Namahana Hosts First-Ever Signing Day, Check Out the Full Photo Gallery
On April 12th 2025, Namahana hosted its very first signing day. Over 100 of the inaugural 7th and 8th graders starting school with us this August were joined by their 'ohana to receive a ti leaf lei from our School Leader Dr. Kapua Chandler and officially sign their enrollment with a koa pen.
Signing Day marks the commitment of our haumāna and ʻohana to join us in building not just a school, but a learning community deeply connected to our community and island home. Founding ʻohana help shape school culture, establish traditions, and collaboratively create the foundation for generations to come.
After signing their name, each haumāna received their first Namahana School t-shirt, explored future site renderings, joined in a tasting for the school lunch program, and posed for a memorable founding ʻohana photo.
Mahalo nui to those who made this day possible:
• Paulina Barsotti for a delicious preview of our ʻāina-based lunch program
• Tim Hennessy for our very first ‘ohana photo shoot
• Annie Hart for capturing the heart of the day in the beautiful photos
• Brad Schmidt for filming the day in action
• Ziko Quintana from Ulu Kanu Nursery for the beautiful plants
• Namahana’s founding staff members: Jonathan Kissida, Rachelle Ricardo, Makaela Weathers, Adriana Saggiomo, Tamra Moriguchi, Kapua Chandler, and Taeko Onishi
• Our incredible volunteers: Andre Lister, Jonathan McRoberts, Mary Paterson, Danielle Loo, Emily Cadiz, Faith Lehua Blalock, Mikaela Owen, Lahela Correa, Keala Davis, and Angie Kissida
