HBA’s Quiet Caretakers

From puakenikenis to banana trees, HBA’s campuses in Nu’uanu feature a diverse array of plants. HBA students also get to enjoy green spaces when not in their classrooms—the elementary school’s grassy quad with its la’amia tree (one of just a small handful on Oahu) is a gathering place for assemblies and play, the middle school lawn and its shady monkeypod tree is both a lunch picnic spot and a P.E. classroom, and the high school stream and its banks host photography lessons and bottle rocket launches. These natural surroundings are easy to take for granted. Maintaining these grounds is a never-ending task that few notice and it’s done by a small team of HBA staff.

The puakenikeni tree outside the middle school administrative offices is seldom without its fragrant blooms. Photograph by Abbie Kato (’25)

Fernando Marbebe is one of the three staff members in this team and has been working at HBA for 15 years. Together with his cousin Henry Viloan, who has been at HBA for 12 years, Marbebe begins his work days at 7:00 A.M., clearing leaves and other debris on the middle and high school driveways and lawns. Eduardo Velasco, the third staff member, does the same at the elementary school.

The two main caretakers of the the middle and high school grounds, Henry Viloan (left) and Fernando Marbebe (right). Every morning, they can be seen blowing leaves off the middle school lawn and campus driveways. When done, they spend their days mowing lawns and pruning plants on all of the school’s campuses. Photographs by Abbie Kato (’25)

The rest of this team’s day usually involves pruning overgrown plants to planting new ones. They also mow the grass weekly on all of HBA’s campuses – the elementary campus, the middle and high school campuses, the administrative offices at 1848 Nu’uanu Avenue, and the school’s additional property on Wyllie Street. According to Glenn Bento, the Director of Facilities at HBA, the garden staff also help with gym setups, moving furniture, and the occasional custodial emergencies – including trapping wild pigs that get too comfortable on campus.

When asked what the most difficult part of his job was, Marbebe said that cutting the grass at 1848 Nu’uanu is difficult because of how it is “too high and itchy.” However, both he and Viloan stated that they enjoy their jobs especially because of how beautiful the campus is with the wide variety of plants. Marbebe also added that the job can be relaxing, especially when he “works [and] can listen to music.”

Fernando Marbebe prunes the hibiscus hedge next to the Eagles Landing on the high school campus. Photograph by Abbie Kato (’25)

After clearing the high school driveways with leaf blowers, Henry Viloan makes sure to sweep up any missed plant debris. Photograph by Lydia Halcomb (’25)

The lawn at the middle school campus awaits students to fill it during lunch time. The pristine lawn is cleared of leaves and debris every morning by Viloan and Marbebe. Photograph by Olivia Kim (’26)

Viloan and Marbebe’s thorough leaf-blowing every morning hide the fact that the middle school lawn gets covered by leaves from the monkeypod tree at the end of every school day. Photograph by Lydia Halcomb (’25)

Bento is proud of this team of gardeners and is impressed by their work ethic. “I would have to say the groundskeepers are the hardest working staff members I have, working in the hot sun and as muscle for the Physical Plant when it’s called for. We are blessed to have them,” he wrote.