🌿 Welcome to Ka Māla Pilina ʻo Keahi

The Garden of Connection belonging to Keahi

Formerly known as the IPES Orchard, our outdoor learning space has grown into something deeper,  a space rooted in place, culture, and connection. Today, it holds a new name: Ka Māla Pilina ʻo Keahi, which means “The Garden of Connection belonging to Keahi.”

This name was gifted to our school by Kerrie Prowse. She visited our campus to kilo, to observe and learn from our haumāna. She saw students learning and caring for the land. She felt the mana in the space, the strong energy created by students, teachers, and ʻāina working together.

Keahi is the original Hawaiian name for the land we now know as Iroquois Point. Today, the area is also called Kapilina. Without planning it, this new name includes both the old and new names. It reminds us that names in Hawaiʻi tell stories. Meaning is often revealed at just the right time.

This māla is more than a garden. It is a place where pilina,relationships are built and where aloha is part of everyday life. It is a place where students learn to care for the ʻāina, for one another, and for the stories of this place.

We give deep mahalo to Kerrie for helping us honor this ʻāina and for giving our school a name that comes from the heart.

As you walk through Ka Māla Pilina ʻo Keahi, we invite you to do so like you would string a lei — with care, thought, and connection. This space is a growing lei-gacy of aloha, belonging, and mālama ʻāina. It honors the past, thrives in the present, and grows strong into the future.

5th and 6th grade students here at IPES are growing more than just plants, they're growing peace. Peace Garden in the Orchard is a student-led space for reflection, connection, and hope. Inspired to illuminate peace in their school and beyond. Our students designed this space as a living symbol of kindness, unity, and care for those around them.

With every tree, shrub, and ground cover planted and every word of peace shared, this space will remind us that even the smallest actions like saying "hello" can grow into something powerful.