Our community and river is our kuleana.
The Waimea River is one of the most important landmarks on the Westside of Kauai and every day our students cross the Waimea bridge to get to our school. We have noticed that the water level of our river is low and sometimes a silt island appears beneath the bridge. After taking a closer look, we saw that there are other areas in our river where the silt is mounding into large masses. This made us question how the silt islands are being formed and why our river doesn't flow freely to the ocean. We began to research and investigate the water level of our river, how it affects the farmers in the area, and the overall health and life of our river.
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Who we are? |
What we believe in? |
We are a handful of Waimea High School ELA students in grades 9-12 who were trying to find a way to participate in the Malama Honua movement to care for the "land, oceans, living beings, our cultures, and our communities" (Malama Honua). Looking at the life of the Waimea River as well as the future of our community is all of those things and our teachers challenged us to take action.
Why it matters?The health and life of our Waimea River matters. The plans for the land use of our Westside communities from Kalaheo to Kekaha and beyond matter. We need to put the water back into the river like it used be a long time ago so that life can flourish. The lo'i (taro patches) in the valley need water to be nice and healthy so they can provide food for our community and people. If we learn to cultivate our land, we can learn to be self-sustaining again. And if the water is returned to its natural flow, then the hinana, o'opu, and opae can come back and multiply.
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It is important because we care about our river and community. We believe that many people who live in our community are not aware of the problems happening with our river and the future land use plans from Kalaheo to Kekaha. We also know that if we can get people to know and care, that they can impact our community in a positive way and will want to help too.
How you can get involved?If you want to get involved you can follow us on Instagram @WHSMauka2Makai or check our website for updates. There is also a contact information form at the bottom of this page. We will use that to send you updates on information and events. If you have questions you can call or email our teachers.
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The most relevant, meaningful, and significant context in which learners apply knowledge is the place and community that they are most directly connected to, where their homes are located, where they have ancestral, family, geographical knowledge and roots. ~Nainoa Thompson
Contact Us
Our Teachers:
Mrs. Shelby Erdmann (Teacher) Email: [email protected] Phone: (808) 338-6810 ext. 170 Ms. Berna Souza (Teacher) Email: [email protected] Phone: (808) 338-6810 ext. 159 |
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