The King Kekaulike Alumni Association hosted its first annual reception prior to the homecoming football game in the KKHS gym on Friday, September 27, 2013. Current, retired and previous teachers along with alums representing various classes attended the informal meet and greet.

“This is the just the start,” said Alumni Association President Troy Hashimoto – ‘05. “ We hope this event will continue to grow and we will hold many more events that can bring together the Kekaulike community,” he said.

Working for over a year, the Alumni Association Board has been working to establish a strong foundation with goals that include raising funds for future scholarships, assisting with class reunion events and most importantly, supporting the broader Kekaulike community.

Attendees of the 2013 King Kekaulike Homecoming meeting and greet.

One of Association’s most recent steps was to start giving alumni an identity. With the assistance of Kekaulike graphics teacher and board member, Ryan Arakawa – ‘00 along with Crivello Designs, the Association has started the sale of alumni t-shirts for $15. They can be purchased online at www.kkhsalumni.org/alumni-t-shirt and pick-up can be arranged.

The Association has also been participating in various Kekaulike events, including the Homecoming pre-game parade, Kekaulike Matsuri and Kekaulike Karnival. Board member Kalo DeLeon – ’02, employed his crafty wood working skills and impressively built a beanbag tossing game that will be used at various alumni fundraising events. His board has already been successfully used both at both the Matsuri and the Karnival.

A new award for alumni is also now taking nominations. Through the work of Kekaulike Senior, Joebelle Bonete, an “Alumni of the Year” award has been launched.  As part of her senior project, Bonete has been consulting with the Alumni Association to develop criteria for this new honor. An extension of the student, teacher and class of the year awards, her goal is to feature alumni who have made accomplishments that can inspire the Kekaulike community. Nominations for the inaugural award are closed for this year, but be sure to look out for the nomination period next year. 

Looking forward to the next few months, the Alumni Association is seeking sponsorships for a possible alumni scholarship and is also encouraging alumni to become judges for Kekaulike Senior projects, which will be held on Friday, March 14, 2014. Please consider participating.

The Alumni Association is continaully looking for new ideas. If you have any thoughts on what the Association should be doing or have any ideas for this newsletter, please do not hesitate to send an e-mail at info@kkhsalumni.org. Thanks for reading!