Why Us?

Aloha Island School ‘Ohana,

As you may or may not know, this year I am one of the co-teachers for the Senior Seminar & Senior Capstone Project course - an Island School graduation requirement for over 15 years. It was important to me in my second year to return to the classroom in a way that allowed me to engage with students directly, and I am thoroughly enjoying co-teaching the class. One of the topics we discussed this week is the “Why Us?” essay for college and job applications. Our discussion focused on the importance of research when you are considering applying to a school or a company as a place for your education or career advancement. We had them do a bit of research and then try a role-play scenario with their peers to answer the question – Why us? – a standard question in any school or job interview. While working with the seniors, I couldn’t help but recall how I answered this question during my own Island School interview process. And… I’ll be honest… in watching the news the last three mornings after yet another school shooting, this time in a high school in Georgia, I am clearer now more than ever about “Why Us?”

I don’t have romantic notions of a school community filled with “perfect children.” In fact, the reason I do this work and why I wanted to come here, is because no child is perfect. All children and youth need support and challenge to grow into their full potential. That process for young people includes testing boundaries, seeing if they can get away with not telling the truth, taking advantage of the trust they’ve been given…Our work in schools is to help our children learn to know what it means to be accountable for choices they make, in age-appropriate ways, so they can grow. I’ve written before about how we all make mistakes. School must be a place where it is safe for children and young people to make mistakes, to be redirected, and to try again. Some of the most impactful learning happens through our mistakes. As I got to know Island School, I saw how teachers encourage students to try things that are new to them…I was excited to join a community that aspires every day to help students say to themselves, “I don’t know how to do something yet, but I know that I can get there.”

My heart aches for the students, families, and educators who are trying to find their way after such a horrible tragedy in Georgia. The death of two students and two teachers is unimaginable…and yet we continue to see acts of violence like this emerge. An event like this underlines our duty as a school to be a place that sees every student, supports every family, and engages with the broader community, so that our children all feel like they are valued. I want us to have protocols regarding guests on campus, safety equipment in place if we need to lockdown campus, guidelines for student behavior, AND I want us to continue to be a school that is joyful and holds on to its spirit of aloha…I want us to be a school where kids can fish together in the pond after school, take field trips to the beach to learn about erosion or to simply have fun after a day of work in a loʻi, or to have pony rides at our annual Carnival. I want us to be prepared for emergencies and prevent mental health crises as much as we can, while also reveling in a spirit of trust that can happen in a small, tight-knit community.

As we move forward this year, we will be working with the ‘Ohana Association for opportunities for families to have even more opportunities to connect and also have opportunities to learn and grow together. Stay tuned as we share ways to be involved, so that all of us can continue to have clarity regarding the “Why Us?” of Island School.

Together,

Nancy Nagramada, Head of School