Rather than focusing on just our school, our students and our teachers, Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary School (KHPES) realizes that our efforts can only be successful with community and partnership support. KHPES has launched a new, innovative initiative called the Kaʻū Global Learning Lab (KGLL). The KGLL is a comprehensive and holistic Community Resilience Model with the vision of a vibrant, thriving, and sustainable Kaʻū; based on the belief that the foundation of any successful community is learning.

Our KGLL strategy is to synergize the best knowledge, resources and influencers globally and locally through a collaboration of civic leaders, business partners, industry innovators and educational visionaries who provide access to knowledge, resources, capital, partnerships and opportunities to ensure the success, sustainability and innovation of the Ka’ū community into the future. The four major outcomes of the KGLL are 1) the new KHPES Academies, 2) the development of a Community Learning Hub, 3) the establishment of global youth leadership opportunities, and 4) harnessing resources and infrastructure to support sustainable community enterprise so our people can live, work, play, and thrive in Kaʻū.

Our Kaʻū GLL partners include the State of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi County Mayor’s Office, Hawaiʻi Executive Collaboration, KTA Superstores, Department of Education, Castle Foundation, Freeman Foundation, Strada Impact, Y. Hata Ltd., Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation, and MyFarm Japan.

Our Community Partners thus far include Kaʻū Valley Farms, Kuahiwi Ranch, Bee Boys, Hawaiian Mac Nut Services, Navarro Coffee Farms, The Nature Conservancy, Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund, Ace Hardware Nāʻālehu, Food Corps, Food Ingredient and Health Research Institute, Sustainable Biosystems LLC, Nalo Farms and Parker Ranch.

Our Education Partners include Hawaiʻi Community College, Claremont McKenna College, Punahou School, and the University of Hawaiʻi.

Our Consultant Partners include Dr. Steve Ventura (Student Achievement - Advanced Collaborative Solutions), Dr. Anita Archer (Explicit Instruction - Literacy & Reading), Dr. Jay Steele (National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC), Steele Dynamics), Dr. Kelly Henderson (NCAC, Academy Teams, Project Based Learning), Dr. Nicole Cobb (NCAC, Academy Counseling), and Wesley Yuu (Yuureka Math, Instruction and Learning Support), a former Hawaiʻi DOE Math Teacher and Content Specialist.