In Waimea, you’ll see how small of a town it is. It’s a community with people who have known each other for a very long time as everyone is connected easily. I spoke with Ms. Watterson, who has lived in Waimea for most of her life, about her life’s journey.
She moved to Waimea, Hawai’i in the second grade from San Francisco, California. She went to Waimea Elementary and moved to Kohala when she was in high school. She mentions, “People are really nice here. I feel like people who live in Waimea are really kind, super connected to their place, like I remember making friends with most of the people in my school and really loved my teachers. Especially Mr. Brown. (Math Teacher).”
Another big part of living in Waimea, Hawai’i is being in a Halau. Ms. Watterson joined a halau to be more connected with Hawai’i itself, she notes. Halou is a practice in which you learn how to do hula. In 2015, Ms. Watterson wanted to learn more about hula and perform it as well. She states, “My Kumu for Halou was just amazing. She’s the type of person who walks into the room and everyone can feel their presence and sense it.” She also mentioned that learning to dance in her halau helped her feel more connected with the place she lives, Hawai’i.
Ms. Watterson’s motivation to become a teacher all started when she still lived in San Francisco. She was a teacher at a high school there but heard about schools in Hawai’i. She later found out that Parker School was looking for a Spanish teacher. She wasn’t necessarily looking for a private school but she stated that she fell in love with the school when knowing she had a small child and seeing a lower school was a perfect opportunity for Ms. Watterson and her family.
In 2015, Ms. Watterson started at Parker School Hawai’i as a Spanish teacher. She took a break in 2021 and came back during the middle of 2022. She mentions that teaching at Parker has been a great experience. She has made friends with new teachers and reconnected with colleagues she has known from her teenage years. It’s great to be able to go to work knowing that you trust and are close with everyone around you in your community. As Parker is a small school, everyone is connected in a way like an Ohana.
Now, in 2024, Ms. Watterson is proud to be living in Waimea, Hawai’i knowing that her ‘ohana is here around her. She is able to have her kids grow up like she did, and enjoy the lifestyle of living here. As she said “So I really love being here, it definitely feels like a second family to me.”, it's important to follow your heart; for Ms. Watterson, it’s being in Hawai’i with everyone.