nce 1 i s s
de st u nt
Vol. 84, Issue 2
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e for
September 19, 2008
3
oic
Imua ‘Iolani
92
Honolulu, Hawaii
Good morning, Invisible Children seen in ‘Go’ Brandon Kumabe
Vietnam!
Mr. Tate Brown finds a new friend.
Amelia Linsky | Imua ‘Iolani
Freeman travelers explore abroad By Cristin Lim After almost 20 hours of flying, 18 ‘Iolani students and their chaperones arrived on June 12 at the Saigon Airport inVietnam. This unique 15-day trip to Vietnam was sponsored by the Freeman Foundation, all expenses paid. The application for this opportunity, open to entering junior and senior ‘Iolani high school students, involved writing an essay stating why the student wished to attend and an interview with Mr. Tate Brown, Dean of Students. Freeman trips usually occur every two to three years, with past trips taking ‘Iolani students to both China and Japan. The Freeman Foundation was created by Houghton Freeman, who sought to bridge gaps and strength bonds between Asian countries and the United States. In 2002, the foundation gave ‘Iolani a generous grant. This money went towards funding the Freeman Scholars Program, which awards financial aid to Asian immigrants who wish to attend ‘Iolani School. The Foundation also sponsors study abroad programs in Asian countries for ‘Iolani students. These study abroad opportuni-
ties have been ongoing and allow ‘Iolani students the chance to visit foreign countries they have never visited before. The trip covered four cities: Saigon, Da Nang, Hoi An and Hanoi. The agenda, crammed with tours to museums, schools, and rural villages, gave the students a literally unique taste of Vietnam. They sampled all kinds of Vietnamese foods, and even participated in cooking classes. One of the most memorable events was a hike up Marble Mountain. The trek also afforded many picturesque views of the countryside and ancient temples. Some of the more surprising aspects of the trip were the aggressive salespeople and the need for brushing teeth with bottled water. Some of the students felt that playing the ‘rich American tourist’ made them feel guilty and unappreciative. “I don’t want to sound cliché, but I’m so grateful that I got to see such a unique place,” senior Amelia Linsky said. “It made me appreciate Vietnamese culture, but it made me appreciate my own culture even more.” For more photos, see p. 3
Murdered family members, disease, and scarcity of water are not things usually found at ‘Iolani. However, during Meeting Period on Tuesday, these atrocities were the main topic of an awareness presentation about the current conditions in northern Uganda. The presentation featured speakers from the nonprofit group Invisible Children and a film called “Go,” a documentary about student participants who traveled to Uganda through a program called Schools for Schools. Activists at Invisible Children started Schools for Schools to help redevelop schools in northern Uganda that have been devastated by two decades of a brutal war. “The government evicts people and forces them to move into the middle of nowhere,” said Desiree Watkins, one of the speakers and roadies for Invisible Children. Citizens have been murdered, their children kidnapped and forced to fight in rebel armies. Schools for Schools invites students from high schools around the country to do one of three things to help. They can raise money through traditional fundraising methods, collect books or come up with a creative idea or video to help raise money. The schools that contribute the most will be eligible for a trip to Uganda. Nineteen of the top stu-
Courtney Ochi | Imua ‘Iolani
Timmy Harris and Desiree Watkins sold t-shirts to raise funds for Invisible Children. dent contributors will then receive expenses-paid trips to travel to northern Uganda to experience the conditions firsthand. Heading Schools for Schools for ‘Iolani is Project H.O.P.E., a result of last year’s positive reaction to the Bake Sale for northern Ugandan children. The $6,000 raised went to a school in Uganda that had been adopted by Kalani High School’s Project H.O.P.E. “It sparked so much interest that we wanted to adopt our own school,” said Mrs. Frith, one of the three advisers of the club. Ms. Kehlii Ohlokai and Mr. Kam Monaco are the two other advisers. Invisible Children visited last
year to talk to the eight and ninth graders. This awareness assembly was a way of informing upperclassmen who had not heard of Schools for Schools or other Invisible Children programs. Desiree Watkins urges students to get involved. “I didn’t get involved in high school,” she said. “I look back and definitely regret not doing anything.” Watkins has lobbied for a bill that would have Congress give aid to help Ugandans in displacement camps. “It doesn’t really matter what you do as long as you’re doing something,” Watkins said.
Inside: Cordelia Xie goes to the Olympics! Corrections for the August 30, 2008 issue of Imua ‘Iolani:
“Molting ‘Io bird statue takes flight”: The ‘Io bird statue was constructed out of ‘Iolani’s old IBM mainframe that was destined to be thrown away at the time. “High hopes for Castle construction:”: There was major renovation to the exterior of Castle in the ‘90s to enlarge the business office and bookstore and reconfigure the second floor. The Castle family did not give ‘Iolani School a monetary grant in 1973. They gave the school agricultural land that was eventually sold. Thanks to Mr. David Masunaga for the clarification.