Timeline

The Hanahau`oli Timeline

1918 Sophie and George Cooke establish Hanahau`oli School on the corner of Nowewehi (now Nehoa) and Makiki street with 16 children from ages 6 to 11 years old. Its name means "Joyous Work" in Hawaiian.
 

1920’s Children's Fairs begin. All the items to be sold are made by the children.

1924 The Assembly Hall (now the Pavilion) is built so lunch could be cooked and served and assemblies could take place.

1924 Miss Louisa F. Palmer becomes Hanahau`oli's principal and serves 33 years until her retirement in 1957.  In 1968, she wrote Memories of Hanahauoli, the First 50 Years.

1926 The first stepping stones are made by all the children who carve their designs, representing their personal "enthusiasms," in shop.

1930 Makahiki begins as a Thanksgiving celebration.

1942 “The War Years” commence during which Hanahau`oli is downsized due to so many children being sent to the mainland for safety. Bomb shelters are erected on campus.

1947 The 3rd grade class of 1950 composes the school song “O Hanahau`oli.”

1968 The Louisa F. Palmer Library is built incorporating design requests from the children.

1974 A construction project commences to enlarge classrooms and complete a master plan that would include a science and music complex and multi-purpose gym. The Rene Halbedl Arts Complex is completed in 1983.

1983 Robert G. Peters becomes Hanahau`oli’s 10th principal, now Head of School.

1986 Hanahau`oli is chosen as one of 60 exemplary private schools in the nation in the first "Excellence in Elementary Schools" search held by the Council for American Private Education and the National Department of Education.

1991 Hanahau`oli is first accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

1997 Hanahau`oli becomes a multiage school with JK and 6th grade as single classes; SK and grade 1, grades 2 and 3, and grades 4 and 5 combined.

1999-2010 Malama Ia Hanahau`oli, a three phase capital campaign spanning 11 years, allows the school to build three new buildings and complete numerous campus renovations to support multiage learning.

2011 Hanahau`oli's Professional Development Center begins to provide educational workshops and seminars in support of the school's mission to create partnerships and serve a broader public purpose.