The First-Grade Spring Ho‘ike is an entertaining and cultured celebration of how the first-graders have grown academically, mentally, spiritually, and physically. On Friday, May 3rd, the first-grade students and their parents have fun participating in the first-grade Ho‘ike, a celebration of their learning throughout the year and how much they’ve improved. The Ho’ike takes place in the first grade classrooms and the K-1 outdoor area, which is where they have been learning and playing with classmates for the past year. The Ho‘ike is meant to show parents how much the first-graders have grown.
The Ho‘ike matters a lot to both the students and the parents. The day bridges the gap between a child’s school life and home life, fostering a deeper connection between parents and their first-graders. Mrs. Colleen Chang, first grade teacher and the first grade chair for the Ho‘ike, said “It’s a celebration of the first-graders’ learning at ‘Iolani school, and it’s a chance for the parents to share a sample of what a day in their life is.” Essentially, the Ho‘ike gives parents a chance to understand what their child’s life is like at school. It lets them see how much their first grader has progressed throughout the year, and what they’re getting out of their education.
The Spring Ho‘ike is very eventful, and has many different activities for both students and parents. It starts off in the morning, where the First Graders start in front of their classrooms where they sign the Lord’s Prayer, which they have been learning for the past year. Then, they will be blessed by Chaplain Arakawa, the Lower School Chaplain, and the Ho‘ike will begin. The first-graders and their parents rotate through different classes such as dance and music. Students will show what they have been doing and learning throughout the year. Mrs. Chang says, “It’s like an experiential experience with their parents. It gives them a chance to share a slice of the life of a first grader.” Basically, the Ho‘ike lets parents experience what first-graders do throughout the day.
In their different classes, the students will show a variety of different things they did over the year. For example, in music class, the first-graders show what they have been learning about percussion, and play a song with the different types of drums. In math class, students play and share many different math games with their parents. “In dance [class], kids are helping to guide [their parents] in a dance,” says Mrs. Colleen Chang, “In science, they learned about light and sound, so they’re going to share their light and sound book with their parents, where they created their own sound effects.”
After many different classes, the first-graders eat a bento lunch with other snacks and their day is concluded. However, this fun-filled day is just a glimpse into all the hard work the students put in to prepare for this. Students have to prepare for this. Mrs. Chang stated, “[the first-graders] do have to practice for when their parents are coming into the classroom. They need to know what they need to share and how they’re going to share it with their parents.”
After a busy and lively day of learning, sharing, and fun, the first-graders are now prepared to go forward to second grade and onward, while parents now understand a little bit more about their child’s day and development. Mrs. Colleen Chang commented, “These kids have been learning and growing all year. Now we have an opportunity to showcase that to [their] parents.” Although the Ho‘ike has ended, the first-graders aren’t done understanding more about the world and unlocking the secrets of the universe, and for their parents, more about their child.
