Puunene School, Historic school building in Puunene, Hawaii.
Puunene School is a two-story concrete building sitting on a spacious property in central Maui, housing multiple classrooms and administrative areas. The facility was designed with the scale needed to serve large numbers of students attending at the same time.
The school was built in 1922 by the Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company to meet the educational needs of its plantation workers' families. It replaced earlier smaller facilities and became the main learning center for the region's growing student population.
The school served as a gathering place for children of plantation workers and shaped the community's social and educational identity. Its architecture reflects design principles common to public institutions built during this period on the islands.
The school grounds are located in Puunene on Maui and are no longer operating as an active educational facility. Visitors should plan accordingly, as access may be limited and the property is primarily preserved for its historical value.
In the 1930s, teacher Soichi Sakamoto created a specialized swimming training program for interested students at the school. His program produced swimmers who went on to achieve national recognition and medals at higher levels of competition.
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