“It’s been a crazy transition, but we’re so excited to be in this new building right now,” said Ellen Federoff, high school dean and social studies teacher. “I can’t even put it into words. It’s been a long time coming.”

The school held an orientation day Monday afternoon for hundreds of parents and students so they could find their new classrooms and explore the nearly 3-acre property. On Tuesday, about 400 kindergarden, elementary and high school students attended their first classes, while another 250 middle schoolers will join in today.

“I didn’t want everyone lost at the same time,” joked Gene Zarro, CEO of the South Maui Learning Ohana, the founding organization for the school.

Zarro, who has worked for years on the new campus, said Tuesday’s opening went “surprisingly smooth” as students navigated the 68,000-square-feet of space in their new building that includes another 9,000-square-feet of commercial space. The property is more than double the school’s previous classroom space across various locations.

About 400 high schoolers, elementary students and kindergartners attended their first day of classes Tuesday afternoon on their new campus at Kihei Charter School. About 250 middle school students will join the school at the new campus today. • The Maui News / CHRIS SUGIDONO photo

The $18.6 million campus was made possible by a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program.

The school founded in 2001 formerly hosted high-schoolers at the Kihei Commercial Center with middle-schoolers at the Lipoa Center and elementary students at St. Theresa Church. The school’s leases with the commercial center and St. Theresa’s ended in July, and officials reduced its space at the Lipoa Center before moving into the new campus.

Due to the expired leases and limited funds, students and teachers have had only a few hours of in-person classes each week since the beginning of the school year in August. Much of the learning for high school and middle school students was through virtual school online.

High school juniors Maya Buttiglieri, Rebecca Austin and Zack Chmeleck eagerly welcomed the return of daily classroom teaching along with air-conditioned rooms and windows. The students added that it was surreal seeing students from younger grades on the same campus as well as old teachers.

“It was awesome,” Chmeleck said. “From seeing the middle-school teachers you learned from. It’s like three years later and seeing them for the first time.”

Kihei Charter teacher Shadan Shirkhodai instructs her class Tuesday afternoon in her new classroom. • The Maui News / CHRIS SUGIDONO photo

Federoff said the transition has made things less stressful and more organized for teachers and students. She said “atmosphere is everything with kids” and that the bright, cool and clean classrooms have kept the students feeling good.

“Just to have a clean slate and air conditioning and windows,” she said. “Seriously, the things people take for granted. We didn’t have windows in our old school. We were behind Tesoro (gas station) and everything was interior. It was like warehouse. The AC never worked. The roof leaked. Now it’s beautiful. It’s clean. It’s bright, and we got the best view on the island up here.”

Federoff, who is in her eighth year at the school, said she has never had a true office or classroom. She said her former office was an old storage room that she would have to walk through a classroom to reach.

“We were always sharing classrooms or moving from room to room,” she said. “We never really had ownership over our rooms, so now this will always be the room I teach in and this is my office. A little bit of ownership goes a long way.”

Chmeleck said he is looking forward to having a band room where the school can practice without bothering other classes.

“We were in the old cafeteria, and the algebra students could hear us so it wasn’t good so we had to get really quiet whenever they were doing tests and stuff,” the bass guitar player said. “Now, we’ll have a room that hopefully doesn’t interfere with classes.”

Federoff is looking at other possibilities like a fitness center with exercise equipment and weights. The paddling coach said the workout area would aid high schoolers playing football, track and other sports.

“The kids love it,” she said of the new campus. “We had an open house last night, and they’re walking around going, ‘This building is sick.’ They’re excited because they’ve been hearing about it for so long, and now it’s here. They’re realizing this is their school.”

Many parents were happy to see the new campus open and their children enjoying a full day of classroom teaching.

Amanda Tabon said it was difficult juggling her four kids, who each had different schedules, even as she worked from home. Like many parents, though, she said she endured the wait because she “saw the light at the end of the tunnel.”

“Usually, it’s a stretch to get everybody up in the morning, and they’re all a little bit slow, but today my second-grader said, ‘I can’t wait. I want to get there.’ ” Tabon said. “It made the morning routine a lot easier.”

While classes officially began Tuesday, the school is still under construction with one of its four classroom wings closed, Zarro said. The wing includes four classrooms for middle and high schoolers and needs a ceiling grid, lights, fans and to be painted.

The last wing is expected to be finished in about two months and will increase the campus’ capacity by about 50 students to 750 total.

Other work still to be done includes installation of solar panels above the staff parking lot, landscaping with 4,000 plants and cleaning up about an acre of land licensed from Haleakala Ranch for agricultural projects and recreation.

A 4,000-square-foot pavilion space with a sound system and lights above the commercial rooms also is in the works. Zarro said the pavilion, which will have a photovoltaic roof, will act as a large open space for fundraisers, community gatherings and possibly music events. He said the area will belong to the nonprofit but could be used by the school during school hours.

High School Director Michael Stubbs said the school is at the highest point in South Maui and could be a premiere space for events. He noted that the school will have to adjust to the extra space and resources but does not want students or staff to “forget where we came from” and their ability to adapt and thrive in all situations.

“We have an abundance of wealth in many different areas,” Stubbs said. “The kids can feel it. We can feel it. It’s kind of limitless what we can do next because this is a first for all of us.”

Zarro said the commercial space may be turned into five more classrooms for the next school year when it is completed. However, he did not rule out a possible renter and building additional classrooms elsewhere.

“We’re slammed, and we have demand at the younger level with the K-through-three level,” he said. “We only have one classroom per grade.”

Students were treated to their first meal in their new multipurpose room and cafeteria, though, the school is looking for a renter to cook meals. The school catered meals Tuesday from Jawz Maui Fish Tacos food truck and is waiting for the state Health Department to certify its kitchen for serving.

The school is accepting donations for cooking equipment and will be providing students with a salad bar, fruit and milk, Zarro said.

Although construction work continues at the school, Zarro said it was important to put students in classrooms, and he plans to talk to staff throughout the year about any changes that need to be made.

“We could’ve waited two or three weeks and polished it up, but let’s get in,” he said. “What’s also really nice is we could make a guess of what is the best use of this place, but once you live in something you’re going to decide, ‘Well the couch is better over there.’

“I’d like the faculty to figure it out and not try to make it perfect on day one. Live in it for a little while.”

Zarro thanked the school’s 64 staff members, construction workers and parents for making the campus a reality. He said he plans on hosting a grand opening and dedication ceremony sometime during the holiday season.

“It was a big undertaking and a million details, but our contractors pulled it together in a stellar way,” he said. “I really appreciate the care they put into it and many of them have kids in the school or went through the school. And of course, we appreciate the parents’ patience and good vibes.”

* Chris Sugidono can be reached at csugidono@mauinews.com.