Students from 9 Big Island schools to participate in Hawaiʻi District History Fair in Hilo

Students from around the state discover their unique voices — in English or ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi — through a history and civics education curriculum that ends with a creative project for Hawaiʻi History Day, a state affiliate of National History Day. 

The Hawaiʻi Council for Humanities organizes the year-long history education program to reinvigorate the joy of learning history.

Today, students from nine Big Island schools are competing in the Hawaiʻi District History Fair at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, with some projects presented completely in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. The fair is one of eight around the state, with about 5,000 students in grades 4-12 participating.

It runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the University Classroom Building and is open to the public.

Students at every fair are tasked with producing a project on any historical or civic event that follows this year’s theme of “Rights and Responsibilities.”

“During the fair in Maui last weekend, we saw such a wide range of topics from the Hanapēpē Massacre [on Kauaʻi] to gun violence to ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi,” said Aiko Yamashiro, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Council for Humanities. “These topics are local, national and international and the students are relating them back to the present day. It’s powerful to see them really dive into the past and relate it to our current events in the present.”

Since the annual Hawaiʻi History Day fairs began this month, which is also Hawaiian Language Month, Hawaiʻi History Day is honoring Aha Pūnana Leo, the first Hawaiian immersion school and an organization that has strived since 1983 to ensure the native language lives on.

“In honoring ʻAha Pūnana Leo, we celebrate their ongoing revitalization of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, as language is an important right and responsibility,” said Cassie Chee, director of communications at Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities. “Kaʻiulani Neff Laehā, the Chief Executive Officer of ʻAha Pūnana Leo, reminded us that in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi there are not separate words for ‘rights’ and ‘responsibilities,’ but both are encompassed in the value of kuleana.”

In 2019, the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities discussed the importance of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi especially when it comes to building identity and pride, and strengthening the relationship between the people and moʻolelo (oral history, myths or legends).  

According to the Council, incorporating ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi into presentations for Hawaiʻi History Day was not just about creating a new category in an academic competition, but about the kuleana to the community and supporting the diversity and wealth of Hawaiʻi’s humanities resources. 

“With the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893 and the subsequent ban in Hawaiian language and education, we almost lost the language of the land completely, banished to the pages of history books as something that once existed,” said ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi judge Bruce Torres-Fischer. “However, due to the great effort by determined souls, the Hawaiian language is making a comeback today. For me, Hawaiʻi History Day is an important hōʻailona, or sign that Hawaiʻi’s language is alive.”

After these discussions, Hawaiʻi became the first and only state to have a History Day category for projects completely created and judged in an indigenous language.

“We are the only affiliate where the students can complete research and a project in a non-English language. It’s beautiful to see how strong the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi is in our communities,” Yamashiro said. “We want to remove the idea that learning Hawaiian is a barrier and reframe it as a doorway to the world. We are really proud to be able to support that growth and celebration of the  language.”

For the fairs this year, 67 students from five Hawaiian Immersion schools are presenting 42 projects entirely in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. 

After the fairs, students who qualified for the Hawaiʻi State History Day Fair will have the chance to make changes to their projects before the competition at Windward Community College on April 5.

If students succeed there, they will go on to the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland in June.

“For the students, teachers and us as the organizers, this is more than just a day. It’s a time for students to share and showcase the knowledge they gained,” Yamashiro said. “It doesn’t feel like a competition, but more of a time to come together and learn.

“It has been striking to hear the voices of these students as they make connections and talk about the complexities within their projects that they are so passionate about.” 

Today, the participating schools are:

• Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy
• Hawaiʻi Technology Academy
• Hilo Intermediate School
• Innovations Public Charter School
• Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo Public Charter School
• Myron B Thompson Academy
• St Joseph School
• Waiakea High School
• Waiakea Intermediate School

Public, private, charter and home school students are eligible to participate in the Hawai‘i State Department of Education District in which their school is located. There is a senior division (grades 9-12), junior division (grades 6-8) and youth division (grades 4 and 5)

Students can choose from one of five different project formats: exhibit, performance, documentary, essay and website. Students can also enter their project in one of the formats above in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.