The 12 students, all of whom are taking Geometry Honors, won the Pythagorean Division for grade 9 in the region, which includes public and independent schools in 10 U.S. states, plus international schools in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and other countries.

The first-place ranking was based on five 30-minute exams completed over the course of the school year, with the 12 Punahou students posting the highest combined score.

The CML, an educational organization that hosts academic leagues and contests for students worldwide, is known for its engaging, challenging academic competitions.

"These tests have tough, outside-the-box types of questions," said teacher Janet Chang '78 Oshiro, noting that the students relish the difficult subject matter and inevitably rise to the challenge. "We're proud of them all!"

Art students shot still and video images during the 12th annual photo trip, a neighbor island encounter that allows them to creatively capture the environment, culture, portraits and experiment with light.

Academy photo and video art teacher Alex Selarque led the excursion of 12 Academy students to Maui on April 19 - 21, 2013, with the assistance of artist educator Nina Pullella and the Video Production Department's Andrew Ryan '03. Highlights included exploring I'ao Valley, photographing historic Pa'ia town, snorkeling Molokini and Turtle Town, and watching the sunset on the summit of Haleakala.

"Every trip has its firsts. On this trip, everyone saw and photographed the rare Brocken spectre. To view a Brocken spectre, you need to see your own shadow cast on the top or side of a cloud. A faint rainbow circles your shadow," Selarque explained. "We were at about 9,500 feet above sea level when we reached the ridge of Haleakala crater. The crater was filled with a cloud below us when we saw the Brocken spectres. Pilots see this often around a shadow of their planes, but it's rare to see your own human shadow in a cloud shrouded by a rainbow."

It was the third time in 12 years that art students have chosen to explore Maui. The group shot film, digital and video, and share some of their favorite images in the slideshow.

See the slideshow

Elizabeth Ito, Jordan Kondo, Philip Lin, Colin Pating and Sean Rodan are among a total of 10 students honored this month in Hawai'i. Each received a $2,500 award from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), having progressed through three levels of competition that began when they took a qualifying exam as juniors.

They five were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high-school counselors, based on their academic records, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay; and a recommendation from their high school.

Congratulations students!

Leary, the author of "No One Has to Die Alone: Preparing for a Meaningful Death," spoke 
April 25, 2013, at the Pacific Club, discussing the importance of planning for the end of one's own life, and sharing ways to provide compassionate care for loved ones who are terminally ill.

During the talk, which was moderated by George Scott, a Punahou chaplain, Leary spoke about losing her own mother as an eighth-grader, and how the lack of communication within her family deepened her grief. The experience helped motivate Leary's life's work, and she has spent 25 years helping chronically ill, dying and bereaved clients.

She emphasized how important it is to touch, hold, and talk to and listen to loved ones who are dying. Preparing for the end of life -- others' and our own -- deepens the relationships and connections among family and friends, and ultimately strengthens a legacy through the generations, she said. She encouraged everyone to plan their own memorial services and to include family members in the process.

Leary's warmth and wisdom brought clarity to a subject that is difficult for many people to contemplate. The 58 Punahou alumni in attendance, from the classes of 1950 through 2003, learned how to be helpful instead of feeling helpless, and hopeful rather than hopeless.

This event recap was submitted by PAA Communications Chairs Laura Ing '71 Baker and Laurie Hayashi '89 Nakamoto

See the slideshow

By Kelly Kwan '14

I remember sitting up in the balcony of Dillingham Hall during a dress rehearsal of my first Triennial. Punahou Dance School was presenting "The Ice King" and I had just finished performing my two-minute tap routine as a cherry tree. I recall watching all the "big girls" and being mesmerized by the story they expressed through dance. They were graceful, charismatic, strong and confident. Their bodies and facial expressions told a story, and I was drawn into the fantasy world they created.

"Would I ever be able to do that? Me? No way!" I was a cautious 8-year-old girl who was content with blending into the background. I never wanted to stand out in a crowd and had yet to find my voice.

Instead of hanging up my tap shoes when that Triennial ended in 2004, Ms. Claudia Parisien-Heu invited me to join the school's Tap Company, a program that emphasized choreography and performance skills. "Huh? Me?" I was sure she had mistaken me for someone else. Scared and tentative, I agreed to do it.

Like all Punahou programs, the dance curriculum is thoughtfully designed. Participation in the Tap Company requires all tappers to learn the fundamentals of dance through ballet and other techniques through other dance forms. The overall program is structured into three-year cycles, allowing dancers two years to concentrate on technique before concentrating on performance aspects during the third year.

Suddenly, I found myself enrolled in all genres of dance the school offered and the Dance Pavilion felt like home to me. I started to feel more self-assured and I eventually found my voice -- through dance. I still have a long way to go, but dance will always be a part of me.

Over the years, the dance faculty and dancers have become my extended family. I am so proud to be part of this 'ohana and will be forever grateful for all the opportunities the Punahou Dance School has provided me.

From April 24 - 28, 2013, Punahou Dance School presented "Snow White and Rose Red," which included performances by nearly 500 dancers from grades 1 - 12. It was my fourth and last Triennial before graduating next year, and I finally got to be one of the "big girls."

Photos by Kathleen Connelly

See the slideshow

The Omidyar K - 1 Neighborhood is the only school complex in Hawai'i to receive LEED EB: O&M certification, and is one of 16 projects honored nationwide at K - 12 schools. The designation, renewable every five years, builds on the K -1 Neighborhood's 2010 Platinum certification under LEED for Schools, a rating system for design and construction.

"We are honored to receive LEED Gold certification for our school's efforts to teach and model sustainable practices, reflecting a campus-wide commitment to educating students for a sustainable future," said Punahou School President Jim Scott '70.

From October 2011 through March 2012, staff monitored and analyzed data from the K - 1 Neighborhood that included exterior building-site maintenance programs, water and energy use; environmentally preferred products and practices for cleaning and alterations; sustainable purchasing policies; waste stream management; and ongoing indoor environmental quality.

Kaitlin wrote the play to answer a challenge from her teacher Rebecca Kesler. "I knew she could do it," explained Kesler, noting Kaitlin's ability and passion for writing. Inspired by a class field trip to Coconut Island, the story follows a menagerie of ocean animals in their effort to keep their coral reef home clean and beautiful.

The individual writing project quickly became a group exercise, as Kaitlin recruited friends to perform the play in class. Building on the students' enthusiasm, Kesler enlisted the assistance of Junior School drama teacher Heather Taylor '92 to expand the exercise to a full production. The play ended with a song, which Kaitlin composed with assistance from K - 1 music teacher Amanda Lippert.

Taylor and Kesler involved every member of the class as part of the cast or production crew. About half of the class worked in teams to build the set and make costumes, while the other half memorized lines and rehearsed. In a span of only three weeks, the children were ready for three performances, which they presented this week in the Creative Learning Center of the Omidyar K - 1 Neighborhood.

The young performers clearly inspired audience members, who asked lots of questions after each show, wanting to know more about the students' creative process and about the marine life and sustainability theme highlighted in the play. Kesler's students gained a lot too, learning firsthand about all the work that goes on behind the scenes to bring an imaginative story to life.

It was indeed a great adventure for everyone!

 
The Holoku Pageant was staged in Hemmeter Fieldhouse twice on April 27, 2013, telling the thrilling tale of Pele's search for a home, "Ke Ala Paoa."
 
Middle school students performed on May 2, reflecting the same theme, while younger children welcomed their families and friends on May 3, celebrating Na Makana O Ke Kai (The Gifts of the Sea).
 
See photos on Punahou's Facebook page.

Led by Craig Impelman, former assistant basketball coach at UCLA, the camp covers all aspects of the "Wooden Way," including in-depth training in skills, team fundamentals and values. Punahou varsity basketball coaches will assist with instruction. Cost to attend is $200 per student, with registration open until May 31, 2013.

Download Registration Form

Participants in the John R. Wooden Course Basketball Camp will receive individual skills training and personal evaluation within a rigorous curriculum based on the philosophy of the late, great coach. According to Impelman, who has taught the course for more than 30 years, Wooden's philosophy, The Pyramid of Success, gives students an important foundation for basketball and for life.

For more information, please contact the Punahou Athletics Office at 808.944.5816.

The Punahou team of Zhengyuan Ma, Emile Oshima and Philip Lin took first place in Division AA (large schools) after an intense, daylong competition held at Kamehameha Schools' campus on the island of Hawai'i.

Each year, high schools throughout Hawai'i send three of their best math students to compete in the state championship, known as the Math Bowl. The competition features extremely difficult problems that must be solved in a limited amount of time.

The Buff 'n Blue team, coached by Academy math teachers Andrea Bender and Erin Nagoshi '05, rose to the challenge and also enjoyed sharing their enthusiasm for the subject matter with other competitors from around the state.

The Hawai'i State Math Championship (State Math Bowl) was first held in 1978 and is organized primarily by the Hawai'i Council of Teachers of Mathematics (HCTM) and Brigham Young University-Hawai'i.

Melody, who also wins a $1,000 scholarship, took first place with the evocative photograph, "Thoughts."

Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, who represents the district, hosted a reception for all of the entrants at the Bishop Museum on May 3, 2013.

"I am pleased that we have this opportunity to showcase the work of Honolulu's student-artists," she said in a news release. "Every year I am more impressed with the entries we receive and the vision and creativity they represent. "

The art competition was open to all high-school students attending school or being homeschooled in the 1st Congressional District, which runs from Kapolei to Mililani to Hawai'i Kai.

These ninth-grade Biology students are enjoying the culmination of a "bees in bio" unit organized by Academy science teacher Rick Bilenchi. It was part of an Institute for Teaching, Learning and Instructional Innovation Learning Fellowship that the Biology subdepartment participated in to explore inquiry-based learning methods. Bilenchi was responsible for the course's ecology unit and decided to make use of the increasingly popular topic of honeybees to study the interrelationships between living things and their ecosystems.

Bilenchi connected with the University of Hawai'i's Honeybee Project, as well as with local beekeepers and educators such as Charlie Reppun '65 and Jenny Bach, laying the groundwork for an in-depth look at bees and their roles as pollinators, food-producers and indicators of an ecosystem's overall health. In March, for example, the Punahou Beekeeping Club--headed by Lathrop as part of a Wodehouse Sustainability Learning Fellowship through ITLII--visited the UH research apiary in Waimanalo and harvested more than 400 pounds of honey as they learned about bees.

On Bilenchi's two "bee days" April 24 - 25, UH Entomology Ph.D. candidate Scott Nikaido briefed the students on bees in Hawai'i--from their historic introduction to their role in local agriculture. Later, in Gates Learning Center, students got a firsthand look at different aspects of bee culture and ecology at six stations, each manned by a faculty member or bee expert: from honey extraction and tasting to identifying worker bees and drones on a glass slide to dissecting larvae for mites and beetles.

"One of our goals is to keep bringing issues of sustainability back into the classroom with an ecosystem focus, rather than just through individual actions like recycling a bottle or throwing away a piece of trash," says Lathrop. "Bees are a canary in the coal mine as far as showing us how healthy our ecosystems are. By getting to know them better we are also getting the kids to be less afraid of bees." Bilenchi recounts how an early poll of students revealed an overwhelmingly negative reaction to bees, but after the bee days, it was overwhelmingly positive.

After completing his circuit, Kelly '16 said, "It's weird because we learned how important bees are and this is the first time I've ever heard about it. Normally we'll do labs and hands-on stuff in biology, but this was really fun and a break from the normal curriculum."

During her time on campus April 10 - 11, 2013, Ekayu spoke to an assembly of 8th-grade students, two teams of 7th-grade students, sections of the Senior CapSEEDS course, and interacted with the broader community at an evening screening of the 2009 documentary "Children of War," which details efforts to heal the former child-soldiers.

Leading up to the visit, middle-school students were prepped about the material because of the maturity of the topic. A world away, children younger than the Punahou students had been forced to commit horrible acts. Some worried that the topic might be too harsh, but what transpired for the students was a feeling of empathy. In addition to talking with Jane, they viewed clips from the documentary, which details the journey of a handful of child-soldiers who were able to escape their captors but who struggle to cope with the memories of their actions. The Punahou students saw these individuals--who could be their peers--experience therapy through art, role-playing, yoga, and one-on-one conversations aimed at healing the emotional trauma so that the former child-soldiers could rejoin their families and live the life of a "normal" child.

Ekayu's power over her audiences was demonstrated in the smiles and tears that were common among every group to which she spoke. Listeners were able to feel the pain and sorrow, but most impressive was the idea of forgiveness that she wanted students and others to consider. She explained that to heal these children from the pain of the atrocities done to them, they had to learn to forgive those who had abducted them. Each audience, whether comprised of 13-year-olds, 17- and 18-year-olds, or full-grown adults, reacted at first with puzzled looks. No trials? These men received no punishment? The children forgave them and the communities forgave them? Indeed, Ekayu acknowledged, "it was the least palatable solution," and yet it was the one that would work best for the long term.

Each of Ekayu's presentations ended with a sense of joy and hope. It is a challenge to make a large impact in such a short amount of time, but students left knowing that they had been educated in a way that no book nor lecture could impress upon them. Students were overheard saying that they wanted to go to Uganda and help. That is what Ekayu was hoping for: that those with whom she interacted would now know and would now care. Her advice to those students who expressed a desire to help was to, "Talk to people. Tell your parents, tell your friends, (forcing children to fight wars) is unacceptable."

The apprehension over the mature content and the physical distance of Uganda from Hawai'i gave way to a new sense of awareness and understanding, as the plight of the child-soldiers became one of concern to the Punahou community, many of whom accepted Ekayu as a heroic figure in their own quest to define themselves as caring citizens in the global 'ohana.

"I'm excited to lead a program that has such a tradition of success," Velasco said on April 29, 2013, the day his hiring was announced. 
"I look forward to working with the student-athletes at Punahou to build on that tradition going forward."

Velasco, the son of legendary Radford High School coach John Velasco, was a three-sport athlete at Punahou, and later played football at Brigham Young University - Utah and at the University of Hawai'i - Manoa. He started coaching alongside his father at Radford High School before returning to Punahou as a coach in 1984.

"With his leadership, compassion and values, Kevin is an exemplary role model for our students," said Athletic Director Jeaney Garcia. "We are thrilled to welcome him as head coach and know that his experience and expertise will lead to positive growth in the program."