Vernon's Letter
ULS Alumni Dinner Recognition
The Class of '63 was honored at the recently held ULS Alumni Dinner on July 11, 2015 at the ULS Multi-purpose Building (MPB). Vern Kajikawa, Sandra Ohara, and Ricky AuHoy represented our class at the dinner and received this Certificate of Appreciation for being the first and only class to date, to successfully complete the “Strive for Twenty-five” fund drive.
Alumni from many classes were among the one-hundred plus attendees in addition to Vern, Sandra, and Ricky. Some of the alumni from other classes were:
Alumni from many classes were among the one-hundred plus attendees in addition to Vern, Sandra, and Ricky. Some of the alumni from other classes were:
- Kathy (Watanabe) Tyler, Class of ’76 (Carolyn’s sister)
- Russell Choy, Class of ’73//74 (Mel’s brother)
- Abe Lee, Class of ’66 (John’s brother)
- Shelley Kam and Barbara Kong, Class of ’62
- Worldster Lee, Class of ’61
- Conrad Shiroma, Class of ’66
Shelley Kam (white blouse with polka dots) and Barbara Kong (black blouse), Class of ’62, watching Keoni Jeremiah, ULS Principal at the podium.
Ms. Kunioka is seen in the background between Sandra and another alumnus.
Lots of ono kau kau as seen from Sandra’s plate while Vern tries to fill his plate.
Vernon and Ted Rachlin, ULS Foundation President, talking at the dinner.
Window jalousies near the rooftop in the picture have all been repaired. The Multi-purpose Building is not air conditioned but large ceiling fans will be installed prior to the start of the school year. Other projects for the building are being completed and prioritized for work for this building because it serves so many different purposes (cafeteria, auditorium, band, chorus, drama, etc.) for ULS.
Repairs and renovation for Building 3 are also planned for the future and will cost much more than it will take for the MPB.
(Left to right): Ted Rachlin, ULS Foundation President, Sandra, Vernon, Ricky, Keoni Jeremiah, ULS Principal, on-stage at the presentation of the Certificate of Appreciation.
Ted Rachlin, ULS Foundation President, recounted the history of how the Class of ’63 and ULS came to be partners in the “Strive for Twenty-Five” fund drive. Starting with our class approaching ULS as to how we could help, over the course of “hundreds of e-mails” nine months of planning with the Class of ’63 Reunion Committee, and seven months of fund raising, the ULS Foundation informed us that we surpassed our goal in May 2015. The ULS Foundation will use our experience as a model to approach other ULS classes to participate in a fund raising partnership for the school. “Strive for Twenty-Five” will be the recommended goal for each class and if each class can meet this goal, it will provide ULS with over one-million dollars to fund programs and maintenance. Our class has given a jump-start to this effort and we should all be proud of the role in leading the way.
Some comments made to Vernon by alumni from other classes at the Saturday dinner after the presentation, indicated that our class is “awesome” and they’re planning on assisting the Foundation too. One person mentioned they’re considering a $25,000 goal for their 40th reunion and a $50,000 goal for their 50th reunion.
Following the Saturday event, Ted Rachlin sent an e-mail to Vernon and said “You really helped kick start a much needed and fun campaign for the school. A lot of people came up to me at the dinner to ask what we need from them and their class so our joint plan really worked!
I see Strive for Twenty-Five as the most essential campaign over the next several years to demonstrate to larger foundation donors that in addition to current parents, our school has a very strong and committed alumni base, board of directors and long term future for growth and success.
Many thanks to your class for sharing your testimonials, giving back to the school, and joining us on this wonderful mission.
Some comments made to Vernon by alumni from other classes at the Saturday dinner after the presentation, indicated that our class is “awesome” and they’re planning on assisting the Foundation too. One person mentioned they’re considering a $25,000 goal for their 40th reunion and a $50,000 goal for their 50th reunion.
Following the Saturday event, Ted Rachlin sent an e-mail to Vernon and said “You really helped kick start a much needed and fun campaign for the school. A lot of people came up to me at the dinner to ask what we need from them and their class so our joint plan really worked!
I see Strive for Twenty-Five as the most essential campaign over the next several years to demonstrate to larger foundation donors that in addition to current parents, our school has a very strong and committed alumni base, board of directors and long term future for growth and success.
Many thanks to your class for sharing your testimonials, giving back to the school, and joining us on this wonderful mission.
All Pau
January 2019 E-mail from Vernon:
"Dear Classmates: We’re pau with “Strive for $25K”. I just received word from the ULS Foundation that as of December 31, 2018, they collected $28,375 from our generous classmates, friends and family. Actually, we were informed in May 2015 that with the pledges and cash received, our class pledged/donated $25,350 (cash received was $15,775) and therefore, fulfilled our goal. I remember our agonizing over this decision to even conduct such a campaign as the only other time some of us remembered asking you for money was to support our Junior/Senior prom (remember, everyone had to purchase a prom bid???). Nonetheless, you came through with flying colors and our class continues to receive recognition for our continued support of ULS. I might add that recently, several other classes have conducted similar campaigns; but we will always be recognized as the first to ever conduct such a campaign; and thus far, we have donated the most! Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart!
This week is ULS’ “Homecoming Week” culminating with varsity basketball games for the guys' and ladies’ teams at the Klum Gym on Saturday, January 19th (yup, it still stands and is the site of ULS’ home games!). These two basketball games will be preceded by an alumni game which starts @ 11:00 a.m. During the alumni game, there wb several presentations including one of a “check” of $28,375 from representatives of our class to ULS. I’m planning on attending the homecoming festivities and can make the presentation but would love others from our class to join me in this presentation. I don’t have the exact time, but it wb before the ULS varsity basketball games. Please let me know if you’re planning on attending and I’ll be sure to give you better instructions on the time, etc. Class of ’63 - no ka oi!!!
very respectfully,
vern
"Dear Classmates: We’re pau with “Strive for $25K”. I just received word from the ULS Foundation that as of December 31, 2018, they collected $28,375 from our generous classmates, friends and family. Actually, we were informed in May 2015 that with the pledges and cash received, our class pledged/donated $25,350 (cash received was $15,775) and therefore, fulfilled our goal. I remember our agonizing over this decision to even conduct such a campaign as the only other time some of us remembered asking you for money was to support our Junior/Senior prom (remember, everyone had to purchase a prom bid???). Nonetheless, you came through with flying colors and our class continues to receive recognition for our continued support of ULS. I might add that recently, several other classes have conducted similar campaigns; but we will always be recognized as the first to ever conduct such a campaign; and thus far, we have donated the most! Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart!
This week is ULS’ “Homecoming Week” culminating with varsity basketball games for the guys' and ladies’ teams at the Klum Gym on Saturday, January 19th (yup, it still stands and is the site of ULS’ home games!). These two basketball games will be preceded by an alumni game which starts @ 11:00 a.m. During the alumni game, there wb several presentations including one of a “check” of $28,375 from representatives of our class to ULS. I’m planning on attending the homecoming festivities and can make the presentation but would love others from our class to join me in this presentation. I don’t have the exact time, but it wb before the ULS varsity basketball games. Please let me know if you’re planning on attending and I’ll be sure to give you better instructions on the time, etc. Class of ’63 - no ka oi!!!
very respectfully,
vern
The “check” presentation was well received as it was done between the gals' and guys’ basketball games with lots of folks (and many students) milling around.
The presenter is Romeo Gampong (’90) who is the Alumni Committee’s co-chair (I’m supposed to be the “other” co-chair but Romeo does all the work and leading - my title is in name only). Romeo also sits on the ULS’ Foundation Board as the Vice-President. That’s Keoni Jeremiah (Principal - ’89) receiving the check and the young lady with the green shirt is Romeo’s daughter who started going to ULS last school year and I believe is in the Class of 2029!!!
The presenter is Romeo Gampong (’90) who is the Alumni Committee’s co-chair (I’m supposed to be the “other” co-chair but Romeo does all the work and leading - my title is in name only). Romeo also sits on the ULS’ Foundation Board as the Vice-President. That’s Keoni Jeremiah (Principal - ’89) receiving the check and the young lady with the green shirt is Romeo’s daughter who started going to ULS last school year and I believe is in the Class of 2029!!!
"Strive for Twenty-five" WE DID IT!!!!!
U DA BEST!!!!!!!!
We were informed by the University Laboratory School (ULS) Foundation that we SURPASSED our five-year goal of $25,000 in SEVEN MONTHS!
A donation made in the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin W. Chun on behalf of Ken “Bongo” Chun and his sister, Lori Otsu, UHS Class of ’61, put us over the top. Mahalo to the Chun family from the Class of ’63.
A big MAHALO to everyone whose donation made it possible for our class to accomplish our goal well in advance of 2019.
ULS Foundation figures as of May 31, 2015 for our $25,000 goal are:
We started the fund drive in October 2014 with an idea and solicited your support for “Kokua UHS”. Your support of this worthy cause is reflected in our monthly progress:
As far as we know, the Class of ’63 is the first and only graduating class, to have set and accomplished a fund-raising goal with the ULS Foundation.
Accomplishing our goal does not mean your support of ULS has to stop. As you can see below, there are many planned projects to improve and renovate facilities at ULS. Continue to fulfill your donation pledge and/or continue to make donations to ULS as a Class of ’63 graduate. Completed and planned facilities improvements for ULS include the following according to Keoni Jeremiah, ULS Principal:
We were informed by the University Laboratory School (ULS) Foundation that we SURPASSED our five-year goal of $25,000 in SEVEN MONTHS!
A donation made in the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin W. Chun on behalf of Ken “Bongo” Chun and his sister, Lori Otsu, UHS Class of ’61, put us over the top. Mahalo to the Chun family from the Class of ’63.
A big MAHALO to everyone whose donation made it possible for our class to accomplish our goal well in advance of 2019.
ULS Foundation figures as of May 31, 2015 for our $25,000 goal are:
- Total donations (cash and pledges) = $25,350.00
- Cash received = $15,775.00
We started the fund drive in October 2014 with an idea and solicited your support for “Kokua UHS”. Your support of this worthy cause is reflected in our monthly progress:
- October 2014 = $12,600.00
- November 2014 = $19,125.00
- December 2014 = $21,225.00
- January 2015 = $21,475.00
- March 2015 = $23,000.00
- May 2015 = $25,350.00
As far as we know, the Class of ’63 is the first and only graduating class, to have set and accomplished a fund-raising goal with the ULS Foundation.
Accomplishing our goal does not mean your support of ULS has to stop. As you can see below, there are many planned projects to improve and renovate facilities at ULS. Continue to fulfill your donation pledge and/or continue to make donations to ULS as a Class of ’63 graduate. Completed and planned facilities improvements for ULS include the following according to Keoni Jeremiah, ULS Principal:
- “Multi-Purpose Building/Cafeteria (MPB) replacement of the clerestory windows in the main hall and repainting of the interior of the main hall and hallway; electrical panel upgrades, installation of ceiling fans in the main hall, refinishing of the stage, replacement of doors and glazing, minor repair and cleaning of the main hall ceiling/lights, and replacement of the bi-level electrical water cooler with bi-level filtered bottle refill station.
- Building 3 will have a bottle refill station replacing the existing electric water cooler on the first floor. Ceiling fans will be placed in rooms 217, 220, 227. The on-going long term goal for Building 3 is to renovate it in its entirety, so active fundraising has been on-going for the design and construction of this project. Conceptual renderings for a typical classroom and ADA improvements have been completed at a schematic level.
- Our primary goals for all of our instructional spaces are to meet the needs of our students in fulfilling and achieving their full academic potential. This means creating spaces for creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication – spaces which help students to represent their knowledge in a variety of ways, and allows them and their teachers to fully engage in the practices and processes of the disciplines.
- Two projects that we are looking for financial support with is the window replacement of Building 3 rooms 220 and 217. These rooms face the morning sun, and have broken window jalousie frames. We just met with two vendors today and are awaiting the cost quotes. The other project is to create a 21st century collaborative classroom with design input from our middle school students that are part of the Moonshot Academy that aspire to develop creative problem solvers who are caring and responsible individuals, able to respond and contribute critically and resourcefully to 21st century society, to innovate and create positive change in their local and global communities. Their idea is to redesign a classroom to promote collaboration with non-traditional furniture and other collaboration features. They shared with our facilities committee their ideas and we hope to build on that this fall.
- Thanks to your support, we have made great strides to improve their facilities for our students.”
The University Laboratory School (ULS), or as we know it, University High School (UHS), needs our help.
In early March 2014, Vernon Kajikawa and Howard Yoshiura met with Keoni Jeremiah (Principal-'89) and Ted Rachlin (ULS Foundation President- '91) to talk about how our class could assist ULS in some way as we were thinking of making a small donation. The discussion revealed the following:
In early March 2014, Vernon Kajikawa and Howard Yoshiura met with Keoni Jeremiah (Principal-'89) and Ted Rachlin (ULS Foundation President- '91) to talk about how our class could assist ULS in some way as we were thinking of making a small donation. The discussion revealed the following:
- ULS continues to be a college prep school with 98% of their graduates going on to college. The entire graduating class of 2013 attended college upon graduation.
- Being a chartered school since August 2001, ULS is really on its own financially - they get very little maintenance and repair support from UH and much is done"out-of-hide" or put off to a later date. Unlike the public schools in Hawaii, ULS doesn't receive support from the State's DAGS (Department of Accounting & General Services) to do the repairs and maintenance of facilities. See the page on Charter Schools & ULS Foundation for an explanation about charter schools.
- The funding that charter schools receive is based on an amount per student. Over the recent years, this amount has been declining so ULS have had to depend on donations, mostly from the parents to help sustain ULS.
- ULS' main building is the building we used in grades 9 - 12. While the building was brand new for the class of '58, it really is beginning to show it's age! There are a lot of upgrading/fixes required to the rooms to provide for a better learning environment. And the "repairs" under consideration are massive - lighting, electrical wiring, ceilings, floors, etc.
- In Fall 2013, ULS developed its own foundation. Since its start, Ted Rachlin has been working very hard at establishing and marketing the Foundation. However, he really didn't know how to approach the alumni and to secure their support. Our visit gave him the idea to approach the alumni by classes, and perhaps to use Class of '63 to springboard a competitive atmosphere among the graduates by classes to build the foundation. Go to this link to read Ted Rachlin's letter of April 20, 2014 in which he says "the Class of 1963 has the distinction of being the leader in our new building initiative."
What is the Need?
Currently, the charter school per-pupil allocation from the state of Hawaii is about $6,200 (considerably less than the $12,000+ allocation for the Department of Education public schools). This is not enough funding to support ULS' comprehensive program, much less provide support for innovation and continued improvement of their program. Currently, 90% of our per-pupil allocation goes towards salaries and wages, leaving very little of the state allocation to support our rigorous and highly regarded program. Based on an enrollment of 444 students, ULS had $2,752,800 in funds to operate of which 90% was for salaries and wages ($2,477,520) leaving the school only $275,280 in addition to donations for day-to-day operations and maintenance.
The school has shared use of facilities with the University of Hawaii-Mānoa College of Education, and as part of the Affiliation Agreement the school pays a Facilities Use Fee. These buildings include the University High School 3 (main school building 12 classrooms including 2 science classrooms/labs), Castle Memorial Hall (Elementary-3 classrooms, choir, art- 5 classrooms), Multi-purpose Building/cafetorium, Lab School Portables 1-3 (two general use classrooms, orchestra, athletic office, athletic training room, weight room), Locker Rooms (boys/girls), and outdoor playground equipment, gardens, athletic facilities- fields, basketball courts. The school also has access to the University of Hawaii's library, athletic gyms, track, pool, and music and theater concert auditoriums. ULS is a K–12 school with a 2013-2014 enrollment of 444 students.
The ULS campus is in need of facility upgrades. The renovation campaign seeks to improve campus facilities addressing the concerns of acoustics, thermal comfort, lighting, restroom improvements, maintenance, and cost - sustainably with our school values - simple, modest and sustainable measures. In conjunction with the College of Education and University’s master plan, ULS seeks to improve two of its buildings - Building 3 and the MPB.
University High School Building 3 (UHS-3): Building 3 is utilized by the elementary, middle and high school grades (K-12) as well as faculty and administration. It houses students daily as well and College of Education students after school hours.
The school has shared use of facilities with the University of Hawaii-Mānoa College of Education, and as part of the Affiliation Agreement the school pays a Facilities Use Fee. These buildings include the University High School 3 (main school building 12 classrooms including 2 science classrooms/labs), Castle Memorial Hall (Elementary-3 classrooms, choir, art- 5 classrooms), Multi-purpose Building/cafetorium, Lab School Portables 1-3 (two general use classrooms, orchestra, athletic office, athletic training room, weight room), Locker Rooms (boys/girls), and outdoor playground equipment, gardens, athletic facilities- fields, basketball courts. The school also has access to the University of Hawaii's library, athletic gyms, track, pool, and music and theater concert auditoriums. ULS is a K–12 school with a 2013-2014 enrollment of 444 students.
The ULS campus is in need of facility upgrades. The renovation campaign seeks to improve campus facilities addressing the concerns of acoustics, thermal comfort, lighting, restroom improvements, maintenance, and cost - sustainably with our school values - simple, modest and sustainable measures. In conjunction with the College of Education and University’s master plan, ULS seeks to improve two of its buildings - Building 3 and the MPB.
University High School Building 3 (UHS-3): Building 3 is utilized by the elementary, middle and high school grades (K-12) as well as faculty and administration. It houses students daily as well and College of Education students after school hours.
The renovation of Building 3 is to include:
Multi-purpose Building (MPB) - The MPB is utilized by every student of ULS for lunch, school gatherings and extra-curricular events. To have this facility upgraded for day to day operations is essential to ensure the overall health and safety of the student body. Sustainable measures are to be utilized to maintain the natural ventilation of the building.
The renovation of MPB is to include:
- new clear low-e glazed awning or louver windows will help with heat transmission,sound transmission when closed while still allowing natural lighting into the room
- new ceiling fans to increase natural ventilation
- new energy efficient fluorescent light fixtures with direct and indirect lighting
- new acoustical ceilings to assist with sound control and thermal transmission.
- repair and repaint interior and exterior.
- new exterior doors to create a sound building envelope for safety and accessibility.
Multi-purpose Building (MPB) - The MPB is utilized by every student of ULS for lunch, school gatherings and extra-curricular events. To have this facility upgraded for day to day operations is essential to ensure the overall health and safety of the student body. Sustainable measures are to be utilized to maintain the natural ventilation of the building.
The renovation of MPB is to include:
- replace all doors and frames with new hollow metal doors and frames, along with screen doors at the exterior.
- replace missing jalousies and add insect screens to all windows.
- provide ceiling fans for better air flow.
- repair roof leaks and damaged ceilings.
CLASS OF '63 FUND DRIVE PARTICIPATION
- We will participate in the ULS foundation drive as a class.
- We are the first UHS/ULS class to make a commitment to the ULS Foundation Fund Drive. We hope that our commitment as a class will motivate other classes to organize and support the ULS Foundation.
- Our class goal is $25,000 over a five-year period (2014 - 2019).
- Ted Rachlin, ULS Foundation President, will match our donation dollar-for-dollar and up to a total of $50,000.
Information on how to make your contribution is at this link.
WHY YOU SHOULD KOKUA
When we were in school in the '60's, "where you wen' grad?" was a defining question. Where you went to high school was used as a method of identifying of who you were, how you were raised, and what your potential might be. Our parents who made the decision to send us to UHS knew this also and sent us to the school where we could achieve our full potential.
Each of us will have different reasons for wanting to give to the fund drive. For many of us, UHS was the place that provided the opportunity to make life-long friends and play some part in making us the person we became (for good or bad). Hopefully, all of us will have special and fond memories of our years at UHS. Some of those reasons will trigger a motivation to participate and donate, and help to keep the school a strong and viable educational institution well into the future.
A long-term (at our age this is a relative term) project of 5-years relieves some of the pressure and provides a greater opportunity to achieve our goal. Spread over a long term allows us to spread the word and raise funds at future reunion-type gatherings. So you can make a one-time donation or pledge support over a five-year period. Additionally, when your donation is received, the ULS Foundation will send you a letter about the tax implications of your donation.
By now, you should have received a donation form. If you have any questions concerning your donation or on the form, please contact Vernon, Howie or Miles. Additionally, go to this page and see testimonials from classmates who are participating in the fund drive. Lastly, we'd love to hear from you and your UHS experiences and/or memories that we could add to the testimonials.
Each of us will have different reasons for wanting to give to the fund drive. For many of us, UHS was the place that provided the opportunity to make life-long friends and play some part in making us the person we became (for good or bad). Hopefully, all of us will have special and fond memories of our years at UHS. Some of those reasons will trigger a motivation to participate and donate, and help to keep the school a strong and viable educational institution well into the future.
A long-term (at our age this is a relative term) project of 5-years relieves some of the pressure and provides a greater opportunity to achieve our goal. Spread over a long term allows us to spread the word and raise funds at future reunion-type gatherings. So you can make a one-time donation or pledge support over a five-year period. Additionally, when your donation is received, the ULS Foundation will send you a letter about the tax implications of your donation.
By now, you should have received a donation form. If you have any questions concerning your donation or on the form, please contact Vernon, Howie or Miles. Additionally, go to this page and see testimonials from classmates who are participating in the fund drive. Lastly, we'd love to hear from you and your UHS experiences and/or memories that we could add to the testimonials.