The Catholic girls school on Waialae Avenue has been home to Darcell Aiwohi, left; Darcell's daughter Colbey Aiwohi, 18; Darcell's mother-in-law Gwen Aiwohi; Brittney, 20, another daughter of Darcell; Gwen's daughter Sweetie Nelson; Nelson's daughter Jordan, 10; and Lindsey Aiwohi, 21, also Darcell's daughter.
Family keeps a tradition
of attending Sacred HeartsFour generations of Aiwohi girls
have gone to the academy
When Sweetie Aiwohi Nelson was a teenager at Sacred Hearts Academy, she told her pals that when she had her own children, she'd let them buck family tradition and try another school.
But then she grew up. And when it came time to put her daughter, Jordan, in kindergarten, "there was no question where she would go," Nelson said with a laugh. Jordan, now 10, is the fourth generation in the Aiwohi family to attend Sacred Hearts, which was founded in 1909.
"My classmates are sending their children here, too," Nelson said. "All the ones who said we wouldn't, all of our children are in Sacred Hearts. We've turned into our parents."
Loyalty to the stately red-roofed school on Waialae Avenue reaches back to Jordan's great-grandmother, the late Mildred Akau Aiwohi, who graduated in 1932, when nuns lived cloistered on the campus. Now, 1,150 girls in blue sailor uniforms fill its cream-colored buildings each day.
"Sacred Hearts is very structured," said Nelson, who graduated in 1980. "You don't want it when you're the subject of it, but when you're finding somewhere to send your children, that's exactly what you want."
One of her classmates, Darcell Aiu, wound up marrying Nelson's brother, Kala Aiwohi, compounding the family commitment to the Catholic school. Darcell and Kala's daughters -- Lindsey, Brittney and Colbey Aiwohi -- all graduated from Sacred Hearts in the last four years and are now attending the University of Hawaii.
Principal Betty White described the girls' grandmother, Gwen Aiwohi, as "the moving force in this extraordinary relationship" between the family and the school. A down-to-earth woman with a flair for organizing, Aiwohi has kept Sacred Hearts at the center of the family's life.
"The Aiwohi family is more than a family, it's kind of like an institution within an institution," said Lurline Choy, who has taught several Aiwohi girls in her 34 years at Sacred Hearts. "The support system is so fantastic. The girls all return to volunteer and help."
White said, "Gwen is a volunteer in a class of her own."
Gwen Aiwohi graduated in 1953 and has been involved in every fund-raiser at the school, even taking vacation from her old job at Consolidated Amusement to help. A member of the Academy's governing board for many years, she now serves as its secretary and works in the school's admissions office.
"I have always been a part of the school," Aiwohi said. "I never left it, practically."
When her daughter, Sweetie, lobbied to go to a bigger school, Aiwohi had a simple response. "I said, 'Well, too bad,'" she recalled. "Whether you want to or not, this is where you're going."
The family said they value the top-notch teaching and close-knit community the school offers.
"It's a good environment for the girls," said Darcell Aiwohi, who works for the private catering company on campus. "They can be themselves."
Being part of a prominent tradition means that all the teachers know you -- and your parents. Darcell's daughter Lindsey calls it "positive pressure."
"It was sort of like everyone's watching you," Lindsey said. "They expect more of you just because they know your family."
The Aiwohis' devotion to Sacred Hearts looks likely to stretch into the future. Jordan Nelson, whose favorite subject is science, has her sights set on becoming a veterinarian after graduating in 2011. And if she has a daughter?
"I think I'll send her to Sacred Hearts," she said with a pixie grin.
