Last week Keaukaha Elementary School welcomed some very important visitors: Dr. Henry Yang, President of the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) (he is also Chancellor of the University of California at Santa Barbara) and Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau, President of Cal Tech University.

I’ve survived in a very difficult business for 25 years, and one thing I’ve learned is that with some people, you clench your fist and say, “Don’t mistake kindness for weakness.” There are others you can do business with on a handshake. Dr. Henry Yang and Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau are both people I would do business with over a handshake.

Last week’s meeting came about because Dr. Yang asked me if I would arrange a meeting with Kumu Lehua Veincent, the principal of Keaukaha Elementary School.

Kumu Lehua invited Patrick Kahawaiola’a, President of the Keaukaha Community Association, and Luana Kawelu, Director of the Merrie Monarch Festival and daughter of its founder Aunty Dottie Thompson.

I took it upon myself to invite ‘Ahia Dye, the second female Hawaiian astronomy graduate from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, and Hoku Cody, a Marine Biology major who is in the UH Hilo Keaholoa STEM program.

We met in the Keaukaha Elementary School library and sat around a simple table on straight-backed chairs. I brought doughnuts from KTA and we drank instant Sanka coffee. Nothing fancy.

Kumu Lehua talked about the history of Keaukaha Elementary School and how it had underperformed for so long that people thought it was the permanent state of things. He is very low key, but it became clear that this school went from underperforming for as long as anyone can remember to being a “role model school” in just the three years that Kumu Lehua has been its principal.

It also became very apparent that the community is integrated into the school, and that the keiki are supported in many different ways. Kumu Lehua grounds the students in their culture and that gives them a solid foundation from which to go forward. Kumu Lehua, Uncle Patrick, and especially the staff at Keaukaha School are not talkers – they are doers.

Patrick talked about going into the Navy without a high school diploma and some friends insisting that he take the GED test. He passed. Whether or not he has a high school degree is not relevant. Uncle Pat is a true leader. He has common sense and he is clear, articulate and uncompromisingly focused on education for the keiki now and in future generations.

If I had to choose a leader between someone with 10 university degrees but no common sense, and Patrick with only a high school GED, there is no question – I would pick Patrick. The results speak for themselves.

I was the fly on the wall at the meeting, observing everything. Every so often a teacher would drop in to say hello. Some brought a few kids from their class, and the kids introduced themselves with confidence and a sense of purpose.

‘Ahia Dye operates the planetarium at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center. I once sat through a planetarium and was so impressed that I had to go meet the person with that wonderful voice who was running that high tech show.

She was attending UH Hilo and working part-time. I was with my grandson Kapono, who was a junior in high school at the time, and he was fascinated with the gadgets and the computer controls. He and ‘Ahia chatted, and then he volunteered and started working there under ‘Ahia’s wing.

One day I decided to see how Kapono was doing, and I sat in. ‘Ahia taught him so well that he was actually running the planetarium show and doing the narrative. It impressed me and made me realize that ‘Ahia must be a great teacher.

By then ‘Ahia had graduated from UH Hilo with an astronomy degree. I told her, “Do you realize that as a native Hawaiian wahine astronomer, you are a role model for Hawaiian girls?” Since then, I’ve bragged about her to everyone.

Hoku Cody is a Marine Science student at UH Hilo. She testified at the last Comprehensive Management Plan public hearing. She spoke about the conflicts she faced in honoring her culture and her elders and reconciling that with her pursuit of a science degree. She slowly and deliberately described how she struggled, trying to reconcile both pursuits while honoring both.

And then she said, in a straightforward and non-personal way, that the things being discussed about Mauna Kea would have an effect on her generation, not previous ones. I looked around the room and noted that most of the testifiers, including myself, had white hair and were kind of long in the tooth. It hit me that she was right: It is not about us; it is about future generations.

The simple power of her speech made everyone pause. Her one speech weighed as much as 10 of the rest—it was that powerful.

Dr. Yang and Dr. Chameau mostly listened, commenting every so often. They are both engineers, not astronomers. Dr. Chameau told everyone that if they needed a sewer fixed, he could do that. Patrick and Kumu both said that they knew where they could use some help and we all laughed.

Henry Yang said that they came to listen to the community and that they were very appreciative of the opportunity.

It was very apparent that the community might have nontraditional educational needs. Both Dr. Yang and Dr. Chameau said that TMT is committed to funding educational opportunities – but that it would leave the actual administration and direction of the educational funding up to the community. They emphasized that this was a new paradigm. That it is different this time.

By the end of the hour everyone felt comfortable.

We went outside for a welcoming ceremony. Hoku had to leave and tutor some young kids. But Dr. Yang and Dr. Chameau, together with Kumu Lehua and ‘Ahia and myself, stood in front of the class that was assembled on the front steps of the school. We were each given a lei and then the students chanted a welcome. There were so many lessons rolled up into that ceremony. Most of all, it is part of the reason that Keaukaha Elementary School is doing so well.

We went to see some of the classes in action, and it made us understand why Keaukaha Elementary School is doing so well. They have incredibly dedicated teachers who are well organized and do not tolerate disrespect, and the kids know that they are loved.

There was a child on the porch taking a test with an adult supervisor. Kumu Lehua explained: “Frequent evaluation. That’s how I keep kids from falling through the cracks.”

At the end, while we were chatting, Dr. Yang told ‘Ahia, “You should go on to grad school and become an astronomy teacher. If you do, I’ll give you a letter of recommendation.” Dr. Chameau told her the same thing: “If you go on to grad school, let me know and I’ll give you a letter of recommendation.”

I walked back to my truck thinking about what all took place. This is indeed a new paradigm.