Traditions

A Look Back •Traditions 2021

Ascension Day 2021

Dedication of the Cross Cherisse Wong ’22

154 years ago, Queen Emma founded our school, St. Andrew’s Priory School, for girls of Hawai‘i to receive a suitable Christian education equivalent to what was traditionally off ered only to boys. Queen Emma was a compassionate and progressive woman who worked tirelessly to address social issues of her people and make lasting legacies in Hawai‘i. Since our founding, the school has expanded to include Th e Prep and Th e Preschool, where every student is pursuing and living the vision of our founder. Queen Emma has empowered us to be courageous explorers who will change the world for the better. On Ascension Day, we not only celebrate Jesus’ ascension to heaven, but also the founding of our school.

Th e central element of this year’s cross is the sun. Th e sun not only represents God and Queen Emma, who are the light of our school and guiding us through our journeys, but also our school’s unity and strength, which became stronger during this unprecedented time. Th is year’s design has many meanings,

'Ale'a Apostadiro ’21 and her mother

symbolizing the deep love that Queen Emma and God have held for our school community, new beginnings, and the ending of journeys. The coral cross is located at the center of the school and symbolizes Queen Emma’s love of God and God’s love for all. For this reason, Queen Emma’s portrait and a white dove holding an olive branch are the core of our cross. Queen Emma’s portrait is surrounded by roses, her favorite flowers. The front and back of the cross represent a sunrise and sunset, playing into our broader message that life is a cycle of new beginnings and endings.

The sunrise is a representation of Jesus’ ascension to heaven and new beginnings as the seniors are embarking on the next chapter of their lives and the juniors are rising to be the next women leaders of the school. The sunset represents the beautiful end of a journey and the mysteries of life. The red carnations in the middle of the cross represent the profound admiration we the juniors feel towards the seniors as they have helped us to grow to be confident leaders of the school. On the sides of the cross, there are four lines intertwined to represent how our school embraces both our Hawaiian and Christian heritage. This also serves as a representation of how the junior and senior classes are entwined and better together.

The tī leaf lei on the base of the cross, serves as a representation of the beautiful ‘aina that we’ve lived and grown on which connects us all. Within the bottom tī leaf lei, 27 orange carnations are representing not only the monarch butterflies released by each of the seniors during their cross dedication, but the seniors themselves. There are also 19 red carnations on the middle tī leaf lei representing each student of the junior class. The carnations represent the wishes of joy, success, balance, and freedom for both classes. Despite the challenges and struggles of this year, we all have to remember every day is a new day and to Kūlia i Ka Nu‘u, strive for the highest. To the Juniors: We all have grown so much as a class over the years and become an inseparable, sweet, and magical family that we can lean on for the rest of our lives. We overcame so many hardships over the years, especially this year, and have shown that nothing can break our bond. We have been very fortunate to be able to further build our bond with the seniors this year through events and activities despite the pandemic.

To the Seniors: Thank you all for being our role models and everything you have done for the junior class and our school. You have all left a lasting impression on each of us and we will miss you dearly. We wish you the best of luck and cannot wait to see the amazing things you all will do. We hope you remember that you’ve always got a friend in us. We wish you well on your next adventure and, as Buzz once said, “to infinity and beyond!”

The Priory Class of 2021