HILO — Haʻaheo Elementary School is excited to welcome students back to its Wainaku campus following a three-year construction upgrade. The addition of three new buildings has significantly expanded facility space while existing buildings have been renovated and repurposed.

The three new buildings house classrooms, a cafeteria/multipurpose building and a library/computer lab. Existing buildings at the campus north of Hilo were renovated and repurposed with expanded classroom spaces and the addition of rooms for meetings, administrative staff and storage.

“I can’t wait to hear the school noises,” Haʻaheo Principal Jennifer Sueoka said. “I can’t wait for them (students) to see our new space and feel the same excitement and joy that the whole staff and I felt when we came for the first time.”

The renovated buildings were originally constructed in 1931 and the last permanent structure at Haʻaheo Elementary was built in 1973. The school opened in 1888 and is one of the oldest HIDOE schools on Hawaiʻi Island. 

Students will use the new classroom building when the school year opens on Aug. 5. Contractors are finishing the other two buildings with safety measures in place.

Haʻaheo Elementary students and staff relocated to a portion of nearby Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Elementary School during the $25 million construction project that began in summer 2023. Ha‘aheo staff started moving back into campus this summer. 

The space vacated by Haʻaheo has allowed Kalanianaʻole to add a Kaiapuni Hawaiian language immersion kindergarten class this year. 

Principal Sueoka thanked Kalanianaʻole for sharing its space and the late State Rep. Mark Nakashima, who helped secure funding for the project. She also thanked the contractors, architects and County of Hawaiʻi Public Works for their work, and Haʻaheo staff for maintaining normalcy and supporting students.

“They maintained as much normalcy as possible for our students for three years,” Sueoka said. “They have worked tirelessly on our move back, unpacking and beautifying our space. I am so grateful for each one.”