What You Need to Know:听

• Grand opening marks completion of Phase 1 in a full campus reconstruction at听M艒kapu听Elementary School on Marine Corps Base Hawai驶i.听

• Phase 1 delivered a new two-story administration/library building and a two- and three-story classroom complex with 55 classrooms and support spaces.听

• Work began in January 2023 while the existing campus remained operational; instruction is transitioning into the new facilities after winter break.听

• Phase 2 will demolish remaining older buildings and add a cafetorium, covered听playcourts, a learning courtyard and听additional听parking.听

• Project funding includes about $116.5 million in Department of Defense grants (about 80%) with the state covering the remaining 20%.听

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KAILUA, Hawai’i 鈥� M艒kapu Elementary School is starting the year in new spaces after completing the first phase of a campus rebuild at Marine Corps Base Hawai驶i, where the school serves military-dependent students from Marine families.听

The blessing and dedication ceremony drew lawmakers, military听partners听and community members for tours of the new facilities, according to an article from the听Hawai鈥榠 State Department of Education.听

The first phase of the approximately $147 million project replaces听large portions听of a campus that originally opened in 1960. Delivered in Phase 1 are a two-story administration and library building and a two- and three-story classroom complex with 55 classrooms and support spaces, with capacity for听nearly 1,000听students, the department said.听

鈥淲hat we鈥檙e celebrating today is a school that鈥檚 better equipped for how teaching and learning happen now 鈥� spaces that encourage collaboration, creativity and a sense of belonging, while also honoring the role this campus plays in the broader community,鈥� Hawai驶i State Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi said, according to听.听

For AEC teams, the phasing plan is a key part of the delivery story. Construction began in January 2023, with the former campus听remaining听fully operational during the build.听The new structures were placed on an open section of the 14.2-acre site that had been used as playfields, a running track and outdoor courts.听Following winter break, classroom operations began transitioning into听the new听facilities.听

鈥淭his beautiful new building isn鈥檛 the whole story,鈥澨齅艒kapu听Elementary Principal Brett Matsukawa said, according to听.听

Next, Phase 2 will remove remaining older facilities and build a new cafetorium, covered听playcourts, a learning courtyard and听additional听parking.听

The听Hawai鈥榠 State Department of Education said the Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation provided approximately $116.5 million 鈥� about 80% of the total project cost 鈥� with matching state funds covering the remaining 20%.听

M艒kapu听Elementary is the only public elementary school听located听on Marine Corps Base Hawai驶i, a U.S. Navy installation. The school enrolls more than 780 students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade and is supported by about 130 faculty and staff, according to the department.听

This article is based on reporting originally published by the听Hawai鈥榠 State Department of Education on Jan. 6, 2026.听

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WAIPAHU, Hawaii鈥擜 groundbreaking of the highly anticipated Honowai Elementary School was recently held in Waipahu.

Lionakis Architects along with S&M Sakamoto, the general contractor on the project, and officials from the State of Hawaii and Department of Education (DOE) celebrated the event with golden shovels in tow.

听The ceremony first opened up with Kent Matsumara, the school principal, giving opening remarks and thanking the legislators, DOE officials, Lionakis and S&M Sakamoto Inc.

Kahu 鈥淯ncle鈥� Bruce and his students then performed a traditional blessing. Those with golden shovels mixed in salt with the soil as a symbol of mixing in their spirit and hard work into the ground and then shared a few inspiring words of what this project has meant to them.

This $12 million project, which is being built on sacred lands, was widely acknowledged by all. The efforts and knowledge pouring into the project from the entire community truly reflect that understanding.

The project sits on sacred lands including approximately six acres, adjacent to a community park. The elementary school consists of a multi-phased transformation of the existing campus to prepare it for 21st-century programs and educational delivery while embracing sustainable design strategies. A new, three-story classroom building will serve the Medically Fragile and Special Education Programs, and also includes Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) lab spaces. Additionally, renovations to the existing buildings will address critical core facility deficiencies.

The campus鈥� architecture and the school mascot of Na Ali鈥檌 (The Chiefs) are reflective in the design and Ali鈥檌 (Chief or Royalty) was the inspiration. The capes of the Chiefs鈥擜hu鈥榰la鈥攕erve as the main design theme. Its graphic patterns and colors (specifically yellow and red) represent hierarchy within the Ali鈥檌 ruling class and their families. Ahu鈥檜la personifies protection, as it embraces the school and seeks to ensure the sustenance, existence and growth of its students on their paths to success.

Completion is slated for July 2020.

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