On February 5, 2022, Punahou WeGo! leaders and Ke`elikolani Middle School's Young Women's Club work together to clean the campus and build connections!
By Calista Yap '24 | February 5, 2022
At the beginning of 2022, WeGo! partnered with the Young Women’s club at Keelikolani Middle School with the aim of working together to solve problems within our community. This idea began as a part of a WeGo! initiative to encourage women empowerment in Honolulu area’s public schools.
In early February, a group of Punahou students in WeGo!’s Co-Leader program visited Keelikolani Middle School to help with a campus beautification event. This group of students included Ella Chong, Sonya Duval-Arnold, Avery Mapes, Kat Viola, Calista Yap as well as club founder Kylee Hamamoto. All are current sophomores, members of Punahou’s class of 2024. These Co-Leaders were able to meet some of the middle schoolers who participate in the Young Women’s club and forged connections between the two clubs.
The WeGo! and Young Women’s clubs worked together to help with cleaning up the school grounds. Most girls raked leaves or power washed walls and stairs, but others trimmed overgrown plants and vines, picked weeds, and cleaned up trash. Everyone who participated played a part in making the campus look nice.
After the campus beautification was complete, WeGo! members sat down and talked extensively with the middle schoolers over lunch. Some of the eighth graders, soon to be freshmen, had questions about high school that co-leaders were happy to answer. Many girls found common interests, bonding over common music tastes, entertainment, or extracurricular activities.
Overall, the event was a success: the Co-Leaders enjoyed meeting the middle schoolers and left the Keelikolani Middle School campus looking beautiful and clean.