Aloha Island School ‘Ohana,

I love that I get to experience so many wonderful things alongside your children at Island School. Sometimes I get to be on the water with them, other times it's witnessing them give a speech and push past their nervousness, recently it included making a robot move when that didn’t seem possible three weeks prior. And if that weren’t enough, twice now in my less than 18 months at Island School, I’ve been able to witness our students make history. The first time was last year when the Boys Varsity Soccer Team clinched the state championships for our division. And last night, I was so lucky to be in the stands with many dedicated fans to witness another history-making moment…the first Girls Varsity Basketball game in 12 years.

I didn’t really know how special the day would be when my Thursday began. I started my morning in the crosswalk as usual, had lots of meetings, time with students, and then quite a few of us on the administrative and teaching team presented at the Open House for prospective students from 5-7pm. OK, a pretty typical 11-hour day right there. But, we weren’t done; we all headed to Wilcox Gym to support the girls. 

It wasnʻt until I stepped into the gym alongside Stephanie Achuara, Upper School Division Director, that I knew something special was about to happen. The moment we crossed the threshold, Coach Paki saw us, greeted us with great enthusiasm sharing how he would take live stats during the game on an iPad. His wide, bright-eyed smile expressed his excitement as he shared, “This has been three years in the making!” And off he went to coach alongside Coaches Clarence, John, and Isaiah.

When we looked across the gym we saw this deep bench of at least 15 girls with additional young managers alongside them, all ready for this pre-season game against Maui High, we couldn’t help but feel excited for them. As the tip off whistle blew, the energy and belief in our girls from the stands was heard in every yell and clap from family and friends. The crowd cheered as our team sunk basket after basket. Some girls had lots of basketball experience and were clearly in their element and others were new to the game and giving it their all, even while learning where to stand for a free-throw or how to move the ball down the court without being called for “traveling”. This was both a chance to learn the game and a chance to fight on the court for a sport they love. Some of the girls were fresh off the soccer field, having come from practice and plan to play two sports this season. Others were taking up a contact team sport for the first time. 

It was an exciting game to say the least, where our girls were ahead for most of it and fought hard to secure their victory at the final buzzer for a score of 43-41. But whether or not they won the game, these girls had already won in my opinion. They brought back a sport to our small school. I’ve watched them have pre-season clinics. I’ve seen coaches encourage and support younger athletes to engage with basketball so we can keep feeding our team into the future. Historically we needed Title IX to ensure girls sports had access to facilities and funding from athletic departments in comparison to boys teams. Our fight wasn’t for funds or facilities, but to have enough players in our small school to field a team, and field a team they did.

So, while at the end of the game, I saw girls exhausted from a tough match after a full day of dedicating themselves to school and other expectations, I also saw pride, excitement, and even tears. These girls pushed themselves, and I am so proud to be a part of the crowd cheering them on. In my mind, more than winning, they have already made history. How did they do it? Of course with the love and support of their families as well as dedicated coaches and our school athletic department that believed in them all the way…and it came from within themselves. They have pushed themselves and will continue to do so. 

AND, they are the girls who will become the women who step up to any challenge, who, if there isn’t a girls team, they'll play with the boys and make their mark. They are the young women who are already on the path of leading lives of significance. I can’t wait to see what other history-making moments these girls will make happen now and in the future.

With gratitude as always, thank you for choosing to be on this voyage with us at Island School.

Together,

Nancy Nagramada

n.nagramada@ischool.org