[ HAWAII'S SCHOOLS ]
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE ROSE RANNEY / ST. ANDREW'S PRIORY
St. Andrew’s Priory is
still the valuable fruit of a
Hawaiian monarch’s labors
Time is a powerful force. It changes everything, sometimes for the worse and sometimes for the better.
Since 1867, many things about Hawaii have changed, but even as the landscape and the people have changed, some things remain fundamental to our state, including our underlying values.
In 1867, Queen Emma founded St. Andrew's Priory School, and this year the school celebrates its 136th anniversary. She started with a vision and a hope for the education of young women in Hawaii, and she took that vision and made it reality.
Since the school was founded, Hawaii has been through the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, two world wars, an attack on its own soil, statehood and immigration by people from all over the world. Although the surroundings have changed, St. Andrew's Priory still sits in its place, a serene oasis amid the hustle and bustle of downtown Honolulu, faithfully carrying on Queen Emma's dream.
Queen Emma knew she was creating a legacy that would affect the lives of girls in Hawaii for generations to come. Her legacy lives in every young woman who strives for the highest in both character and academics at the school.
Raising the money for the school took the queen to Europe, where she traveled through England and Scotland soliciting funds from everyone from the archbishop of Canterbury to those she met in small towns along the way. With her natural charm, regal carriage and sincerity, she raised enough to start construction of her school in Honolulu.
Though she endured many trials, in the end her dream became a reality. She worked continuously with the school and with the students, whom she liked to refer to as "her daughters." To this day, girls who have attended the school since first grade are known for the rest of their lives as Daughters of the Priory.
With the help of Mother Sellon and the other sisters in the Society of the Most Holy Trinity, St. Andrew's Priory began to provide an outstanding academic and religious education for young women. That philosophy of the school is still strong today.
In the years preceding the founding of the school, Queen Emma lost her husband, Kamehameha IV, and her only son and saw the beginning of the end for the Hawaiian monarchy. But she never abandoned her school for girls. She continued to give support and love to help it survive the turbulent times.
Over the last 136 years, many things have changed at the priory. Gone are the long white dresses, but the girls still wear uniforms. Gone are the nuns, replaced by a dedicated and knowledgeable teaching staff. There are some new buildings, but still remaining is Transfiguration Hall, which was once home to the sisters.
One might wonder what Queen Emma would think of her school today.
She would see a top-notch education that places the graduates in the top colleges and universities in the world, alumni who are the movers and shakers of their generations.
Much has changed, and no doubt she would be very surprised, but one would think that she would find much the same and that she would feel comfortable mingling with the young women at her school. There are still the Christian studies, the Tuesday chapels in her beloved St. Andrew's Cathedral, the care for the aina, the service projects in which the girls participate to improve their community.
The confidence and pride of the priory women is still as strong as ever. The priory has survived many historical events; it has survived time and its challenges.
Although many things are different, the queen's dream lives on in each young woman who attends St. Andrew's Priory School.
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Priory girls march to
a different 3-R mantra
Go up to any student at St. Andrew's Priory and ask her what the "Three R's" are. It is safe to say that the student will answer, "Respect, Responsibility and Resourcefulness."
Each school has their mantra, things that the administration drills into the brains of students to make parents proud and society smile. The priory has taken this method of character development and redesigned it to make the "Three R's" characteristics that each student takes to heart.
The "Three R's" were established last year when a Western Association of Schools and Colleges team visited the priory to update the school's accreditation. The administration and the faculty considered attributes that each priory student should have by graduation and employ throughout their life. "Respectful," "responsible" and "resourceful" were the adjectives chosen to define St. Andrew's Priory students.
Respect: There are a few teachers at the priory who have only one classroom rule: Always respect each other.
"Respect is important because you need to be able to communicate with others in a way that is polite and professional," says sophomore Ashley Kaneko.
This attitude helps students learn to be considerate of others but without feeling the need to ingratiate themselves. Students are taught to treat everyone with respect so that it becomes second nature.
Responsibility: One of the first lessons a child is taught is how to be responsible. A first pet or homework assignment starts the lifelong need for responsibility. Responsible students at the priory make for an environment filled with trust.
The priory's small size allows students and teachers to have a lot of interaction. When students aren't doing well, they are expected to find the time to see the teacher. Each student is encouraged to become more responsible each day.
Resourcefulness: This characteristic seems to be the most prevalent at the priory.
"I call it 'priory ingenuity' -- it's an uncanny ability that priory girls have, where we come up with clever ways to handle situations," says senior Lillian Schemadovits-Norris.
In math and science courses, students are encouraged to use previous knowledge to solve problems that they have not been exposed to, then learn the book's method of solving the problem. If the students first think of their own ideas of problem-solving, then the book does not limit their thinking to one specific way.
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About this section
Each week, Hawaii's teenage reporters and photographers tell us about their school. This week's school is St. Andrew's Priory.
Faculty adviser: Gary Becker Next week: Castle High School
Fast facts
Address: 224 Queen Emma Square,
Honolulu 96813Head of School: Caroline Ward Oda Principal: Kathleen Carstensen Motto: "Kulia I Ka Nu'u -- Strive for the Highest" Mascot: Priory Pride -- "the lioness" Colors: Red and white
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You asked...
What does "Priory Pride" mean to you?
Nicole Tsukiyama
Kindergarten
"We like to work together!"Joy Ogasawara
Third grade
"My friends and no boys!"Alyssa Kaneko
Fourth grade
"Caring for one another like family!"Cathlene Goya
Eighth grade
"Supporting the priory in any way you can."Nicole Masaki
Senior
"Priory Pride means to represent your school in the best manner possible."
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