4/28/2020 #OwlStrong Newsletter, April 25, 2020

https://mailchi.mp/midpac.edu/owlstrong-living-our-values-april-25?e=63de032bcf 1/9

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Dear Dr. Turnbull,

I was playing Fortnite with the boys when my phone started buzzing, and your namepopped up on the screen. What did I do to garner a call from Mid-Pacific’s President?As it turned out, you called for a concerned check-up and a friendly chat, and you didn’tjust call me – you called the entire senior class of 2020. I – and all my classmates – greatly appreciated your call. In turbulent times like these I’vefound it’s crucial to find the silver lining, and that call perfectly exemplifies it. It’s families,it’s friends, it’s classmates, it’s schools and communities like ours staying connected andtaking care of each other. Although this is not the way I anticipated or hoped for my lastsemester of high school to end, it’s sparked in me a deep appreciation, now more thanever, for my classmates, teachers, friends, and the entire Mid-Pacific community. We maynot be able to cross our campus halls together, but we have platforms like Zoom, TikTokand FaceTime to keep each other lifted and excited for graduation. Your call was another bright light that has kept me smiling through these times – thank youso much! Sincerely,Evan Kagimoto and the Senior Class of 2020

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4/28/2020 #OwlStrong Newsletter, April 25, 2020

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From unexpected phone calls from Dr. Turnbull to virtual bulletin boards, social mediaposts, videos and more, members of the Mid-Pacific ‘ohana are using various means tosupport and uplift each other, demonstrating how innovation, creativity and care for oneanother are among the values we live by. Enjoy this look into the ways we continue toshare laughs, tears, love and hope for the future. Be sure to catch a special message fromKaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami in Alumni Voices, sending his aloha to Mid-Pacific andthe Class of 2020.

Not surprisingly, the Class of 2020 is savvy in their use of digital tools to stay connected.They’ve been using their class Instagram account to send reminders and shine a light ontheir classmates’ plans after Mid-Pacific. They also have a 2020 TikTok account - checkout their latest creation!

These are just the first few things class officers have planned. Their goal is to do at leastone virtual class activity per week, with the goal of promoting hope, encouragement, andhappiness all the while being grateful for family and health. High school faculty also filled a virtual Padlet bulletin board with words of inspiration for theSenior class. Read their messages here.

High SchoolStudent government-led challenges, designed for fun, connection and sharing, continuedthis week with Try It Tuesday, Wear it Wednesday and more. Wednesday’s Wear It themewas “Glasses for Your Classes” and students and teachers showed up in style! Enjoy thisvideo montage recapping the day.  

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4/28/2020 #OwlStrong Newsletter, April 25, 2020

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Missing seeing each other, the Junior Class of 2021 recorded videos of themselvessaying “hi” to their classmates. Enjoy this compilation of friendly faces from their homespaces in 2021’s roll call. Great to see you all — take care, stay healthy and keep smiling! CLICK HERE

Middle SchoolMiddle School’s padlet, Quaran-TeenTime, is picking up steam with posts fromstudents and the teachers who love andmiss them! Each week brings a newtheme and challenges, including the veryentertaining, mystery Masked Singers!See how this padlet has grown and if youcan guess who Stormtrooper, DoggyDogg, and friends are…  CLICK HERE

Elementary parents came togethervirtually on Friday, April 24 for an informalconversation and sharing session withpreschool/elementary counselor MariaCorpuz-George, learning specialistKathleen Hassler, and psychologist-consultant Dr. Terri Needels, PhD., aboutmanaging the new norm of living, learning,working and playing at home. Parentsshared their challenges and found supportamong their peers and professionals thereto help.

From the Classroom

Mr. Jeremy Lawi shared this work-in-progress recording of his Concert Band classperforming Cheerio March, composed by Edwin Franko Goldman. Individual recordings of

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4/28/2020 #OwlStrong Newsletter, April 25, 2020

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each student - like Simon ’24 (tuba), Jacob ’24 (trombone) and Jett ’24 (flute) are doinghere - are stitched together using the Soundtrap app. Concert Band is composed mostly ofsecond year band students. LISTEN

 Vocal Ensemble has completed their recording of We Can Be Kind, the first of three songschosen to represent their feelings during this time of crisis. Thank you to Ms. Celia WrightChun and Ms. Alethea Train for sharing your students’ beautiful and touchingperformance. A special shout out to senior singers Cara de Leon ’20, Lance Lott ’20 andNicole Nakamoto ’20.  LISTEN

Best of SNOFour student-journalists who write for Mid-Pacific’s award-winning online newspaper,Na Pueo, recently had stories published inthe Best of School Newspapers Online.There are 466 schools in the SNOnetwork of school publications, and onlythe top 10 percent of work submitted getspublished on a daily basis. READ MORE

Congratulations to our student-journalists and their advisor, Ms. Jessica Hanthorn:

Erin Goya ’21 - “Senior class members find ways to bond amid crisis”  READ STORY

Althea Lutz ’22 - “IB students have mixed emotions about exam cancellation”  READ STORY

Danika Kusumoto ’22 and Chelsee Sawai ’22 - “Up and Coming Artists”  READ STORY

Alumni Voices

Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami comes from a long line of Mid-Pacific alumni, starting withhis grandfather who graduated in 1922. Mayor Kawakami sends his aloha to the Mid-Pacific community along with a special message to the Class of 2020.  WATCH MESSAGE

 Mayor Kawakami is also reaching people near and far with his IGTV series, “Stay Home

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4/28/2020 #OwlStrong Newsletter, April 25, 2020

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Kaua’i.” His short, sometimes silly videos carry a serious message: Let’s all do our part toflatten the curve.

Something to Brighten Your Day

Mid-Pacific alumni faculty and staff show their support of the Class of 2020 by posting theirsenior pictures. Can you figure out “hoo’s hoo” among these Owls…?  WATCH

Answering the Call

“When the COVID-19 pandemic began Iknew I needed to be of service to mycommunity. I decided to dust off mysewing machine to make and distributemasks for friends, family, and mycoworkers. Fabric donations were madeby my Aunty and Mom (faculty member,Carolyn Roscoe). Nights and weekendsare now spent sewing away with myhusband helping me iron and cut fabric.My next step is to donate a portion toQueen’s ICU and other healthcarefacilities.” - Sachiko Roscoe ’10

Thank you to Athletic Director ScottWagner and M Club for using a littlecompetition to inspire our Owl athletes tokeep in shape while at home! Student-athletes have been posting pictures oftheir daily workouts in hopes of winning ateam prize at the end of May.

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4/28/2020 #OwlStrong Newsletter, April 25, 2020

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Let’s see which programs go OWL out!

Valerie (Aniya) Schmidt ’90 is doingsomething nice for her clients who mayneed extra help during this stay-at-homeorder. Valerie is a Financial Advisor atAmeriprise Financial Services, Inc. “I havedropped off veggies to my 90 and 96 yearold clients and sewn them masks to wearwhen they answer the door to futuredeliveries.”

Director of Mid-Pacific’s Kupu HouAcademy, Dr. Mark Hines, wasinterviewed on KITV4 Morning Newsabout Kupu Hou Academy’s free virtualprofessional development workshops forteachers nationwide. Dr. Hines will behosting workshops on deeper learning andproject-based learning, as well as freetraining for teachers and school leaders asthey navigate teaching online during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Mahalo for givingback to our teacher heroes, Dr. Hines andMid-Pacific’s Kupu Hou Academy!

WATCH THE INTERVIEW

For many Mid-Pacific families, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused sudden andunexpected financial hardships.

The Owl Strong Response Fundenables our school to meet its highest

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priorities during these trying times. If thetiming is right, please know your gift at anyamount is deeply appreciated. Thank youfor your continued support of Mid-Pacific. To learn more, click here.

From the Owl’s Nest  Mid-Pacific’s Student GovernmentAssociation rolled out a series of weeklythemes for high school students andteachers to share a little about themselveseveryday. Try It Tuesday was all abouthousehold chores. Spanish teacherSenora Nancy Wysard’s submittal was areal crowd-pleaser. Enjoy this video ofSenora Wysard feeding Trixie, her pot-bellied pig!  

Alumna Ayana Strutz ’11 is not taking theCOVID-19 quarantine sitting down! Fromhome in Chicago, IL she has started anew series, Dancing Through TheQuarantine. Hopefully we’ll see muchmore of Ayana’s awesome energy invideos to come!  WATCH HERE

During this time of online-everything,should you and how can you manage yourchild’s screen time? Mid-Pacific VicePresident of Academic Affairs LeighFitzgerald, weighed in on this topic in arecent issue of Honolulu Family magazineonline. READ MORE

Owls For Owls

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4/28/2020 #OwlStrong Newsletter, April 25, 2020

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Mid-Pacific alumni business owners/employees are doing their best to continue to offergreat services to our community while keeping the safety and health of their customers inmind. Let's show our support for them during this challenging time.

Joelle Ng ’87 Joelle is a former New York City Fashion Designer now practicing Ayurveda and teachingyoga / meditation in Hawaii. She is currently a Yoga instructor for Mid-Pacific Institute’sExtended Learning Program where she is now conducting virtual classes daily. Hercertifications in Ayurveda under Dr. Paul Dugliss play an integral role in sharing holisticways of living consciously and fostering a healthy balanced lifestyle. Joelle’s yoga trainingunder world class instructors, Alan and Sarah Finger has helped her evolve signatureclasses of her own with loyal participants. Learn more about Joelle by visiting her websiteat joelleng.com. Receive an exclusive Kama’aina rate and invitations to free events byjoining her mailing list.Email: rytjoelle@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/joelle.ng.963Instagram: instagram.com/rytjoelle/www.joelleng.com

Mark Harris ’92MD Restoration is Hawai‘i’s most comprehensive locally-owned disaster recovery andgeneral contracting firm. The company’s emergency 24/7 water extraction, moldremediation, asbestos abatement, carpet cleaning and COVID-19 preventative andconfirmed case deep cleaning teams will resume operations on Monday, 4/27/20. Pleasecontact MD Restoration for a quote.Phone: (808) 528-3434Location: 2343 N. King StreetEmail: mark@mdrestore.comFacebook: facebook.com/mdrestoreInstagram: instagram.com/mdrestore/www.mdrestore.com

Rechung Fujihira ’00BoxJelly is a group of coworking spaces and social nodes based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Weoffer memberships to individuals and businesses that grant access to a friendly, productive

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space to work in the form of offices, open workspace, meeting rooms and event space.BoxJelly is a strong supporter of the arts, and entrepreneurial community.Phone: (808) 769-6921Location: 307A Kamani StreetEmail: info@theboxjelly.comFacebook: facebook.com/boxjellyInstagram: @theboxjellytheboxjelly.com

If you know of any businesses with an alumni connection that would like to be listed in thisnewsletter, please email Heidi Bow, Director of Alumni Relations at alumni@midpac.edu.

Resources for Parents and StudentsAs a reminder, the Mid-Pacific campus will remain closed for the remainder of the regularacademic year and throughout the month of June. Please refer to Dr. Turnbull’s April 17

letter which contains important information and details about this closure. 

For a copy of this letter and the latest correspondence about virtual learning,visit Our Owl Community in myPueo.

What is your family up to when you’re not studying or working?

If you have any questions, please contact Heidi Kim, Parent Relations Liaisonat (808) 973-5022 or hkim@midpac.edu.

Our mailing address is:2445 Ka‘ala Street, Honolulu, HI 96822

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