School: Kamaile Academy Public Charter School
Grade Level: Grades 5
Teacher: Morgan Mendoza and Jillian DiPietro
Driving Question: How do we, as keiki of Kamaile, practice ola kino by creating healthy, lifelong habits that nurture our minds and bodies?
What did the students DO?
This high-energy group has been embracing physical fitness, mālama kino (care for the body), and aloha ʻāina through consistent outdoor activities and hiking adventures. Students build endurance and strength through regular sports and games, preparing them for hikes across the island’s beautiful trails. In addition to movement, students are also learning about healthy eating by preparing nutritious snacks that support an active lifestyle. With each hike, they deepen their pilina with each other, their kūpuna practices, and the ʻāina they traverse.
- Outdoor Games for Conditioning and Fun: Students regularly participate in outdoor games and sports that support body conditioning and team building. These activities help develop strength, speed, stamina, and connection, ensuring students are physically prepared for their hikes.
- Frequent Coastal and Mountain Hikes: This group has gone on multiple hikes this quarter—including Kamaileʻunu—with several more planned in the coming weeks. Hikes vary in length and difficulty, giving students a chance to challenge themselves, appreciate their surroundings, and support each other along the trail.
- Building Stamina Through Active Play: Through consistent physical activity and games, students are steadily increasing their endurance. They understand that hiking requires preparation, and they take care of their bodies before, during, and after each outing to ensure safety and strength.
- Healthy Eating and Hydration Practices: The group has focused on wellness beyond physical activity by learning how to fuel their bodies with nutritious choices. They practice hydration leading up to hikes and discuss the importance of putting the right foods into their bodies.
- Making Healthy Snacks Together: Students have worked together to create healthy, hike-friendly recipes such as trail mix, energy balls, banana “nice cream,” and fresh fruit rocket popsicles. These snacks support their hiking adventures and reinforce habits that contribute to long-term wellness.
- Deepening Connection to ʻĀina Through Huakaʻi: Each hike strengthens students’ connection to ʻāina and their home. They help one another along the trails and celebrate the accomplishment of reaching scenic vantage points. These experiences foster teamwork, gratitude, and awe for the land that sustains them.
- High Enrollment and Enthusiasm: This group has maintained high student engagement due to the exciting balance of active play, exploration, and shared wellness goals. Students look forward to every session and take pride in preparing themselves—physically and mentally—for each adventure.
This group’s consistent focus on movement, teamwork, and nutrition is building healthier bodies and stronger communities. Through sports, hiking, and food preparation, students are learning the lifelong value of caring for their kino and connecting with ʻāina. Their commitment to outdoor learning promotes not only physical endurance but also mental resilience, camaraderie, and a growing respect for the beauty and challenges of Hawaiʻi’s natural landscape.
