‘Really special’: Na’alehu Elementary students return after campus repairs

News admin October 13, 2026 0 Comments

‘Really special’: Na’alehu Elementary students return after campus repairs

NĀʻĀLEHU, Hawaiʻi Island (HawaiiNewsNow) – About 400 students returned Monday to Nāʻālehu Elementary School, nearly two months after damage from Hurricane Lala forced the campus to close.

“I was super excited to come back to school and learn and stuff like that,” said Nāʻālehu sixth grader Luka Mook. “I got to see all my friends and hang out with them and communicate again and see all my teachers, and it’s really special.”

Welcome-back ceremony

Students gathered around the school flagpole for an opening oli aloha. The school’s hālau members performed an oli pale and hula and presented a lei to the school.

After an oli mahalo and closing pule, students ran through welcome-back banners celebrating their return.

Nāʻālehu Elementary principal Jason Britt praised the students for continuing with school while recovering from the storm.

“Going through the storm, the flooding of the streets, seeing their stores get washed away, their homes get washed away, and then being brave enough to put on a smile and be like, ‘Hey, I’ll go to school today and I’ll try my best in my academics,’” Britt said.

School repairs and restoration

Hurricane Lala left the school covered in mud and debris, even inside the buildings and classrooms. The storm also damaged the foundation support of a building.

Hawaii State Department of Education facilities personnel, the state Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), and private construction crews worked together to restore the campus in less than eight weeks.

“The school was covered in mud, and just appliances, sinks, tools, nails, glass,” Britt said. “So just seeing that transform back to our playground, to the grass of our playground, is just a great thing.”

More than 600 tons of debris were removed from campus, and approximately 40 rooms were refurbished with updates like new flooring, repaired classroom ceilings, installation of ceiling fans, painting, mold remediation, and playground restoration.

Furniture and equipment damaged by water and mud also had to be replaced.

Sense of normalcy returns

“It’s really nice to have the kids back, to have them running through the halls, making noise, playing on the playground,” Britt said. “It’s just bringing life back to the school, which in turn brings back a sense of normalcy and life back to the community of Na’alehu.”

Students and staff were forced to temporarily relocate to Kaʻū District Gym on Sept. 2, with in-person classes running on a staggered schedule while repairs were underway.

“This really is like the first day of school,” Britt said. “We only had a couple weeks before the storm hit, so we didn’t really get a chance to build those relationships and do everything we wanted to do. So it’s a brand new year all over again.”