At the One Team Chapel On May 12th, the 7th and 8th grade teachers honored twelve students for making 'Iolani a happy place to teach and learn. Teachers wrote the following citations for students whom they especially respect, like and appreciate:
Lian Bossert, gr. 8: Lian wears a friendly face, always upbeat and friendly, even on Monday morning. Lian is one of the most considerate and kind-hearted students we have ever had the pleasure of teaching. She treats everyone with respect -- everyone. She often performs good deeds without even being asked.
Dane Arakawa, grade 8: Always smiling, Dane is friendly, cheerful, outgoing, helpful, and caring. He never complains about work or people, and he always is willing to help someone in need. Mrs. Horinouchi once told Dane that she wants her son to grow up to be just like him -- and she meant it! Dane is enthusiatic and energetic, super funny, and well loved by all.
Emerald Tsui, grade 7: Emerald is a gem who is considerate of her classmates, courteous to her teachers, and always upbeat. Her warmth and thoughtfulness brighten up our day. Around campus, she is quick to yell a cheerful "hello!" across the lawn. Emerald gives her best effort every single day, and she is equally generous in her support of her fellow students.
Cara Itai, grade 8: Cara is a steady, supportive, and super nice young lady. Her laughter and smile are ever present; she gives 100% all the time, and she always knows how to find the right balance between fun and focus, so Cara works well in partnerships and groups. She is one of the sweetest, most loving, hardest working, and respectful students we have ever met. Her humility and kindness toward others are exemplary.
Creighton Nakamura, grade 7: Creighton is so upbeat that he makes every day better. He always has just the right thing to say. He likes to have fun, but never at someone else's expense. The honesty, intelligence, and good humor Creighton displays puts him a position of leadership and respect in his orchestra class. In particular, it is great to watch the sophomore boys seek him out for help. In addition, Creighton rehearses with the lower school orchestra since they only have one viola player. Creighton does all that is asked of him with an eager, can-do attitude. His spirit is rare, and --if cloning is ethical, let's start with him.
Tara Srirangarajan, grade 7 Tara is truly a warm and kind person. Tara is possibly the humblest and most polite student ever. Even on the most frenzied days, she never fails to say, "Thank you. Have a nice day." Tara is a teacher's dream because she takes a proactive role in her learning and asks great questions. She really wants to understand. She is so considerate of everyone around her, Tara is a great person to have on your team. She is quick to help out and encourages whoever works with her. She's a wonderful young woman, a wonderful person!
Kasey Chun , grade 8. Kasey Chun is a very down-to-earth young man who takes academics seriously but doesn't forget to infuse humor into everyday learning. Thanks to his wit, playfulness and easy-going manner in and out of the classroom, anyone would want to be his friend. Kasey is a natural leader on the cross country team, who always practices hard and strives to improve. We can depend on him to make an honest effort and be an excellent role model for others. Kasey is mature, positive and respectful: Definitely a good guy and teammate.
Ashley Ellison, grade 7: Though quiet, Ashley is a natural leader. She is comfortable taking charge and taking on big responsibilities. As a Scribes and Scribbles editor, she has been enormously helpful in selecting strong entries and works well with all the 7th grade editors as she is gentle, but firm. Ashley has proved to be dependable, considerate and committed. This girl is truly very special and a gift to ‘Iolani.
Lucas Griswold, Grade 8: Lucas is a real sparkplug: enthusiastic, energetic, dynamic, and creative. He thrives on partner and group presentations. Unique and special, Luke embodies the ONE TEAM spirit in numerous ways: He rallied the eighth graders during Homecoming, energetically spreading his class spirit and participating fearlessly in the lip sync and several lunch assemblies. Luke wrote the lyrics to the class cheer and edited the background music. His outgoing personality and innovative thinking engage everyone. Luke always does more than is asked of him, and always with a smile.
Sam Haneda, grade 7: Sam is always calm, super polite, helpful, co-operative, understanding, and pleasant. He often volunteers for extra duties and can be counted on to be thorough, careful and meticulous. Sam is a lovable, huggable teddy bear whose classmates flock to him! He is so charismatic! Sam has a heart of gold. He is kind, generous, and friendly to others, and he laughs a lot-- a valuable trait! He's happy and makes others happy.
Sarah Carlile, 8th grade: Sarah is a wonderful personality to have in class. We love that she joined water polo this year. She is exactly the type of person who would take on a new sport at the suggestion of a friend and then succeed. We need more people like Sarah: people willing to try new things. We are impressed by Sarah's willingness to take a risk. She will volunteer to do a math problem when everyone else is silent or cheerfully offer to take on an unpopular task. She is also humble and positive in accepting corrections, mature well beyond her years.
Bradley Wo, grade 7: Bradley, with his thousand-watt smile and sparkling personality, stands out for being outgoing and friendly. He gets excited about a lot of things, and he gets everyone else excited, too. Actively drawing on multiple perspectives is important, as any Rubik's cube master knows. Bradley includes everyone in group work. Always in a good mood, Bradley's positive attitude, his cheerfulness and generosity are contagious. He is sharing, compassionate, respectful, responsible, obedient--and the adjectives don't stop there. He is a Super Kid! We nominate Bradley to be a future Governor of Hawaii. We thank Bradley for his enthusiasm, love for learning, and his one team spirit.
In addition to these students who have given us such joy throughout the school year, we thanked a terrific teacher who has been a joy to work with for many years. Mrs. Beth Barry has been a wonderful mentor to all the seventh and eighth graders whom she has taught at 'Iolani for the past nineteen years. She understands that students have multiple intelligences, and she presents innovative lessons that tap into their many talents. Mobiles, travel journals, tourism commericials, letters to the editor or state administrators are but a few of many ways she brings Geography to life, making our future voters aware of endangered species, current events, and civics lessons that will stick with them forever. Mrs. Barry has guided many a new teacher to emulate her creative curriculum ideas, and we will miss her very much as she retires.
At the end of chapel, the teachers bade farewell to Mrs. Lynette Horinouchi, a well-liked math teacher, and also thanked the tireless cookie baker, Mrs. Lisa Bailey, for always volunteering to make scrumptious Kudos Cookies for the honorees. Teachers presented her with a basket full of baking supplies.
