Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter, April 22

Aloha, HIDOE Community – 

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter.

Inaugural surfing season
Congratulations to Kahuku High & Intermediate for winning the boys title and Waialua High & Intermediate for capturing the girls title at the first-ever O‘ahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) surfing championship at Kewalo Basin on Monday! Kudos as well to all the individual champions who competed in the inaugural OIA and Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) surfing championships held over the past two weeks. It’s been very exciting to watch the first high school surfing season in Hawai‘i unfold this spring. A total of 55 high schools across five athletic leagues are participating, with student-athletes competing in boys and girls shortboard, longboard, and bodyboard divisions. The MIL has offered HIDOE-sanctioned surfing since 2014, helping lay the foundation for the sport’s expansion statewide.

On April 25, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, Maui Interscholastic League and Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation will host their respective league championships. All of these events will culminate in the first-ever state championship scheduled for May 1-2 at Ho‘okipa Beach Park on Maui’s north shore. A total of 174 student-athletes will qualify for the championship meet, representing the top high school surfers from across the islands.

Kahului Elementary School: We had a blast synergizing at Fun & Fit Day! Thank you staff, teachers & families for your support and donations. Mahalo to Maui Police Department and Maui Fire Department for volunteering and offering fun workouts for our Eagles.

Waipahu Intermediate School: Another great Waipahu Complex Elementary Track and Field athletics event last week. It was an awesome time filled with spirit, teamwork, and Waipahu community pride. Mahalo to WHS for hosting our complex elementary schools. Thank you to our WIS Athletic Director, Mr. Iraha, and our Sports Leadership students for organizing and running the event. Most of all, we loved seeing all of our elementary students having fun, giving their all, the coaches encouraging everyone, and the parents who came out to support every participant. These are the things that make Waipahu Complex - One ‘Ohana.

Hilo High School: Watch us bring the fire and set the night alight at the Unity Prom! 💥 Thank you to everyone that made this opportunity possible. And special shout out to the teachers and educational assistants for accompanying our students to this awesome event!

Hawai‘i Island’s Honoka‘a High School Jazz Band traveled to O‘ahu last week for a series of performances to celebrate National Jazz Appreciation Month. The students stopped by Hawai‘i News Now’s Sunrise to perform a cover of “Quando Quando Quando” by Michael Bublé and Nelly Furtado.

Students from McKinley High, Mililani High, Moanalua High, Kalani High, and Nānākuli High & Intermediate schools earned a range of honors at the 57th annual Hawai‘i High School Journalism Awards. The competition highlights student achievement across 21 categories—including writing, photography, online media and design—with rankings determined by top scores among 14 participating public and private schools.

After the March 13 Kona low storm caused damage to their facilities, the Konawaena High School boys volleyball team has been holding home games at Parker School in Waimea and practicing at Kealakehe High School. Recently, the team turned to social media to seek donations to help cover travel costs for the state tournament, as well as equipment and other expenses.

Cassie Nakaoka is a sophomore at Moanalua High School, where she is a part of the Moanalua High School Music Department, participating in both the school’s symphony orchestra and the marching band and serves as the Class of 2028 Vice President. She enjoys being active, whether it be studying in free time, fulfilling her duties in class council, or helping wherever she is needed. She aspires to become a physician, specializing in nutrition/dietetics, and hopes to attend the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Did you know when you volunteer at your child’s school: 

• You help the school and they are grateful!
• Children do better in school, socially and academically!
• You get to know teachers so they can help when you need it!
• It’s fun!

Sponsored by Project Appleseed, this year marks the 29th annual celebration of Public School Volunteer Week. Held during the third full week of April, Public School Volunteer week aims to recognize all of the parents, guardians, caregivers and community members who play a role in strengthening public schools. From helping out in the classroom or supporting the library to chaperoning a field trip or lending a hand at fundraising events, school volunteers have a positive impact on student learning and the school environment. 

Volunteering is a wonderful form of family engagement. Families get to learn more about their schools, make connections and become more involved in their child’s education. Schools also get to learn more about their students, build trust and become more responsive to students’ needs.

How to Volunteer:

• Check in with your child’s teacher to see if they might need any help in the classroom. 
• Join your school’s parent-teacher associations. These groups often help schools plan events and fundraise.   
• Ask your school’s administrators about School Community Councils. They are often looking for parents and community members to help craft the school’s academic and financial plans.

Contact Parents for Public Schools of Hawai‘i at info@ppshi.org to learn more ways to engage with your schools and students.

Lee A. Tonouchi

Occupation: Pidgin writer
College: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
What school you grad? ‘Aiea High School ‘90
Location: ‘Aiea, HI

Like many children raised in Hawai‘i, Lee Tonouchi grew up speaking Pidgin. His teachers often told him, “Lee, you write the way you talk.” He initially took this as a compliment, but later realized they meant it as a criticism. That experience helped shape his lifelong mission: to advocate for Pidgin and demonstrate its value in literature and the arts. 

In 1999, Tonouchi, whose nickname is “Da Pidgin Guerilla,” founded the literary magazine Hybolics, creating a platform for stories that celebrate Pidgin and local culture. He has taught at Kapi‘olani Community College and Hawai‘i Pacific University, where he developed and taught the first college-level course dedicated entirely to Pidgin literature. In 2023, the American Association for Applied Linguistics honored him with the Distinguished Public Service Award for his efforts to raise awareness about language issues and promote linguistic social justice. 

His published works include: “Da Kine Dictionary,” “Da Word,” “Living Pidgin: Contemplations on Pidgin Culture,” and “Significant Moments in da Life of Oriental Faddah and Son,” which won the Association for Asian American Studies Book Award. Tonouchi has also written several Pidgin plays staged by Kumu Kahua Theatre, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, and the Hawai‘i Conservatory of Performing Arts. His play “Three Year Swim Club” was performed at East West Players in Los Angeles and earned a Los Angeles Times Critic’s Choice Selection.

He attended Ali‘iolani Elementary, Waimalu Elementary, ‘Aiea Intermediate and ‘Aiea High School. In February, the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts announced Tonouchi as the 2026-29 Hawai‘i Poet Laureate, the third laureate in the history of the program and first to come from a public school. Watch him recite a poem he wrote titled “Pidgin on Trial.”

Q: Why did you choose this career path and what do you enjoy most about it?
A: Historically Pidgin talkers wuz always perceive as being less intelligent than da English talker. So da way I saw 'em wuz I could either change myself or I could try change da perception. I wen decide for dedicate my life to trying for change people's perceptions about Pidgin. Da funnest part about da job is when I get for learn new Pidgin words.

Q: What makes you #PublicSchoolProud?
A: I proud I went public school and I feel even prouder when I see our government leaders sending their kids go public school too. Das commitment to eju-ma-cation.

Q: What type of extracurricular activities were you involved in?
A: I remembah I wen join Math Club cuz my bestest friends James Lum and Dae Hwan Kim made me join. Dey loved being "mathletes" so I wanted for see what da hype wuz all about. I wen learn that for me personally words wuz waaaaaay mo' exciting than numbers.

Q: What advice do you have for students?
A: Not always easy for do da right ting. Just no sked 'em, go get 'em.