COURTESY OF HAWAIIAN MISSION ACADEMY Students Jung-A Song, Tina Tang and Kara Lee practice a Korean dance for Hawaiian Mission Academy's May Day program. International students make up about 23 percent of the school's student body.

Coming together

Foreign students join U.S. students
at Hawaii Mission Academy

Hawaiian Mission Academy is a culturally diverse school with students coming from various corners of the globe. International students make up roughly 23 percent of the student body. HMA's English-as-a-second-language (ESL) program is the oldest in Hawaii.

Hawaiian Mission Academy Name Ka 'Elele Faculty adviser Jane Cheeseman Editor Sarah Teehee Address 1438 Pensacola St., Honolulu 96822 Phone number 536-2207 Principal JosuŽ Rosado Nickname Knights Web site hma4u.org

Students come to Hawaiian Mission Academy mainly from Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Korea, but students from Austria, Hungary, Indonesia, Tahiti, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam have also attended and graduated from HMA. After graduation, some international students return to their native countries to attend university, but many others continue their education in U.S. colleges and universities. Two students from Korea, after studying only three years at HMA, were accepted into Johns Hopkins University, one of them into the medical school.

Students in the ESL program attend language classes, where they learn to read, write, and speak English. The program also includes classes in American culture, choir and physical education, as well as religion, since HMA is a Christian school.

Peter Cheeseman, head of the English department and the director of the ESL program, spoke about the progress many international students make when going from knowing very little English to being able to read English novels comprehensively and participate in regular classes.

"Once they demonstrate proficiency in English, they can be mainstreamed into the regular high school or college-bound program," said Cheeseman. "It's both amazing and rewarding to see how articulate some of the international students become by the time they graduate."

International students are an integral part of the school family. Regular students readily befriend and accept them. Some of the regular students help the international students with homework in English, health, and history, and in return, the international students help the regular students in math and science, since they are well-grounded in those areas before they come to the U.S.

"Hyuk Hur has been my mentor in math for the last two years," said junior Elizabeth Polson. Many other regular students mention their appreciation for the international students who help them with their homework.

When it comes time for the practices for the May Day program, a cultural performance HMA puts on every year, international students teach their countries' cultural dances to the local students as well as learn dances from other cultures. Last year an international girl learned and performed three hula dances.

In another number, a young man from Taiwan taught a teacher the Chinese sword dance as well as martial art stances for the program.

International students also take part in class government as well as in ASHMA, the associated student body of HMA. Last year students elected a number of international students as class treasurer, secretary, T-shirt and banner design chairperson, and as a religious vice-president in ASHMA.

In a special column about, for, and by international students, the school paper has featured articles that broaden readers' views on topics such as China's One Child Policy. A reporter interviewed a female student from China who is alive today despite China's One Child Policy favoring the birth of sons, which sometimes results in parents' abandoning daughters at birth.

Other topics have included U.S. policy on North and South Korea and the suicides among Japanese high school students who fail to pass college entrance examinations. Other lighter social and cultural topics such as ethnic foods have increased the regular students' understanding of the different cultures represented by the international students.

Hawaiian Mission Academy offers international students a sound spiritual, mental and social education while at the same time international students contribute to the rich, dynamic, multi-cultural heritage that defines HMA.

May Day performance
fosters unity and diversity

Hawaiian Mission Academy's May Day celebration is a school-wide effort that showcases individuals' talents and promotes student leadership.

"Students excel in learning and performing dances, which truly makes our campus a cultural melting pot," says May Day coordinator Cindy Nylen.

During practice, adults step back and leave the coordination and planning of dances to student leaders. HMA prides itself in developing highly capable students like seniors Kai Okinaka and Kaliana Lia, who teach hula and Tahitian dances, and senior Aika Gushiken from Okinawa, Japan, who teaches traditional and modern Japanese dances.

"At first I was scared of the responsibility," says Gushiken, "but the students have learned quickly, and as each day ends their spirit as a team grows stronger."

Not all students dance, but there are many other ways to contribute. The journalism and yearbook classes take pictures to document the event. Students of Digital Art & Video spend the night filming the show, and, for days afterwards, editing it.

Students in study halls help by decorating the gym, folding bulletins and setting up chairs in the gymnasium. Performers make their own costumes and accessories.

"I was so impressed by their dedication when I saw them practicing after school and during their free time," says school registrar Linn Madsen, who is involved in the Japanese dances. "They're really trying their best to make this event spectacular."

Says junior Jay Calla: "May Day is fun, exciting, and also educational. This year I'm teaching some of the boys the fire dance. I feel important and thrilled to be teaching the most-anticipated act. The students I'm teaching are easy to work with, and they learn fast."

On the Saturday night before the performance, students gather for a dress rehearsal. By Sunday afternoon, McKeague Hall is transformed from a gymnasium to a tropical kingdom with a stage, throne platform and large sea of seats. Students run through another dress rehearsal Sunday morning and make last-minute changes.

The gym is filled with people before the sun sets. Students' families, friends, and supportive school alumni come to watch the performance. A band of alumni and friends play music, and cameras flash as the court makes its royal entrance. The king and queen are seated, and the cultural dances begin.

"May Day is a critical part of our hidden curriculum," says Principal JosuŽ Rosado. "It's a time in which we value the rich diversity of our different cultural heritage. Each student at HMA is a piece of a colorful mosaic which we proudly present to the community."

"What have you contributed
to make HMA a great school?"

Danny King
Freshman
"I try to bring humor to the campus with my jokes."

Symphony Valencia
Freshman
"I give a listening ear to anyone who needs one."

Josh Winslow
Sophomore
"I accept people and appreciate them for who they are."

Liz Polson
Junior
"I reach out to the students, especially the international students. I'm friendly and easy to approach."

Ben Bechard
Junior
"I try to plan innovative, exciting vesper programs."

Grace Park
Senior
"I try to come up with meaningful community service projects for the student body."