"The school's vision is to strengthen and perpetuate the Niihau dialect of Hawaiian language."

In 2001, this former armory was transformed into a charter school with help from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Aha Punana Leo. With more and more manaleo Niihau moving outside of the community, many see this school as a way to rejuvenate and maintain the unique dialect of Niihau.

"The makua generation grew up completely immersed in their olelo, acquiring it instinctually. The same is not true for this generation. How do we address that?"

The unique qualities of this school go well beyond the language of instruction. "This school is indeed different. The lessons are not just translated into Hawaiian, but the content is pursued from the unique perspective of our Niihau community in our own language."

But the staff is steadfast in its goal of keeping the Niihau dialect alive. Tomorrow we'll show you how this tiny school is taking a giant leap into the technical world.

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