Kamehameha celebrates 2 new classroom buildings

Kamehameha Schools held a dedication ceremony Monday for its two new middle school buildings on the Kapalama campus, Ka‘o­lei­oku and Keli‘i­mai­ka‘i.

Students will begin using the buildings at the start of the 2012-13 school year, which begins Friday.

The buildings house the bulk of the middle school’s classrooms and administrative offices.

Keli‘imaika‘i, which has 74,210 square feet of space on three levels, is the main classroom building. It also has a learning center and multimedia areas.

Ka‘oleioku, a two-story, 37,705-square-foot building, houses administrative offices, Kalama dining hall, performing arts classrooms and a counseling center.

Construction on the two middle school buildings began in June 2010. They are the second major project completed on the campus as part of a $118 million renovation project.

The Koai‘a Physical Education and Athletics facility was completed in January, and the Ka‘iwa­kiloum­oku Hawaiian Culture Center is expected to be finished later this month.

Construction on new middle school dormitories and a five-story parking structure has also begun, and a middle school fitness center is expected to be added in 2014.