Saint Francis School: end of an era

Saint Francis School, a small Catholic school located near the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus, has seen its final day.

The school serves students from preschool to high school. There was also an adult day care on campus, making it a place where people of various ages come together as one community.

For decades, Saint Francis School was an all-girl's school until 2006 when it went co-ed.  A few years later, a former all-boys Catholic school Damien Memorial School, also went co-ed.

This was a part of a changing tide when formerly one-gender schools became co-ed. This was especially the case for schools that didn't have a brother/sister school nearby. Both Damien and Saint Francis are in different parts of Honolulu, making it inconvenient for parents who drive their kids in the morning. 

Meanwhile, Sacred Hearts Academy (all girls) and Saint Louis School (all boys) are within walking distance from each other, so they'll probably remain one-gender schools for a long time. Many brothers/sisters and boyfriend/girlfriends are in those schools. 

As Saint Francis School added more boys to its population, the school decided to have its own football team. The problem is that the school has a very tiny campus, and football requires many players on a team. The sport also requires expensive equipment for all the players.  There's no way that school could ever compete on a level playing field with larger private schools like Punahou, Kamehameha or Saint Louis.  Saint Francis School would've been better off just sticking with less expensive sports like basketball or volleyball. 

Saint Francis School did charge lower tuition as compared to other private schools. The problem was that it just wasn't enough to sustain the school. The parent organization, Sisters of Saint Francis of the Neumann Communities, was subsidizing the school for years but could no longer afford to do so. 

In September 2017, the principal Sister Joan of Arc Souza (also an alumnus) did get some controversy for stating in a Midweek article that the Catholic Church needs to be more accepting of the LGBT. 

Jade Moon, “The Big Champion of st. Francis,” Midweek, September 12, 2017,
http://www.midweek.com/st-francis-school-sister-joan-of-arc-souza/



At the end of the school year, she was fired. Coincidence? Probably not.
(note: The parent organization Sisters of Saint Francis of the Neumann Communities didn't mention that issue as a reason for the firing but come on, it can't be a coincidence)

Dan Nakaso, “Longtime Leader of st. Francis School Ousted,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, June 14, 2019
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/06/14/hawaii-news/longtime-leader-of-st-francis-school-ousted/



Then this school year, Casey Asato was hired to be the first male Head of School to this formerly all-girls school.   This would be the only school-year since it was announced in January that the school would have to shut down. 

Many alumni have stated that they weren't informed by the organization about the school's financial problems before the shutdown was announced. 

Leila Fujimori, “Saint Francis Alumni Meet and Are Still Hopeful,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, January 11, 2019
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/01/11/hawaii-news/saint-francis-alumni-meet-and-are-still-hopeful/

But many were upset with the announcement and that the Catholic school’s board of directors failed to inform them sooner of its financial troubles, which they were told Thursday had been going on for 1-1/2 to two years.

“It caught us off-guard. It’s a sad situation because it’s a part of all of us,” said Sister Frances Therese Souza, a 1961 graduate. “The thought that keeps coming to us is why didn’t they let us know sooner, because if they did, we would have helped. We want to try and help … save it.”

and more

Kanakolu Noa, 36, a 2000 grad, said the board waited too long to inform alumni.

She said in order to succeed, the board will need a change in mindset regarding fundraising, and partnerships, both public and private, including businesses and partner schools. She questioned some decisions such as the fundraising committee being told not to call major donors.

She said the person heading the board’s fundraising committee had not done much and had been in the role for only a year.

Noa said the decision not to tell the community sooner for fear parents and students would get nervous was not in the school’s best interest.

“That’s when you activate the community,” said Noa, a former teacher and current manager of strategy development at Kamehameha Schools.

Noa said the school could have reached out to Hawaii Independent Schools. She said Saint Louis School and Damien Memorial School also went through similar situations.

This lack of communication is horrible, as its the students who are hurt by this. The students will now have to scramble to find another school for the next school year.  

Contrast this to when Saint Louis School was having declining enrollment and financial troubles (circa 2010-2011).    The school notified its alumni who came together to donate funds to save the school. Not only was the school saved from a shutdown,  but also the enrollment went up,  and renovations were done. This is how a school retains the trust of the community. 

=======

I have worked as a substitute teacher on the Saint Francis campus under the private organization Kelly Services. I first went there in August 2012.  I was in the high school part of the campus. My first impression was "damn, this is small for a high school campus". It was just one building and a lawn. My mind was so accustomed to large public school campuses that it was a culture shock to experience tiny private school campuses. (I later experienced the same feeling at Maryknoll's high school campus).

The elementary/middle school was in a separate part of campus, and both levels shared the same building. I spent more time with the elementary/middle school part of the campus.  The first time I was in the elementary/middle school building, I was in the 4th/5th grade class. It was wonderful. 

Kindergarten? When we had recess in the gym, it was just me supervising 3 classes. What a nightmare. The school secretary later apologized for not providing more help. 

The middle school classes? One memory was when the regular math teacher came back from a field trip and was horrified by the students not sitting in the correct seats. I apologized to him about the situation, and his response was "they should know".

Another time, one middle schooler claimed to be finished early (with low-quality output) kept making unnecessary comments and was warned repeatedly. I was so angry and yelled at him to go to the office. The following year, one student told me "you remember ______ who you yelled at last year? He's going to be in this class". There he was, causing more trouble. He later told the principal exaggerations about the way I expressed my frustrations towards him and other misbehaving students. 

It's been a while since I last been on the campus. I have since moved on away from substitute teaching and towards full-time library work. 

I definitely felt a sense of community within the school campus, and it is sad to see it all come to an end. This will definitely be a traumatic thing for all the students who have to find another campus next year.  Their hearts will definitely be broken for what was lost! 



==============

More articles on the situation at Saint Francis School

Official announcement from the school's website, posted on February 14, 2019
https://stfrancis-oahu.org/school_closure/

Susan Essoyan, “Saint Francis School in Manoa Will Close Entirely at End of Academic Year,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, February 14, 2019, 
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/02/14/breaking-news/saint-francis-school-in-manoa-will-close-entirely-at-end-of-academic-year/


Susan Essoyan, “Financial Woes Lead to Decision to Close Saint Francis School,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, February 15, 2019, 
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/02/15/hawaii-news/saint-francis-school-to-close/




On the school's final commencement ceremony

Michael Tsai, “Saint Francis School Celebrates Bittersweet Final Commencement,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, May 26, 2019, 
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/05/26/hawaii-news/the-final-graduating-class-at-95-year-old-saint-francis-school-celebrates-a-bittersweet-commencement-ceremony/

In memory of Dick Tomey (1938 - 2019)

Earlier this month, the legendary football coach Dick Tomey has passed away. He was 80 years old.

He was the head coach at several colleges including Hawaii, Arizona, and San Jose State.  He was also an assistant coach at UCLA and Texas. 

Star-Advertiser archives

Dick Tomey when he was coaching at Hawaii

As a person from Hawaii, much of this blog post will be from that perspective. 

He came to UH back in 1977 when the team was going through some struggles. The previous coach Larry Price (later known as a radio host) quit, and many players considered transferring to other schools. Other coaches contacted to take the position refused.  Many people thought Tomey was crazy to step down from his assistant position at UCLA to take over a struggling UH team. 

UH didn't struggle for much longer. It was a beginning of the glory years at UH when the defenses became top-ranked, and the stadium became the place to be. This era had the biggest crowds that Aloha Stadium has ever seen. 

It was also a time when many future NFL players were on the team including Jesse Sapolu, Mark Tuinei, Rich Miano, and the Noga brothers (Niko, Al).  This inspired the top local players to play for the home team, as well as inspired players from elsewhere to join the fun in Hawaii.

Sadly, all great things come to an end. In 1986, Tomey accepted a higher paying job at the University of Arizona, where he stayed until 2000. Tomey's defense there became known as the Desert Swarm, coinciding with the era when the US had its first war with Iraq. 

Tomey's Desert Swarm came to Hawaii in 1998 to give UH its first loss of its winless season that year. 🤮

Star-Bulletin

Dick Tomey (then coaching for Arizona) talking to UH coach Fred von Appen after the game in1998. This was UH's 1st loss of what will be its winless season. 

Tomey later came back to Hawaii as an opponent when he was coaching the San Jose State Spartans back in 2005-2009.

Star-Advertiser

Dick Tomey (coaching for San Jose State) being consoled by UH  coach June Jones after losing to the home team in 2006.

Even with all these years as UH's opponents, Hawaii was always a part of Tomey's heart. In 2002,  he teamed up with Jim Leahy to do the TV sportscasts for the UH football games. And in 2011, Tomey was back coaching at UH, this time as an assistant with Coach Mack (Gregg McMackin).  🎉

Sadly, the entire Mack's team were fired at the end of the season, to be replaced by the over-rated Norm Chow.  🤮

That was the last time Dick Tomey coached!

 He was well loved in Hawaii not only for his football success but also his respect for the Hawaiian culture. Outsiders (especially those of European ancestry) have to work twice as hard to earn the respect here. Dick Tomey has earned that respect. 


==============

Dick Tomey wrote a book about his experience as a UH football coach. The book is titled " Rise of the Rainbow Warriors".

online shoppers can buy it here straight from the publisher
https://www.bookshawaii.net/books/sports/rise-of-the-rainbow-warriors.html

Watermark Publishing

"Rise of the Rainbow Warriors" by Dick Tomey

To learn more about Dick Tomey's legacy in Hawaii, check out these following articles

Ferd Lewis, “Dick Tomey, Trail-Blazing Football Coach at the University of Hawaii, Dies at 80,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, May 11, 2019, 
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/05/11/sports/sports-breaking/dick-tomey-trail-blazing-football-coach-at-the-university-of-hawaii-dies-at-80/


Ferd Lewis, “Former University of Hawaii Football Coach Dick Tomey Lived Aloha,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, May 12, 2019, 
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/05/12/sports/former-university-of-hawaii-football-coach-dick-tomey-lived-aloha/


David McCracken, “Hawaii Football ‘Ohana Reacts to Dick Tomey’s Death,” Hawaii News Now, May 11, 2019, 
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/05/11/hawaii-football-ohana-reacts-dick-tomeys-death/


Dave Reardon, “Dick Tomey Was a Coach, and Not Just of Football Players,” Hawaii Warrior World, May 11, 2019, 
https://www.hawaiiwarriorworld.com/football/tomey-was-a-coach-and-not-just-of-football-players/?fbclid=IwAR2lDu7Zxp4jDal5FAtRTq8geIsiVwSZG09zeBW9n3q6ghnkSVpnR84x08U

Nipsey Hussle & John Singleton

The Crenshaw district of South Central Los Angeles recently lost 2 people who gave their community a voice in the world of media.


One was rapper/entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle.

The other was a film director John Singleton.

Nipsey Hussle, John Singleton

(photo credit: Twitter.com/NipseyHussle ; George Pimentel)

1) Nipsey Hussle

Nipsey Hussle was born with the name Ermias Joseph Asghedom as the son of an Eritrean immigrant.  He grew up in Crenshaw, a community in Los Angeles notorious for gang violence.  He joined the Crips gang as a teenager but later decided that he would be better doing a more legal hustle as he transitioned to adulthood.

He started making records in the 00's decade, at a time when the bulk of the attention in the hip-hop world moved away from West Coast gangsta rap and towards the South (especially Atlanta). At that point, The Game was seen as the last major gangsta rapper from LA.   Being an independent recording artist, he didn't have to worry about pandering to major label record executives who want guaranteed hits. Instead, he worked at slowly building his audience from the underground.

By the 10's decade, some attention came back to the West Coast, with the rise of Kendrick Lamar and YG.  Nipsey Hussle already built enough of an audience that he could make a good living without pandering to mainstream radio.

YG and Nipsey Hussle came together to make a classic track of political defiance "FDT", which stands for "F--- Donald Trump". That track was released in 2016 when Donald Trump was running for president. The song was a unity track between Bloods & Crips, but also between African-Americans and Latinos. Both YG and Nipsey Hussle grew up around Latinos and weren't going to stay silent when the Latino immigrant community was being slandered by Trump and his supporters. 

He also had some side entrepreneurial ventures focusing on expanding opportunities in his home community of Crenshaw.  He opened a fashion store (Marathon Clothing), then later bought out the plaza the store was located in. He invested in affordable rental units in his community. He also encouraged young African-Americans to embrace STEM education being that much of the world's future is based on computer technology. 

His devotion to the community made him well-loved by many. Unfortunately, his success also breeds envy among those who felt left behind.  This gets magnified in that many rappers who earn millions become easy targets for people from their childhood community who are still struggling economically.

from the New York Times

Joe Coscarelli, “For Nipsey Hussle and Rap’s Thriving Middle Class, Staying Close to Home Can Have a Price,” New York Times, April 4, 2019, 

 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/arts/music/nipsey-hussle-shooting-death.html 

“Sometimes keeping it real is too much,” Wack said. “When you’re that accessible, that common, then it becomes easy to get to you and easy to plot on you.”

For other rappers who looked to Hussle’s career as a blueprint, his killing has resulted in increased paranoia and anxiety.

Mozzy, a Sacramento rapper who frequently wrestles with the consequences of his gang ties in music and interviews, said that Hussle “was supposed to be untouchable,” and represented the aspirational “big dog” in his lane “as far as being a gangster rapper and trying to transition into being a mogul and a role model.”

“I ain’t going to lie, I’m kind of shaking right now,” Mozzy said, having recently had a “mini-altercation” in his own neighborhood. He cited the fatalistic advice of the Louisiana rap veteran Boosie: “Most rappers die in their own city,” and added: “Every day you’re taking one of the biggest risks of your life by being a rapper and living in your community, or continuing to pull up there. But you take that risk out of a love for the people.”

Nipsey Hussle was murdered outside his own store on March 31, 2019. He was only  33 years old.  The alleged killer was Eric Holder (no relation to the former Attorney General with the same name), who will face court time. 

more articles  on Nipsey Hussle

Zoe Zorka, “Remembering the Business of Nipsey Hussle: From Entertainer to Entrepreneur,” The Source, April 2, 2019,  http://thesource.com/2019/04/02/remembering-the-business-of-nipsey-hussle-from-entertainer-to-entrepreneur/


Damon Brown, “The Late Rapper Nipsey Hussle Was a Savvy entrepreneur. This Was His Secret to Success,” The INC, April 1, 2019
https://www.inc.com/damon-brown/the-powerful-secret-rapper-nipsey-hussle-knew-about-entrepreneurship.html

2) John Singleton 

John Singleton is a prominent director known for his films focusing on the various aspects of African-American life.

His debut film "Boyz N The Hood" was his most well-known film. The film focused on 3 young African-American males growing up in Crenshaw.  They started out as childhood friends but as they transitioned to late adolescence, they started to go in different directions, even as they maintained their friendship. Cuba Gooding's (Tre) character was an academic achiever headed for college. Morris Chestnut's  (Ricky) character was the jock who wanted a football scholarship but was struggling to get qualified academically. Ice Cube's character (Doughboy) became a gang member with no known legal aspirations.  The movie had its humorous moments, but it had a more serious tone as the 3 main characters had to deal with the fear & tragedy that comes with the violent environment they were growing up in. 

The film's success inspired other "hood movies" like Menace to Society, South Central, and Master P's "I'm Bout It" that all focus being an adolescent/young adult in poverty-stricken, crime-ridden communities. 

There was much more to John Singleton than just "hood movies". 

His next "Poetic Justice" was a romance movie that featured singers Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur.  It was Janet Jackson's first movie role and it showed Tupac Shakur in a role that had nothing to do with "Thug Life". 

His later films included Higher Learning (which focused on racial tensions on a college campus), Rosewood  (which focused on KKK attacks on African-American communities in the Jim Crow era),  and Baby Boy (Tyrese portrayed an unemployed young man still living with his mother whose new boyfriend just got out of prison).

Singleton also made the 2000's updated version of the cult classic Shaft, as well as 2 Fast, 2 Furious.

John Singleton was considered to direct the 2pac's biopic "All Eyez on Me", but was later dropped from the project. There were rumors that he was fired because 2pac's family was offended by some of his ideas for what to add to the film.

In his last few years, Singleton focused more on TV, with a documentary on the LA Riots (L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later)  and TV series Snowfall (on the crack trade in the 1980s).

In April of this year, John Singleton suffered a stroke. He passed away a few days later. He was 51 years old.


articles on John Singleton's impact on the world of film

Ann Hornaday, “John Singleton Helped Redefine American Pop Culture, and His Impact Is Still Being Felt Today,” Washington Post, April 29, 2019, 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/john-singleton-helped-redefine-american-pop-culture-and-his-impact-is-still-being-felt-today/2019/04/29/1b763d8a-6aab-11e9-8f44-e8d8bb1df986_story.html



Bryan Alexander, “Appreciation: How John Singleton's Stunning, Singular 'Boyz n the Hood' Changed Hollywood,” USA Today, April 29, 2019, 
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/04/29/john-singleton-boyz-n-hood-filmmaker-appreciation/3616782002/



S. Mitra Kalita, “John Singleton Directed This Scene That Changed My Life,” CNN, April 29, 2019,
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/29/opinions/john-singleton-directed-this-scene-that-changed-my-life-kalita/index.html


---------

This article on John Singleton's stroke and hypertension and on how  those two medical conditions affect African-Americans at a high rate, as written by Terry Neal, an African-American writer diagnosed with hypertension


Terry Neal, “John Singleton’s Art, and His Death, Are All Too Familiar to Black Men,” Washington Post, May 3, 2019, 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/05/03/john-singletons-art-his-life-is-all-too-familiar-black-men/?utm_term=.945818850eb0&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1