Annual Report 2023-2024
A Message From Our Head of School
Aloha!
The 2023/2024 school year at Roots was filled with a great many accomplishments! We started the school year celebrating the success of our $1 million Growing Roots Capital Campaign and the completion of renovations of our entire school building.
We were also grateful to have received a Maui Strong Fund grant from the Hawai`i Community Foundation, which allowed us to create a learning resource center for keiki in Lahaina who were affected by the wildfires. In partnership with the Hawai`i Wildlife Discovery Center, we were able to provide educational services for over 3,000 Lahaina keiki and their families.
We continued to expand our Performing Arts Program, with three amazing student performances The Iron Forest, Roots of Poetry, and For Neverland’s Sake.
And thanks to the support of our wonderful parents, families, donors and friends, we had an amazingly successful Children’s Fair, raising over $29,000 for our Tuition Aid Program.
All of this we could not do without you! I am humbled by the amount of growth our little school has accomplished this year, we are forever grateful for all of you. Together, our future is bright!
Melita Charan Head of School
Operating Revenue 9/1/2023 - 8/31/2024
Operating Expenses 9/1/2023 - 8/31/2024
$100,000 and Above
Anonymous
Mahalo to Our Generous Donors!
1/1/2023 8/31/2024
Hawai`i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund
Nuestro Futuro Foundation
$25,000
Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation
$15,000 - $20,000
Atherton Family Foundation
Healy Foundation
$10,000
Central Pacific Bank Foundation
$3,000 - $5,000
Bank of Hawaii Foundation
Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation
G.N. Wilcox Trust
PATCH
$500 - $1,000
Aloha Self Storage Lahaina
Flatbread Co. Paia
Kokua Hawaii Foundation
Erin Lowenthal
Pediatric Therapies Hawaii LLC
Project Lead The Way
Puberty Plus with Ms. Nancy
$100 - $250
All Maui Trucking
Melita & Gabe Charan
Aubrey & Josh Feyen
Matthew & Amy Hendricks
Anna Higa
Lowenthal & Lowenthal
Maui Oil Company, Inc.
George M. Martin, MD, Inc.
Brittany MacNealy & Robert Gonzales
Cait Mates & Chris Shuler
Carlayna Nakamura
Nicole Neumann
Heather Nova
Piikea Kids ChildCare, Aunty Maile
Warren & Roda Roberts
Doris Saki
Ty & Kaia Udell
Lisa Varde
In-Kind
Airbrush by Nicole
Alexander Academy of Performing Arts
Anonymous
Aubrey Joy Photography
Bishop Museum
Bounty Music
Cafe O'Lei Restaurants
Champs Pediatrics
The Charcuterie Plus Bar Maui
Choice Health Bar
Cirque Jolie
Dazey Drive In
Deep Relief/Peak Performance
The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course
Driftwood Maui
Jubilee Ellison
Faer Crafts Maui
Flatbread Co. Paia
Four Seasons Resort Maui
Chelleigh Gambino
Gaucha Leather
Hailey & Mama
Hale Aloha Designs
Haliimaile General Store
Hawaii Sea Spirits
Dotty Higa
Hi-Tech Surf Sports
Ho`okipa Surf Co.
Holoholo Surf
Ho'omana Spa Maui
Hot Island Glass
Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center
`Io Farms Maui
Island Power Yoga
Island Soap Co.
Jim Lynch Art
Johnson Brothers of Hawaii
Josh Feyen Real Estate
Joy of Recycling
Christine Kauhaahaa
Kids Parties Maui
(In-Kind Donors continued on back)
$1- $99
John & Adrienne Englert
Maui 5K
Ines Murtinho
Sonia Niess & Sam Young
Danny Owen & Genie Calagna
Cachia & Scott Parks
The Rothman Family
Elysia Semmerling
In-Kind Donors (Cont.)
Kona Country Club
Kulua
Kupono Music Studio
Lappert's Hawaii
Lilikoi Mobile Massage
Mahina
Makawao Garden Cafe
Marmac Ace Hardware
Maui Arts & Cultural Center
Maui Bees Honey
Maui Cyclery
Maui Divers Jewelry
Maui Eco Retreat
Maui Golf & Sports Park
The Maui Cookie Lady
Maui Kids Acupuncture
Maui Nui Golf Club
Maui Ocean Center
Maui On Stage
Maui Town Car
Mele Ukulele
Moonbow Tropics
Carlayna Nakamura
North Shore Lookout
Oliver & Co.
Oshan Essentials
Pacific Whale Foundation
Paia Inn
Petite Soleil Maui
The Pint and Cork
Pixie Lane
Polli's
Rainbow Acres Cactus & Succulent Nursery
Hillary Richards
Rise Studio Maui
Dr. Sarah Rothman
Royal Kona Resort
Sacred Owl Healing
Salty Daze USVI Charters
Sarah Voyer Art
Jana & Nelson Saribay
Sea Life Park
Secondhand Heaven
Stay STJ/Down Yonder Villa
TBM Creations
Veg Out
Wailea Golf Club
Wailuku Coffee Co.
Wet N Wild Hawaii
We have made a sincere effort to accurately list all donors. Please let us know if we have inadvertently made an error. Mahalo!
Administration:
Melita Charan, Head of School
Cait Mates, Director of Admissions & Administration
Lisa Varde, CFRE, Director of Development
2023/2024 Faculty:
Lilly Richards, Preschool Lead Teacher
Julie Duran, Preschool Assistant
Alysha Asue, K-1 Lead Teacher
Lauren Gutierrez, 2-3 Lead Teacher
Heather Grossman, 2-3 Assistant
Kendra Bitzig, 4-6 Lead Teacher
Cathy Jamison, 4-6 Assistant
Heather Benton, Cultural Connections Teacher
Genie Calagna, Performing Arts Specialist
Akari Ueoka, Japanese Teacher
New staff as of Fall 2024: Karen Guzman Bolanos, Bianca Santillan
2023/2024 Board of Directors:
Maile Davis, President
Carlayna Nakamura, Secretary
Nancy Findeisen, Assistant Secretary
Erin Lowenthal, Member
Doris Saki, Member
New member as of Fall 2024: Carter Barto