Nick Kālāmakani Francisco

Nick Kālāmakani Francisco is a lifelong learner. Graduating from KSK ʻ00 and Loyola Marymount University, CA. receiving a BA in Classical Civilizations with a Minor in Music in ʻ04 as well as his Masters in General Education with a focus on Elementary in ʻ05.

Kālāmakani is also a continually learning haumana of Hāloa and has been blessed to have learned from many kūpuna from across the pae 'āina about the world of kalo. He is a practitioner of the mahi 'ai practices of Puna, Hawai'i as taught to him by his mentor 'Anakala Jerry Konanui and others of the Konanui and Puna 'ohana. Kālāmakani has a small māla 'ai at his home in Keaʻau, Puna where he spends his time practicing all that he has learned and working toward food security for his ʻohana. He spends his free time working in the Puna community serving his kuleana to freely share the kuʻi kalo and mahiʻai practices that were freely shared with him. His personal goal is to re-establish the agricultural independence of our past for our Lāhui today.

From 2009 until this past ʻ21-ʻ22 school year, he has worked as a Literacy Resource Teacher, HCBE Curriculum Creator, Instructional Coach, and provided Teacher Professional Development Trainings on Hawai'i. This service in his community was a part of the former community outreach programs of the Kamehameha Schools Literacy Instruction & Support Division and later known as Kealapono. Kālāmakani has taught and designed curriculum for Kindergarten through 6th grade classes.

Kālāmakani is passionate about learning and sharing the knowledge of our kūpuna.