Educator, musician, philosopher, theologian, and soldier for social justice; Joe Miller, religion teacher at Maryknoll School, personifies what it means to live the Maryknoll way by utilizing his talents to glorify God and to make a difference in the lives of others. It is not uncommon for Joe Miller to bring together students, teachers, and administrators to share their gifts. In the picture above, Mr. Miller organized a one-hour presentation at last weekend’s BILAC conference at Chaminade University by rehearsing a team of musicians from Maryknoll to perform with him. At school, Mr. Miller can be found leading our All School Masses in the Clarence T.C. Ching gymnasium, singing our school’s alma mater at the end of special events, creating imaginative projects for his students in class or sharing food, laughter, and stories in the faculty workroom at lunch.

Mr. Miller graduated from Damien High School and originally thought he would study Marine Biology in college when he was accepted to Gonzaga University. His love for Hawaii eventually led him back home to the University of Hawaii where he received his BA in English.  During his time at UH, he was inspired by the Marianists and Maryknoll sisters who often visited the Newman Center at UH now called the Holy Spirit Parish. After watching other Catholics fighting for social justice, Mr. Miller began working for associations built to assist people in our community like the Model Cities Program and Hale Kipa. Soon after, he was persuaded by several Maryknoll sisters and Marianists to go back to Gonzaga University where he attained a MA in Theology.

For the next fifteen years, Joe taught religion at Maryknoll School, St. Louis School and at Schofield Barracks as the Director of Religious Education. In 1990, Mr. Miller chose to return to Maryknoll School and has taught religion here ever since. It was the Maryknoll sisters once again that led him back to Maryknoll School as he witnessed them helping those in need near Kuhio Park Terrace. In fact, it’s the spirit of the Maryknoll mission that has kept him here so long. From the creation of the Majuro Mission over twenty years ago, to becoming a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools, Maryknoll School’s focus on social justice is what Mr. Miller loves so much about our school.

Mr. Miller is living our motto of Noblesse Oblige because he harnesses his talents and those of others to inspire and assist people in our community by making God’s love visible. It is clearly evident that our Maryknoll sisters wanted Joe here and we are happy to have him as a member of our team.

To whom much is given, much is expected. New-to-Maryknoll teacher Dr. John Trowbridge was born with an intellect that has led him to earn his Ph.D. and learn to speak several languages. Today, Dr. Trowbridge is teaching Spanish at Maryknoll High School and he is every happy to be here.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Dr. Trowbridge graduated from Portledge High School uncertain as to what he would study in college with so many interests in mind. After attending the University of Vermont and Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Trowbridge graduated with a double major in philosophy and Asian languages. Soon after, Dr. Trowbridge was accepted to Ohio State University where he earned a Master’s degrees in East Asian Languages and Philosophy. For a year, Dr. Trowbridge lived in Taiwan attending National Taiwan Normal University. He eventually chose to attain is doctorate degree at the University of Hawaii after receiving a scholarship from the East-West Center, where he also worked as a graduate assistant.  

Dr. Trowbridge has worked in various capacities as a professor at Kapiolani Community College, Hawaii Pacific University, and the University of Hawaii-West Oahu. He also worked for Hawaii International Child, a non-profit adoption agency using his foreign language skills to communicate with others internationally. In time, Dr. Trowbridge felt he could make the greatest difference in the lives of others by being an educator of youth. After teaching elementary students at Hahaione Elementary School, Dr. Trowbridge has chosen to make his new home Maryknoll School and we hope to have him here for a very long time.

Dr. Trowbridge is living our motto of Noblesse Oblige because he is sharing his love of learning and languages with our Maryknoll students as their Spanish teacher. Thanks for choosing Maryknoll School Dr. Trowbridge!   

           Mr. Lance Suzuki, award winning economics teacher at the high school, is adept at creating lessons that are rigorous and relevant. In particular, the Urban Plan is a realistic, engaging, and academically demanding project in which students learn about the fundamental forces that affect development in the United States

          Specifically, the Urban Plan is a three week long simulation where students work in groups to develop a plan for redeveloping a hypothetically blighted urban area.  Each student assumes a specific role (i.e. project manager, marketing director, etc.) and has to incorporate economic concepts in their proposals.  In addition, like real-life development teams, student teams must balance many complex and interlocking elements:  profitability, practicality, city requests, neighborhood satisfaction, and aesthetics.

          While developing their plans, real urban planning professionals – including professors, architects, urban planners, and real estate developers – come in to ask questions and give feedback.  At the end of the process, student groups present and defend their plans before a panel of urban planning professionals, who select a winning plan after an oral presentation and questioning.

          Mr. Suzuki has been participating in this program since 2006. He finds it to be a great way to integrate economic concepts that students have learned within a real-world scenario, making it relevant to our students. In addition, the rigorous problem solving aspect of this activity makes it one that involves the use of higher-order thinking skills that will prepare Maryknoll students to be 21^st century learners and leaders.

Thank you Mr. Suzuki for providing our Maryknoll students this opportunity!

Freshmen and sophomore Japanese language classes visited the Hawaii Tokai International College for Japan Day. Students participated in a variety of classes such as Bon Dance, Calligraphy, Crafts, Ikebana, Kimono, Soroban and Tea Ceremony, to learn more about Japanese culture.

"All the classes were very exciting because it wasn't only listening to the speakers but also experiencing the culture with our whole body," said sophomore Hayato Kamata.  "For example, for the Tea Ceremony, we ate sweet crackers and drank tea, which were delicious. For the Bon Dance, we danced until the class ended, and for Calligraphy and Crafts, we created different types of artwork using Japanese tools like fude and sumi."

In the midst of maintaining classes, student Senate and community service responsibilities, Jazlyn Baptista competes (and wins!) in pageants.  This Sunday, October 13th, Jazlyn will compete in the Miss Hawaii Teen USA pageant. 

Q: How does it feel to be selected into the Miss Hawaii Teen USA pageant?

JB: At first, it was overwhelming! I knew from past experiences participating in pageants is a huge commitment - financially, physically and mentally.  No one really thinks of pageants as a tough process but trust me, when you put yourself in the position to be judged...you're pressured to become the best version of yourself possible.

Q: How were you selected?

JB: I entered the pageant just three weeks before the pageant date. A contestant dropped out of the competition, and I was asked to fill her space. I honestly was not planning on competing but I would have been insane not to take this amazing once in a lifetime opportunity.

Q: How long have you competed in pageants?

JB: I've been doing about one pageant a year since I was 12! I won Miss Hawaii Junior Teen America then competed in Miss Junior Teen America. I was third runner up in Miss Hawaii Junior Teen Princess and second runner up in Miss Oahu Teen Filipina. 

Q:  What's next for you?

JB: Hopefully, I'll be crowned Miss Teen USA 2014 at nationals in Las Vegas and receive a four year college scholarship! I plan to major in either Business Management or International Business. As for pageants, that chapter will be ending. However, I'll still find ways to give back to the community and keep in touch with my pageant sisters.

The Miss Hawaii Teen USA pageant will be this Sunday, October 13 at The MODERN Hotel in Honolulu. Limited tickets are available at the door. Vote for Jazlyn as your "Fan Favorite" on the official Miss Hawaii Teen Facebook page by "liking" her contestant photo.The program will also air on KHON2, November 2nd at 7:00 PM.

          On Sunday, October 13th, high school senior, Micah McGivern, will participate in the 61st Annual Moloka'i Hoe Race (Moloka'i to O’ahu). Micah paddles for Lanikai Canoe Club. With determination and dedication, he trains every day from 5:30 a.m. to 6:45 a.m. on the Ala Wai, and then trains at Lanikai from 5:00 pm to 8 p.m. This is the first time the O’ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association allows paddlers under the age of 18 to participate. In addition, this is the first year that Ocean Paddler TV will live-broadcast and live-stream this event. So tune in here on Sunday, October 13th, at 1:30pm and cheer on Micah via the Ocean Paddler Television livestream! 

               Our Maryknoll Sisters left New York nearly a century ago to help “make God’s love visible” throughout the world. They started their work in China and eventually spread their mission throughout the continents of Asia, South America, Africa, and more. For Lily Lu, Maryknoll School’s Mandarin teacher for the last 31 years, she believes God’s desire for her was to be a bridge between the East and West. As a teacher, adjunct professor, and artist, her belief in noblesse oblige has helped her to accomplish that objective.

Born in China, Lily attended school both in Beijing and Taipei. After graduating from high school, she attended the Free Pacific English Institute in Saigon, Vietnam to perfect the English language. Soon, she moved to the islands and studied painting and drawing at the University of Hawaii, where she earned her undergraduate degree. After working as a fashion illustrator for The Ritz, Lily began focusing her energy on teaching Mandarin as a lecturer at the UH Principal of Guang Hwa Chinese Language School and as a part-time teacher at Maryknoll, Punahou, and Kamehameha Schools. Eventually, she chose Maryknoll to be her home and has been here ever since.

Lily has accomplished much in her life. She played an integral role in the creation of the First Chinese Church of Christ on Oahu. In addition to this, she received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year award from the Hawaii Association of Language Teachers in 1999.  She is most proud of her two sons. One of them currently works as a senior designer for Yahoo and the other is a police officer with the Hawaii Police Department.

Today, Mrs. Lu enjoys reading, listening to music, and traveling with her husband. She has many wonderful memories of Maryknoll School, including the various ways in which students have celebrated Chinese New Year and the accomplishments of her former students that have excelled after leaving Maryknoll School. In particular, Arron Wong was valedictorian for his class at UCLA, while some of her students attended the Hong Kong Technical College for Schooling. One student even started a successful lighting fixture business in Guangxi, China. In all, what she enjoys most is former students coming back to visit her after being away from Maryknoll School for many years. Even today, Mrs. Lu meets Maryknoll graduates for lunch in Chinatown for dim sum and talk-story sessions.

Mrs. Lu has lived our motto of Noblesse Oblige. Through the efforts of people like Lily, Maryknoll now offers Mandarin to students from kindergarten through the 12^th grade. She has helped to build relationships between ourselves and the people of China through her support of both cultural and educational exchanges in the years that she has worked as a teacher here at Maryknoll School. With our new sister school in China, her vision continues to grow for Maryknoll School and we are truly grateful to her.

Attend any Maryknoll School event today and it is likely that you will find Christopher Coats behind the camera capturing many of the special moments shared between students, parents, and teachers at various ceremonies traditionally celebrated as part of the “Maryknoll Experience.” For almost 20 years at Maryknoll School, Mr. Coats has done much to identify, nurture and capture the talents of our students by teaching guitar, ukulele, general music, music appreciation, videography, film studies, photography, graphic arts, and more. For someone so dedicated to highlighting the achievements of others, it may be surprising to some that Mr. Coats is an extremely talented artist and athlete who could have spent his life in front of the camera. Instead, Mr. Coats has chosen the path of Noblesse Oblige by sharing his knowledge and talents with others and Maryknoll School has benefited from that decision.  

Mr. Coats spent his high school years in San Diego, California competing in skateboarding competitions, playing the guitar, and surfing.  When his father moved to Oahu, it was only natural that Mr. Coats followed him to Hawaii to study classical guitar at the University of Hawaii and spend his free time surfing in paradise. After a few years, Mr. Coats attained his undergraduate degree in Music Performance (Classical Guitar). After graduating, he immediately began teaching courses in classical guitar at the University of Hawaii, Mid-Pacific Institute, and Chaminade University. During that time, he also met the famous classical guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima and was inspired to analyze his arrangement and transcription techniques. This led Mr. Coats to eventually attain his graduate degree at the University of Hawaii in Music Theory.

While working on his degree in music theory and becoming certified in the Suzuki method of instruction, Mr. Coats met a few students from Maryknoll School and soon approached Andrew Corcoran, former principal at Maryknoll High School, to teach guitar. Mr. Corcoran, a fan of classical music, asked him to join Maryknoll soon after as a part-time teacher. One year later, Mr. Coats became a full-time instructor teaching General Music, Music Appreciation and Ukulele.

In time, teachers of technology-related courses left Maryknoll School and someone was needed to step in. Realizing Mr. Coats is a very talented artist, he was asked by the Administration to learn more about using computer-based software to teach courses like Film History and Photography. With the objective of training himself and others to use technology effectively in the classroom, Mr. Coats attained his second graduate degree in Educational Technology at the University of Hawaii in 2006. Now, Mr. Coats teaches exclusively technology-related courses that involve the creation of visual arts that include video/film production, the creation of websites, and more. Other teachers also benefit from his knowledge through individualized training sessions he provides them as they learn to create their own websites on Moodle. In the picture above, Mr. Coats is spreading his knowledge of creating film with teachers from across the state of Hawaii at the Schools of the Future conference at the Hawaii Convention Center on October 17 and 18, 2013.

              Mr. Coats has lived our motto of Noblesse Oblige by sharing his talents with Maryknoll School when called to do so. Many of his students have gone on to be successful musicians and artists through his tutelage with several of them winning contests with their video productions. Mr. Coats' dedication to extend himself professionally by teaching various courses and the sacrifices he made to educate himself accordingly were highly influenced through conversations he had with Maryknoll Sisters Patrice Kehoe and Rosario Daley, who taught him that people lead by example. For almost 20 years, Mr. Coats has led by example and although he is often hiding behind his camera, we recognize and appreciate what he has given and continues to provide Maryknoll.  

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to learn physics and aeronautics in high school from a physicist educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has worked in underground labs around the world collecting particles of atoms and detecting neutrinos? Maryknoll students can answer that question very easily because the teacher they affectionately call “Dr. G” fits the description above perfectly.

Born and raised in Japan, Dr. G. graduated from high school at American School in Japan with the hope of studying physics or math in college. Dr. G. attended Pamona College to study physics, but he did not feel challenged by what he was learning there and applied soon after to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study physics. Although Dr. G. felt for the first time like he was an average student in most of his classes, he continued to excel in school. When he completed his undergraduate degree in physics at MIT, he immediately wanted to become a high school teacher; however, he was influenced by many others to become a researcher and eventually attained his Ph. D. from Michigan University.

Dr. G’s career soon sent him around the world. He conducted research at the Fermi Laboratory in Chicago maintaining a shutter mechanism that collects particles of atoms. He then continued his research as a Research Associate at the University of Maryland. Later, he worked in an underground lab in an old zinc mine in Japan detecting neutrinos in water. He was then hired briefly by the University of Hawaii to study cosmic rays and later worked underground again in a Canadian copper mine doing more research. After traveling so many miles working in various countries and states, Dr. G. finally made the decision to follow his heart and become a teacher by moving back to Hawaii and attaining his teaching certification.

When it was time for Dr. G. to make a decision about what school to teach at, Maryknoll School was one of the few willing to provide him that opportunity. After four years of teaching at Maryknoll, he is very happy with his decision to be at Maryknoll because he feels that Maryknoll School is serious about making teachers better and provides many opportunities for professional development. He also appreciates the relationships shared between teachers at Maryknoll and sees much potential in the students he teaches.

Like the Maryknoll Sisters who gave up much to serve others around the world, Dr. G. believes wealth does not always lead people to happiness. Instead, seeing students grow to become human beings that make a difference in society is what brings him joy. Thank you Dr. G. for living “Noblesse Oblige” by sharing your talents with our Maryknoll students as their physics and aeronautics teacher. 

The photo above shows a Maryknoll student with his quad helicopter. He and his partner built it from scratch.  The only thing bought from a store was balsawood.  Everything else they gathered was available in school:

• Old Capsella kit motors
• Recycled Styrofoam
• Robotics batteries
• Electrical wires
• Duct tape

The quad helicopter did not fly, but it came close!  When all four motors were powered up, there was enough lift to reduce friction, causing the helicopter to start rotating clockwise. Some may see this result as a disappointment, but Dr. G. believes getting as far as they did was an accomplishment in itself.  

Below are a few examples of the rigorous learning of advanced ideas that took place in Dr. G’s Aeronautics class in the First Quarter of the 2013-2014 school year.

• Electric circuits – the students tried out various types of batteries.  They learned about Ohm’s law (relating current, resistance, and voltage).  They learned about series circuits (the more motors you connect to the circuit, the slower they move because each motor shares the same voltage, so the voltage gets divided).  They learned how to overcome this by using multiple power sources.
• Angular momentum – The helicopter started to rotate clockwise when powered.  That is in reaction to the motors, which were spinning counter clockwise.
• Lift, and more electric circuits – When the motors were first connected, there was air blowing upward.  Students realized that to get lift, you need the wind to go downward.  They figured out that they needed to reverse the polarity connecting the motors to the batteries.
• Right and Left handed propellers – Did you know that propellers come in right-handed and left-handed varieties?  In order to keep the helicopters from spinning, you need to counter-rotate opposite pairs of motors.  But if you use all right-handed propellers, one will push up while the other will push down.  The solution: you need propellers twisted in opposite directions.

The concepts above are difficult to learn by simply reading, writing, and talking about them.  By working on projects like these, students learn these new ideas by creating products they are familiar with, thus making their learning both rigorous and relevant.

Thank you Dr. G. for providing our Maryknoll students that opportunity. 

Maryknoll School is proud to celebrate our Spartan champion, Micah McGivern! Congrats to high school student McGivern who is the 2013 ILH Varsity Kayaking Champion. Micah was also awarded a medal for being the overall ILH Sprint Kayaking champ. He had an undefeated season in both the sprint and distance. We are very proud of him! Here he is pictured with him mom and Maryknoll High School teacher, Mrs. Heidi McGivern.

Living Noblesse Oblige

Being there for others is the Maryknoll way. As Maryknoll School’s athletic trainer and teacher, Ashley Putnam lives that mission each and every day by assisting our Maryknoll athletes when they are injured and also teaching them what it takes to live a healthy lifestyle.

Ms. Putnam is new to Maryknoll School, but she has spent many years preparing for the position she currently holds as athletic trainer. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Ms. Putnam graduated from high school as a cross country, track, and diving star with the hope of someday becoming an athletic trainer. To achieve the goal of both studying and being an athlete in college, Ms. Putnam enrolled into Denison University in Granville, Ohio where she attained her undergraduate degree in Athletic Training while competing in cross country and track for her school. Immediately after graduating, Ms. Putnam successfully completed her certification exam to become an athletic trainer and began looking for schools to continue her education with. She applied to the University of Hawaii with the hope of being accepted into their graduate program to study kinesiology. Soon after, she was accepted and moved to Hawaii. Once here, she applied to Maryknoll School to be our athletic trainer and this is her first year as a faculty member.

During the school day, Ms. Putnam teaches upperclassmen at the high school a course called Healthy Lifestyles. Wanting to create lessons that are rigorous and relevant, Ms. Putnam challenges her students to develop a one-week diet and exercise plan they can use when they go to college that will help them to avoid what students affectionately call the “Freshmen Fifteen.” To do this, students are also asked to utilize computer software to track quantitative data in the form of calories to develop a personalized plan based on their own specific needs. Students will be presenting their plans to parents as part of their final exhibition.

            Ms. Putnam’s day is not complete at the end of each school day. Immediately after school, Ms. Putnam attends as many sporting events as possible to provide our Maryknoll students the assistance they need to prevent injuries and help them when they are injured. Ms. Putnam can’t make it to every athletic event, but she has analyzed the data in relation to each sport played at Maryknoll and the injuries that occur in each respective level. When choosing what sporting event to attend, she uses this data to help her make the best decision possible.

            What Ms. Putnam loves most are our students. She feels very welcomed since arriving here at Maryknoll and is often surprised at how well our students treat her. Ms. Putnam sees the potential of our athletic teams and is very excited about the year to come. We at Maryknoll are equally excited to have Ms. Putnam as a member of our team.

After classes, student performers from the high school walk a couple of blocks down Punahou Street to Central Union Church to rehearse for Spartan Cabaret 2013.

"Spartan Cabaret is a showcase of student talent through singing, acting, music and dancing," said stage manager and director's assistant, Gwendilyn Liu. "There will be a lot of Broadway songs, show tunes, freestyle breakdancing, Hula and then I think we're going to have some classical music."

"I'm excited," said choreographer and performer Kani Severson. "This year we are reviving a lot of what we did my freshman year. A lot of the songs are the same, but it's a totally different set list.  I choreographed a few numbers."

This year's show in particular stirs emotions of excitement and melancholy for seniors Gwendilyn and Kani. Spartan Cabaret is the first of several final performances for them at Maryknoll School.

"It's a little bittersweet," said Gwendilyn. "We do have a senior song. So all of the seniors are going to go up and sing. There are about four, five seniors who have been performing since freshman year and even before that when the grade school did cabaret with us."

If there's one thing director and drama teacher, Elitei Tatafu, Jr., has taught them and the other performers, it's to give their all with each performance, on-stage and off.

"When I entered cabaret, I looked up to Mr. Tatafu. I still look up to him a lot," said Kani. "He has been a super huge influence in my whole evolution as an actor and performer. I owe him a lot. I'm in community theatre a lot, and he's very involved in that community too. We were joking because sometime soon we're going to be (performing) as equals. It's going to be funny."

'Life is a cabaret ol' chum so come to the Cabaret." ~ Cabaret (1972)

Spartan Cabaret performances will be at Central Union Church on Fri., Nov 22 at 4:00 pm; Sat, Nov 23 at 6:00 pm; and Sun., Nov 24 at 4:00 pm. General Admission: $5; Students/Teachers: $2.

            It is rare to hear the words Honolulu and Cleveland spoken in the same sentence because both are often seen as polar opposites. However, we at Maryknoll High School are proud to have adopted a Cleveland native here in Hawaii as our math teacher and his name is William Rauckhorst.

            Mr. Rauckhorst spent his first ten years of life in Cleveland, Ohio. When his father was offered a position with Catholic Charities here on Oahu, Mr. Rauckhorst soon found himself living on the island of Oahu attending Star of the Sea School before eventually graduating from Iolani School with a desire to study engineering or math. Mr. Rauckhorst then attended Santa Clara University, where he attained his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. For the next five years, Mr. Rauckhorst was employed at two engineering firms here in Hawaii doing work both for Hawaiian Electric and Pearl Harbor.

            Although Mr. Rauckhorst was compensated well for the work he did as an engineer, he did not find his job fulfilling. In fact, he had previously thought of becoming a math teacher at the high school level, but those close to him had successfully persuaded him to continue on the engineering path. In time, Mr. Rauckhorst made the decision to take a leap of faith and become a high school teacher. His first choice was Maryknoll School and he has found much happiness teaching math here.

            Mr. Rauckhorst personifies what it means to live the spirit of Noblesse Oblige because he chose to put others before himself by becoming a teacher and leaving his engineering career to inspire students to love learning math. Like the Maryknoll Sisters, Mr. Rauckhorst believes in the Maryknoll mission. This past summer Mr. Rauckhorst took part in that mission by spending three weeks on the island of Majuro in the Marshall Islands educating Marshallese students there along with our Maryknoll students. Although Mr. Rauckhorst has only been teaching here for two years, he has already shown a strong commitment to Maryknoll and we are blessed to have him as a part of the Maryknoll family. 

Teacher of the Week: Deanne Lee

Living Noblesse Oblige

            Sometimes people spend their entire lives reaching for their dreams without ever experiencing them. In the case of Deanne Lee, she knew exactly what her goal was after graduating from Maryknoll High School and worked hard to make her vision of becoming a history teacher at her alma mater a reality.

            Deanne Lee entered Maryknoll Grade School as a fifth grader and thoroughly enjoyed her years as a student there prior to becoming a freshman. However, it was her experience in high school that led her to eventually become a teacher. In particular, three teachers at Maryknoll High School made all the difference. Fortunately for us, all three people are still employed at Maryknoll High School. According to Deanne, “Mrs. Kawamura, Mrs. Morey, and Mr. Suzuki were amazing teachers that inspired me to become a history teacher at Maryknoll School.”

            When Ms. Lee graduated from high school, she knew that she would study history at the University of Hawaii with the hope of one day teaching that subject at Maryknoll School. In particular, Ms. Lee loved studying art history and travelled to various countries in Europe during her college years to see in person the artwork she loved so much as part of an educational opportunity the University of Hawaii provided its students at the time. After graduating with a BA in History, Deanne continued her studies at the University of Hawaii and attained a graduate degree in Secondary Education with a focus in History. Soon after, Ms. Lee was hired by Maryknoll School as a teacher. Deanne currently teaches American History and Art History at Maryknoll High School and is enjoying every moment of it.

            Ms. Lee says that her years as a student at Maryknoll School shaped her character and prepared her academically for college and for life. Today, she works hard to emulate the teachers who provided her those same opportunities. When Ms. Lee is not writing lesson plans or correcting papers, she spends her free time reading, writing, ballroom dancing, and cooking.

            Deanne Lee is living our motto of Noblesse Oblige by giving back to the school that has brought her so much. As seen in the picture above at the Honolulu Museum of Art, Ms. Lee’s students are captivated by all they are learning from her. Thank you Ms. Lee for choosing to return to Maryknoll and for making the commitment to inspire others in much the same way your teachers at Maryknoll did for you.    

Teacher of the Week: Jennifer Bauer

 Living Noblesse Oblige

           Perseverance is a word often associated with our Maryknoll Sisters. The same can be said for many of our teachers at Maryknoll School. In particular, Mrs. Bauer, Academic Dean of Religion and Cultural Expression and Spanish language teacher has persevered in life by raising her two children, learning a new language, attaining a graduate degree, and becoming a school leader.  

            Jennifer Bauer was born in Guam, but lived in places like the Philippines, Nebraska, and Illinois until she returned to Guam to graduate from high school. There, Mrs. Bauer new she would someday be a teacher, but she did not know exactly what she would teach. She loved acting and thought someday may be a drama teacher; however, after marrying at young age, she made the decision to dedicate herself to raising her two children before finishing college.

            When the time was right for her family, Mrs. Bauer decided to finish her college degree. Although she enjoyed theater, Mrs. Bauer also felt a great desire to learn Spanish. After initially attending Gonzaga University, she completed her undergraduate degree as a Spanish major at the University of Hawaii. Soon after, she worked at UH teaching Spanish 101 and 102 and eventually attained her graduate degree in Spanish Literature after also completing graduate work in Oaxaca, Mexico. While working as a graduate assistant, one of Mrs. Bauer’s former classmates told her that Maryknoll School was looking for a Spanish Teacher. Seven years later, she not only teaches Spanish at Maryknoll, she also oversees our Language, Religion, and Art Departments as Academic Dean.

            Mrs. Bauer has many delightful memories during her years at Maryknoll School. From taking her Spanish students on a service learning trip to Costa Rica to visiting various countries in Europe with them, Mrs. Bauer enjoys most the people she works with on a daily basis at Maryknoll School, including her students, teachers and especially her two children Kani and Sage. She holds great admiration for the work our Campus Ministry does and supports them whenever she can as an Emmaus and Kairos leader. She also appreciates teaching in an Essential School like Maryknoll because of the block system used that allows for deeper learning. As a leader, Mrs. Bauer has led the Senate and presented at the ACTFL conference.

            Mrs. Bauer is living Noblesse Oblige because she is a shining example to others of what someone can do with hard work, dedication, leadership, and most of all, perseverance. Thank you Mrs. Bauer for your leadership. We are blessed to have you on our team. 

Three of our Spartans, Natalie Kamada, Jedd Andrade, and Angelica Bustamente attended the National Federation for Catholic Youth Conference (NYCY) in Indianapolis from November 21 to 23. At the conference, over 23,000 high school age youth and their chaperones from around the country heard presentations by leading speakers on various topics including prayer, the sacraments, social justice, servant leadership, cultural diversity, transitioning to college, and more. Students also engaged in a wide variety of service activities. Congratulations to Natalie, Angelica and Jedd, who are living out Maryknoll School’s motto Noblesse Oblige, “to whom much is given, much is expected.”

                    One of our goals at Maryknoll School has always been to produce servant leaders. In the case of Elliott Chamizo, graduate of the class of 1961 and current English teacher at Maryknoll School, his life has been one of a leader, teacher and educator throughout the world.

            Mr. Chamizo grew up in Honolulu and attended St. Augustine Grade School in Waikiki. When it was time to attend high school, he was interviewed by Sister Margaret James, former Principal at Maryknoll High School, who told him that he would be a perfect fit for the school. Soon after, he was accepted to Maryknoll where he learned from the sisters there the power of serving others. After graduating from Maryknoll, he attended Seattle University in Washington where he received an undergraduate degree in Speech and Journalism.

            Inspired by the Maryknoll Sisters and President John F. Kennedy, Mr. Chamizo joined the Peace Corps in 1966 and was sent to Belize (formerly British Honduras) in Central America where he met once again with the Maryknoll Sisters who were serving the people in bordering Guatemala. He began his work there in an all-girls Catholic school in Belize City called St. Catherine’s Academy where he taught Business Education. Once he experienced what it was like to be a teacher, he made the decision to leave behind his original goal of someday becoming a newspaper reporter or journalist and focus on becoming the best teacher he could be. For that reason, he joined the National Teacher Corps after his time was completed with the Peace Corps and earned his graduate degree in Education at San Francisco State University in California. While there, he taught at Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco, but his desire to assist others around the world once again led him to Germany. There, Mr. Chamizo was a teacher for three years at Neubrucke American School and a principal for another five in Kerpen American Elementary School near Cologne, Germany. Eventually, his family needed his assistance here in Hawaii, so Mr. Chamizo chose to return home. During that time, Sister Dolores Rosso was in the process of retiring as Alumni Director and Mr. Chamizo was asked to take over the position. Although he enjoyed his experience working with alumni, he missed being in the classroom as a teacher. A teaching position opened up at Maryknoll High School soon after and Mr. Chamizo has been teaching English here ever since 1981.

Mr. Chamizo has served as Yearbook Advisor during all of his years at Maryknoll School. Of the many memories he has of Maryknoll, he is thankful to many of the Maryknoll Sisters who inspired him in many ways. He also takes pleasure in staying in contact with many of his former students through taking part in lunches, dinners, weddings, and baptisms. Unfortunately, he has also had to attend the funerals of some of his former students. In particular, he misses his good friend and former colleague Jared Kaufmann, who spent time with him at Maryknoll High School as a student, fellow teacher, and mentor. Mr. Chamizo also has fond memories of working with Mary Beth Sandla (former Drama teacher), Diane Pike-Bourne (English Dept. teacher and former Peace Corps volunteer), James Wong (former Math teacher and Peace Corps volunteer) and Sister Philip Neri.

            It is easy to see Mr. Chamizo continuing to live the spirit of Noblesse Oblige as seen in the picture above at this year’s Maryknoll Alumni Memorial Mass. Like each candle lit for every Maryknoll graduate that has passed on, Mr. Chamizo reminds us who came before us, who we are, and the servant leaders we know our future graduates will be.

Teacher of the Week: Cari Ann Honda

Living Noblesse Oblige

            If people look closely, they will discover that many teachers working at Maryknoll are former alumni of the school.  What others may not know is that several of our teachers were born and raised outside of Oahu. In particular, a few of them grew up on the outer islands of Hawaii. One example of this is our current Teacher of the Week, Ms. Cari Ann Honda.

            Ms. Honda was born on Maui and attained her education there at Wailuku Elementary School and later at Baldwin High School. At a very young age, Ms. Honda knew she wanted to be a teacher much like her mother and father. However, it was not until she met her high school chemistry teacher that Ms. Honda found her passion for chemistry. When it was time for her to graduate from high school, Ms. Honda chose to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa and eventually attained a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with Chemistry as her focus of study.

            As part of the certification process in becoming a teacher, Ms. Honda worked at Farrington High School instructing students in chemistry there. Although her experience working at Farrington High School was extremely valuable, she feels very blessed that Maryknoll High School offered her a teaching position as a chemistry teacher soon after she graduated from college. Ms. Honda is now in her second year of teaching at Maryknoll High School and works very hard to make learning chemistry as exciting as it was for her when she became fascinated with the subject as a teenager in high school on Maui.  

            Ms. Honda believes that Maryknoll School provides her students a safe environment in a community of caring people. She has not been at Maryknoll very long, but she already feels like a part of the Spartan family thanks to the close relationships she has built with members of our faculty and staff. She appreciates working in an educational institution where she has the freedom to create new ideas and implement them in her classroom.  It is not unusual to find Ms. Honda at Maryknoll several hours after school each day writing lesson plans and developing lab activities for her students. In the picture above, Ms. Honda helps her students understand chemistry by teaching them to use a Calorimeter to find out how much caloric energy is found in certain foods. Students are then challenged to build their own Calorimeters to make their learning more rigorous and relevant.      

            The spirit of Noblesse Oblige is found in Ms. Honda because she has dedicated her life to serve others in the field of education, much like her father and mother. Growing up, Ms. Honda witnessed her parents working late nights and on weekends correcting student work and developing lesson plans and was perfectly aware of the sacrifices they made as teachers to educate our youth. However, Ms. Honda stayed focus on her goal of becoming a teacher since she made the choice to take that career path in elementary school and is now making a great difference in the lives of our students here at Maryknoll. Thank you Ms. Honda for being a part of our Maryknoll family.

            Many people are not aware that it was once mandatory of for all male students at Maryknoll School to join the Civil Air Patrol. After a twenty year hiatus, thanks to the work of President Martin, Major General Wong, Col. John Henry Felix, Col. Jeffrey Wong, Darcie Kawamura and several others, the Civil Air Patrol is back at Maryknoll School offering opportunities to both male and female students to serve their community, learn about aeronautics, and become 21^st century leaders as CAP cadets. The most important step in the process of bringing back the Civil Air Patrol to Maryknoll successfully was to find the perfect CAP instructor. Luckily for Maryknoll, Captain Christopher Ugale has spent almost his entire life preparing for this opportunity and agreed to take the challenge this year of bringing back CAP to Maryknoll School.

            Christopher Ugale spent his childhood years growing up in Kaneohe attending St. Ann’s School from Pre-Kindergarten to the 8^th grade. He continued his education at Saint Louis School where he found his passion to become a leader. In preparation for that goal, Capt. Ugale served his school and community in various capacities as class president and member of the drill team, color guard, Kings Guard, JROTC, and CAP. Before graduating, Capt. Ugale made the choice to become a pilot and study criminology. After being accepted into several universities, Capt. Ugale chose to stay close to his family and attend Chaminade University to study criminology and attain his pilot license. While in college, Capt. Ugale worked for Hawaiian Airlines and later at Proactive Technologies as a Tactical Video Capturing Systems Operator. While working at the latter, Capt. Ugale was approached by high ranking CAP members to instruct our new Maryknoll cadets. Although he seriously considered becoming a remote piloted aircraft pilot in the Air Force, Capt. Ugale ultimately chose Maryknoll School instead.

            In his short time at Maryknoll School, Capt. Ugale has done much with our cadets. By teaching classes Monday through Friday and sometimes on the weekends, Capt. Ugale invests much of his time creating the best possible learning environment for our CAP cadets. From assisting our veterans at the Hale Koa Hotel and the Hawaii State Veteran’s Ceremony, to attending leadership training seminars at the Pacific Aviation Center and the U.S.S. Missouri, to serving our school through presentations of our country’s colors and assisting with parking at several Maryknoll events, feedback has been pouring in about how our CAP cadets are growing as leaders who represent Maryknoll well. In the near future, Maryknoll students will be meeting with politicians and famous CAP members in Washington D.C., attending military balls, taking part in our own Maryknoll School Drill Team and will eventually fly planes too.

            Captain Ugale understands fully through his many years of education in Catholic institutions of learning that the core of what makes a Catholic School special is its ability to provide our youth with the modeling needed for them to learn to live like Jesus did by serving others. CAP provides our students more opportunities to serve our community much like Captain Ugale has done his entire life. We are thankful that Captain Ugale is now a member of our Maryknoll family and we pray that he will continue to inspire our students to be the 21^st century leaders, learners and citizens of character we expect them to be.