{"id":16752,"date":"2025-10-27T16:26:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T02:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/?p=16752"},"modified":"2025-11-13T07:38:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T17:38:32","slug":"2025-mural-mo%ca%bbolelo-kainalu-elementary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/sm\/2025-mural-mo%ca%bbolelo-kainalu-elementary\/","title":{"rendered":"Mural Mo\u02bbolelo: Kainalu Elementary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kainalu Elementary is awash with colorful mural artwork \u2014 done in both paint and ceramic tiles \u2014 flowing over school buildings, pillars and the student drop-off area. They were created by known muralists and students alike. However, it is a gleaming mural by the littlest learners that singularly embodies the joy, discovery and imagination of elementary school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy friends and me under the sea,\u201d a mosaic mural made of individual ceramic tiles, was created by the 2008-09 kindergarten class under the tutelage of resident artist Liz Train, with funding support from the Hawai\u02bbi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts\u2019 Artist in the School program and the school\u2019s Parent Teacher Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur school has always believed in the arts. The arts are really the soul of society,\u201d said Sheri Sunabe, who was principal at the time. \u201cMany times when doing school murals, it is the adult artist with very little student participation. \u2026 The students (for the mural artwork) were unrestrained.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What draws you in deep is the pure creative interpretation of the kindergarteners’ sea creatures. Their vibrant colors, googly-eyed expressions, and smiles with imperfect perspective capture the viewer\u2019s intrigue and heart. It is like cute chaos created by tiny hands that keeps your eyes swimming for more. From the 3-D suckers on the octopus tentacles to the patterned fish scales, one can\u2019t help but run their fingers along the enticing textures created by these young artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each happy fish has its own character and personality \u2014 like the students who created them. Sunabe hopes that the students, who would have just graduated from college, will reflect back, smile, and still be inspired by their 5-year-old imaginations.<\/p>\n\n\n