I nā makahiki a pau, hana nā keonimana ʻo Kāna Lui i kekahi mau ʻoihana e hoʻohanohano ʻai iā Father William Joseph Chaminade, ka mea i hoʻokūmu i ai i ka Hui o Nā Marianist.

Mai ka makahiki i puka mai ai i ka maʻi ʻo COVID-19 a i kēia mau lā, ʻaʻole hiki na haumana ke hana i kēia mau mea. Akā, no ka manawa mua mamuli o ka maʻi, ua hoʻokomo ʻai nā haumana ma ke kaiāulu, me ka hana lima ma ke kula a me i wāho.

I kēia makahiki, kōkua nā hāumana ma loko o ke kula a me kā lākou kaiāulu e hoʻomaʻemaʻe a me kōkua. Hana ʻai nā hāumana apau, mai na kamaliʻi a i nā kaikuaʻana ma ke kula e hoʻomaʻemaʻe i kā lākou kula e noho ʻai. Ua hoʻokaʻawale ʻia ka manawa kūpono i nā poʻe kiʻekiʻe e hoʻolimalima manawa me ko lākou mau kaikaina, a komo i ka hana ma kā Father Chaminade Lā ma ke ʻano he Kulekia. 

Haʻi mai ʻo Jordan Posiulai, kekahi kaikuaʻana ʻo kēia makahiki, “ua leʻaleʻa ka hana ʻana me koʻu kaikaina.” Manaʻo au maikaʻi kēia hoʻulu pilina me koʻu kaikaina no ka mea he mea maikaʻi e hana ma ka lā Chaminade lāua pū ka loaʻa ʻana i kekahi pilina me lākou.” Me kā lākou hui pū ana me kā lākou kaikaina, hiki nā kaikaina ke ʻaʻo mai kā lākou kaikuaʻana mamua kō lākou puka kula ana.

Ua hele aku ka papa 11 e hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻapūni o ke kula.” O ke kumu o nā hanana ma ka lā Chaminade ʻapūni o ke kula ʻo ia nō nā haumana e auamo i kā lākou kuleana ʻapūni o kā lākou kula.” Wahi a ke poʻo o ka pāpā 9 Teuila Tauaese,” no laila hiki iā lākou ke hoʻonani aku i kā lākou kula a e loaʻa i kekahi mau kuleana a me kekahi manaʻo o kā lākou kuleana. Ua loaʻa aku nā haumana apau o ke kula i kekahi kuleana e ʻauamo ʻai me ka mālama ana i ke kula.

Haʻi mai ka papa 11 Chase Nunes, ua leʻaleʻa no kēia makahiki Chaminade lā. “Hōʻike aku kēia mau hānana i ke kuleana a me ka manaʻo mahope o ka mālama ana kō mākou kula a e mālama aku ʻai,” haʻi mai ʻo Nunes.

Pū me na hana ma ke kula, hele aku kekahi mau hāumana i ke kulanui ʻo Hawaii mā Mānoa e hana pū malalo o ke keʻena mahiaʻi no ke hui pū ana me lākou. Ua ʻaʻa aku nā hāumana e hoʻomaʻemaʻe aku i ka loʻi ma laila. Ua koho aku ʻo Kumu Kawika, kekahi poʻo o ke keʻena ʻike hawaiʻi i nā hāumana mai ka papa Hui ʻO Na ʻOpio e hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻai i ka loʻi.

“Pili ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe ana i ka loʻi me nā meheu o ka ʻāina-based no ka mea pono mākou e hana māloko o ka ʻāina,” ʻŌlelo aku ʻo Mersberg. “Kōkua ʻai kēia i nā haumana e hānai i kekahi hoʻomeheu hawaiʻi maloko o ka ʻoli,ʻōlelo a me ka hanalima a e hoʻolauna i nā haumana i kekahi wahi hou no ke ʻaʻo ana i nā meheu Hawaiʻi a e hōʻike iā lākou pehea ka hana me kekahi loʻi i ka wā kahiko ma ke kulanui a ma kekahi puʻuhonua ʻo Kanewai.”

Ua hōʻike ai ʻo Mersbreg pehea ka mālama ana i ka loʻi e pili ʻai i ka hanana ma ka lā Chaminade a pehea i pili ʻai kēia mau hana me ka ʻĀina Based Learning me kanalui a hōʻike i ke kuleana a ka papa Hui.

Haʻi mai ʻo Brandon Cote, kekahi hāumana ma ka papa Hui, ua ʻaʻo au he nui ma ka loʻi. Kaʻanalike aku ʻo Cote, “ua ʻaʻo au i nā ano o ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe ana i ka loʻi no ka mea ma ka loʻi ʻaʻole huki wale i nā nāhelehele mai na puʻu, hiki ke hana i kekahi ano o ka hele wāwāe ana a ʻo ia ka “hehi hehi”. O ka hehi hehi kekahi ano o ka hehi ana māloko o ka lepo no ke hahaʻi ana i ka wai maloko o nā loʻi. Ua haʻawi aku ʻo Cote lāua pū o ka papa Hui i ke manawa e hana ma ka loʻi a e ʻaʻo e pili ana i nā hana Hawaiʻi.

Ma ka lā Chaminade ua hiki nā hāumana e hana i nā hānana likeʻole i kēla lā. ua loaʻa nā hānana apau i kekahi manaʻo mahope ʻo ia no ke ʻaʻo ana i na hāumana. ʻŌlelo mai ʻo Tauaese ” ʻo ka manaʻo o nā hānana i kēlā lā e hōʻike ʻai i nā hāumana  hiki iā lākou ke hana mamuli ʻo ka lākou makahiki. Ua loaʻa nā hāumana i nā mea he nui e hana ʻai ma ka lā Chaminade a pehea kā lākou hana ma ke kula e kōkua ʻai iā lākou iho a me kona kaiaulu.

Every year, Crusaders take part in service activities on campus in honor of Father William Joseph Chaminade, the founder of the Marianist religious order linked to Saint Louis School. 

Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, students were unable to participate in activities off campus on this service day due to the restrictions. However, for the first time since the pandemic, students were once again in the community taking up various service projects alongside those occurring on campus during Chaminade Day.

This year, students took part in service activities on campus and in the community. Crusaders of all ages took part in several activities around campus: cleaning  hallways, the gym, and the football field.  Seniors were  given the opportunity to spend time with their Elementary school  brothers and ,  taking part in  Father Chaminade Day activity as a Crusader. 

Jordan Posiulai, a member of this year’s senior class, enjoyed the opportunity to work with the young Crusaders. ‘“I think our relationship building with the kids is a great form of service not just for Father Chaminade Day but just in general,” explains Posiulai.  “I think this is important to spread love and happiness similar to what Father Chaminade did on a larger scale.” By spending time with each other, the next generation of Crusadersare able to be with and learn from their older Crusader brothers before they graduate.

The juniors took on several cleanup activities around campus. “The purpose of the activities done on Father Chaminade service day on campus were for the sake of students to  take responsibility for the space of their school,” explains Freshman Division Coordinator, Teuila Tauaese, “to make sure it looks good, and two allowing the gentleman to feel a sense of responsibility and a sense of ownership.” Crusaders of all grade levels spent the day cleaning up across campus, showing respect and ensuring that it is clean. Many students gained a sense of responsibility when caring for their school. 

Junior Chase Nunes enjoyed this year’s Chaminade Day events.  The service projects “shows the responsibility and the importance of taking care of our school and campus and to keep it clean,” shared Nunes.

In addition to the flurry of  activities on campus, several students  took part in off-campus community service projects. In  partnership with the University of Hawaii Manoa’s Agricultural Department, the Saint Louis School’s Hawaiian Studies Department volunteered to clean the UH lo’i. The Hawaiian Studies Department Head, Kawika Mersberg, selected students from the Hui O Na Opio for the lo’i clean-up. 

“Going to the loʻi is part of what it entails because working in the loʻi is aina based because it has us working in the land,” explains Mersberg. “This helped foster the hoomeheu hawaii threw oli,olelo and hanalima and to also introduce the students to another place of hawaiian learning and to show them what it was like to have a loʻi on a university campus as well as a puuhonu known as kanewai.” 

Mersberg pointed out how this service project of caring for the Lo’i, not only includes the service project on Father Chaminade Day, but also incorporates the Saint Louis Aina-Based Learning Initiative in which the Hui students play a significant role. 

Brandon Cote, one of the Hui students, said that he also learned while at the Loi. Cote shared, “I learned the different styles of cleaning up in the loʻi because at the loʻi you don’t just pull weeds from the ground you also can do a form of walking in the loʻi called “hehi hehi”. Hehi hehi was us stomping our feets in the mud and getting water flow through the whole loʻi path we were in.” Cote and the rest of the Hui class were given the opportunity to work in the Loi and learn about the Hawaiian culture.

Crusaders were able to experience various service activities on Father Chaminade Day. Each activity had a purpose to not only get students active, but to also educate them. Tauaese shared that the activities are “an opportunity to recognize that they are still able to impact others and the community regardless of their age.” Crusaders had much to do this Father Chaminade Day, having an impact on the school and community, but also learning the importance of why service is important and why we do it.