CV NEWS FEED // ACE Scholarships this month awarded a $105,000 grant to help students in need at a Catholic school in Lahaina, Hawaii, that was heavily affected by the Maui fires.
In August 2023, wildfires swept through Maui, devastating the buildings of Sacred Hearts School in the town of Lahaina. The K-12 Catholic school reopened several weeks after the fires subsided, but it is currently operating in tents and outdoor classrooms around its local Catholic church, Sacred Hearts Mission Church.
Sacred Hearts School Principal Tonata Lolesio told CatholicVote in a Zoom interview that the grant was very meaningful, as the Lahaina community and school still are rebuilding.
“As time goes on, people’s interests move on to other things,” Lolesio said. “So it was nice that we were still being cared for, and people were really interested in what we were doing here and the efforts we’re making to help students and their families.”
Lolesio said the grant first came up when a parishioner asked Lolesio how he could support the school and what the school needs most.
“So I said, the most important thing that we ask donors for is tuition assistance, because over half of our student population have been reported displaced,” Lolesio explained.
“Even after the other four schools that were closed in West Maui reopened, we still (had) a significant amount of students who remained with us that are still displaced,” Lolesio explained.
“And they want, and they value, the Catholic education that they are receiving and want to continue to remain with us even though we’re in a makeshift situation,” she also said.
“(These students) want to continue with Sacred Hearts School.” “They trust in our academic standards. And they are thriving… they’re happy to be here with their classmates and their teachers.”
The parishioner said he had an idea of how he could help and put Lolesio in contact with members of ACE Scholarships. Lolesio met with a team from ACE Scholarships and discussed the school’s needs. In a follow-up meeting, the team informed Lolesio that ACE Scholarships was happy to provide Sacred Hearts School with a $105,000 grant.
Eighty-four of the 164 students registered for the upcoming school year with Sacred Hearts School will be directly receiving tuition assistance from the grant, Lolesio said.
Vice President of Scholarships at ACE Scholarships Kirstin Eastwood presented the check to the school on April 3. Lolesio expressed gratitude that Eastwood “(took) the time to actually travel to come and be with us in person and see the reality of our situation.”
Lolesio described the current school location as a “makeshift learning situation” and environment. In the Zoom interview with CatholicVote, Lolesio was inside the Catholic Church that Sacred Hearts School currently operates around.
“Behind me out in the patio,” Lolesio said, pointing to the window, “behind this fourth grade. Right next to me, behind the choir loft right here… is fifth grade class. From the outside of the school patio that way, it’s Middle School, and then in the tents that are situated right in the extended part of the property is kindergarten, first, second, and third.”
She said that the students seem to enjoy the current location of the school because of the trees, green environment, and the community that continues to support one another.
“We are a team out here,” Lolesio said.
The original Sacred Hearts School buildings are undergoing construction and won’t be finished for several years. Lolesio explained that after the wildfires, she strived to cultivate trust in God and that he would provide everything the school needed, despite not having any buildings.
When a temporary-permanent building became available for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, Lolesio said Sacred Hearts School worked with the Diocese of Honolulu to acquire the location. The school will transition into the temporary-permanent location after its renovations are completed in May.
Lolesio expressed gratitude to God for providing during such a difficult time and hope for the future of the school.
“It’s our faith journey, and it really is our Easter story too, in a sense, because of our rising to the occasion and lifting our prayers,” and trusting in God to provide, Lolesio said. She added that knowing the life of Jesus Christ, his suffering, and his new life brings hope to the school.
“So it’s just been a wonderful faith journey for us as a small Sacred Hearts Catholic community out here,” Lolesio said, adding, “We’re the only Catholic entity and really the only Christian School out here in West Maui, so it was really important for us just to make sure that we continue the mission of Catholic education, and the work of evangelization.”
Lolesio recalled the church that was miraculously spared from the wildfires, Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, or Our Lady of Victory Church.
“We ask for the intercession to Holy Mother Blessed Virgin Mary, to continue to help us to be victorious and overcome our daily obstacles and the challenges that come,” she said.
She expressed gratitude for the support they have received from the Catholic community not only on the island but throughout the world.
“We absolutely appreciate the love and support and want to continue to ask, please continue to pray for us and share our story,” she concluded.
