The first day of May is designated Lei Day in Hawaii, and is a statewide celebration of connection to lineage and the land that features lei, a wreath of flowers worn around the neck, and lei po’o, a flower crown. Local parent Tesla Teitge-Mergenthaler, who lived in Hawaii for nearly two decades, led an afterschool lei po’o workshop at Long Beach Island Elementary School on Friday, May 1, to mark this significant day in the place she called home for much of her life.

HAWAIIAN TRADITION: Vivienne Hoch adds flowers to her lei po’o at the LBI Elementary after-school workshop.

“We’re honoring the Hawaiian tradition today,” Teitge-Mergenthaler said to the students who had gathered for the class.