How Hawaii's Unique Graduation Traditions Are Upended By Coronavirus
High school graduations are a large part of Hawaii’s cultural fabric, celebrated with a fanfare unique to the islands. “College graduations aren’t guaranteed,” said Kealoha Charles, a recent high school graduate.
In 2018, about 90% of youth graduated from high school, but only 30% graduated from college. Just 55% of local youth attend college to begin with, a proportion that hasn’t shifted since 2013.
Because of this, local students and their families pull out all the stops to celebrate high school graduations. Most are marked by a lei ceremony, blow-out celebrations and epic senior song performances. Family and friends travel throughout the islands and from around the world to attend.
“I don’t think that people in the mainland know how crazy [it gets],” said Chrislyn Antonio, a recent graduate.
This year, though, many schools were abruptly shut down due to COVID-19, leaving high school seniors devastated. Some schools may not do anything to mark the event. But families, friends, graduates and community members continue to pull together to throw independent celebrations when they can.
Drive-by lei ceremonies and virtual ceremonies have been the new trend, modifying the old tradition to fit new social distancing requirements. One Oahu public school even invited graduates to walk a red carpet to get their diplomas while socially distancing.
Stay-at-home orders in Hawaii have been extended to June 30, after which many graduates are moving off-island to pursue school and employment. They are hoping to be able to see at least their closest friends one more time in person before they part ways.
Asha Silva
Asha Silva is the first of four children to graduate high school and was looking forward to sharing that experience with her family. Instead, she said, “Everyone’s on edge” now. Her dad lost his job because of the pandemic, and her mom may be forced to take a pay cut as a public school teacher.
Though lei ceremonies are common in...
