Haleakala Waldorf School

History

The campus of Haleakala Waldorf School has a unique past. It inhabits what was once Kealahou School---a public school which served what was then the village of Waiakoa, mainly Japanese, Chinese, and Portugese farmers. In 1964, Kula School opened and the Kealahou campus was used only by Kula farmers for storage. The long quiet years took their toll---the grass grew ever higher, and the roofs and eaves sagged ever lower.

Then, in the early 1970’s, a group of parents concerned about the educational needs of their children met to discuss the forming of a private school. In the autumn of 1972, two parents, Madelyn D’Enbeau and Mary Christopher, stepped forward and founded the Haleakala School in the Wailuku Union Church. It was a Waldorf inspired school and opened its doors with about fifty children and four teachers.

In the school’s fourth year, a lease was obtained from the State of Hawai’i for the upcountry Kealahou campus in Kula. The teachers and parents rolled up their sleeves and went to work restoring the school to its former beauty. The restoration was so well done that the school won an award in 1991 from the Historical Society of Maui for the preservation of the old buildings.