Academy Life

This section offers random glimpses into otherwise forgettable aspects of attending school.

Elections - Each year elections were held for the student body government. Here was the ticket at the end of of our Junior year for our Senior year President, Veep and Secretary. Look out, Obama! Click images to enlarge.



Here's a pic from our Junior year campaign:


Picture Time - A familiar face throughout the year was Sterling, Punahou's photographer of choice. Whether it was a class pic, prom photo or senior portrait, you could always count on one consistency: "One-two, one-two threeeeee."


Class Schedule - OK yes, this is uber-specific to only me, but when I saw this I remembered how we at some point switched from a traditional "start at 8:00" schedule to this revised "late start" schedule. Supposedly to help with diluting the daily commute, homeroom was moved to 9:30 with two slots for classes preceding it. I also noted how great it was that our schedule was very similar to the ones we had in college. Look at all that free time!


Campus Activities - Punahou gave us an opportunity to explore all of our interests both academic and extra-curricular.




Minutae - I almost threw away these receipts. Upon second glance, they provided an interesting look at student life across each of our four years in high school. From class dues to Jr. Prom bids and Sr. Skip Day expenses, each transaction was dutifully recorded by a responsible classmate.

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Holoku Pageants

Although 1989 is missing, I kept the first three years' ballots for the Holoku Pageant tryouts. Brook Mahealani Lee (Miss Universe 1997) competed for Princess in our freshmen and sophomore years.

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Program for the 1986 Holoku Pageant.

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Bishop Hall: 8th grade memories

For those who've been at Punahou for awhile, I'll post a few things that may trigger some happy memories from the 8th Grade.

Camp Mokulei'a - Although this is dated 11/83, I believe we attended this camp in the 8th grade. This was the last of three "away-from-home" excursions beginning with a Big Island trip in the 4th grade and Camp Timberline in the 6th. This is the letter that instructed parents on what to pack.

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Canteens - In the 7th & 8th grades we got our first taste of co-ed dances. The letter describes a canteen and its activities such as swimming, basketball and a dance in the cafeteria.

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Candy Grams - To support the Aloha United Way, you could buy "Candy Grams" for friends which were delivered during homeroom. Not only could you send a note, but a bag of candy as well (candy had to be picked up during lunchtime at the cafeteria).

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13yr Club: Class Photos

If you have a scanned photo of your class picture, email it to me and I'll add it here. Click on any image to enlarge.

First Grade - Mrs. Alexander

Second Grade - Mrs. Bisho

Third Grade - Mrs. Hata

Fifth Grade - Mr. Proctor

Time Warp: A mixed bag of memories

In this section I'll post miscellaneous stuff. It could be a Punahou-related item or just be a window into the world as it was when we were in high school.

Punavision - The opening theme to the weekly Punavision show on public access TV was heavily laden with 80's synth.



Brown Bags to Stardom - Before there was "American Idol" there was "Brown Bags to Stardom," Hawaii's version of "Star Search." Each school submitted its own talent to compete against other schools. While there wasn't an '89er in the 1986 competition, it included a then-unknown kid from Kauai named Glenn Medeiros who went on to Top 40 success with his cover of "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You."

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1986 Punahou Variety Show - In the cast this year was graduating senior Carrie Ann Inaba who would go from being a Fly Girl on TV's "In Living Color" to the popular celebrity judge on "Dancing With The Stars."

Defend Sandy Beach - The top local socio-political issue during our senior year. It seemed like every car had one of these stickers slapped on its bumper!

All-School Dances - 1987 & 1988 were years that marked a rise in popularity of what became known as "hotel dances" because of they were initially held at hotels like the Ala Moana Americana and Ilikai. In truth, venues spanned from the Aloha Tower to clubs like Pink Cadillac and The Backdoor. Each month and almost weekly over the summer, producers launched massive flyer campaigns (I've saved dozens of these) and started to bring over C-List acts from the mainland like J.J. Fad and Agent Orange to lure students who were in the mod/punk and hip hop/freestyle scenes.

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Hi-Tech Electronics - In our freshman year you could buy this sweet tape recorder for only $99.99. Don't ask me why I saved a coupon book from 1985, because I don't have a sane answer.

Final Gathering - Apart from the numerous grad parties thrown over the summer, the Alumni Luau was seen by many as a last chance to gather as a class and offer our classmates final farewells.


Pop Culture - I have dozens of stubs, but this one stood out. For most of us, graduation was followed by lazy summer days, a bit of uncertainty about the future and many escapes to the movies. This ticket to "Say Anything" harkens back to the days of $5 movies and the close of an innocent and optimistic decade. We are truly products of the Eighties.