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QUESTION: On the Kukui Street side of Central Middle School is a building within the school grounds that has “Keelikolani School” on it. Is that another school? The original name of Central? Does it have anything to do with alii who used to send their kids to Royal School or St. Andrew’s Priory? In any case, they should call it Ke‘elikolani. It seems more appropriate to honor an alii instead of a generic name like Central.
ANSWER: Naming the school after Princess Ruth Luka Keelikolani, great-granddaughter of Kamehameha I, would seem to have been a natural selection, since the palace built for her once occupied the site.
But as far as available school records show (a fire in the 1960s destroyed much of the official records), even though her name is imprinted on the side of a building, the school never was officially Keelikolani School. Neither is Keelikolani a separate school.
At this point, given the tradition and history of the school’s name, the majority of people would probably want to retain the name “Central,” said Ruth Silberstein, the state Department of Education’s complex-area superintendent for the Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt district, which includes Central.
A name change process, which would require approval by the Board of Education, would begin with her office.
Before statehood in 1959, public schools were under the jurisdiction of the City and County of Honolulu, said Ray L’Heureux, assistant superintendent for the Office of School Facilities & Support Services.
It is unknown whether records passed on to the state Department of Accounting and General Services, then transferred to the Education Department in 2005, are complete.
According to Central’s website — hsalinks.com/16TrQhD — Keoua Hale, Princess Ruth’s palace, was built on the land in 1883. But she never lived in the palace, described as “a Victorian-style mansion, and the most expansive residence of the time, even larger than Iolani Palace.” She became ill immediately after the housewarming and died May 24, 1883.
Her cousin Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop inherited the mansion, but a year later she also died. After her death it was stipulated that the land be used for education.
According to Heidi Meeker of the DOE’s Facilities Development Branch, the initial parcel, which serves as the main campus today, was transferred by Bishop Estate trustees to the Board of Education on June 27, 1895.
During that time there were few public schools in the islands. The Department of Public Instruction, the precursor to the DOE, conducted a study and recommended establishment of a middle school, Meeker said.
According to the school’s website, the former palace was converted to Central Grammar School in 1908. It became a junior high school in 1928, an intermediate school in 1932 and a middle school in 1997.
Meeker said the makai wing of the school was built in 1925 and is the first and smallest of three wings. Through the years several other land parcels were acquired, creating the current school property.
“Keelikolani School” was engraved to perhaps signify the original entrance to the school, she said.
The buildings were placed on the Hawaii Register of Historic Places in 1994. L’Heureux said he is not sure how the name change process is affected when a structure is on the register.
Silberstein said rather than changing the school’s name, which dates back
105 years, perhaps a monument on campus would be more fitting. As it is, the school honors Princess Ruth by celebrating her birthday every Feb. 9.
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