The Iliahi Foundation of Hawai'i

Activities

I.  Iliahi Foundation and Punahou outplanting at Kualoa Ranch north of Kaneohe

On January 2, 2010 a group of Iliahi Foundation members and Punahou students from the Classes of 1959 and 2009 out planted 76 koa and four iliahi at Kualoa Ranch.  Back in the spring of 2009, over 200 Punahou Class of 1959 students showed up to plant koa seeds as their gift to Punahou. This planting was done under the auspices of the Iliahi Foundation, founded and largely supported by the Punahou Class of 1959 over the past ten years. The plants were maintained through the summer and fall at the Punahou nursery under the supervision of Gail Pieterson. The plants were healthy and beautiful, many over three feet tall. The area that was planted is a little over one acre at about 2,000 feet elevation on about a 35% grade, completely surrounded by a hog wire fence, with a natural spring at the base of the hill. The Iliahi Foundation has been invited back to do more planting at Kualoa.

II.  Iliahi Foundation and The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii celebrate eight years of working together. 

The Iliahi Foundation co-founding team enjoyed a special celebration held at the downtown Honolulu offices of The Nature Conservancy.

 

(left to right): Pauline Sato, Susan Hata O'Connor, Ron Iwamoto, Jimbo Haley, Jon Larson, Judith Flanders Staub, Cyrus and Phyllis Siu.

Gifting of the Sunburst eco-art piece to the Malama Learning Center by the Iliahi Foundation through Judith Flanders Staub.  

Each of the sun's rays at the center is made of a different rare Hawaii wood including a piece of endangered Iliahi Santalum freycinetianum Sandalwood (the namesake of the Iliahi Foundation).  The piece is meant to represent the ridges and hills and gullies of the Waianae Ahu Pua'a flowing down from the cloud enshrouded peaks to the white sand beaches at the ocean's edge and on into the shallow coral.  The shiny smooth surface is meant to resemble the land after life sustaining rain water has fallen on the Waianae.  The base wood background is a single slice from a 100 year old Norfolk Pine tree (see below) that was salvaged to the UH Windward Community College's I'olani Carving School site by Tonu Eagleton - master eco-carver.  It was salvaged from a reclamation project by the U.S. Army at Schofield  Barracks in 2006.

(above) MLC project coordinator Paula Nagao accepts the Sunburst eco-art piece on behalf of Kapolei High School and the Malama Learning Center program.  The MLC has as its vision to teach and inspire communities to participate in creating healthy living environments. The Mālama Learning Center intends to become a place in West O'ahu that brings art, science, conservation and culture together to promote sustainable living throughout Hawai‘i.  We believe the Sunburst piece embodies the vision and mission of the MLC in a single inspirational piece of visual eco-art.

"Eco-warriors" and old "bes friends" of close to 60 years, Jon Larson and Jimbo Haley

Pauline Sato shares her own vision of a better future for all of Hawaii through the programs of The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii including their support of the Iliahi Foundation and other Hawaii based volunteer and non-profit groups.

Susan Hata O'Connor presented her pedagogy - an instructional DVD for Hawaii's school children teaching the importance of the work of volunteer groups as the Iliahi Foundation supporting the youth of Hawaii that encourage young students to learn and to get involved in envirnomental protection and restoration work in their own communities.

 

(from Wikipedia) Pedagogy is the art or science of being a teacher. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction.   Pedagogy is also sometimes referred to as the correct use of teaching strategies.  In correlation with those teaching strategies the instructor's own philosophical beliefs of teaching are harbored and governed by the pupil's background knowledge and experiences, personal situations, and environment, as well as learning goals set by the student and teacher.

 

Youth Training Projects

III. Punahou Class of 2009

IV. Punahou Class of 2015

V. Chamindade University Biology Club students

III. Koa seed planting at Punahou School - January 2009

The Iliahi Foundation supported by the Punahou Class of 1959, in accord with a request from Punahou President Jim Scott, advised the Punahou class of 2009 and its senior class members in the planting of some 600 koa seeds which will be, in part, a class gift to the school and the State of Hawaii once the trees are mature. President Scott is most interested in establishing an intergenerational class link. This interface between the class of 2009 and the Class of 1959 is the first of it's kind in the history of the school. The planting session took place in the Gates Science Center. Over 300 students (of 440 in the class of 2009) came in on their own time to help plant the seeds. The supervisors of the project included '59ers Jim Haley, Susan O’Conner, Clayden Jim, and Punahou faculty and staff.  Students will out plant seedlings next year from the Rocky Hill nursery where they will be tended for the coming year.  Outplanting will occur when they are home for Winter break from their freshman year at college. Also mahalo to Stefanie Loo Jefts  from The Nature Conservancy for providing the seed.  And a special mahalo to Punahou faculty sponsor Gail Peiterson.

1) Students insert screens in the bottom of each vessel prior to adding special potting mix.

2) Jimbo demonstrates how to compact the potting mix to the correct level.

3) John Jiao, 2009 class president with IF and Punahou 1959ers Jimbo, Clayden Jim, and Susan.

IV. Punahou School sixth graders outplanting expedition to Honouliuli

Jimbo Haley of the Iliahi Foundation and Punahou Class of 1959 and Carri Morgan of the Punahou Luke Center for Public Service led Punahou 6th graders on a summer outplanting project to Honouliuli in the Waianae in August of 2008 

Punahou Luke Center for Public Service

Overlooking the lily pond at the heart of the Punahou School campus, the Luke Center for Public Service is a unique kindergarten through twelfth grade service resource center. Built through the generous gift of the K.J. Luke Family, the Luke Center opened its doors in April 2004. Since then, it has welcomed a steady stream of students, teachers, staff, parents, alumni, community members, and others who are interested in making a difference. Its central location near the Chapel encourages links between spirituality and service, and also makes the Luke Center more accessible to the campus.

 The Luke Center embraces both community service and service learning. Community service involves traditional volunteering and philanthropy. Service learning involves thoughtfully organized service that is linked to the curriculum. Throughout all of these community service and service learning efforts, the Luke Center focuses on the goals of its mission statement.

 Mission:   Luke Center for Public Service is committed to communicating about service, creating meaningful service opportunities, and convening service-related conversations for students and teachers. The Luke Center develops programs with the following objectives in mind:

• To support and enhance student development in social responsibility;

• To promote the connections between service, spirituality and character education;

• To develop interdependence and a sense of community;

• To create meaningful links between service, sustainability and social entrepreneurship and the curriculum; and

• To meet community needs and take an active role in Punahou's vision of a private school serving a public purpose.

V. Chaminade University Biology Club

Punahou Class of 1959er and Biology Professor Ron Iwamoto instructs his students in proper planting techniques for outplanting the endangered sandalwood Iliahi "Frey" species (Santalum freycinetianum) to his Biology Class students from Chaminade University at Ekaha Nui in Honouliuli, Waianae in October of 2008.

Eco-Art:  Background of the SunBurst piece

Jon holds the Sunburst mid construction at the Kohola Carving Center at the Presidio of San Francisco in 2007. 

Two of the 500 year old Alaskan yellow cedar Port Chicago healing poles are visible in the background being carved by Jon and the Kohola Carving team including the Pacific Islanders Cultural Association - PICA under the artistic direction of Pacific Islander  Tonu Eagleton - master eco-carver.  The piece was commissioned by the Jon and Karen Larson Family Foundation for the Iliahi Foundation and it was carved by Tonu in the Presidio of San Francisco.

Sunburst with the San Francisco Bay in the background.

Return to Iliahi Foundation web site

Return to Punahou Class of 1959 web site