December 5 — It’s that time of year again! The gentlemen of Nae’ole Hale got in the holiday spirit on Friday night as they spent the evening decorating a Christmas tree, stringing lights in their rooms and the front office, and spreading holiday cheer. The boys even enjoyed candy canes and hot chocolate.
On behalf of the Nae’ole Hale ohana, we wish you and yours a happy holidays!
Whew! If the saying “time flies when you’re having fun” has even a kernel of truth to it, we have had a blast this year. It’s hard to imagine that the end of the first semester is on the horizon and that Thanksgiving Break is upon us. As we pause Hale life to spend time with our loved ones at home, please take a moment to check out some of the highlights from this month:
With the holiday season here, students were given the opportunity to visit Pearlridge on Sunday, Nov. 23. Many took advantage and purchased presents for friends or family members (or themselves!). Others enjoyed the sights and sounds of the mall and some treated themselves to a bite to eat. Still others spent their mall time at the movie. In the below picture, 13 boys take a moment to smile for the camera:
Monday, Nov. 24 —
Above, students demonstrate their skills at the Fall Showcase. The Fall Showcase is a culminating event for Kamehameha Middle School’s Choral Music Program. Below, students deliver a rousing performance:
It wasn’t all fun and games for the seven boys who recently had dishroom duty, however. Below (from left to right), Keala, Daniel, Kaukahi, Miki, Damon, Kalani, and Sean take a break from this chore to pose for a photo:
Finally, with much to be thankful for this season, a special feast was put on for the students of Nae’ole Hale and Kaha’opulani Hale on Tuesday, Nov. 25. A special thank you is due to Ms. Maluo, who coordinated the wonderful event which included a traditional Thanksgiving feast, “Turkey” decorating, holiday madlibs, turkey calls, picture-taking, and — of course — memory making:
Above (from left to right): Jaymin reads his Thanksgiving madlib much to the delight of a fellow student; Five youngsters judge the best “turkey” on the stage in the foreground. There were about 10 turkeys in total; Students and Mrs. Ho decorate said turkey on a coconut using construction paper, scissors, balloons, candy, and their imagination.
From left, Keala demonstrates his patented “turkey call;” Trajan shares his mad lib — with a quartet of fellow students hanging on his every word … and finally …
THE WINNING TURKEY:
Ms. Ahana’s group cheeses with the goods, the winning coconut-turkey!
On behalf of the boarding community at Kamehameha Schools, we would like to wish you and your family a happy holiday season. We look forward to seeing everyone again on Sunday!
Makahiki season was dedicated to the god Lono, and during this time, wars ceased, certain religious practices were suspended, and major construction works were put on hold. When Makahiki began, the makaʻāinana offered their tribute to Lono and to the aliʻi, in the form of their finest foods, crafts, and clothing. These items were offered with the highest sense of pride in hopes that these gifts came back in the form of blessings from Lono (e.g., rainfall, good growing conditions, and fine crops). Once this process was complete, the people were free to engage in games and leisure to celebrate their yearlong hard work. Major tournaments were arranged in the various ahupuaʻa and were attended by entire communities. The champions of each district were esteemed and honored as homegrown heroes. The greatest champions were invited by the aliʻi to challenge the champions of other ahupuaʻa.
The Hawaiian games were exciting and fun to spectate. Reports note how hundreds, even thousands would attend the Makahiki game tournaments. Our Hawaiian ancestors truly cherished these games and held them dear to their naʻau (heart).
In an effort to provide students with this experience, Mr. Quinabo and Mr. Ala have coordinated a series of Makahiki games for the young men of Nae’ole Hale.
In the above videos, it’s the first floor boys versus the second floor in a game of hukihuki, or tug-of-war.
These pictures from Trunk or Treat 2014 are too good to not share! This event featured hauntings, costumes, screeches, laughs — and CANDY! Thank you to all who made this event possible. Enjoy the pictures:
Another successful beach outing is in the books! On Saturday, Nov. 1, the gentlemen of Nae’ole Hale and the ladies of Kaha’opulani left from morning breakfast to spend the day at Queen’s Beach in Waikiki. The weather was outstanding and the young men and women enjoyed lapping up the sunshine at this beautiful locale.
The young men of Nae’ole Hale enjoyed a team-building activity during Hui on Thursday night. Held each Thursday after dinner, Hui is usually a time the boys compete against one another. This installment of Hui was different, however, as the boys took a timeout from competition to focus on the core values that make athletes successful.
The purpose of the activity was to enhance camaraderie among the boys by emphasizing cooperation, humility, and respect. The night began with the guys circling up and Mr. Quinabo espousing the importance of teamwork. They then split into groups and enjoyed various activities, including solving the Human Knot (pictured).
The Kamehameha Middle School boys football team beat St. Louis this evening, 28-17, to earn the right to call themselves champions. A number of boys from Nae’ole Hale contributed to the win. Pictures to follow…
The pictures are a little late, but we wanted to share a couple of photos of the New Boarder Dinner with Mr. Kim on Sept. 24. Don’t the boys look sharp all dressed up?
The specter of Hurricane Ana may have derailed our plans to visit the beach this weekend, but the gentlemen of Nae’ole Hale still had plenty of entertainment. Mr. Ala took time to capture some of the action at Keawe Gym while the rain fell in torrents outside —
