Namahana Curriculum: Ola Framework
Namahana School’s Touchstone Statement
We grow rooted youth and community that care for ʻāina through their interests, curiosities, and gifts
Namahana School is committed to the education of the whole child, which means supporting physical education, social-emotional learning, mental health, holistic and cultural education
In crafting Namahana School’s academic framework, the School Leader and the Academic Committee explored this question:
What would our school, processes and students look like if the overall question was not “How academically successful are our students?” but instead “Are our students healthy?”
Namahana School’s Ola Framework is adapted from Big Picture Living, an initiative of Big Picture Learning (BPL), which upholds six health measures (Move, Recharge, Nourish, Caution, Chill and Social). These six measures were a student-led initiative grounded in the six pillars (Nutrition, Physical Activity, Restorative Sleep, Stress Management, Social Connection, Avoidance of Risky Substances) of Lifestyle Medicine from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Our Six Measures of Ola (Health)
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Pilina (relationships)
How are healthy relationships developed and nurtured?
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Ho’omaha (stress management)
How do moments of rest and reflection strengthen our land, our community our culture, and ourselves?
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Hoʻōla (improving sleep)
Where and how are our land, community, culture, and selves rejuvenated and energized?
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Pono (avoid risky substances)
How do I identify and avoid or remove toxicity from my environment and community?
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Hānai (eating healthy)
How do we nourish and grow our land, community, and culture?
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Mana (increase physical activities)
What makes me and my land, people, and culture strong?
Ola Framework Overview
Dr. Kapua Chandler, Namahana School Leader and Tamra Moriguchi Namahana School Academic Committee, detail the Ola Framework at our April 2024 Community Meeting.
Our Learning Goals
Our measures of health inform specific learning goals. The following goals are the subject-base of the Namahana School curricula:
KNOWING HOW TO LEARN: The goal is to be curious, with a drive to explore and be open to doing hard work; to understand that there are many ways of learning, knowing and making meaning in the world. It includes valuing learning from and with others inside and outside of school.
PERSONAL QUALITIES: The goal is to strive to be the best person you can be; to demonstrate respect and empathy for others, take responsibility, be self-aware and act with courage and compassion; to reflect on your achievements and progress; to strive for personal and civic improvement.
QUANTITATIVE REASONING: The goal is to learn to use the skills, concepts and logic of mathematics to understand and interpret situations, solve problems and take action in life, learning and work.
EMPIRICAL REASONING: The goal is to learn through experimentation; to use evidence based on observation, experience and a logical process to understand, make decisions and to evaluate hypotheses.
COMMUNICATION: The goal is to learn to be a great communicator; to understand your audience; to write, read, speak and listen well; to use technology and artistic expression (visual arts, music, dance, and theater) to communicate. In includes, where possible, another language.
SOCIAL REASONING: The goal is to learn to see diverse perspectives; to understand social issues, to explore ethics; to analyze and understand social systems and to look at issues historically and culturally. It includes learning to take responsible action to address inequity.
Dr. Kapua Chandler, Namahana School Leader