Kanuikapono Charter School Student Named KIF Paddling All-Star

Kamehanaokala Kaho'ohalahala, a 10th-grader at Kanuikapono Public Charter School, was named to the Kauai Interscholastic Federation's 2026 Paddling All-Stars list released Tuesday, March 12. The honor places him among six boys selected across all five KIF paddling programs on the island.

Selections are determined by vote among participating school coaches and KIF officials. Kaho'ohalahala was the only representative from Kanuikapono PCS on the boys roster, joining Colten Dela Cruz and Kaleohano Rivera from Kauai High School, Cheyne Carillo and Kuuipo Prichard from Kapaa High School, and Kahu'aina Makua from Waimea High School.

Kanuikapono fielded a boys crew for the 2025-26 season and competed against Island School and Kapaa, Kauai, and Waimea high schools. The school's girls team, known as the Menehune, chose to compete at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I level while the other KIF schools had their paddlers in Division II.

Charter school students have had a pathway into KIF competition through an accommodation that allows public charter school athletes to participate either with the Department of Education school in their locale or with their hometown school.

The full 2026 KIF Paddling All-Stars roster, as published, includes the following. Boys: Colten Dela Cruz (Kauai High, Grade 12), Kaleohano Rivera (Kauai High, Grade 11), Cheyne Carillo (Kapaa High, Grade 12), Kuuipo Prichard (Kapaa High, Grade 12), Kahu'aina Makua (Waimea High, Grade 12), and Kamehanaokala Kaho'ohalahala (Kanuikapono, Grade 10). Girls: Lina Kimmel (Waimea High, Grade 11), Ihilani Vea (Waimea High, Grade 12), Kaylee Tokuda (Kapaa High, Grade 11), Zoie Adric (Kapaa High, Grade 11), Ruby Swartz (Island School, Grade 12), and Leisha Manibog (Kauai High, Grade 11). Mixed: Kinohi Poe (Waimea, Boy, Grade 11), Haweo Paloc (Waimea, Girl, Grade 10), Logan Laymon (Kapaa, Boy, Grade 12), Naomi Mokuahi (Kapaa, Girl, Grade 11), Jasyah Rapozo (Kauai High, Boy, Grade 12), Chloe Waipa (Kauai High, Girl, Grade 12), Max Evslin (Island School, Boy, Grade 12), and Mehana Dameron (Island School, Girl, Grade 10).

Kaho'ohalahala's selection marks a notable moment for Kanuikapono PCS, a Hawaiian-language focused charter school whose student athletes have navigated the KIF system through that accommodation framework to compete alongside the island's traditional public high schools.