The 'Iolani graduating class of 2008 received plaudits, applause and diplomas at ceremonies Saturday evening on the 'Iolani campus.
In addressing the 230 seniors, their parents, families and friends, Dr. Val Iwashita, Headmaster of the school, noted some of the many achievements of the past year:
- Thirty-two seniors qualified as National Merit Semi-finalists, 47% of the state total.
- 'Iolani received the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement, one of only 50 schools nationwide to be so recognized.
- The Speech and Debate team won five of the six major awards at the State tournament.
- The Math Bowl Team won its fifth straight state title; the math team won an unprecedented 16th consecutive league championship.
- Economics students in the Adam Smith and David Ricardo divisions were again state and regional champions.
- The school newspaper, Imua Iolani, won the top honors in the Hawaii High School Journalism Awards.
- The Roboraiders won the state competition.
- Students won honors in poetry, prose, and foreign language.
- Teams won ILH championships in football, boys’ basketball and boys’ soccer and state championships in Division II football and boys’ volleyball.
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Dr. Iwashita then made several individual awards beginning with The Alumni Medals, awarded to two members of the class, who exemplify the healthy combination of excellence in academics and athletics.
The winners were escorted to the stage by Mrs. Margot Johnson, the first grade teacher who launched the young woman from the starting blocks of life at Iolani, and Mr. Michael Park who guided the mathematical good fortunes of the male winner.
The winners of the Alumni Medals:
Signe Chambers
and
Aaron Fong
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Dr. Iwashita and the Bishop of Hawaii, Robert Fitzpatrick, then presented The Bishop's Award to the senior who has given unselfish service to church, school and community and who demonstrates outstanding witness to faith in Christ and commitment to principle.
The winner was escorted to the stage by Mr. Wendell Look, the young man's coach and mentor. The winner of the Bishop's Award:
Zachary Shikada
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Awarding Scholarship Medals, Dr. Iwashita saluted seventeen valedictorians, noting their cumulative GPA of 4.30 and 114 Advanced Placement classes. He also cited their National Merit Finalist status and membership in performing arts groups, in athletics and in community service. He called them, "Good people: hard working, responsible, respectful and honest."
SIGNE CHAMBERS - WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS
ALANNA COONEY - WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS
AARON FONG - POMONA COLLEGE
JONATHON FUNG - UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, REGENTS SCHOLAR
RYAN GOMOTO - UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
ALLISON HASEGAWA - COLORADO COLLEGE
KIMBERLEE HASHIBA - NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
PAMELA HO - UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
KATE IKEHARA - UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
DAVID JARESS - UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
SCOTT KANESHIRO - HARVARD UNIVERSITY
LESLIE KIM - HARVARD UNIVERSITY
CLAY OZAKI-TRAIN - ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
CHRISTINE TAMARU - WHITMAN COLLEGE
KYLA TERAMOTO - SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY
MARISA WANG - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
ZHUANGJUN WANG - UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
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Dr. Iwashita then presented his own award, The Headmaster's Award awarded to a senior who has made exceptional contributions to Iolani School.
History teacher Mr. Jeffery Hackler, escorted the winner to the stage, his son:
Michael Hackler
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Lastly, before his address, Dr. Iwashita followed recent tradition and named the "Unsung Heroes" of the class of 2008, people who, according to Dr. Iwashita, "without public recognition, make vital contributions to our community. They lighten our step. They brighten the day. They enrich our campus with their humor, their positive attitude, their character, their dependable nature and their community spirit. Iolani School would not be the same without them. They exemplifythe values we cherish."
The Unsung Heroes of the Class of 2008:
Brad Chun
Nash Witten
Dayna Chikamoto
Michelle Morioka
Christian Siania
Brennan Nacario
Eamon Wall
Lyndsey Arakawa
Nicole Chau
Christian Brady
Annalyse Tamashiro
Rachel Kimura
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Dr. Iwashita then shared the following thoughts with the graduating class:
I began my tenure as Headmaster thirteen years ago--the same year sixty seven of you wore Raider red for the first time. We were innocent back then, reveling in our new-found association with Iolani and kindergarten. We also had our anxious moments in this new environment, and it was a little scary not knowing what the future had in store for us. We were comforted and helped by mentors and teachers in those early years. I had the support of an experienced faculty and staff, who shared their collective wisdom with me. You had teachers, counselors and administrators who taught you and cared for you. How lucky we were to have had them in the right place at the right time.
We gained knowledge and experience with each passing year, and now we’re all grown up. I'm one of the senior heads of school in Hawaii, and you are seniors, certainly the oldest and maybe even most mature students on campus. One might think that things would have gotten easier. As we learned and grew, however, we faced new challenges which,with each passing year, seemed more difficult, more complex and more consequential—our decisions really mattered. We learned from these challenges, and we are the people we are today partly because of them.
I recently read a book entitled Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is a wonderful tale of Ms. Gilbert's search for meaning and inner peace after struggling through a divorce. During the spiritual part of her journey, when in India, she discovers a Sanskrit word which seems to her reflective of her identity. The word is antevasin. In ancient times antevasin literally meant "one who lives at the border." It described people who had left normal life to live at the edge of the forest where the spiritual masters dwelled. They lived there to learn and to grow, mediating between old ways of thinking and new understandings. The border of the forest was always in a state of flux. Every discovery or realization generated new questions and quandaries. Gilbert says the people living there were "students on the ever-shifting border near the wonderful, scary forest of the new." They were people, in her words "living on that shimmering line between their old thinking and their new understanding."
The world you are about to enter may look and feel different from your kindergarten classroom and from your senior year experience, but it is part of the same forest. Only the border has changed. It is your new station on the continuum of life--and what a great place to be: a little scary maybe, but exciting and wonderful. When you become a senior in my sense of the word, you will look back at events such as today’s with joy and amazement. I hope your time at the edge of the forest of Iolani will inspire you to look further for opportunities to learn and grow. Antevasin--live at the border and use new ways of thinking to reach new understandings.
Addenda from College Counseling:
Mr. Todd Fleming, the College Counselor for the Class of 2008, offers the following fascinating facts:
98.7% (228) will enroll at four-year schools. All the seniors were accepted at a four year school.
One graduate has put in his deposit at St Louis University in Madrid, but will defer his entrance for one year while he does a combination of Spanish immersion, service work, and working on a ranch in Central and South America next year.
Members of the class will attend 94 different colleges and universities next year.
More graduates are attending art schools (Pratt and Maryland College of Art).
One young man is going to study theater design at College of Santa Fe.
A record 23 graduates are matriculating at Santa Clara, edging both UH (21) and USC (21) for the highest number.
Two graduates will be following in Mr. Fleming's academic footsteps at Carleton in the fall.
Other random facts:
The average student sent in eight applications to colleges. The entire class submitted 1800 applications to 252 colleges. Each application was reviewed by Mr. Fleming.
The average student was accepted at five different colleges. Thirty-five students were accepted by all of their choices. Over 170 students were accepted by over half of their choices.
Mr. Fleming is rightfully pleased by the college admission record of the Class of 2008.
Photos courtesy of Mr. Al Linsky
For more photos, please see iolani-events.org
(Photos also by Sam Cropsey)
