School in Focus

Taking Pride in Peace Week

‘Iolani School celebrated its fourth annual Peace Week “The Global Human Family” from February 8 to 12 throughout campus with activities that educated others about the importance and need for peace in the world.
Playing the role of Harry Patch (one of the last surviving British soldiers who fought in World War I), history teacher John Bickel captivated students with his stirring chapel talks.

“In sum, do honor your veterans,” Bickel said as the character Patch. “Don’t ever forget those who gave their lives. We must remember those who gave their lives on both sides. I can tell you this: War is a calculated and condoned slaughter of human beings. We cannot go into war lightly. We must answer to higher power.”

Students also participated in hands on activities such as the school-wide T-shirts for Haiti project. Students made a $5 donation to paint a white t-shirt. Lower school students painted shirts in teacher Cheri Keefer’s art classes. All money benefited Haiti through an Episcopal relief fund. The t-shirts will be sent to children in Haiti. All shirts and paints were donated to ‘Iolani School by the mother of Jana Wang, who was a member of the Class of 2011 when she died of cancer in 2009.

Science teacher Paul Heimerdinger made a presentation on his Teachers Without Borders journey to Africa. The human rights film Ninoy (about Filipino hero Ninoy Aquino) was shown in Seto Hall followed by a question and answer session with the film’s director Tom Coffman. And everyday a Word of the Day and quotations on peace were shared throughout campus.

Sharing her Surfer Spirit

Cynthia Derosier ’83 spoke in chapel to students about finding one’s spirit. For her, it’s a surfer spirit as she is the founder of the He‘e Nalu program for at risk youths. Through surfing, young people build self-esteem and confidence, while learning about Hawaiian culture, the ocean, and themselves. Deroiser is also the author of The Surfer Spirit and The Survivor Spirit books.

She will teach a summer course at ‘Iolani called Surfrider Spirit Sessions which helps build self-esteem and motivation through surfing lessons. Students also learn about Hawaiian culture and the ocean while surfing off Waikiki with mentors and trained surfers.

“You’ll learn to paddle through the challenges of life and ride the waves of success,” Deroiser says.

For information about the Surfrider Spirit Sessions offered during summer, check www.iolani.org under summer school.

Learning about Economics

‘Iolani School has established the ‘Iolani Economics Chair to expose students and faculty to global perspectives on the world of economics.  Funded by donations to the school, the Chair will bring an expert in the field to serve a two-day teaching residency at ‘Iolani and to hold a public lecture on a broad topic.

New York Times columnist Robert H. Frank launched the Chair by holding a public lecture on March 30 in Seto Hall.

Frank is the Henrietta Johnson Louis Professor of Management and Professor of Economics at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and co-director of the Paduano Seminar in business ethics at New York University’s Stern School of Business. His “Economic View” column appears monthly in the New York Times. He has written several books including co-authoring The Winner-Take-All Society which received a Critic’s Choice Award and was in Business Week’s 1995 top ten book list.

As the first ‘Iolani Economics Chairholder, Frank was selected from among well-known and respected professors, authors, teachers and practitioners to help celebrate Financial Literacy Month each April.

“‘Iolani School believes it is important for students to have an understanding of the subject of economics as well as personal finance,” said 'Iolani Economics teacher Richard Rankin.

‘Iolani School now holds three National Economics Challenge Titles, four National Economics Challenge Runner-up Trophies, two National Economics Challenge Third place Trophies, and two National Economics Challenge Fourth place Trophies.

Math Team takes First

Led by perfect scorers Hao Chen ’11 and Teresa Ou ’11, the varsity math team amassed 243 points to place first at math meet 5 held at Hanalani School this past Saturday. Kamehameha placed second with 201 points; McKinley placed third with 196 points; and Punahou placed fourth with 149 points. ‘Iolani’s team included William Chambers  ’10, Richard Chang ’11, Sean Cockey ’10, Victoria Kim ’11, Anders Lee ’10, Dustin Shigaki ’11, Mark Williams ’10, and Andrew Wu ’11.
 
The junior varsity team of Logan Davis ’13, Yun Ji Im ’12, Erin Main ’12, and Cordelia Xie ’12 scored 70 points to take second place in its division. McKinley placed first with 83 points; Punahou placed third with 43 points, and Roosevelt placed fourth with 42 points.

Real World Design Team First in State

For a second consecutive year, the ‘Iolani Real World Design Challenge team placed first in the state competition. High school teams were required to redesign the tail of an aircraft to meet certain requirements. Last year, ‘Iolani took the national Real World Design title.

This year, an ‘Iolani team will again travel with teacher and advisor Carey “Doc” Inouye ’66 to Washington, D.C. to compete against other state champions. Team members include: Jared Hara ’10, Christopher Kodama ’10, Evan Masutani ’10, Mark Muraoka ’10, Dominic Reiss ’10, Taylor Van Etten ’10, and Mark Williams ’10. Sacred Hearts took second place and Kalani High School placed third in the state.

Marathon Legend Alberto Salazar

Marathon legend Alberto Salazar visited ‘Iolani’s Literature of Sport classes on December 11, offering students insight towards fortitude, dedication, values, and spirituality.

A two-time member of the United States Olympic team, Salazar is best known for winning three consecutive New York City Marathons (one in world record time) and the 1982 Boston Marathon known as the “Duel in the Sun” as Salazar went head-to-head for the entire race against Dick Beardsley.

Students were fascinated as Salazar described his family’s escape from Cuba in the early years of Fidel Castro’s communist regime.  Salazar was two-years-old at the time.

Salazar eventually attended the University of Oregon in 1976, just one year after the tragic death of superstar distance runner Oregonian Steve Prefontaine. “I went to Oregon largely because of him.  We all wanted to be the next Pre. We had to uphold the tradition of Pre,” Salazar said.

Salazar qualified for the Olympics in 1980 and 1984. He now works as a marketing official and coach for Nike in Oregon and was named 2009 Coach of the Year by USA Track and Field.

He urged students to set goals and work towards them.

“Ask yourself, ‘What is it that is going to make me happy?’ That’s what you need to strive for.  But you also have to ask yourself, ‘Do my values support that?’” he added.

Artists Win Scholastic Art Awards

At the 47th annual Hawai‘i Regional Scholastic Art Awards Ceremony on Februrary 6 at the Hawai‘i State Art Museum, 27 ‘Iolani students received awards for their work. Lauren Haggety ’11 was one of five students in the state to win The American Visions Award. ‘Iolani students also received 27 Gold Key Awards and eight Silver Key Awards. The winning ‘Iolani pieces were displayed at the Hawaii State Art Museum from February 6 to April 2. The Gold Key Award pieces advanced to the national Scholastic Art Competition in New York City.

From the Top

Pianist Tiffany Cheung ’11 received a $10,000 Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award from From The Top, the non-profit organization known for its National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Station programs featuring America’s best young classical musicians. Cheung performed Liszt’s Etude No. 12 (Chasse-Neige) on a nationally broadcast radio episode of From the Top on February 27. She was also interviewed by host Christopher O’Riley.

In addition to piano, Cheung plays violin and is a member of the ‘Iolani School orchestra. She enjoys performing at retirement homes and participating in community projects.

Astronaut Anna Fisher Tells Students to Dream

Did you know astronauts don’t really eat space ice cream in space? From kindergartners to sixth graders, students learned the truth about life in space as astronaut Dr. Anna Fisher spoke during a special assembly on January 27.
 
Fisher’s visit to ‘Iolani was sponsored by the Onizuka Family Foundation to help educate children about NASA and space. Fisher began training to become an astronaut in 1978, just two weeks after giving birth to her first child.  She participated with mission STS-51A on the Space Shuttle Discovery and is currently working with the International Space Station.

Fisher presented videos and photographs of the cockpit during lift off.  She discussed how astronauts adjust to weightlessness while performing basic activities: eating, sleeping, exercising and using the bathroom. While Fisher's talk was captivating, her message was even more compelling: “You can make your dreams come true when you persevere.”

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