Is The Class of 2018 Ready to Become Alumni?
The 2018 class ring designed by Emily Stone and ‘Elia Akaka.
As the first semester of junior year seems to fly by, students of the class of 2018 shed a few tears at the sight of their class ring. On November 3, the class met in the auditorium for the ring blessing ceremony led by Kahu Cordell.
Starting off the ceremony, the class chanted their oli, their voices echoed throughout the building. After the students were seated, Emily Stone and ‘Elia Akaka, the brilliant minds behind the ring’s design, confidently explained their kaona. Receiving their well-deserved rings, through their smiling faces, it was evident of how proud and content they were with the ring’s outcome.
With every hand outstretched, Kahu began to pray, blessing both the ring and its designated owner. After the blessing, students were then forced to wait anxiously while their rings were being distributed.
Standing in the middle of the (red) sea of people, the excitement was buzzing everywhere. Whether they had a ring or not, everyone was intent on laying their eyes and hands on the finely crafted piece of jewelry.
However, with receiving the ring also came a life changing decision… Who would be the first and last to turn the ring? According to Kahu, it is tradition for an important person in one’s life to be the first, and the most valuable person to be the last. Whether arguments between friends were started is unknown, but the pride and honor to acquire such a ring was apparent.
When asked the reasoning behind purchasing a class ring, junior Kaimana Stevens said, “I got it to remember high school and the moments we shared as a class”.
Now, with a symbol of their achievements thus far, juniors of the class of 2018 are one step closer to graduating and experiencing the world outside the KHS community that many have grown to love.
Aloha! My name is Sydnee'O Valdez and I am currently the News Editor. This is my second year at Ka Mōʻi and it has both improved my writing skills as well as started my passion for journalistic writing. Over the summer I interned with UH Mānoa’s student newspaper, Ka Leo, and have learned a lot about the journalism field. As an editor for KSK’s newspaper, I am excited to teach those newly learned skills to this year’s staff. My goal is to improve the works published in Ka Mōʻi, while shaping our staff into the role models future KS reporters will look up to. I’m excited for what this year will bring and all the achievments we as a staff can accomplish.
