The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation-sponsored contest is an annual event that includes three categories: poster, video and essay.
All entries must include an inspirational, yet realistic, idea of change that could take place in Hawaii. Students are asked to be creative thinkers in coming up with novel solutions to community problems.
English teacher, Jill Sprott, said, “The English teachers aren’t simply asking students to participate in a contest. Regardless of whether a student becomes a finalist, the real value of the endeavor is to challenge each student to be community-minded, to generate creative and ethical solutions to address very real problems, and to strive toward that ‘better society’ envisioned by Ching. The burden of problem-solving is shared by all of us; we cannot simply wait for someone to step in to save the day. We are the problem-solvers, and we must take that role very seriously.”
The Ching Foundation has generously supported the Academy over the past few years, including very generous donations to the Mother Louise Henriette Performing Arts Center and the Clarence T.C. Ching Student Center.
Sprott said, “Every year the Academy participates in the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation ‘Inspired in Hawaii’ contest to show our support for an organization that has done so much to support us.”
Twenty Academy students won in this year’s contest. Shezelle Awaya-Mara, Kira Chu-Maxson, Reese Machida, Cecelia Marshall, Ayla Hakikawa, Naiya Raphael, Brianna Choy and Angela Tamaribuchi were winners in the poster art contest. Emi Horii, Sophia Camara, Lucy Gentry, Julia Oehlers, Raelynn Chu, Carlee Matsunaga, Taryn Wong, Nikaela Busekrus, Victoria Lee, Megan Garcia, Danielle Ho and Dominique Dold won in the essay contest.
Students compete at their academic level against students in the same age group.
Ho said, “I have friends who have suicidal thoughts, so I thought it would be good to share statistics about this problem in Hawaii. I posed a solution of peer counseling in high schools because kids would rather talk to other kids than adults.”
Contest winners will be recognized on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m. at Kahala Mall.
