[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 6 (Thursday, January 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H68]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE KING KAMEHAMEHA III ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REBUILDING CREWS

  (Ms. TOKUDA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, among the cherished symbols of our Lahaina 
community burned and lost last August was the former King Kamehameha 
III Elementary School.
  If the historic banyan tree represents the proud roots and history of 
this community, then King Kamehameha III, right next to it, represents 
its future. Since the 1880s, generations of Lahaina residents went to 
school here. Our commitment and promise to Lahaina keiki are that they 
and their children will one day go to King Kamehameha III Elementary 
again.
  Last month, while many of us took off for the holidays, I visited 
construction crews on Maui working around the clock to build a 
temporary school that will give some stability to the 600 students and 
staff displaced by the fires.
  This project is personal for every single person involved. Some went 
to school there. Others have family currently enrolled. Each person on 
the build site has a strong sense of ``kuleana,'' ``responsibility'' to 
get this done right. So committed to their mission, crews worked even 
on Christmas and New Year's Day to keep on track.

  To the Army Corps and the crew of Pono Aina Management who worked so 
hard over the holidays and continue to do so, mahalo, and I cannot wait 
to walk through the new school again.

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