Kamehameha Schools Hawaii students return to campus today, and they’ll have a new but not unfamiliar face at the helm.
Kahealani Naeole-Wong was named po‘o kula last week, becoming just the third head of school in the Hawaii campus’ history. The campus celebrates its 20th anniversary next year.
In a phone conversation with the Tribune-Herald, Naeole-Wong said she was humbled and grateful for the opportunity to build on an already strong foundation at the school. She has been interim head of school for the past two months, after former po‘o kula Holoua Stender was promoted to a vice president position in the organization, and was assistant head for the previous two years.
But her connection to Kamehameha Schools goes back decades: She’s an alumna; part of the Oahu campus’ centennial class. It’s a connection she plans to tap into in her new role.
“I have an understanding from the view of a student, an alum, of the traditions here,” Naeole-Wong said.
Most of the school’s traditions, such as the senior gathering to pay tribute to founder Bernice Pauahi Bishop, spring from the Oahu campus since it is the oldest. And helping cultivate Hawaii Island-specific traditions is an important aim for Naeole-Wong.
“There’s always a sense of kuleana,” she said.
One of Naeole-Wong’s recent projects as assistant head of school was helping renew and develop the schoolwide K-12 curriculum.
Because a large portion of the entire Kamehameha Schools endowment is on the Big Island, Naeole-Wong said school leadership planned to devote more effort to building connections between the campus and the ‘aina.
“It’s a source of learning and just a source of well-being for Hawaii,” she said. “It’s empowering.”
But sometimes, it’s just as empowering to break away, something Naeole-Wong experienced firsthand when she was a student.
She was able to develop her leadership skills on campus, but said part of her growth came from traveling. She attended student conferences in Washington, D.C., and for a time lived abroad in New Zealand, where she attended a bilingual Maori school (seeing Shakespeare performed in Maori was a highlight).
Providing the same opportunities to the current student body is a priority.
“Locally, nationally and definitely internationally,” Nae’ole-Wong said. “When I think of the role of Kamehameha Schools on any campus, I think of the role of growing Hawaiian leaders. I think that’s how I benefited.”
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
