Waikōloa Elementary and Middle School got spruced up before students returned to campus on Aug. 3 for the start of the new school year. Two volunteers paint railing at Waikōloa Elementary and Middle School during community project on July 23, 2026. Officers assigned to the South Kohala Community Policing Section regularly help with these annual improvement efforts. The project began when Pastor Rick Nagaoka of New Hope Waikōloa contacted school administrators to ask how the church could help support the school. In response, members of the congregation volunteered alongside Dela Cruz, Community Policing Officer Michael Abran and other community members to repaint railings throughout the campus.