Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 12, 1 Kekemapa 2011 — KS welcomes student delegates at APEG opening ceremony [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

KS welcomes student delegates at APEG opening ceremony

By Kayla Kuboyama With a performance by Kamehameha Schools' Concert Glee Club and Hawaiian Ensemble, KS welcomed student delegates from 21 countries at the opening ceremony of the AsiaPaeihe Eeonomie Cooperation at the Ke'elikōlani Auditorium on Nov. 8. While the student delegates from countries spanning as far as Thailand to Mexico were briefed in KS' choral room about the cultural traditions of Hawai'i, KS students prepared in Ke'elikōlani's lobby. After the foreign delegates, along with KS' three representatives - seniors James Rapoza-Lee, Jenai Akina and LeShae Henderson - chanted into the auditorium, students and kumu welcomed the delegates with an oli komo. As foreign delegates entered, KS students offered eaeh delegate lei wiliwili, a lei of wound ti leaves

made by KS' history department and student volunteers. Students from KS' Concert Glee Club opened the ceremony with the "Oli Aloha," followed by a performance of songs, including "Nā Kolokolo Ka Lani" and "Ka Huliau 'Ana." The members of KS' Hawaiian Ensemble, directed by Kumu Kaleo Trinidad, also performed at the ceremony. Speakers at the ceremony included Mayor Peter Carlisle, Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Noel Gould, Lounder of the Washington, D.C.-based Virtual Trade Mission Loundation International, and KSKapālama Headmaster Dr. Miehael Chun. All speeches echoed the purpose of APEC: cooperation. "It was all about 'Who wants to be a millionaire?' or 'You are the weakest link' or 'You're fired,' that was what the 20th century was all about - eeonomie competition," Gould said in his address. "And now it's time for some eeonomie cooperation."

Chun focused on the values of old Hawai'i and how they relate to the APEC conference. "Mai ka uka a ke kai," Chun said. "From the uplands to the sea, there was a cooperation among Hawaiians not unlike what (APEC) is trying to achieve." With a majority of the audience under the age of 30, Governor Abercrombie commented on the future of all APEC nations. "We hope to provide a sure and firm foundation so that you are not just the voices of the future, but rather the future itself," Abercrombie said. "We want to make a sense of community that is real and not rhetorical." Conferences and discussions continued until Nov. 13, and bonds were created between both nahonal leaders and student delegates alike all in the name of cooperation. ■ Kayīa Kuboyama, a Kamehameha SchooIs-Kapāīama senior, is the Editor-in-Chiefofthe campus newspaper, Ka Mō'L

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(( T hope to provide a sure % j\ J and firm foundation ▼ Y sothatyouarenot just the voices of the future, but rather the future itself. We want to make a sense of community that is real and not rhetorical." — Gov. Neil Abercrombie

Senior Caleb Borge opened the ceremony by sounding the pu. - Pholo: Courtesy of Kayla Kuboyama