Waimea School Awarded OHA’s 2021 COVID-19 Impact and Response Grant

Waimea Middle School is set to receive a $60,000 grant that will support Native Hawaiian students whose education was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Awarded through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the 2021 COVID-19 Impact and Response Grant will support the schoolʻs The Mālama I Nā ʻŌpio Project, which provides students with the supports needed to transition back from distance to in-person learning.

“On behalf of the students, families, and staff of Waimea Middle School,” said Waimea School Principal Janice English. “We are extremely grateful for OHA’s support for our children, the majority of whom are Native Hawaiian and have struggled with many challenges during this pandemic.”

Additionally, officials say the project offers a safe on-campus environment where students can process emotions, rediscover interpersonal connections, and develop effective coping strategies.

Waimea Middle School will provide a certified Trauma-Informed Art Teacher/Counselor to directly work with students during the 2021-22 school year to help them develop strategies to manage their anxiety and nervous excitement as they reconnect with former friends, meet new classmates and teachers face-to-face, and resume learning in an in-person classroom setting.

Waimea School is under the management of the nonprofit charter Hoʻokākoʻo Corporation. The organization manages and governs a network of Hawaiian-focused charter schools, including Waimea Middle School, serving over 1,500 children in Pre-K through 12th grade from high-need communities on Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island.