PĀHALA — More than 850 students from the two Hawai‘i public schools most impacted by Hurricane Lala are returning to in-person learning this week, marking a significant step forward for school communities that have spent the past two weeks navigating storm damage, utility disruptions and impacts in their surrounding communities.

Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary and Nāʻālehu Elementary sustained an estimated $2.3 million in damage, with recovery and restoration work continuing at both schools.

Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary School welcomed roughly 500 students back to its campus Monday for the first time since the storm. Students returned to classrooms and activities designed to help them reconnect with teachers and classmates and ease back into the school routine. For some students, returning to school also provided a sense of connection after experiencing significant storm impacts in their communities.

“It’s a good release to be able to come back to school after everything that happened with Hurricane Lala,” 11th grader Jordan Virgo said. “And seeing everybody and knowing that everybody’s OK going through after what we did. It’s just really great.”

Fellow 11th grader Kamahaʻo Alcoran said he was looking forward not only to returning to school, but also to rebuilding a sense of community among students.

“As we go through the school year, [I want] to replenish the school spirit and, of course, make sure that everybody is included in everything that we do,” Alcoran said.

Ka‘ū High & Pāhala Elementary Principal Tiffany Pratt said staff prepared for students’ return with activities and counseling support, recognizing that students would be coming back with different experiences from the storm. At the same time, she said students were eager to pick up where they left off academically.

“They’re ready to learn. They still have their goals,” Pratt said. “I have a lot of our seniors that have their college applications coming due. They need to meet their timelines.”

On Wednesday, approximately 100 Nāʻālehu Elementary prekindergarten and first-grade students became the first groups to resume in-person learning at the school’s temporary location at the Kaʻū District Gym, adjacent to the Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary campus.

Since Friday, Nāʻālehu Elementary staff have worked to transform the gym into temporary learning spaces, creating areas for classes and preparing to welcome students while their regular campus undergoes repairs. 

“I’m equally as excited as the kids are. We have kids jumping up and down,” Nā‘ālehu Elementary Principal Jason Britt said. “I know my staff was ready to come back, work with the kids. I was ready to see the kids again, because this is why we do it.”

The school’s approximately 365 students will attend in person on a staggered schedule by grade level, with each grade attending two days per week except prekindergarten, which attends Wednesdays. 

Britt said the schedule is intended to give students regular opportunities to reconnect with their teachers and peers and spend time learning in person. “We’re going to have that rotation just so we can see them on a regular, get some interaction with their teachers, with their peers, get some academic time in,” he said.

Restoration of the Nāʻālehu Elementary campus is continuing after Hurricane Lala caused flooding and water intrusion and carried debris onto the school grounds. Work underway includes replacing damaged ceilings and flooring and continuing cleanup and repairs throughout the campus. Debris beneath the school’s raised buildings has been removed and the majority of mud cleanup has been completed. Current restoration work is expected to continue into October.

The Department is also adapting meal service around the schools’ return. On Aug. 26 and 27, the Department distributed 3,800 free shelf-stable meals to support children and families in Kaʻū communities. Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary students have resumed regular school meals five days a week. Nāʻālehu students receive meals on the days they attend in person and take home three additional days of breakfasts and lunches each week, providing access to five days of school meals while the staggered schedule remains in place.

Britt expressed appreciation for the people, organizations and businesses that have supported Nāʻālehu students, families and the broader Kaʻū community during the recovery.

“All we can really say is mahalo for looking after the kids, looking after our school, looking after the community,” he said.