West Maui students celebrate win

Students, families, and staff at the new Hawai‘i Technology Academy campus in West Maui celebrated the blessing of their future home Friday evening.

The K-8 Lāhainā HTA campus got off the ground within weeks of the devastating wildfires. Housed in a temporary space at the Door of Faith Church, it quickly provided a place where more than 120 students could come together to heal and learn.

“HTA has meant everything to us,” says Jennie Gibbons, whose two children now attend HTA Lāhainā. “Honestly, it’s been the biggest blessing in a time where there was so much confusion and nobody knew where they were going to go, or what they were going to do. And we are in love with the new campus.”

On Friday, the school blessed its future facilities at the former Pineapple Grill at Kapalua, which has been generously donated by the Yanai family and the TY management group. It was smiles and tears all around as students and families explored their future classes, complete with cosy reading spaces, a Makerspace, fun EverBlocks walls, a dining lānai, and green spaces to grow in.

“This is one of the first wins for Lāhainā since the fires,” says HTA Lāhainā coordinator Ginny Kamohalii-Dew. “This is such a great thing for the kids.”

HTA executive director Matt Zitello says the Lāhainā campus shows what can be accomplished with the support of the whole community. Over the last months, staff, parents, and completely unaffiliated community businesses and individuals have showed their generosity by donating their time, money, education materials, free lunches, and even Christmas gifts for HTA Lāhainā ’s students.

“The generosity of the Yanai family is now allowing our staff and students to continue building the positive energy that the community has created,” Zitello says.

Hawai‘i Technology Academy is the state’s largest public charter school with six campuses on four islands, plus a full Distance Learning program. Its combination of flexible schedules and hands-on learning allow students to find their own unique paths to success.

HTA courtesy photo Kumu U‘a blessed the future campus, with two of HTA Lāhainā’s founding teachers and West Maui residents, Jenelle Peterson and Ray Mohrman.