“No broke the watermelon!!” If you are wondering what that means, the answer lies in this presentation of the enduring understandings and life lessons taught through a program of the DOE in the 1980s and 90s on the island of Molokai. Constructed upon a foundation of aloha ʻāina, an innovative educator took his students on learning journeys full of hands on experiences, steeped in advocacy, community building, and aloha that have left a lasting impression and the legacy of a pedagogy practiced now by two more generations of teachers. The research looks at the longitudinal influence and outcomes of this learning experience on former Hana Kūpono o Molokai students.

STEMS² Pillars: Aʻo, Moʻolelo, Sense of Place, Advocacy