It's party time in Manoa Valley

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

One hundred and fifty years ago, Manoa School was established to educate the youth of Manoa Valley.

Tomorrow, the elementary school's students, faculty, alumni and supporters plan to celebrate the anniversary with a party.

The community is invited to join in from 2 to 5 p.m.

"It's our sesquicentennial," said Lorene Watasaki, longtime faculty member, parent and 1960s era Manoa Elementary School alumna. "It's all very exciting and a nice celebration, and since our community in Manoa is so strong, there are always many hands to share the responsibility."

A lu'au and dinner show, from 5 to 7 p.m. tomorrow, has already sold out, she said.

The sixth-graders have worked particularly hard to prepare for the celebration, she said, interviewing alumni "from age 92 back to — I don't know — 40s."

The students wrote up the interviews, took photographs of their subjects, and made presentations on poster board that will be displayed in the school's multipurpose room.

To complement the written interviews, some of the kupuna will be on hand for tomorrow's ceremony, talking story and describing the Manoa school of their era.

To set the mood even more, Malama o Manoa, a community association committed to the preservation and enhancement of Manoa Valley, gathered historic photographs of the school and valley and posted them next to the written interviews.

"We have photographs of Manoa in the 1850s when the school was founded," said Helen Nakano of Malama o Manoa. "It was originally by the fire station, across from the cemetery."

The school, on East Manoa Road, was one of the first 12 English-language schools established in the state, she said.

The first teacher was paid $600 a year. He had 18 students when the school opened late in 1854, but by 1855, the number had more than doubled: he had 40 students.

In a World War II era photograph, she said, a child is shown standing in a sweet-potato patch in front of the old school, which was then nearly 100 years old.

The sweet potatoes disguised a bomb shelter.

"I understand a lot of schools did that," she said. "This boy (in the photograph) won a prize. He sold the most war bonds."

The current school was built on upper Manoa Road in 1952.

In addition to the displays tomorrow, Manoa children will learn games of past eras, including jacks, marbles, pickup sticks, pogs and such string games as cat-in-the-cradle.

Manoa students will also bury a time capsule to be opened in 50 years, and seven trees, one for each grade level at the school, were donated by Rep. Kirk Caldwell and are being planted around the school.

Reach Karen Blakeman at 535-2430 or kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.