By Leslie Machorro Ruiz 

Staff Writer - 2023-24

Konawaena High School has been around for more than 100 years now. Over the past century, the campus has been the cause of many happy memories, new friendships, and generations of stories. As former principal Mr. Shawn Suzuki said in the school centennial publication: “There isn’t a single person in Kona that doesn’t have a connection, memory or story attached to the school.”

Current teachers and staff, including some who graduated from Konawaena before they began working here, said there have been many changes over the years, but the feeling of family remains. 

Mr. KAWAMOTO

One familiar face around campus today, Maverick Kawamoto, is a former teacher who started working at Konawaena when he graduated from college 41 years ago. During his Konawaena career, he previously worked as an agriculture teacher and substitute teacher. 

Although Kawamoto is retired, he continues to serve at Konawaena, sometimes working as a substitute teacher or at the Konawaena Korner free store and the school museum. 

“One of my highlights here was when I was subbing a class and this boy told me his grandfather was my student. So, I taught three generations here. … I had the boy’s father as a student and then I had the father’s son too: three different generations,” he said.

“I’m – I don’t want to say proud – but I love the opportunity (when) I got to open the Konawaena Museum and recently the Konawaena Korner, the school store,” Kawamoto added.

Mr. DOMINGO

Reno Domingo is a former Konawaena student who is now a teacher and wrestling coach at the school. Domingo started working on campus three years ago during the pandemic, after working on Oahu. He returned to pursue a career in teaching after being told by his former co-workers that he would make a great educator. 

Domingo said there have been many changes at Konawaena since he came back, like the loss of the marching band, how the elementary school had moved, and the erection of fences. But he also mentioned: “There was a lot of memories flooding back because I graduated from here.” 

Some of the changes have been welcome, Domingo said, such as the calmer, less crowded atmosphere at Konawaena since a second West Hawaii high school opened in 1997, at Kealakehe.

FUN FACTS

Among other highlights of Wildcat history:

• Konawaena High School was established in 1921.

• Konawaena High School used to be nicknamed the Knights but the mascot changed in 1928. During a game, the announcer yelled out “These kids are playing like wildcats!”

• The University of Hawaii donated green and white football jerseys, which replaced the previous blue and white school colors.

• Hawaii’s only astronaut, Ellison Onizuka, graduated from Konawaena.

• A movie studio came to Konawaena to film “Beyond Paradise” released in 1998.

• In 1990, Konawaena High had a solar car team that went to Australia and beat multi-million dollar businesses. A movie starring actress Halle Berry was made about the team, called “Race the Sun.”

• Konawaena began "the coffee schedule" in 1932, which shifted the traditional summer break to the fall so students could pick coffee during the autumn harvest.

• There is a memorial at the Julian Yates Field dedicated to Lewis James Macfarlane, former manager of the Captain Cook Coffee Company. The tribute underscores the huge role that coffee used to play in the community and its economy, which continues to a lesser extent today.