91Ö±²¥

A student-led project that teaches keiki their ABCs through 91Ö±²¥-based images and text is expanding with the help of a 91Ö±²¥ County partnership.

The “Aloha Alphabet,” initiated by the state Department of Education’s West 91Ö±²¥ Complex Area, features ABC posters, banners and card decks that reflect 91Ö±²¥ communities and culture — such as “Affectionate Aunty” for the letter “A” and “Keiki Kalo” for “K.”

Created by students at Honoka‘a High and Intermediate School, the educational materials are being installed at elementary schools in the West 91Ö±²¥ Complex and shared with the 91Ö±²¥ State Public Library System.

Following a presentation to Mayor Kimo Alameda earlier this year, the county stepped forward to support the effort by agreeing to display Aloha Alphabet banners at park facilities most frequented by young keiki.

The county recently installed its first set of 26 banners — one for each letter — at the Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens in Hilo.

“Literacy is incredibly important, and the sooner we start, the better,” Mayor Alameda said in a news release. “This project was created by local students with words and images that represent who we are. When kids view these posters, they see letters that match their experience, and we are excited to be able to support this project.”

The Aloha Alphabet project involved 52 high school students enrolled in Honoka‘a’s Digital Design Pathway program. Through their project-based learning journey, the students visited elementary classrooms, collaborated with 91Ö±²¥an cultural experts and educators, and gathered feedback.

“Witnessing our high school students launch the Aloha Alphabet Project has been the honor of a lifetime,” Doug McDowell, Honoka‘a’s Digital Design teacher, said in the news release. “What began as a simple design solution to help our elementary school with early language acquisition has blossomed into a meaningful, statewide innovation — now including the ABC posters, ‘ABC Talk Story Card Decks,’ and ABC banners.”

Quincy Quijano, an 11th-grade student at Honoka‘a who participated in the project, said their goal was to make the posters “resonate with the keiki of 91Ö±²¥.”

Deneisha Quiamas, another 11th-grade student at Honoka‘a and program participant, said: “It is really exciting to see that this poster that was just a school project is now going to become something statewide.”

The posters at the zoo were installed by student volunteers from the 91Ö±²¥ Academy of Arts and Science.

Organizations interested in receiving Aloha Alphabet materials can contact Matthew King, DOE West 91Ö±²¥ Complex Area literacy district education specialist, at matthew.king@k12.hi.us or (808) 313-7809.