Over 100 Academy students will participate in the Junior Division community service project at the Punaluu lo’i on Feb. 27 where students will learn about modern Hawaiian culture.

“Students will learn how to plant and harvest taro, clean and maintain the lo’i, work on cleaning the stream, and hopefully learn about the value and importance of water in our environment,” said division adviser, Leilani Asuncion-Tagupa.

The taro patch, Ka Papa Lo’i o Punaluu, is cared for by the University of Hawaii in a joint venture with the Hawaiinuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge.

As part of  Theology classes’ new community service learning requirements, students in each division are required to participate in a specific field of service for a minimum of five hours. Juniors are tasked with the field of environment and sustainability studies, hence, the service project.

“I think that it is a great opportunity to serve our community and give back to our land. I look forward to helping in the lo’i. In doing this service project, students will develop the value of haahaa which is to have humility or to be humble. After this experience students should feel humbled because it makes you realize that the ancient Hawaiians worked so much harder to survive than we do now,” said junior Vikatolia Tupou.

In addition to the course themes, the service objective is to build relationships among students and give them an opportunity to work together effectively in a fragile environment.

“I hope that the students learn how to work together most importantly. We are a division and we all have our own little cliques, but this service project will bring us together as a division,” said President Alyssa Ablao.

The class will spend the day at the taro fields, accompanied by parent and teacher chaperones.