This week, the Outdoor Education team welcomed third grade classes to the open-air Ka‘aumoana Hale, located in the Sidney and Minnie Kosasa Community for Grades 2 – 5, to begin prepping the lo‘i for the new school year.
Last year, as second graders, the students planted the kalo and now they return to care for it as part of the journey toward the Third Grade Lū‘au. The lū‘au is a cherished end-of-year tradition – a celebration of a yearlong study of Hawaiian culture, food and history.
In the lo‘i, students worked barefoot in the lepo (mud), stomping and leveling the soil while pressing dried banana leaves into place to enrich it for this new growing season. Those who preferred to leave their shoes on participated from the stone walls, using long wooden sticks called o‘o, to help with the work.
This first step in the lo‘i marks the beginning of a year of stewardship, teamwork and hands-on learning. Connecting the third graders to the ʻāina (land) and to a tradition that has been passed down from class to class at Punahou.
Photos by Kathleen Connelly