SENIORS KICK OFF HIGH SCHOOL CAMPS AT HOMELANI

→ By Dilan Chock-Makiya (‘23) NEWS

After school on Wednesday, August 29, the senior class—the class of 2023— departed to the North Shore for their final HBA grade camp. The Covid-19 pandemic had put overnight camps on hiatus until this year and the senior class is the first high school grade to resume the annual tradition. There are a few significant changes this year, the biggest being a change in camp location from Pu’u Kahea in Waianae to Camp Homelani in Waialua on the North Shore.

The theme of Senior Camp was “RAFT,” an acronym that stands for “reconciliation, affirmation, farewell, and think destination.” Underscored by this theme, chapels and family group times focused on preparing seniors to finish their year well particularly when it comes to their relationships. Lauren Chee appreciated the reminder that saying farewell is a process. “I think that the concept of farewell stuck with me the most because I want to be able to have a good last year and end things well,” she said.

Family groups made posters depicting where they see themselves in 20 years and drew a road representing the most memorable moments of high school. The family groups also competed in “RAFT Wars,” which challenged each group to complete nine different tasks together. These included making a human pyramid, answering trivia questions, and tossing a beach ball in the air for a minute without letting it touch the ground. Chee commented, “I liked the RAFT wars because it was interesting to see how everyone could participate and have a good time.” Classmate Cameron Pien added, “Watching Shane [Kawakami-Williams] chug a whole bottle of Gatorade in under five seconds was pretty impressive”.

In what has become a senior camp tradition, a get-as-messy-as-youcan game was also on the camp schedule. Wearing white t-shirts, the seniors played a game of Color Wars, which involved hitting each other with pantyhoses full of colored powder. Noah Hu said, “I liked being able to run around on the field hitting my friends—in a friendly manner—and watching the colors explode. I felt like a little kid again.”

Many seniors appreciated having free time to hang out with friends at camp. Jeremiah Seng said, “My favorite part about camp was the free time, because I got to talk to a lot of people I wouldn’t normally talk to. It gave me a chance to deepen the relationships I already have, plus make new ones. I also enjoyed playing basketball on the courts with my friends.”

Christian Ministries Coordinator Charles Poore, in his first year overseeing the camp, was glad for the opportunity to spend time with the senior class. “I learned that I should wear a hat, anticipate the smoke from the bonfire, set up the s’mores station away from the smoke, and work on my slam ball game. I enjoyed getting to know the seniors better. Camp gives you the opportunity to relax a little and just hang out with each other,” said. “The students are always intense, hilarious, chill and hungry at the same time,” he added with a chuckle.

Poore is grateful for the team of people who helped ensure the camp went smoothly. “The advisors did an amazing job supporting the camp, Mrs. Yasutomi had everything planned perfectly, and Mrs. Hinkel is always a great help writing devotions, organizing, and supporting,” he said.

This week, the freshmen head to their camp at Camp Homelani. It will be their first camp together at HBA since leaving elementary school.