Lahainaluna High School is a public high school with the grades 9-12 located in Lahaina (on the island of

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, whic ...

). Lahainaluna High School is also a public boarding school. It was founded in 1831 as a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

missionary school, originally named Lahainaluna Seminary. The early missionaries who arrived in Lahaina in 1823 explained to the Hawaiian Royalty the importance of an educational institution in the American style. A number of the pioneers, students and teachers are buried in a small graveyard behind several buildings on the campus. It was the first formal European-American style school founded in Hawaii and has continued to operate to this day.

History and traditions

American

William Richards William, Bill, or Billy Richards may refer to: Sportspeople * Dicky Richards (William Henry Matthews Richards, 1862–1903), South African cricketer * Billy Richards (footballer, born 1874) (1874–1926), West Bromwich Albion football player * B ...

founded the missionary station in Lahaina in 1823. In June 1831,

Lorrin Andrews Lorrin Andrews (April 29, 1795 – September 29, 1868) was an early American missionary to Hawaii and judge. He opened the first post-secondary school for Hawaiians called Lahainaluna Seminary, prepared a Hawaiian dictionary and several works o ...

was chosen as first principal of a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

for boys and young men. The site was named Lahainaluna for "upper Lahaina". On September 5, 1831, classes began in thatched huts with 25 Hawaiian young men as students, including former royal historian

David Malo David Malo or Davida Malo (1795–1853) was a chiefly counselor, a Hawaiian intellectual, educator, politician and minister. He is remembered by subsequent generations of Hawaiian people and scholars primarily as a Native Hawaiian historian of the ...

. The second principal was William Patterson Alexander 1843–1856. The school eventually became part of the public school system in Hawaii. The post-secondary program later became developed as part of the first

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. Lahainaluna has a boarding program where students from the outer islands (including students from the "other side of the island") can live and study at either of the campus dormitories. In return, they do various jobs around the campus, such as maintaining the landscape, tending to the farm animals, and making student meals at the cafeteria; they work 18 hours per week. Initially and exclusively for males, the boarding program became coed in 1980. The two dorms are David Malo Dormitory for the boys and Hoapili Dormitory for the girls. Previously, Hoapili housed both genders. Lahainaluna is one of very few public boarding schools in the nation. There is an 30-ft "L" on the mountain-side overlooking Lahaina at the 2,000 ft elevation mark. The "L" stands for Lahainaluna and has been there since 1904. Twice a year, the boarders at Lahainaluna lay a fresh coat of white lime on ''Pu'u Pa'u Pa'u.'' The boarding students must carry 50 lb sacks of lime to the site, clear the weeds, and clean up the site. Added to the "L" are embellishments of the year and athletic championships for the previous year. On a clear day, the freshly limed L can be seen from the island of

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length and width with a us ...

. It is located at coordinates . Lime is used because it's natural and does not interfere with the ecosystem. After the students have completed restoring the "L", they lay fresh leis at

's gravesite, chant, sing and pray. Historically, on graduation day alumni hike up the "L" and light up torches that line the "L" to symbolize the graduates have received their diplomas. The school celebrates David Malo Day annually. That day a feast is served and the Hawaiiana Club puts on a performance.

Hale Pai

Hale Pa'i, or the house of printing, is a small coral and timber building on the Lahainaluna campus that, starting in 1834, served as the home of Hawaii's first printing press. English and

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language ...

Bibles, books and newspapers were printed here, including the first newspaper printed west of the Rocky Mountains. The first paper currency of Hawaii was printed here in 1843. A student was expelled in 1844 for

counterfeiting To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

, which resulted in the government re-issuing all the paper money with secret marks. Hawaii Dollar, 1844

Many archived publications are on public display at the site, now a museum maintained by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation. Hale Pa'i, also known as Hawaii Site No. 50-03-1596, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1976.

Campus

Lahainaluna High School is located on the side of an extinct volcano. The multiple classroom buildings are widespread. The grounds are covered with many benches, pathways, grass, plants and trees, the latter providing shade. The ceramic sculpture ''Orbit'' by

Toshiko Takaezu Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, 1922 – March 9, 2011) was an American ceramic artist, painter, sculptor, and educator who was known for her rounded, closed forms that viewed ceramics as a fine art and more than a functional vessel. She is of Japane ...

is located here. A small stream runs near the school, past the Agriculture area. Lahainaluna is high enough on this volcano to allow views of the Pacific and of the islands of

Moloka'i Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length and width with a us ...

Lana'i Lanai ( haw, Lānai, , , also ,) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple pl ...

and Kaho'olawe. It is considered one of the best views from any school in the islands. It has a boarding facility available.The program takes American students and students with other citizenships. Girls go to the Hoapili Dormitory and boys go to the David Malo Dormitory.
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Notable alumni

* Timothy Haʻalilio, Class of 1835 – Native Hawaiian politician *

William Kahaiali'i William Awihilima Kahaialiʻi (October 17, 1960 – May 18, 2020), known as Willie K, was a Hawaiian musician who performed in a variety of styles, including blues, rock, opera and Hawaiian music. Early life Born and raised in a family of mu ...

, Class of 1979 – Hawaiian music artist *

Samuel Kamakau Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau (October 29, 1815 – September 5, 1876) was a Hawaiian historian and scholar. His work appeared in local newspapers and was later compiled into books, becoming an invaluable resource on the Hawaiian people, Hawaiian ...

, Class of 1837 – Native Hawaiian historian and scholar *

Jonah Kapena Jonah Kapena (died March 12, 1868), also spelled Iona Kapena, was a royal advisor and statesman in the Kingdom of Hawaii who helped draft the 1840 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii. In addition to his legislative career as a member of the H ...

, Class of 1835 – Native Hawaiian politician *

Boaz Mahune Boaz Mahune (died 1847) was a 19th-century politician and civil servant of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He helped contribute to the writing of the 1840 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii and was the author of its preamble the ''He Olelo Hoakaka'', or ...

, Class of 1835 – Native Hawaiian politician *

, Class of 1835 – Native Hawaiian scholar, adviser to the Hawaiian royal family *

Jonatana Napela Jonatana Napela or Jonathan Hawaii Napela (first name also spelled Iohatana, full name ''Napelakapuonamahanaonaleleonalani'') (September 11, 1813 – August 6, 1879) was one of the earliest Hawaiian converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latte ...

, Native Hawaiian attorney, judge and LDS convert, helped translate the Book of Mormon into the Hawaiian language * Keali'i Reichel, Class of 1980 – Hawaiian music artist
Kalani Simpson
Class of 1989—former sports columnist for Honolulu Star-Advertiser *

Hercules Mata'afa Hercules Mata'afa (born September 18, 1995) is an American football defensive end for the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at Washington State University and signed as an undrafted free a ...

, Class of 2014 - NFL player, 2017 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, and Consensus All American. Now plays for the Minnesota Vikings.

Organizations

School Clubs: *

Academy of Hospitality and Tourism An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

– A business class and club that is a part of the National Academy Foundation. Students participate in

mock interview A mock interview is an emulation of a job interview used for training purposes. The conversational exercise usually resembles a real interview as closely as possible, for the purpose of providing experience for a candidate. It can help a job appli ...

s, go on job shadowing and internships, travel to various parts of North America and Asia, and practice dressing in business attire. *Anime Club – One of the more social interactive clubs on campus that brings students together with the culture and interest of

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

. *

Aloha ''Aloha'' ( , ) is the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a simple greeting but has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance to native Hawaiians, for whom the term is used to define a f ...

Club – A club that is involved in community service projects. *Hawaiiana Club - A club that teaches students hula routines that are then showcased during the annual celebration of David Malo Day. *Interact Club – A club is involved in community service projects, but on a more international scale the club is currently headed by President Saumalu Mata'afa. *Japanese Club – A club that teaches students the

culture of Japan The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Historical overview The ances ...

both traditional and modern. *Chess Club – A freelance club holds occasional casual games of

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

where students can participate. *Water Polo Club – A co-ed club meant for

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with th ...

players and swimmers. *Robotics Club – An after school club that participates in

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...

and

VEX Robotics VEX Robotics is a robotics program for elementary through university students, and a subset of Innovation First International. The VEX Robotics competitions and programs are managed by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (RECF). In ...

competitions. Students also mentor students at Princess Nahienaena elementary school *Flim Club - An after school club that

References

External links

Lahainaluna High School
Official web site
Lahainaluna High School
Hawaii Department of Education School Information *
Lahainaluna High School
Music Department web site * {{Coord, 20, 53, 19, N, 156, 39, 33, W, region:US-HI_type:edu_source:dewiki, display=title School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii Public high schools in Maui Historic American Buildings Survey in Hawaii 1831 establishments in Hawaii Educational institutions established in 1831 National Register of Historic Places in Maui County, Hawaii Public boarding schools in the United States Boarding schools in Hawaii Hawaii Register of Historic Places