All 102 Parker lower school students in kindergarten through fifth grade worked twice a week for four months under the direction of kumu hula Liana Aveiro to learn Hawaiian language, oli, mele and hula for the school’s 13th annual May Day performance April 27. Fifteen faculty, staff and middle and upper school students also danced a hula in the show.
Following the morning program, Parker middle and upper school students held a ho’olaule’a (celebration) with numerous hands-on cultural stations including kapa design, lei making and poi pounding, as well as hukihuki (tug of war) and haka moa (standing chicken fight). The day’s festivities also included a Hawaiian menu of kalua pork, sweet potatoes, pineapple and haupia for dessert.