Meet Your Kumu

ʻO Kaʻai Spencer ke kaʻi hoʻoikaika kino ma ke kula o Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy (HPA) no ʻumi makahiki. Alakaʻi ʻo ia i ka papahana hoʻoikaika kino no nā hui ʻālapa a pau ma hope o ka lā kula. He kumu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻo ia ma mua ma ka HPA. I kēia manawa, ua lilo ʻo ia, ʻo ia ke Poʻo Kumu o ke kula kiʻekiʻe. Palapala hōʻoia ʻia ʻo ia he kaʻi hoʻoikaika kino maoli me ka palapala CSCS a me ka USAW, a ʻo ia ke poʻo o ka hui NHSSCA no Hawaiʻi. Ma mua o kāna hana ʻana ma ke kula o HPA, ua hoʻomaka ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he kōkua a haumāna ma lalo o nā kaʻi o ke kula nui o Hawaiʻi ma Mānoa. Ua kōkua ʻo ia i ke kaʻi ʻana ma ke kula Kiʻekiʻe ʻo Maryknoll a ua hoʻokumu nō ʻo ia i kekahi papahana hoʻoikaika kino no Nā Koa o ke kula Kaiāpuni ʻo Ānuenue ma mua o kona neʻe ʻana i ke kula o HPA. Puni ʻo Kaʻai i nā mea pili i ka hana ʻālapa a me nā hana noʻeau Hawaiʻi a oia nā mea nui i hoʻoulu i ka hoi i loko ona e hui pū me ka hui o HELE e hoʻolaha ai ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma o ka hana hoʻoikaika kino. Kaʻai Spencer is in his tenth year as the head strength and conditioning coach of Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy (HPA). He oversees the strength training of all student-athletes during after-school practice hours. Formerly the Kumu ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi at HPA, Kaʻai now serves as the Upper School Poʻo Kumu during the academic day. Kaʻai is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), is USAW certified, and serves as the Hawaiʻi Director for the NHSSCA. Prior to his current position at HPA, he started as a dedicated intern with the University of Hawaiʻi, then went on to be an assistant strength coach at Maryknoll High School, and later started a strength program at Anuenue Hawaiian immersion high school before taking the reigns at HPA. Athletics and Hawaiian culture are two of the driving forces that inspire Kaʻai to be a part of the HELE team to bring ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to our community through the vehicle of strength programming.