Thieves stooped low to steal from a Kalihi school.

They ripped off expensive sod just installed for the students' May Day celebration.

Kaewai Elementary put in a hula mound so all parents could see their children perform, but the day after the show, they discovered pieces of the grass missing.

Kaewai students were on a high, showing off their moves for their Aloha Friday May Day celebration, on their new hula mound.

Then, a low blow.

When they returned Saturday to water the lawn, "the whole front of the mound was missing the first row" says May Day Coordinator Faith Flazer.

Someone ripped off pieces of sod, from right under the noses of police next door and came back for more Sunday.

For students and staff, the hula mound was a labor of love.

They prepped the soil, installed the sod, by hand, one piece at a time.

The school dug deep to pay for it.

"Almost like 4-thousand dollars" according to Flazer.

Everyone's heartbroken.

"I was feeling very like somebody took advantage of me" says May Day King Jerrod Mose. "We had plenty people work hard for this. And they just took it."

"It's like so disappointing" adds May Day Queen Leong Marthin. "Ms. Faith, they worked so hard on this for us to do our May Day and somebody come and destroy it."

Students had taken great steps to care for their lawn.

Fifth Grade Teacher Dan Senger says "they didn't walk straight up mound, walked around it, had to take shoes off. They had a real sense it was a special place."

Flazer adds "they could actually call it their own. This is our mound for our school and to see something like this is very very hurtful."

"The whole school. Everybody's sad" says Mose.

This is familiar turf for the City.

In 2004, security was hired to protect thousands of dollars worth of sod stolen in Waikiki.