History
Kailua Elementary School
In 1883, Kailua Elementary School was established at Maunawili Junction. It was a two room, common elementary school with an enrollment of 26 students. In 1887, Kailua Elementary was closed because of a drop in enrollment. Later in 1895, Kailua was reopened with an enrollment of 34 students.
A fire destroyed the school at Maunawili Junction and it was relocated near Ulupo Heiau in 1926. This is where the Windward YMCA is located today.
The "new" Kailua Elementary School was relocated on Ku’ulei Avenue in 1929. It consisted of a U-shaped building and a Principal's Cottage.
On May 11, 1957, the main building (used as cafeteria, classrooms, and administrative building) was destroyed by fire. The cause of the fire was children playing with lighted candles beneath the building. Almost all the school records were destroyed.
In November 1975, another fire damaged the roof of an old seven-classroom building. This was caused by an electrical short circuit in the attic.
Kailua
"Kailua" means "Two Seas". It is believed to get its name from the two saltwater lagoons; "Kawai Nui" and "Ka 'elepulu".
"Kawainui" means "The big water”. It is Hawaii's biggest marsh. Kawainui has changed from a fishpond and taro garden to being used for rice production and cattle ranching. Its water has been drained and diverted and sewage has been dumped into it.
In the past, it is believed that Kawainui was once an open bay that was closed off by sand dunes. This helped create Kawainui Fishpond.
In 1864, rice was being grown along with taro. In 1878, a sugar plantation in Waimanalo took water from Maunawili through a flume system. This reduced the water level in the fishpond, which in turn provided more land for the growing of rice. By 1881, tens of thousands of pounds of rice were being raised in Kailua.
When rice production decreased due to the production of rice in California, the land was used as pasture land for cattle. In 1956, Kaneohe Ranch tried to drain Kawainui Marsh.
Grass, reeds, and the building of homes all helped to decrease the size of Kawainui. As sewage was dumped, the grass grew thicker.
Places from the Past
Watermelons were grown in the area by Kailua Intermediate School at Kawasaki Farm.
In 1925 Raphael Campos and his son Lawrence leased land in Kailua to operate Campos Dairy. This was the area around Daiei, Kailua Elementary School, and Keolu Hills. Campos had a herd of 1,200 cattle.
Water came from Honolulu or from wells near Ulupo Heiau.
A Japanese church and language school were located at the site of the Kailua library.
Stories are told about people from Honolulu Stopping at the Pali lookout to see if a red light glowed from the Kailua Tavern. If it did, they would proceed the rest of the way. It was located at the corner of Oneawa Street and Ku’ulei Road.
Juliet Magoon Kailua Theatre was an open-air theater that opened in 1938. Everyone sat on benches and picnic tables. It was located where Goodyear Tire is now.
Hawaiian Copra Company planted coconut trees in Coconut Grove, hoping to market the coconut oil. The market declined and the area as subdivided for house lots.
The Kailua Racetrack stretched from Oneawa to Kainalu Avenue. The horse stables were located where Kainalu Elementary School is now. In the middle of the track, Japanese farmers grew watermelons.
Kailua Gifted and Talented class May 31, 2002