{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Konawaena High School","outOfStateSupporters":64.5,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9616210,"projectId":9773169,"letterContent":"The new pickleball paddles have had an immediate and positive impact on our PE classes. Students are using them daily during our racket sports unit, and the upgraded equipment has made it much easier for them to focus on proper technique and gameplay. Instead of struggling with worn or mismatched paddles, they can now practice consistently and build skills with equipment that feels comfortable and reliable.\r\n\r\nWhen students first saw the new paddles, they were noticeably excited and eager to try them out. Many commented on how much better they felt compared to our older sets, and the overall energy in the gym was noticeably higher. Having quality equipment has helped boost engagement—students who are usually hesitant in PE feel more confident participating when the gear supports their success.\r\n\r\nLooking ahead, these paddles will allow us to move into more advanced drills, skill development, and structured game play. With consistent access to quality equipment, students can build stronger fundamentals and enjoy a smoother learning experience throughout the entire racket sports unit. Your support has directly improved both the quality of instruction and the enthusiasm students bring to class each day.","fullyFundedDate":1759199094950,"projectUrl":"project/pickleball-for-all-building-fitness-te/9773169/","projectTitle":"Pickleball for All: Building Fitness, Teamwork, and Confidence","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Giese","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-6_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9616210"},{"teacherId":10184024,"projectId":9750736,"letterContent":"Dear Generous and Compassionate Donors,\r\nI am writing to you today with profound gratitude and immense excitement from our classroom, which has been fundamentally transformed thanks to your extraordinary support of our project, \"Fuel Their Minds, Fill Their Tummies!\" (9750736)! Your belief in our students and our vision has gone far beyond providing mere supplies; you have invested in their daily happiness, focus, and overall well-being. This letter is meant to share the rich, detailed impact your donation has had on our community.\r\nThe effects of your generosity are visible, audible, and palpable every single day. The two primary components of our project—nutritious snacks and comfortable, flexible seating—have served as powerful catalysts for a more engaged, positive learning environment. Before your support, managing student hunger and fatigue, especially during those long afternoon stretches, was a constant challenge. Now, we have a solution that not only nourishes their bodies but also uplifts their spirits.\r\nLet me detail the incredible, positive chaos that happens when it's time for a healthy treat. The impact of the snacks has been immediate and truly remarkable. It's no exaggeration to say the students absolutely love them! This isn't just about food; it's about stability and energy. I've noticed a significant decrease in afternoon restlessness and an increase in concentration, particularly as we transition into our more complex subjects, not only in my afternoon class, but also in all classes. \r\nThe anticipation begins long before the snacks are distributed. Now, they frequently and cheerfully ask, \"Mrs., are we going to have snack time today?\" Knowing that they have something nourishing and delicious to look forward to helps them regulate their behavior and maintain focus throughout the morning's activities. It provides a natural, positive break in the routine, acting as a genuine incentive for effort and good conduct.\r\nWhen I announce snack time, the energy in the room shifts in the most delightful way. They look like adults, but they are kids, and they become kids when the snacks come out. When I show Spanish movies or documentaries and hand out snacks—to capture the pure joy—their reactions have been absolutely priceless. Each student approaches the distribution area with a wide, genuine smile on their face, completely thrilled to receive their treat. The excitement isn't loud or disruptive; it's a quiet, concentrated bubble of happiness. Their eyes sparkle, and they often bounce a little on their toes.\r\nThe best part of this interaction is the sincere appreciation they display. As they take their snack, I hear a chorus of cheerful \"Thank you, Mrs.\" These small, spontaneous moments reinforce how genuinely kind and thankful these students are. Your generosity has given us a fantastic opportunity to witness and celebrate their excellent manners and sincere appreciation, reinforcing the values of gratitude and community every day. Their smiles are a direct reflection of your kindness.\r\nBeyond the snacks, the introduction of the new chairs has been a revolutionary addition to our classroom structure. We know that students learn best when they are comfortable and have some agency over their learning environment. These flexible seating options have provided just that—a way for students to choose the setting that best suits their learning style and energy level on any given day.\r\nThe chairs are a huge hit! Some students thrive while gently rocking, others prefer the stability of a cushion, and many just enjoy the novelty and comfort of not being confined to a traditional, hard seat for hours on end. The result is a much more engaged, focused, and adaptable group of learners.\r\nWhat has been most impressive is how the students have managed this new resource. They are fantastic about rotating their use of the chairs, setting up their own informal, equitable schedule so that everyone gets a chance to enjoy the different seating arrangements throughout the week. This wasn't a rule I had to enforce strictly; it was a system they developed almost entirely on their own. This speaks volumes about their maturity and their ability to respect shared resources. It fosters a sense of shared responsibility, collaboration, and classroom ownership—all while making our learning space infinitely more inviting and functionally diverse. The ability to move and choose their spot has noticeably improved their stamina and attentiveness during longer lessons.\r\nYour donation is not an abstract figure on a ledger; it is the bright-eyed excitement of a child receiving a snack, the focused concentration of a student rocking gently in a comfortable chair while learning Spanish, and the collective gratitude of an entire classroom that feels supported and seen.\r\nThank you, from the bottom of our hearts and the depths of our newly fueled tummies, for being a true and compassionate champion for our classroom. Your investment in \"Fuel Their Minds, Fill Their Tummies!\" has done more than complete a project—it has enhanced the daily joy and learning potential of every single student. We could not have achieved this incredible transformation without your profound generosity.\r\n¡Gracias por todo!\r\nWarmly,\r\nMrs. Parra\r\nSpanish Teacher 9-12 grade","fullyFundedDate":1758752373391,"projectUrl":"project/fuel-their-minds-fill-their-tummies/9750736/","projectTitle":"Fuel Their Minds, Fill Their Tummies!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Parra","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10184024_orig.png?crop=148,148,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1764390486153","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10184024"},{"teacherId":8613849,"projectId":9248647,"letterContent":"The hands-on saponification lab provided a high-impact learning experience by successfully integrating rigorous theoretical chemistry with practical skill development and enthusiastic student engagement. Academically, students gained mastery over core concepts by performing the base catalysed hydrolysis of triglycerides, directly demonstrating the breaking of ester bonds and the formation of soap and glycerol. Crucially, the immediate and tangible result—a personalised bar of soap—transformed the exercise into a creative synthesis project, fostering a strong sense of accomplishment, increasing engagement, and successfully demystifying chemistry by linking complex concepts to a practical, useful product of daily life.","fullyFundedDate":1751737632675,"projectUrl":"project/the-chemistry-of-soap-making-saponific/9248647/","projectTitle":"\"The Chemistry of Soap Making: Saponification and Beyond\"","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cynthia Bens","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8613849_orig.jpg?crop=1381,1381,x0,y248&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1741849159374","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/c-bens"},{"teacherId":10084314,"projectId":9518115,"letterContent":"Thank you for your generosity! Our new resources are providing powerful, hands-on learning experiences.The chicken supplies are facilitating a complete embryology unit, where students observe cell differentiation and the structure of blastoderms. They are mastering responsible animal husbandry by caring for the chicks. \r\n\r\nThe fish food plays a critical role in supporting the sustainable environments we've created, specifically our hydroponics system. It is much more than just nutrition for the fish; it is the foundation of the entire ecosystem.\r\n\r\n Crucially, the nutritious snacks provide essential support, ensuring that our low-income students have the energy needed to engage fully in these enriched lessons. Your support is truly transformative!","fullyFundedDate":1755734225308,"projectUrl":"project/community-science-investigators-solving/9518115/","projectTitle":"Community Science Investigators: Solving Local Problems","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jacobson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10084314"},{"teacherId":515141,"projectId":9811717,"letterContent":"The Monarch butterflies are going crazy right now! And we have so many butterflies and caterpillars everywhere that we need to be careful when we weed and even walk around in the garden. There are chrysalis hanging everywhere and we are trying to collect as many large caterpillars as we can so that they can safely make their chrysalis inside and not worry about being eaten, dropped, smashed, or rained on. So far we have released almost 50 butterflies from our enclosure and there are at least 25 more waiting to hatch! Mahalo for giving us the supplies we need to do all this and to do our part in increasing Monarch butterfly numbers for the betterment of the world in so many ways. We might not make a huge difference in the worldwide scope of Monarchs, but to the Monarchs that hatch and grow up in our garden, we mean the world! Mahalo again!","fullyFundedDate":1760740455691,"projectUrl":"project/monarchs-from-egg-to-butterfly/9811717/","projectTitle":"Monarchs From Egg to Butterfly","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Tina Alcain","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp515141_orig.jpg?crop=349,349,x10,y47&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1616889682651","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tina-alcain"},{"teacherId":515141,"projectId":9775762,"letterContent":"We are very excited about these two composting techniques that we will be using in the garden and are planning to get more composting tubes when we can. We put the composting tubes into the raised beds when we cleaned them out and got them all filled with new soil. We filled the tubes with as much food scraps as we could and thought it would last a long time, but when we went back to look in the tubes, the bugs and microorganisms in the soils pretty much ate them all down to nothing! All that decomposition is what will feed the plants we plant in the raised beds and give them that much more boost to grow big and strong. The tumbler composter is working also, but not nearly with as much satisfaction as the composting tubes. Mahalo again for allowing us to even have these cool things to experiment with!","fullyFundedDate":1759773682025,"projectUrl":"project/composting-two-ways/9775762/","projectTitle":"Composting Two Ways","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Tina Alcain","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp515141_orig.jpg?crop=349,349,x10,y47&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1616889682651","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tina-alcain"},{"teacherId":515141,"projectId":9772800,"letterContent":"Thank you so very much for helping me to get these supplies to use in the garden because we are excited to start planting soon. We have planted a lot of kalo and it's growing well but now we need to add more vegetables and herbs and flowers! These tools will make our job easier and we are appreciative of your continued support! Mahalo for always giving from your hearts so that our classroom has everything we need to succeed. Without your generosity we would still get things done but it would just take longer. Mahalo again for everything!","fullyFundedDate":1759368349395,"projectUrl":"project/gardening-is-therapeutic-and-beautiful/9772800/","projectTitle":"Gardening Is Therapeutic and Beautiful","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Tina Alcain","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp515141_orig.jpg?crop=349,349,x10,y47&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1616889682651","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tina-alcain"},{"teacherId":209572,"projectId":9746125,"letterContent":"My Students had tons of fun learning about how to build and code Arduinos with their autonomous vehicles due to your wonderful support. They started off with a bang, furiously piecing together the hardware and then figured out the software parts to make it go forwards and backwards, precise amounts and then dealt with the issues of the real world like dying batteries change all the dynamics, and that if isn' wired properly it doesnt go correctly, or that the DC motors are not all the same so you need to apply power to them differently and there's no magic process save for trial and error.\r\n\r\nSuch a great learning experience, as it seems simple enough follow the diagrams and assemble a car, drop some batteries and voila. we're rolling, but not so fast. The limitations of friction and weight distribution come into play as well as learning how to code it so the motors come on properly and then dealing with the never ending problem of dying batteries to fudge the test results.\r\nThanks DOE for supporting some practical hands on learning with your donation.","fullyFundedDate":1759170306345,"projectUrl":"project/way-more-than-waymo-taxis/9746125/","projectTitle":"Way More Than Waymo Taxis","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Beutler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp209572_orig.png?crop=298,298,x10,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1763272329496","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/209572"},{"teacherId":9698160,"projectId":9302842,"letterContent":"New scientific calculators offer significant advantages in the math classroom by improving both student understanding and efficiency. New calculators offer more opportunities for students to engage with the material. As a result, students can develop stronger problem-solving skills.\r\nMoreover, many new scientific calculators feature user-friendly interfaces and interactive options that support learning. Several students have noticed the difference from the older calculators that were broken or breaking. These significantly improve my students' experience with school.\r\nThank you so much for these new calculators; they bring new life to my classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1755521987441,"projectUrl":"project/new-calculators-for-my-classroom/9302842/","projectTitle":"New Calculators for My Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Carhart","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9698160_orig.png?crop=503,503,x0,y46&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758845251911","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9698160"},{"teacherId":515141,"projectId":9429422,"letterContent":"Mosquitoes are the WORST! And since it's been raining here a lot, the mosquitoes have gotten even worse! The bug zapper has been working pretty well, even zapping all the moths at night. We wish more mosquitoes were attracted into the light of doom, but we will take what we can get. Thank you for always supporting our classroom and for helping us to get the most unconventional supplies that we use for all kinds of projects and activities in class. We love all the things we get to do in class and in the garden because of generous donors like you! We appreciate your support always!","fullyFundedDate":1751737632656,"projectUrl":"project/mosquito-be-gone/9429422/","projectTitle":"Mosquito Be Gone!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Tina Alcain","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp515141_orig.jpg?crop=349,349,x10,y47&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1616889682651","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tina-alcain"},{"teacherId":515141,"projectId":9647469,"letterContent":"We have tried to cut cardboard to make the kitty scratchers, but it is proving to be harder to do than anticipated. But we will keep trying and keep gluing pieces together for the kitties to see if we can perfect our craft! Thank you for helping us to get these unconventional supplies for our classroom so that we can make these scratchers for our kitties. Once we learn to make them consistently and where they won't fall apart, we will gift them to others that have kitties that will appreciate them. Mahalo for supporting our classroom and we hope you continue to follow along with our classroom to see what awesome things we do next!","fullyFundedDate":1757524107179,"projectUrl":"project/scratchers-for-all-the-kitties/9647469/","projectTitle":"Scratchers for All the Kitties!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Tina Alcain","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp515141_orig.jpg?crop=349,349,x10,y47&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1616889682651","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tina-alcain"},{"teacherId":515141,"projectId":9429314,"letterContent":"Our butterflies are so happy because we have so many milkweed plants growing in the garden for them and their caterpillars. We are also adding more milkweed cuttings to pots so that we can grow more milkweed across campus. Soon we will be placing the raised beds around campus to plant more pollinator plants so the butterflies can be happy all over school. Seeing a butterfly flitting from flower to flower is a very soothing sight and we hope to be able to share that with other students very soon. Mahalo again for helping us to get these supplies and we hope the bees and butterflies are thankful too!","fullyFundedDate":1751965875634,"projectUrl":"project/bees-butterflies-and-blossoms/9429314/","projectTitle":"Bees, Butterflies and Blossoms","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Tina Alcain","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp515141_orig.jpg?crop=349,349,x10,y47&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1616889682651","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tina-alcain"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_50777","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":955,"numTeachers":54,"percentFrplEligible":60,"percentAsian":12,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":16,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":22,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"9 - 12","studentTeacherRatio":"17.7:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_FRINGE"},"inStateSupporters":35.5,"schoolId":50777,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Konawaena High School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Konawaena High School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/hawaii/hawaii-school-district/konawaena-high-school/50777"}
Join the 513 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
Konawaena High School is
a rural public school
in Kealakekua, Hawaii that is part of Hawaii School District.
It serves 955 students
in grades 9 - 12 with a student/teacher ratio of 17.7:1.
Its teachers have had 478 projects funded on DonorsChoose.
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of students receive free or reduced price lunch
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Source: the National Center for Education Statistics
34%
of students are Black, Latino, Native
American, or Asian
Data about school demographics comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. The numbers in this chart may not add up to 100% because of limitations in the available data.
Konawaena High School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Dec 5, 2025
DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students
in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.
Konawaena High School
$252,818
raised using DonorsChoose
478
projects
funded
55
teachers
funded
513
donors
40
projects
for
basic supplies
38
projects for
technology
22
projects for
books
41
projects
for
art supplies
Konawaena High School has received support from
182 individuals from Hawaii and
331 individuals out-of-state.