WHEA" on West Hawaii Explorations Academy web site
- ^ "Alma Mater" on Konawaena High School web site. Retrieved on May 21, 2009.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
