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know, growing up in Keaukaha theres so much that I have learned. And Ive been very
<br />fortunate as an adult, you know, Ive taught at Keaukaha School in the 1980s, in the 1990s, up
<br />until the year 2000. And I founded Ke Ana Laahana Public Charter School, which is across the
<br />highway from the Yacht Club; and Im currently sitting as principal of Keaukaha Elementary
<br />School. And, you know, even though somebody testified about Keaukaha School working with
<br />the ponds, you know, theres no affiliation whatsoever with our school and anybody who is
<br />working with the ponds at this. But, I think, you know, as I sit here, because the 23 students that
<br />are sitting behind me, you know, its kind of hard to sit back and be hypocritical and not say
<br />anything about the importance of what I try to teach our children, yeah, about the importance of
<br />geneaology, history and place. And I think that, you know, when I take my elementary students
<br />and we take the tour, its because I want them to be very secure about the knowledge, about the
<br />th
<br />area that they come from. I have 260 students at my school, kindergarten to 6 grade. Ke Ana
<br />thth
<br />Laahana has about 80 students, 7 through 12 grade. Ka Umeke Kaeo, who is a charter
<br />school, Hawaiian language emersion, who is on my campus at Keaukaha School service about
<br />140 students. And so these students are the ones that actually we expect them to carry on the
<br />traditions and the knowledge and the akamainess of our entire community, yeah. And so when I
<br />take my students and talk about from Palekai all the way to Leleiwi, and we go down to where
<br />the development is being proposed and talk about Kokoiki, and we know it as Drangas, and to
<br />Keonekahakaha as well as the Keokea Ponds which is right between there, you know, these are
<br />the things that I want my children to know. I think that the uniqueness of our Keaukahaka
<br />community, theres only one way in one way out. Theres not that many Hawaiian communities
<br />that can actually say that. And I think the uniqueness within that also proves that, you know, for
<br />us as a community were very close, yeah. Uncle Pat, Aunty Luana, all the organizations that the
<br />Keaukaha School has dealt with is because of the pono of our children and the continuance of
<br />oursurvival,especiallyasaschoolthathasstartedtheresince1930.
<br />SoasIteachourchildrenabouttheplacesandaboutthehistory,Ithinkthequestioniswhenis
<br />enough enough? And I think thats the kind of question we need to start taking a look at. You
<br />know, I currently live, we no longer in Keaukaha, we were kind of displaced back in the 1960s
<br />because they had to build the little thing called the airport strip in Keaukaha and so we had to
<br />move to Panaewa where we currently live. I have never lived outside of Hawaiian Home Lands.
<br />But one of the County Council people when we testified because they wanted to build, you have
<br />the KTA, Ginger Patch, and you have Block Busters, and then that area which is kind of like,
<br />you know, grassy area now, and, you know, one of the County Councilman said just because you
<br />have three corners taken by buildings does not mean that you have to have all four corners taken
<br />by buildings. And we currently live, and we still have that, that Hoio growing in the bushes
<br />there. And I think for us in Keaukaha, for me, my biggest thing is making sure that our future
<br />generations are able to take a look at it, and see it for how it is, and how it was.
<br />You know, I also have a concern in terms of the inundation and the tsunami evacuation. Im
<br />responsible for all three schools, yeah. And when we talk about walking up Baker Avenue to the
<br />evacuation gate and making sure that, -. You know, I work with Civil Defense, and the Police
<br />Department and the Fire Department, everybody else, including the Transportation. I want to
<br />make sure that all of my 260 kids, plus the 80 kids from Ke Ana Laahana, plus the 140 kids, and
<br />knowing that we also have 450 plus households within only the community of Keaukaha, that we
<br />make it through that small gate and we cross, and we make it alive, yeah. And whether or not we
<br />relive that, you know local generator or whatever, it is still interesting to kind of know that even
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