Mindi Cherry, a first-grade teacher at King Kamehameha III Elementary School, returned to her classroom in new surroundings.
The King Kamehameha III teachers have a new classroom at the Pulelehua site in West Maui, which is adorned with vibrant-colored mats, toys and books. She was most excited to see her former students, who are now second-graders.
“We built a special bond because a lot of us lost our houses and we had such small classes,” she said. “They were all very excited and came up giving me hugs.”
Public school teachers and students on Maui returned to class on Wednesday — the day before the one-year mark of the wildfire that ripped through Maui, killing 102 people and destroying more than 2,000 buildings, including King Kamehameha III Elementary School on Front Street.
According to the Hawai'i State Teachers Association, more than 100 teachers and retirees lost their homes to the fire.
Cherry, who lived in Lahaina for 13 years, also lost her home.
However, some progress has been made a year later. Her property has recently been cleared of debris and is covered with gravel.
The first-grade teacher hopes that her home can be rebuilt by next year, but she and her husband are figuring out the next steps in terms of insurance and permits.
“It’s frustrating but we’ve made a little bit of progress,” she said.
Cherry, her husband, children and three dogs currently live in Wailuku. The family ended up buying a condo because it was difficult to find a place that was pet-friendly.
“We used all of our insurance money to buy it because we had the dogs, and nobody would rent to somebody with three big dogs,” she said.
Now, she drives an hour to drop her daughter off at Lahaina Intermediate and to work.
Cherry said she’s fighting to get back to living a normal life.
“Hopefully when the house is rebuilt things will feel more normal,” she said. "I don’t think they’re ever going to be the same, but at least maybe I’ll feel like I’m home."
Cherry said the bright side is that she finally found her wedding ring and some ceramic pots that one of her daughters made in high school nearly a year later.
“It looks like nothing ever happened to it,” she said.
While other Lahaina residents have considered leaving, Cherry said it’s not an option.
“This is our home. This is our daughter's home,” she said. “I think a lot of people see it that way. So if you have an attachment, I would say you could swing it then definitely stay because they’re going to have to put up housing at some point.”
