Honoka‘a High and Intermediate School

The Honoka‘a High School Ag Program Project E Ulu Pono O Honoka‘a focuses on sustainability in areas of food production and the environment. Through the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Education’s Kūlia I Ka Nu‘u project, Honoka‘a High School’s Career Tech Educational Programs, and The Kohala Center, the program has made great strides in providing learning opportunities for students to gain exposure to the field. The program infuses science, Hawaiian culture, and place-based learning, weaving them into the curriculum by providing student opportunities in careers that may lead to jobs in the Agriculture and Natural Resources fields.

Honoka‘a High and Intermediate School's Ag program is a comprehensive Agriculture/Natural Resources Program. Manuel Jadulang is the current agriculture teacher. The program attributes a large part of its success to Mr. Nathan Kawashima, who worked at the school for over 25 years as the agriculture teacher. During that time the school developed an extensive program utilizing several greenhouses, an agriculture shop, a plant tissue culture lab, an aquaculture lab, and facilities for animal husbandry (i.e., chickens, ducks, and goats). Jadulang has been working at the school since July 2007, and teaches students in grades 9–12.
 


All Honoka‘a High School students are encouraged to take the first year Natural Resources class. Advanced classes include Forestry, Natural Resources Production and Plant Systems “Horticulture.” All classes are electives. Projects that students work on in the program include the following: maintaining the program's golf course and ag program grounds (use of lawn equipment), herb garden, vegetable field crops, native plants, circulating and non-circulating hydroponics, aquaponics, working in the ag shop (maintaining farm equipment, and small farm construction), and animal husbandry.


The program works with feeder schools including Waimea Middle School, Honoka‘a Intermediate, and Pa‘auilo Elementary and Intermediate School. Honoka‘a High School currently works with various organizations in the field including the Natural Resources Conservation Services, DLNR, US Fish and Wildlife, US Forestry Service, Ka‘ūpūlehu Dryland Forest, County of Hawai‘i Deptartment of Water Supply, The Kohala Center, and various farmers and ranchers within the school complex.

Watch a Prezi Slide Show of the program.

Watch videos of student projects and field trips.

If you would like to volunteer for the program, contact teacher Manuel Jadulang at manuel_jadulang@yahoo.com or call 775-8800, ext. 289.

On Feb 26, 2013, Clare Bobo of Slow Food Hawai‘i came to talk to several Career Technical Education classes (Natural Resource Pathway Core, Natural Resources Production, Culinary and Public and Human Services Pathway Core) at Honoka‘a High and Intermediate School. During her presentation, the students learned about the goals and history of the Slow Food organization and movement. She also demonstrated fresh eggs harvested from Honoka‘a HS’s farm vs. store-bought mainland eggs.

 

Dr. Steve Brown, National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Advisor, visited one of five ag classes at Honoka‘a High and Intermediate School on August 29, 2013. Dr. Brown visited high schools on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island with FFA programs to see what students in Hawai‘i do in their programs. He came to Hawai‘i from Washington, DC where he works at the U.S. Department of Education. During his visit to Honoka‘a, the students shared with him their career aspirations and favorite foods to eat. Dr. Brown shared the opportunities that being an FFA member offers. For more information about the national FFA program, visit http://www.ffa.org