| Aloha!
E kipa mai (welcome), to the Home of the Menehune - Mililani Waena
Elementary School. It is a pleasure to have you visit our school
and Web Site. Join us as we share our Menehune Pride that is evident
in all that we do.
 As
you begin your visit along our front walkway, please notice our
school sign in our school colors - red and yellow. Just above it
is our new "Home of the Menehune" sign that was completed and erected
by Proud Menehune parents. You will also see well manicured trees
and flowering hibiscus hedges. The campus is colorful all year,
due to our gentle temperatures, seasonal rain, and our caring custodial
team.
Outlined is an excerpt prepared by
Central District Educational Specialist, Mrs. Jan Yoneda, about
Mililani Waena:
The poetic
translation of “MILILANI WAENA” is offered as …
the beloved place (of the chiefs)
between heaven and earth.
Thus, the name should be pronounced as [mee-lee-la-knee
whyna]. Often, however, the name of this school has been
pronounced as MILILANI WA’ENA [mee-lee-la-knee wa-e-na] that
means
the time or period of hot fire.
Mililani
Waena Elementary is located in the ahupua’a (smaller land
division) of Waipio. The school sits on a flattened ridge known
as the Punalu’u Plains, between two major gulches: Waikakalaua
and Kipapa. The Waikele and Kipapa Streams formed the gulches
over centuries of slow but constant erosion. Today, these
streams are, for the most part, dried streambeds. Every once in
a while, however, when a constant downpour in the Ko’olau
mountains occur, sufficient water will collect in these streams
and begin the long journey to the lochs of Pu’uloa (Pearl
Harbor).
The area
was well suited for agriculture and settlements of people in
ancient Hawai’i. Many who farmed this area found the coolness
of the higher altitude much more pleasing than the windless, low
lands found at the bottom of the gulches. The forests in the
deep, multiple valleys formed by the Ko’olau Mountains were rich
with forms of food, building materials, and water sources.
When
you hear anyone mispronounce our school’s name, we
encourage you to please enlighten them with the proper translation
that illustrates the true meaning of our school,
“The beloved place between heaven and earth.”
HISTORY
Our campus is composed of seven separate single storied buildings
- our office is separate from the library and cafetorium, and all
are separate from the classrooms. Mililani Waena was built in 1971
when the "open-classroom" concept was prevalent. Today, we have
thirty-two (32) open classrooms, which are clustered four to a "pod",
and twelve (12) portable classrooms. You may have noticed that
we have two large covered lanai areas where our students congregate
and school assemblies are sometimes held.
(
Click here
for more about
our school's history.)
VISION
As you continue your visit, you may see our students engaged in
active learning. At Mililani Waena, our vision is to "see our children
as productive citizens of the world who recognize and value quality
work." We also support our State Superintendent, Mrs. Patricia
Hamamoto's, three areas of priority: Literacy, Safe Schools, and
Civic Responsibility. Mililani Waena students and staff have
adopted the Character
Counts Program along with all other Mililani Complex Schools to
promote these Six Core Ethical Values: Trustworthiness, Respect,
Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.
"We are TRRFCC!" will be how we'll reference these values.
As a school we're investigating ways to bring to life these values
so that they become "more than words" and truly become actionable
efforts.
Our faculty, staff, parents, and students, together
create the safe environment in which all students can learn.
Mahalo,
for spending time with us. It has been a pleasure sharing our Menehune
Pride with you. Please continue your exploration and revisit us
occasionally as we will be updating and adding to our site.
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