Pukalani Elementary Turns 50!

A Celebration of Community, Memory, and New Beginnings

This weekend, Pukalani Elementary School celebrated 50 years.

Fifty years of school mornings.
Fifty years of recess bells.
Fifty years of children growing up mauka, under the same open sky.

For our family, it was more than a school celebration. It was a gathering of generations — former students, current families, teachers past and present — all coming together to honor a place that has quietly shaped so many lives.

And for me, it marked something else, too.

It was the debut pop-up for Nā Lima Collective.

A Full Circle Moment

There’s something poetic about launching a brand rooted in handwork and heritage at a school that represents continuity.

Pukalani Elementary isn’t just where my children learn — it’s part of the rhythm of our everyday life. School mornings, drop-offs, pick-ups, fundraisers, performances. The ordinary moments that become memory.

To set up my booth inside that cafeteria — surrounded by families, teachers, and neighbors — felt grounding. Not flashy. Not corporate.

Just real.

The Booth, The Community, The Support

We brought:

• Makia Mai palaka sport shorts (keiki + adult)
• Pocket tees
• Fabric lei
• Small sewn goods
• Seed packets and plant cuttings
• A tiny keiki maker corner

Every piece was sewn, cut, pressed, or prepared at home.

What struck me most wasn’t just the sales — though I’m deeply grateful for every single purchase. It was the conversations.

People touched the fabric.
They asked about the story.
They recognized the palaka.
They understood the intention.

There is something powerful about creating locally and sharing it directly with your community. No middleman. No warehouse. Just hands to hands.

Nā lima.

Watching the Kids Witness It

One of the most meaningful parts of the day was watching my children see it all unfold.

They saw:

• The prep.
• The nerves.
• The problem-solving.
• The sales.
• The support.
• The exhaustion.
• The pride.

Entrepreneurship isn’t abstract in our home. It’s lived. It’s visible. It’s imperfect and evolving.

And standing there at their school’s 50th celebration — surrounded by history — I felt the deeper reason behind all of this:

We build so our children can see what’s possible.

50 Years of Roots

A school turning 50 years old is a reminder of longevity.

Of what it means to stay.
To invest.
To grow something slowly over time.

Nā Lima Collective and Makia Mai are still young. They’re in their first chapters.

But being part of a celebration that marked five decades of community reinforced something I already believed:

The goal isn’t fast.
The goal is lasting.

Mahalo, Pukalani

To the organizers.
To the teachers.
To the families.
To everyone who stopped by the booth.
To everyone who shared encouragement.

Mahalo for showing up.
Mahalo for supporting handmade.
Mahalo for supporting local.
Mahalo for supporting a mama building something in real time.

Here’s to 50 years of Pukalani Elementary —
and to the generations still to come.

And here’s to the hands that shape modern island life.

— Kehau