PUHI — Any day you accomplish something is a day to celebrate, Annalea Brown-Clay said Saturday. She was one of 22 seniors in the Island School Class of 2010 who received their high school diplomas during the school’s commencement exercises
PUHI — Any day you accomplish something is a day to celebrate, Annalea Brown-Clay said Saturday.
She was one of 22 seniors in the Island School Class of 2010 who received their high school diplomas during the school’s commencement exercises at the Samuel and Edith Wilcox Gymnasium.
Robert Springer, headmaster, said the students took an important step toward getting into college.
One high school graduate in four will continue on to receive a college degree, Springer said in his opening remarks. The difference is in how much a college graduate earns.
On average, based on 2007 figures, Springer said someone with a bachelor’s degree earns $56,000 annually. The person with only a high school diploma makes an average of $32,000, while a high school drop-out averages $24,000 a year.
Island School receives community support in preparing its students for college, he said.
Joan Shaw, the assistant head of school and development officer, said this year’s class filled out 90 applications and received 64 letters of acceptance. Of the 22 graduates, one is heading to a junior college, one is taking time off and the others are heading to college, 47 percent attending private institutions and 53 percent heading to public institutions.
Students will be heading to higher learning institutions as close as O‘ahu and as far as Canada and New York, furthering courses of study in a wide range of subjects ranging from engineering to Chinese.
Kyle Lee, son of Kenneth and Kathy Lee of Kapa‘a, was named scholar athlete as well as sharing the Board of Directors award with Catherine Hoban, daughter of Michael and Isabelle Hoban.
John Hatakeyama and Jayson Manzano accepted the Head of School award from Springer and Bailee Morrison-Fogel accepted the Founder’s Spirit award from Peggy Ellenburg, one of the school’s founders.
Christy Mayfield was the recipient of the Sons and Daughters of Island School award, receiving her award from Connie Kakalia, Christy Peeren and Cindy Wortmann.
Ellenburg said this year’s graduation featured the addition of the Gannon Loomis Memorial Scholarship presented by Diana Loomis Dahl and her daughter Meghan Loomis Powers for a deserving 11th grader.
Brennan Wortmann, one of the pu‘u blowers, and Caycie Pascual of the choir were named recipients of $5,000 each toward their senior tuition at Island School.
Shaw said in keeping in line with other similar schools, no valedictorians or salutatorians were singled out.
Instead, each of the 22 students was given an opportunity at the microphone after being introduced by Shaw and the description of their senior project, the fifth year the school has participated in the senior project program.
Graduating seniors were also given an opportunity to demonstrate their appreciation to parents with a special presentation early in the program.
Later, midway through each senior’s personal presentation, the class got together for a rendering of Ziggy Marley’s “True to Myself.”
“I just can’t wait to see what the future holds,” Mayfield said.
