Jan. 2010 – iChoose Visits Hawaii’s Kapolei High School 

“Has anyone here ever been bullied?”

“Yeah!” shouted many students.

“Did you ever go along with something you knew was wrong?”

“Yeah!” shouted many students.

“Has anyone ever made fun of you because you were different?”

“Yeah!” shouted many students.

“Have you ever….?”

Then the lights went out, and the students went wild.

In the ensuing 20 minutes, the message of iChoose — that we all have the power to choose, to speak up for those who have been wronged, to care for others, to be courageous against peer pressure, self-doubt, depression and physical abuse — was conveyed to an enraptured audience through a brief dramatic play with music, dance and video at Kapoleii High School on January 20.

Kapoleii High was the first of 10 stops on the current iChoose Hawaii high school tour, and at this location the school gymnasium was filled with more than 350 students and faculty members for the mini-musical portion of the three-part iChoose program — the other two portions consisting of the Victory of Violence exhibition and a post-performance discussion.

The VOV exhibit was displayed just outside of the auditorium, giving students ample opportunity to soak up its important lessons before mini-musical began.

The cast received the thunderous applause from the students, who were fully engaged throughout the performance. After the show, the cast sat on the stage and shared their own experiences of confronting difficult life-situations, which many students could identify with. Performer Nicole Sundry received a loud round of cheers when she told the crowd she had graduated from Kapleii High School just two years ago.

Vice principals John Lee and Hartwell Leeloy welcomed the iChoose project, praising the artistic manner in which its message was put across. Faculty members also offered positive comments, including: Danny Simeon, who related that students told him they wished it could have gone on longer; Tricia Young, who was touched by iChoose’s inspirational message; Jocelyn Olegario, who said the program brought a bit of relief to many of the students who are otherwise occupied by their daily struggles for food, water and harmony with the family; Sachi Lopez, who was particularly encouraged to see that the iChoose cast members were all local Hawaii residents; and Robin Ogino, who was moved to see students engaged and enjoying themselves.