KAUA‘I SOTO ZEN TEMPLE TO RECEIVE GRANT
Kaua‘i Soto Zen Temple is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts to receive a Grants for Arts Projects award of $20,000 to support the Soto Zen Bon Festival. This grant is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects in communities nationwide,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson. “Projects such as this one with the Kaua‘i Soto Zen Temple strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy.”
“I think the NEA recognized our preservation efforts in our folks traditions here on Kaua‘i, and our outreach into the community,” temple President Gerald Hirata stated. “At our Bon festival we celebrate our cultural heritage through our plantation immigrant experience and continue to enjoy the unique festival food fare that is found nowhere else. The hole hole bushi genre of songs sung by women working in the canefields, and flying saucers, an original festival food item that originated at the temple in the 1950s, are two examples of our folk culture that is underscored by the NEA grant.”
Ed Goka, project director expressed, “This is a huge honor for the Kaua‘i Soto Zen Temple and the community. It acknowledges that what we are doing here on this island, although it may seem very ordinary for us is quite extraordinary because of its value and significance to our community and to the visitors and guests that will be coming to experience the Soto Zen Bon Festival.”
The festival is scheduled for two evenings on Friday, June 16 and Sunday, June 17 at the Soto Zen Temple in Hanapēpē. For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
HAWAI‘I YOUTH HELP REVITALIZE 100TH IB VETERANS CLUBHOUSE
The saying “many hands make light work” was put to the test on Sunday, Feb. 5 when 25 middle and high school students gathered at the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Clubhouse to help beautify the interior and grounds of this unassuming but historically significant building on Kamoku Street in Honolulu as part of the Legacy2Action Project-Based Learning initiative.
Before embarking on this all-hands-on-deck event — which was jointly organized by the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans organization, ‘Iolani School and the University of Hawai‘i Center on Aging — students from both private and public schools on O‘ahu learned about the legacy of the Nisei soldiers who answered the call to duty during World War II and demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the United States despite the prejudice and discrimination they and their families often encountered in Hawai‘i.
Most of the Nisei soldiers who volunteered from Hawai‘i were from working-class families. While they may have lacked material wealth, they were rich in cultural values, camaraderie and love of community. That camaraderie was sustained after the war ended through the clubhouse, which to the veterans was more than just a building but also a place where they could gather with their brothers in arms in times of peace for mutual support, socializing, community education and to remember those who died on the battlefields of Europe to defend democracy and for the benefit of future generations.
The Legacy2Action event was an opportunity for those future generations to reflect on the sacrifices of the 100th Infantry Battalion soldiers — many of whom once occupied the very clubhouse where the students were gathered — and to help keep their memories alive through historical education and public service.
Over the decades the clubhouse has been used in a variety of ways, and as with most things that get older, it needed upkeep and maintenance. That’s where the students came in. With assistance from clubhouse members, educators and parents, the students fanned out throughout the building and on the premises outside to apply their positive, youthful energy to a variety of beautification and cleaning projects.
Some of them chose to help with gardening, raking and pruning chores outdoors. Others cleaned and polished the glass panels of the Medal of Honor showcase or the entryway glass doors and vertical windows leading into the clubhouse. One student and his father thoroughly cleaned the kitchen as if it were their own at home. Still other student volunteers helped organize books and archival material in the library or helped stack, move, and tidy-up chairs in the storeroom. By the end of the day, the clubhouse felt revitalized from the pre-spring cleaning — as well as a sense of reopening after nearly three years under the cloud of a global pandemic that forced many gathering spots like this to close its doors.
Some of the Nisei values the students learned as part of this service learning project were gaman (perseverance), gambaru (tenacity through challenging times), giri (obligation) and sekinin (responsibility). By participating in Legacy2Action this year, the students were able to demonstrate their understanding of these values by caring for the clubhouse that meant so much to the 100th Infantry Battalion veterans and now to the veterans’ sons and daughters who are committed to keeping the clubhouse an active and meaningful part of the community in Hawai‘i.
“I want to send a special thank you to Candice Sakuda, director of community and civic engagement at ‘Iolani School, and Christy Nishita, a gerontologist and director of the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa Center on Aging, for helping us with our second Project-Based Learning initiative,” said Jan Sakoda, president of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans organization, in the most recent issue of the Puka Puka Parade, the organization’s newsletter. The organizers were grateful to everyone who made the day a success, pleased with how everything turned out and are already looking ahead to possible future collaborations and activities with community members and organizations.
-By Kevin Y. Kawamoto
20TH ANNUAL JASH JAPAN WIZARDS COMPETITION
On Saturday, Feb. 25, 108 students from 18 schools across the state competed in the Japan-America Society of Hawaii’s 20th Annual Japan Wizards Statewide Academic Team Competition at University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa Campus Center. It was the first in-person competition since February 2020. The annual team competition was a full-day of intense academic testing on an extensive range of topics related to Japan, including: arts; contemporary Japan; culture and traditions; food; geography; history; Japan-Hawai‘i ties; language; literature; politics and government and sports. Teams were comprised of three students each with a total of 36 teams.
Between competition rounds, students could unwind with numerous activity stations in the activity center, including hanafuda by Hanafuda Hawaii, Pictionary, the chopsticks game, ohajiki, kendama and origami.
Students were also provided opportunities to explore higher education options in Japan and Hawai‘i at JASH’s college fair between competition rounds. The following JASH corporate member and supporting institutions participated in the college fair: Bunsei University of Art; Hawai‘i Tokai International College/Tokai University; International Christian University; Japan Exchange and Teaching Program Alumni Association of Hawaii; License Academy; Meikai University; Soshi Educational Group (International Pacific University and Tokyo Management College); Temple University Japan Campus; and University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa, College of Social Sciences.
This year, students were invited to create a video that illustrates how youth leaders can get engaged in developing or maintaining strong and meaningful sister state/city relationships between Hawai‘i and Japan. Out of a total of 25 video entries received, four were given top awards in the following categories:
Most Representative of the Theme/Topic: Waiakea High School, Level A (youtu.be/sUwB3OLHGWo)
Most Inspirational: H.P. Baldwin High School, Level B (youtu.be/0t_S8erCZnk)
Most Educational: Leilehua High School, Level A (youtu.be/Fa_hPsRRnY0)
Best Produced: Waipahu High School, Level B (youtu.be/d1KYlc54PL8)
The winners of the 2023 JASH Japan Wizards Competition are:
Level A (students enrolled in Japanese I or II level classes):
1st place: ‘Iolani School (O‘ahu) – Tateuchi Memorial Award and International Christian University Special Award winner (for highest number of points in the overall competition)
2nd place: Punahou School (O’ahu)
3rd place: Waiakea High School (Hawai‘i island)
Level B (students enrolled in Japanese III or IV level classes):
1st place: ‘Iolani School (O‘ahu) – Tateuchi Memorial Award and International Christian University Special Award winner (for highest number of points in the overall competition)
2nd place: H.P. Baldwin High School (Maui)
3rd place: Mililani High School (O‘ahu)
Each year, JASH awards trips to Japan to the top-scoring public and private school teams in each level. The school whose team won a trip to Japan through competition scores in the 2022 JWC is not eligible to win a trip this year via competition scores. This year’s JWC Japan trip winners are:
Level A: ‘Iolani School (private) and Kalani High School (public)
Level B: ‘Iolani School (private) and H.P Baldwin High School (public)
In addition, JASH Board Director and Youth Education Committee Chair Jean E. Rolles sponsored a fifth award for a trip to Japan in honor of fellow JASH Board Director, Dr. Michael Leineweber, who passed away in 2014. Dr. Leineweber was a loyal supporter of JASH who strongly believed in JASH’s educational programs, especially those programs encouraging exchanges between people from Japan and Hawai‘i. In his memory, Rolles sponsored a team chosen through a random drawing during the JWC awards ceremony. To qualify for this drawing, the team must have scored at least 120 points and be in the top 20 scoring teams at the competition. Waiakea High School (Hawai‘i island), Level A, were the recipients of the 2023 Dr. Michael Leineweber Award.
Kapolei High School (O‘ahu), Level B, was also awarded a trip to Japan donated by a retired public school teacher, who chose to remain anonymous. The donor expressed how her former students benefited from the JASH Japan Wizards Competition and wanted a second public school from Level B to travel to Japan.
These six teams of three students and their advisors will travel to Japan to experience what they studied in the classroom and through independence research, firsthand. JASH will also arrange educational programs hosted by our partners in Japan: the America-Japan Society of Tama Tokyo; Ehime Prefectural International Center; International Christian University; Nagaoka International Exchange Association; Temple University Japan Campus; and Tokai University.
“JASH is pleased to hold the Japan Wizards Competition that helps to teach high school students lifelong skills in research, team work and personal responsibility while expanding their knowledge about Japan,” said Reyna Kaneko, president of JASH. “We were so impressed by the level of knowledge these students have of Japan and encouraged by their interest in learning more about different cultures and perspectives. We are also extremely grateful to our title sponsor Hawaiian Airlines and other major supporters who through the JWC encourage high school students to study Japan and the many fascinating topics associated with it.”
The Japan-America Society of Hawaii is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with the mission of promoting understanding and friendship between the people of Japan and the United States through the special and unique perspective of Hawai’i. The Society is committed to education and conducts a variety of school programs from kindergarten to grade 12 and at the undergraduate level at no cost for Hawai’i’s students. For more information, please visit www.jashawaii.org.
ISLAND INSURANCE HONORS 15 TOP DOE PRINCIPALS
On Saturday, March 4, the Island Insurance Foundation, leaders from the Hawai‘i State Department of Education and public officials recognized the state’s 15 top public school principals at ceremonies for the 17th Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership Award.
The award honors the late Masayuki Tokioka, founder of Island Insurance Company, Ltd. and a proud graduate of Hawai‘i public schools. It was established in 2004 and is underwritten by the Island Insurance Foundation.
The event took place at the Island Insurance Center in downtown Honolulu, each of the 15 nominees – who lead public elementary and secondary schools in all four counties – received a $1,000 cash award.
The 2023 Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership Award recipient and two semi-finalists will be announced at the Public Schools of Hawai‘i Foundation annual dinner on Thursday, April 20.
The top principal will receive $25,000: a $10,000 personal cash award and $15,000 toward a school project of the principal’s choice. Two semi-finalists will each receive a $2,000 cash award.
The DOE principal-nominees for 2023 are:
• Sharon Beck, Ka‘ü High & Pahala Elementary
• U‘ilani Kaitoku, Hau‘ula Elementary
• Suzie Lee, Mäili Elementary
• Nathan Maeda, Maunawili Elementary
• Leila Maeda-Kobayashi, Köloa Elementary
• Amy Martinson, Highlands Intermediate
• Komarey Moss, Red Hill Elementary
• Jason Nakamoto, Leilehua High
• Chad Okamoto, Pu‘u Kukui Elementary
• Jacqueline Ornellas, Lincoln Elementary
• Christopher Sanita, Häna High and Elementary
• Wesley Shinkawa, Kapolei High
• Lisa Souza, Waiäkea Intermediate
• Kori Takaki, Kahakai Elementary
• Jason Yoshimoto, Kamilo‘iki Elementary
Hawai‘i DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi, Island Insurance Foundation Chairman Tyler Tokioka, Sen. Carol Fukunaga, Honolulu City Councilmember Val Okimoto and a wide array of statewide Department of Education officials attended to celebrate the 15 top educational leaders.
The Island Insurance Foundation is the charitable arm of Island Insurance, Hawai‘i’s only locally owned and managed property and casualty insurance carrier.
Since 2003, the foundation has donated nearly $12 million to a wide array of nonprofit organizations across Hawai‘i. It donated almost $1.2 million to 115 local nonprofits in 2022 and is recognized as one of the top 25 most active private foundations in Hawai‘i.
For more information, visit islandinsurance.com.
“CHIBURU” AVAILABLE MARCH 2023
This month, Bess Press will debut “CHIBURU: Anthology of Hawai‘i Okinawan Literature,” edited by Lee A. Tonouchi, which will bring together stories from an inspiring new wave of Okinawan storytellers and quintessential Uchinänchu writers into a singular publication. In Okinawan language, Chiburu can mean “a bottle gourd; a calabash.” Chiburu is also the Hawai‘i Creole word denoting Hawai‘i locals of Okinawan ancestry. This collective work is a literary letter of longing to the homeland, seeking to make connections with the past in a contemporary world. Most importantly, this book is a celebration of cultures, relationships and interconnectedness we all share as citizens in the calabash of humanity.
Katsunori Yamazato, the co-editor of “Living Spirit: Literature and Resurgence in Okinawa” stated that the book seeks “what it means to be Okinawan in Hawai‘i, a new generation of poets, writers and artists struggle to radically expand and create new images and narratives about their sense of identity.”
“For da longest time I wuz all like, somebody should make one book with all da newer local Okinawan writers from Hawai‘i,” said Tonouchi. “So aftah being huhu for couple few years, in 2012 I finally came to da realization dat gee, instead of being mad dat nobody doing ‘em, maybe I should just go do ‘em. Lol.”
To preorder your copy of “CHIBURU” or to join the list to get updated news about the book, go to qrcodes.pro/MMunZb. To learn more about Bess Press, an American publishing company based in Hawai‘i that focuses on various books on Hawaiian and Pacific history in culture since 1979, go to besspress.com.
