A hula mound at Ka'ewai Elementary School in Kalihi where about $500 worth of sod was stolen over the weekend was made whole again yesterday, when the contractor who did the original work replaced the grass for free.

More than 20 large pieces of sod were taken from the mound, leaving big, bald spots. The mound had been used for the first time on Friday as part of a long-planned May Day celebration.

Faith Flazer, who helped organize construction of the mound to raise community awareness and pride among students, said she was crestfallen to see someone had marred the stage.

"Who could do such a thing?" she asked.

When owners of Southern Turf International, which installed the sod, heard about the theft, they decided to donate sod to make the mound whole again.

They replaced the donated sod yesterday.

"Doing the replacement is the right thing to do," said the company's office manager, Greg Maring. "It's kind of sad to know someone would stoop that low."

The sod originally was installed April 30, said Flazer, an educational coordinator at the school. She said students and volunteers worked hard to build up the mound so that it could be sodded over, and then donated hours more of their time to water the grass. The May Day celebration showcased the stage.

And Flazer said students were angry to return Monday to see that someone had taken away something they prized.

"They take pride in it," Flazer said of the kids, many of whom come from low-income homes. "They took care of it."

When the sod was taken out, it already had developed some small roots.

Getting it out, Flazer said, probably wasn't easy. But she added that there's no way to keep the thieves from returning for more.