The Days After the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Punahou’s yearlong centennial celebration was still fresh in everyone’s mind when the school year opened in September 1941. Student spirits were high, school projects received enthusiastic support from faculty and alumni, and enrollment stood at 1,450, with more children of military service members arriving every week. But just months later, the future of Punahou School was suddenly in question as the campus took on a significant role at the start of World War II.
The Skills that Matter
Jeff and David are seniors and good friends. They’ve attended Punahou since kindergarten and play water polo together. But over the years, David has noticed some growing differences between them. Jeff is one of the “smart kids.” He has always taken honors and AP classes, even in the summer.
Rhythm of the Strokes
At Ala Moana Beach Park during winter, one can witness a frequent, counterintuitive sight: heavy outrigger canoes traveling on land, gliding and bobbing atop multiple legs and straining shoulders.
In July 2015, Mike Lippert, Academy Music Department head and choir teacher, and Amanda Lippert, K — 1 music teacher, with their two children, Greg ’26 and Nohea ’29, embarked on a life-changing journey that took them 7,000 miles away from Hawai‘i.
Dr. Thomas Kosasa ’63
In January, Dr. Thomas Kosasa ’63 was elected to the Punahou School Board of Trustees. Kosasa, a renowned infertility specialist and professor emeritus at John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) at University of Hawai‘i, is an active and dedicated supporter of the School.
Let’s Play!
At Barwick Playground in Kosasa Community, Radhika Sarkar ’18, a junior, is sitting on the ground beneath the “Explorer Dome,” an arching dome of interconnected ropes, bars and netting. Second- and third-graders are suspended above her, chatting, climbing and laughing.

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