What a day yesterday was! As you may know, this year I am co-teaching the Sr. Capstone Project Seminar with my colleague Daniella OʻMalley. It has been a great part of my year to learn about interests of the Class of 2025 and support them as they worked on this learning tradition at Island School. After months of research, hours of service or interning, and gathering their learning into a meaningful presentation, the Seniors proudly shared with the community their projects yesterday (Thurs). From game design to how food builds community, from the art of making bread to how to write a novel to dance as a social movement, from Filipino immigration history in Hawaiʻi to making imu…to name just a few topics out of the 45 they tackled, the Seniors have successfully completed this long-time Island School tradition! We are so grateful for the community members, Board members, and teachers, who served as Mentors to the seniors at different stages of their projects. We feel so lucky to have witnessed all the love and support we saw when family members and peers came and joined us to watch the presentations. The 9th-11th Graders, who also came and were engaged audience members throughout the day, showed heartfelt support for the seniors. It was particularly special when parents had the time to view multiple presentations to support peers of their children they have known across the years. To me, Senior Capstone marks the moment where I can see the finish line of the school year up ahead, but there’s a lot to note across these upcoming weeks, so of course there are many other possible markers…

Perhaps, if you have high school children and they chose to participate, it is Prom that marks the turning of the tide towards the end of the year. Last Friday, under the dedicated leadership of Kanānāikahaku Kuhaulia, the team of adults and student council leaders worked hard starting at 9am Friday at the Hyatt to be ready for the big event that night last week with a team of supportive chaperones. It was truly a fun night, and the students clearly enjoyed dressing up for a glamorous evening of their making.

For others it is the start of preparations for Hōʻike…it is only one month away and students are diving in with our Kumu to learn the history and meaning of the mele and oli as well as starting to learn their class hula that will all embody our theme centering on the power of stories. We hope you have May 16 marked on your calendar to join us at 9am for our annual Hōʻike!

For older students, of course completing the looming AP exams that will begin in early May absolutely mark a transition to knowing that the stretched out weeks of summer are within reach. And for older and younger students alike, no doubt next weekʻs Choral and Ukulele Concert and Art Show will mark a transition for their year. Led by our dynamic arts department, Ben Nause, Joyce Sun, Kara Swink, and Derrick Little, we are thrilled to be getting ready to celebrate through music, visual arts, and a wonderful community gathering on Wednesday, 4/23 at the KCC Performing Arts Center. We hope to see you there for the Art Showcase at 5pm (no tickets needed) and the Music Concert (tickets are free but needed to ensure space for all--see below).

Ultimately, having walked through seeing how hard our students worked to get to yesterdayʻs Sr. Capstone Day, I also got to live what it means to bring these kinds of days into fruition as a teacher. It is HARD work, from giving extra support to students who need help getting to the finish line, to hours of planning to organize schedules and communication with families and teachers or printing signs or setting up classrooms…hearing out folks who are happy about the logistics of the event and those frustrated by it, holding all the feedback while projecting calm and enthusiasm to nervous students…This is what ALL our faculty go through each time they design and lead a special event with their students. The weight varies if it is for a class of 22 or the nearly 500 students of the full school, one's first time through or the twentieth…but the pressure and time demands are real all the same. And while my role these past two years has been of a different kind for these types of events, to be in the mix of it with Daniella and leverage all the years where this type of coordination was at the heart of my work as a teacher, keeps it all real. 

There will be many people for which to hold gratitude as we hit the numerous culminating events for our students as our school year ends on May 23 for classes and graduation on the 24th. Under the surface of each event are countless, and I mean countless, hours of applying skill, pouring love, and sometimes bearing heartache that our faculty and staff invest in each event.  I wanted to take a moment in this note to speak to the reality that below the waterline of each and every one one of these school-led experiences there is an Island School team digging in and pulling hard under the water so that our waʻa can glide. I want to thank everyone in advance for taking this special time of year to celebrate all of the EFFORT of our students, families, and faculty and staff to make these meaningful moments come to life, and thank you for extending grace and support to each other through what may be choppier water at times as we make our way to the finish line. For those of you who have time in canoes, we know that the worst thing we can do when we encounter rougher water is to stop or pull less because we're nervous or afraid or frustrated. Instead, we have to face that water together, dig in and pull harder to keep the canoe steady. Thank you for digging in and pulling with us and helping our students know they can do it, they can pull harder if they need to for just a bit longer, to finish the course. And even if it all doesn't go as planned or hoped, there is power in the finishing, and the beauty with school is that it is a cycle…we will be able to try again next year, on next yearʻs course, and we will be there pulling along with them.

Thank you, as always, for choosing to partner with Island School for these critical years of your children’s lives. I hope those who observed Passover last week with what I hoped was a lovely Seder meal had a great time with family and friends. For those turning towards Easter this weekend, I hope you have meaningful time together with your loved ones. And whether this weekend marks ceremony or downtime or both, I wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead.

Together,

Nancy Naramada P’29

Head of School

n.nagramada@ischool.org