HAWAII'S SCHOOLS
COURTESY OF ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL
Sophomores playfully indulge in a rousing round of tug of war, competing against their fellow classmates.
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Feast day changes perspective on school
By Aurora Baroza
St. Francis School
In the past, St. Francis Feast Days were held at locations like the zoo, the beach and Sea Life Park. This year, however, Feast Day -- consisting of a Mass, various games and a live concert -- was held within the walls of our school. Our campus was able to comfortably accommodate all of the fun-filled activities.
St. Francis High School
Name
Ke Alakai
Faculty adviser
Frank Toyama
Editor
Danna Gonzales
Address
2707 Pamoa Road Honolulu, HI
96822
Principal
Sister Joan of Arc Souza
Enrollment
370
Faculty
60
Mascot
Troubador
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"I viewed school differently," said senior Tyrha Oasay, "not only as a place of learning, but also as a place to have fun with my fellow sisters."
Students were instructed to come to school in free dress, wearing the color of the rainbow designated for their grade level. Faculty were also assigned to participate, all arriving to school dressed in green.
After spending a few moments in homeroom, students and faculty congregated in the field to pose for the rainbow school picture.
"I liked the idea of wearing all the same color shirts for our class," said sophomore Chasidy Wright. "It bonded us together by grade, and also by school when we took the rainbow shot."
"It was cool taking the rainbow picture," stated Kameko Yee, a feeling with which the majority of students seemed to agree.
The student body then made its way to the St. Francis statue at the front of the school for a short prayer service. It consisted of a brief blessing to our patron saint, commemorating St. Francis on his saint day. A hymnal tribute was made by Mr. Llamedo and senior Joni Llamedo, and the ritual placing of leis on the statue took place soon after.
COURTESY OF ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL
Freshman homeroom representative Raquel Glushenko places a lei on the St. Francis statue's arm.
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Sign holders led the student body to the upper courtyard for an inspirational Mass led by Father Bob. He actively engaged the audience by selecting volunteers and asking them what they would prepare for Jesus if he were a guest at their house. The wide range of answers illustrated his point that we are lucky to be living in such a culturally diverse place. This point was further expressed in the intercessions, which were done in different languages like Portuguese, Samoan and Korean.
With the celebration of Mass concluded, a different kind of celebration began. With the theme of diversity still resonating, all grade levels took part in class bonding games. The different stations hosted a hodgepodge of games like "ball pass," "tug-o-war," "human chair" and a Saint Francis knock-off of the hit show "American Idol." Randomly sandwiched in between the stations was a relaxing round of relax/massage chain. It served as a brief break from the exhilarating contests.
Immediately following the bustling activity was a lunch of sub sandwiches, chips, drinks and cupcakes, which were distributed to the students while they enjoyed the musical stylings of Keahiwai.
"The cupcakes were rad and it was cool. Keahiwai came, because I've never heard them before, and by the end we were all singing along to their songs," said junior Deanna Elerick.
The eclectic mix of worship, entertainment, games, bonding and vivacious spirit made for a diverse and all-encompassing feast day.
"Everyone was so colorful and it brought everyone together," said freshmen Margaret Cheong and Katrina Aguire.
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Fun-filled event turns loose change into gift for Aloha United Way
Students pitch in their pennies as donations and for spirit points
By Marie Lee
St. Francis School
You can call it the "Connors' 101 ways to raise money" for charity. According to faculty member Sean Connors, organizer of the St. Francis School fundraising carnival, this year's event raised more than $1,700, earmarked for the Aloha United Way.
"In the past three years of the 'penny carnival,' St. Francis has been awarded the first-place trophy for the AUW student competition, having donated more money per student than any other school in the state," Connors said.
Hundreds of students brought handfuls of pennies to contribute. In just 45 minutes the students, faculty and staff managed to raise more than $1,700 for the charitable organization.
To get the students excited and motivated to donate and have fun at the same time, games and food stations were set up on campus.
"The penny carnival always brings a sense of togetherness to our school community," said Sister Margaret Antoine Milho. "It was such a great day! I was having so much fun, even though I lost when I played at the basketball booth."
Besides the basketball booth, students spent their "piggy-bank money" on hitting pinatas to get a handful of candies, singing karaoke, guessing the number of candies in a jar and saint names in the "Who's who?" game, yummy baked snacks and refreshments.
COURTESY OF ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL
Seniors Tamzen Tima, left, and Kanoe Vierra enlighten the students with their "star"-tastic voices at the karaoke booth.
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"We loved spending time with our friends at this year's penny carnival," said Ana Snyder. "Our favorite part about the carnival was the pinata game and the delicious brownies."
While the campus ground was transformed into a fun-filled festival, another event was also taking place: the competition for spirit points. There were huge water jugs for each division to fill with pennies, and the class that donated the most money received spirit points.
"I was so busy putting in lots of pennies into our junior high jug. I wanted our grade to win!" exclaimed Chelsea Cagaoan.
Superman fights to defend American citizens, but our super-women had a good time spending their piggy-bank money on games, food and drinks while helping those in need just before the Thanksgiving holidays.
Our heroines at Saint Francis were generous in giving to those who desperately need help in our society today. Even our younger students pondered what they could do to help those in need.
"We definitely made a change by giving money to those who are less fortunate. It feels good to take part in helping others," said Marjorie Teocson.
Davian Abe added, "It's more enjoyable when you can have fun at the same time."
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YOU ASKED
If Jesus came to visit you for Christmas, what would you serve him?
Mayu Nomura
"Take a picture with Him and have dinner together. I'd serve Him some salad and many other types of dishes."
Tori Inouye
"Ask Him what his favorite food is, and also ask questions like, What is the afterlife like?"
Sachi Okada
"I'd take Him out to the Macaroni Grill at Ala Moana and ask Him when the world is going to end."
Jessica Tang
"I would introduce Him to all my friends and family. Also, I would teach Him how to play softball."
Kara Hisatake
"I would take a picture of Him. But I would ask Him to prove that He is real."
Kaede Yanagihara
"I would say hi and then make Him some spaghetti and meat sauce."
Compiled by Maegan Hayashida