Welcome to Mālaʻai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School. We are a one acre organic outdoor living classroom.  Mālaʻai is a model garden in the State, and an important part of our work is growing a community around healthy delicious local food, learning in and from nature, and taking care of ourselves and the land.  

Our mission: Mālaʻai cultivates the relationship between students and the land through growing and sharing nourishing food in our outdoor living classroom. 

Our work reaches beyond the boundaries of our garden connecting land stewardship, culture, health and pleasure with lifelong learning.

Mālaʻai is a private 501(c)3 that works in partnership with the school.  All WMS students participate in garden classes throughout the course of the year -- primarily connected to science, PE and Health, but teachers are invited to the garden to connect other subjects - math, reading, social studies and 'Ike Hawai'i cultural learning with hands-on garden lessons. Dozens of community volunteers support the garden in a variety of ways -- from mentoring students and supporting classes, to helping with fundraising and improvements. 

As a school, we are indebted to the founders and staff of Mālaʻai and the wider community for the inspiration to start this garden and keep it thriving!  Mālaʻai is continuously working closely with Nā Kālai Waʻa, The Kohala Center, the Hawaiʻi School Garden Network, the DOE Office of Hawaiian Education, Kamehameha Schools and other community partners to strengthen the connection between hands-on learning and the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), to "grow" garden teachers and place-based curriculum.

For more information:  www.malaai.org  

To hear students share what they love about Mala'ai: Connecting Food, Land & People | Growing School Gardens 

This video clip is part of a Coast-to-Coast video tour of school gardens that aired nationally April 27, 2021.  Mala'ai was the only school garden in Hawai'i to be featured!