News

K4 wrapped up their Project Based Learning (PBL) with a HEALTHY FOOD FAIR! They made delicious and healthy snacks that they shared with their Grade 4 buddies. Who knew that healthy could taste so good!

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CONGRATULATIONS to Alanna Dinsdale, who placed 2nd and Camryn Idio, who earned an honorable mention in the grades 3 -5 division, of the 2025 Mayor’s Memorial Day Poster Contest!

This annual contest challenges students to create a poster for the City’s “Sew a Lei for Memorial Day” effort, to place a fresh lei on the approximately 38,000 graves within the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Pūowaina (Punchbowl) for the annual Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony.

This was a great opportunity for our students to express their creativity and show appreciation to our military servicemen and servicewomen.

MAHALO, Mrs. Sameshima, for encouraging our students to challenge themselves creatively while developing a loving heart for others.

For information on volunteering for the city’s “Sew a Lei for Memorial Day” effort, please visit the City and County of Honolulu’s website at https://www8.honolulu.gov/dpr/mayors-memorial-day/.

K3 celebrated GRANDPARENTS’ DAY with a lively performance, followed by lunch with their loving families.

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Grade 5 practiced for BATTLE DAY with a simulated game of Capture the Flag on the Elementary playground. They got hands on experience with being on the actual battlefield and running through live games so they can assess their strategies and performances. Now they can make necessary adjustments to improve their plans.

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CONGRATULATIONS to our Cyber Security Team’s 2nd place finish at the 2025 State of Hawaii Cyber Forensics Five-0 Challenge presented by the National Defense Industrial Association and Pacific Technology Cooperation Group (PTCG).

Please pray for their continued success at their upcoming Cyber ‘Ike Capture the Flag Invitational Competition in May.

MAHALO to Mr. Nagata for inspiring our students to succeed in their pursuit of academic excellence.

As we turn the corner of the new year, our first glimpse of graduation is the distribution of CAPS and GOWNS to our senior class. It’s a bittersweet realization that the end of the school year is in sight, and we will soon have to bid aloha to our Class of 2025.

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We close out SPIRIT WEEK with SQUAD DAY for Upper School and DR. SEUSS DAY for Lower School. By the smiles on our students faces, we’d say that they thoroughly enjoyed this day. It was a fantastic week for students to express themselves and celebrate their wonderful and unique personalities, while at the same time, uniting them in the SPIRIT of the WEEK

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K4 students celebrated GRANDPARENTS’ DAY by performing for their beloved grandparents and enjoying a lovely lunch with them. Everyone’s’ hearts and tummies were definitely filled that day.

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In honor of Valentine’s Day, our students shared what they love about Hanalani Schools by writing, drawing, and coloring on heart-shaped notes. Here is a sampling of the heart felt notes that they created!

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Our patriotic students dressed up in red, white, and blue in honor of Presidents’ Day! This was a good warm up for Spirit Week, which starts on Monday, February 24.

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It was a perfect sunny Saturday morning for our Spring Open House and our cheerful faculty, staff, students, and parent volunteers set the tone for a wonderful day!

Those in attendance saw Demonstrations of Learning from our students and visited the various classrooms and areas of interest from our Early Childhood (preschool), Elementary, and Upper School (intermediate & high school) divisions.

If you missed it, not to worry. You can schedule a private school tour with our Enrollment Office. Please call 808.625.0737 ext. 456 or email admissions@hanalani.org.

MAHALO to all of our Hanalani ‘Ohana who showed up in force to cheer on our Lady Royals at the HHSAA D2 Basketball Championship Game! Your energy and spirit uplifted our girls to finish strong and be crowned the 2025 STATE CHAMPS!

MAHALO to our Lady Royals for an outstanding and undefeated season! Your hard work and dedication to the sport and each other was truly inspiring to witness this year.RISE UP, LADY ROYALS!

CONGRATULATIONS to our Girls Varsity Basketball team for winning the HHSAA D2 CHAMPIONSHIP! They entered the post-season sporting an undefeated record and swept through the competition to earn the championship. The perfect ending to a perfect season.

We are so proud of you LADY ROYALS! You handled the pressure of the season and post-season with grace, respect, and maturity. You believed in yourselves and your game and remained poised, confident, and supported each other on and off the court. Trusting in the Lord to see you through all the hardships that stood in your way.

MAHALO to Head Coach, Charles Hiers, and the entire coaching staff for an outstanding job leading our team on the right path and equipping them with the tools to succeed.

You ROSE UP, LADY ROYALS, and are the 2025 HHSAA D2 GIRLS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS!

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Our Boys Varsity Basketball team has advanced in the ILH Play-In Tournament be defeating IPA this past Saturday. They need your support as they take on HBA tonight!

Head out to the HBA Gym and cheer on our Royals as they battle to continue their post-season journey towards States.

Boys Varsity Basketball vs Hawaii Baptist
ILH Play-In Tournament: Semifinals
At Hawaii Baptist, 6:00 PM

RISE UP, ROYALS!


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The past two Mondays were filled with incredible demonstrations of learning at our Lower and Upper School Parent Nights!

Our students proudly presented their work to the Hanalani `Ohana, gaining valuable experience in public speaking, confidence-building, and communication skills.

MAHALO to all those who attended! Our students, teachers, and staff loved connecting with you.

MAHALO to the Royal Hawaiian Band for allowing our Upper School Band students to perform with them and sharing their time and expertise with our students after the performance. We truly appreciate your generosity and aloha that you share and the inspiration you instill with our students.

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Meet one of our Grade 6 teachers, Mrs. Danielle Rutherford!

Mrs. Rutherford was born at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina and moved throughout her life. This is her 10th year teaching and previously taught High School Business courses and elementary before joining our Hanalani ‘Ohana.

She enjoys reading, hiking, baking, and spending time with friends and family.

A fun fact about her is that she graduated high school in Korea!

Mrs. Rutherford shares her love of teaching, “Being a teacher is incredibly rewarding because it allows me to make a meaningful impact on students' lives. It’s inspiring to see students overcome obstacles, both academic and personal, and grow. I love getting to know my students and their families!”

Mahalo, Mrs. Rutherford! We are blessed to have you!

Our “GETTING TO KNOW YOU” series, will introduce our teachers so you can get to know them a little better. Stay tuned for more introductions!

Enjoy a recap video of Upper School’s Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW). Comment if you see yourself or your friends in the video!

Meet one of our Grade 2 teachers, Mrs. Victoria Alexis Kaleimamahu!

Mrs. Kaleimamahu was born on Oahu and raised in Kapolei. This is her 8th year teaching and previously taught at Kaimiloa Elementary in Ewa Beach before joining our Hanalani ‘Ohana.

She enjoys family bonding time, traveling, trying new food, visiting national parks and botanical gardens, photography, party planning, going to the beach, and chasing sunsets and silhouettes.

A fun fact about her is that her dad and uncle, members of the VW Club of Hawaii, gifted her a 1962 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia as her first car! She learned how to drive stick shift and loved driving her classic VW around. Unfortunately, she sold it because it had black leather seats, no power windows, and no air conditioning!

Mrs. Kaleimamahu shares her love of teaching, “I love being a teacher because it allows me to make a meaningful impact in students' lives, both academically and spiritually. To me, education is not just about imparting knowledge but about shaping hearts and minds to reflect God's love and truth. As a teacher, building a class ‘Ohana (family) is one of the greatest blessings God has given me stewardship over. Watching students grow together, supporting each other, and creating a strong, loving community is truly fulfilling. But it also makes me a little sad to say goodbye to my 'Ohana' at the end of each school year, knowing that part of my heart is left with them as they move on to the next chapter of their journey.”

Mahalo, Mrs. Kaleimamahu! We are blessed to have you!

Our “GETTING TO KNOW YOU” series, will introduce our teachers so you can get to know them a little better. Stay tuned for more introductions!

Meet one of our Grades K3 teachers, Ms. Gina Van Essen!

Ms. Van Essen was born and raised in California. Before joining our Hanalani `Ohana tow and a half years ago, she has previously taught at a Christian school in Southern California, homeschooled her children and other students, and taught at an adult school in Waipahu.

Her hobbies are dancing hula and crafting with the women's ministry at her church.

A fun fact about her is one of her children was born at home.

Ms. Van Essen shares what she loves about teaching, “The affection from the children and the appreciation from the parents.”

Mahalo, Ms. Van Essen! We are blessed to have you!

Our “GETTING TO KNOW YOU” series, will introduce our teachers so you can get to know them a little better. Stay tuned for more introductions!

Our K5 students were busy little bees taking care of the Eco Lab. They were pulling out the old plants and weeds, filling the compost bins, and inspecting Coconut Rhino Beetles. All in a day’s work for our little gardeners.

Upper School ended the week with LET’S GET REAQUAINTED DAY (LGRAD)! This annual event is designed to let students catch up with each other after their Christmas break. They enjoyed ice cream and cheered on their fellow classmates as they competed in various games and performances.

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Upper School kicks off this week with Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW), a special time when students take a break from their usual class schedule to focus on the Word of God and deepen their faith and relationship with the Lord. Guest Pastor Paul Whitt from North Carolina got things started during the Upper School Chapel with introductions and what the students can look forward to in the days ahead. It looks like a promising week indeed with seminars and fun activities planned.