On October 19, 2016, middle and high schoolers ventured down Nuuanu Avenue to join the elementary students for the first all-school chapel of the year.
Since this year’s theme is “Transform,” during the chapel, students from the elementary, middle, and high school campuses shared testimonies of how they’ve changed in the past year.
After chapel, the middle and high schoolers joined the elementary students for games and crafts. The senior class was paired with the kindergarteners and first graders. Together, they made leis out of paper and straw and painted rocks for the elementary campus’s new running path. Senior Tiffany Nagasawa said, “My favorite part was being able to worship with the kindergarteners.” The freshman class played various games with the second graders and later sat together to enjoy cool Popsicles. Meanwhile, the sophomores got to know the sixth graders with a questionnaire-style game. Sophomore Shea Yuen said, “The purpose of all school chapel [is] to connect as an entire school and socially and spiritually connect with each other.” The junior class spent time with the seventh and eighth graders playing icebreakers. Junior Cameron Wong said after the chapel, “We got closer to underclassmen and God.”
“The purpose of all school chapel is to connect as an entire school and socially and spiritually connect with each other.”
This marks the third year the upper and lower campuses have gathered for an all school fellowship at the elementary campus. Japanese teacher Chie Watanabe said all school chapels are important in confirming that HBA is one school made of many campuses. Watanabe remarked, “Each of us will all probably see a little differently after all school chapel because you get to see elementary students, so after the chapel, we feel like we have a bigger view of the school.” This was also freshman and first-year student Kaycee Nakashima’s first all school chapel. She said, “I think the all school chapel [brings] students closer to God. Several students who hadn’t believed in Christ before and are now followers.. spoke about their walk with Christ… everyone heard their stories, [and] it opened their eyes and hearts to the Lord.”
The next all school chapel has not been scheduled yet, but Campus Minister Robert Lockridge said he plans to discuss the possibility with the school’s administration. “I will be getting together with the Principals to discuss if we want to do another all school chapel this year,” he shared. “I think the Seniors will be going back to visit the kindergarteners on the last day of CEW.”
