KAPA‘A — For the majority of Kapa‘a High School students, Wednesday marked the first day of class following three weeks of winter break. But for some, it was an opportunity to show off their winter break accomplishments that were clearly
KAPA‘A — For the majority of Kapa‘a High School students, Wednesday marked the first day of class following three weeks of winter break.
But for some, it was an opportunity to show off their winter break accomplishments that were clearly visible on several of the buildings at the Kapa‘a campus.
Following three weeks of work, three days a week, Aimee Sato, Vanessa Martinez, Sarah Zietz, Kona-Kai Wilson, Tineal Puaoi and Megan Ohlen emerged as student art winners of a Peace Day art project spearheaded by Keith Kitamura.
Kitamura, a math and peer mediation instructor at Kapa‘a High School, said the murals that appeared on several buildings on the lower campus were the results of the Peace Day student art contest and with the help of muralist Hector Perez, the artwork was transformed into murals that now decorate the school buildings.
Perez, who was an art instructor in Detroit, was introduced to the group by Chanelle Quinones, another Kapa‘a High School teacher, and under his guidance, the students spent their winter break transferring the artwork from paper onto the building walls.
“The project involved the students using math and proportions as they used computers to create grids to transfer the artwork,” Perez said. “When I first saw the designs, I said to myself, ‘This is what the nation needs.’”
Perez said the students had fun working on the project and as the murals began to take shape, one of them told him, “This should establish Kapa‘a High School as a masterpiece school.”
Perez said he couldn’t help but agree with the student and said Kapa‘a, with this project, should take the lead and show the rest of the nation what can be done.
Kitamura said, “The kids really enjoyed working on the project and are happy when the teachers like it, too.”
He added that the project was a collaborative effort between the school staff and the students because the custodians worked with the group and offered the use of its ladders as well as allowed access to water for cleanup.
The theme for the art contest was peace and the promotion of unity, friendship and acceptance, but Kitamura said this was inspired by the late Mayor Bryan Baptiste who made a personal appearance at last year’s Eastside Family Summit and spoke to some of the students.
“The students created a special ‘Aloha Begins with Me’ T-shirt that starts with ‘There is no ‘I’ in team,’ on the front and continues with ‘but Aloha Begins with Me.’ on the backside,” Kitamura said. “They all have a shirt and are already excited about being present at this year’s summit that takes place on Feb. 7 from 1 to 5 p.m.”
Peace Day is celebrated Sept. 21, which is recognized as The United Nations’ International Day of Peace. This date is a global holiday when individuals, communities, nations and governments highlight efforts to end conflict and promote peace.
Kitamura said the peer mediation team at Kapa‘a High School created this contest to help in promoting peace, unity and friendship within the school and community by having a wall dedicated to those qualities.
Perez said the effort is already paying off for the students as The Home Depot, who helped with special pricing for the paints, has already committed to having the students do a mural inside their store located across the Kukui Grove Shopping Center.
“Working with the students is like a dream coming true,” Perez said. “In Detroit, I worked with at-risk kids and started an organization, ‘atriskstoriesofhope.com.’ What these Kapa‘a students showed is that with the right talent, anything is possible.”
