Two photographs taken 59 years apart.

The top photo was taken in May 1956, somewhere near the end of my 3rd grade year at Kahala Elementary School. I entered the 2nd grade when the school first opened in the fall of 1954, and graduated from the 6th grade as Hawaii became a state in 1959.

In the second photo (below), I’m standing in approximately the same spot yesterday–Saturday, May 23, 2015–during the school’s 60th Anniversary celebration.

Stumbling across the 60th anniversary was, in hindsight, a remarkable bit of synchronicity. I was rather mindlessly browsing online a couple of days ago and, through a set of connections I don’t recall, ended up glancing at the Kahala Elementary School website. And there it was, an announcement of the 60th anniversary.

“There is still time to be a part of Kahala’s 60th Anniversary luau,” it promised.

My first thought–I should attend. I was, after all, there at the beginning. I entered the 2nd grade at Kahala School when it first opened in 1954. During that first year, I think there were just two classroom buildings. Before I finished the 6th grade and graduated, the school had added two more classroom buildings closed to what is now Kahala Park, as well as the cafetorium.

I decided that I would just drop in, not for lunch, but to look around the school and see what it’s like after all this time.

So yesterday morning we drove to Kahala. Meda dropped me at the school on her way to browse through the Leahi Hospital thrift shop.

I strolled over to the school, spotted the table outside the cafetorium where people were checking in, and went over to introduce myself.

My introduction went something like this: “I’m don’t have a reservation and don’t plan on having lunch, but I was a student here the first year the school opened, and I hope I can just look around a bit.”

I quickly got the idea that I was perhaps the only student from the school’s first year to be present for the 60th anniversary. I was introduced to the principal, and warmly welcomed to make myself at home. First stop, a small display of graduates being claimed by the school, where I was quite surprised to see my photo!

My second stop was that spot along the central walkway where I tried to replicate that 1956 photo, with the help of a family with two boys currently enrolled in the school.

Then it was back to enjoy a complimentary lunch, courtesy of the school. Thank you, folks!

Here are some of the earlier photos I’ve posted from my Kahala School years.

Among the items:

Class photo, Ms. Suiso’s 2nd grade class.

Cub Scouts, Den 1, Pack 116. October 1955, first meeting at Kahala School.

Class photo, Mrs. Ginder’s 3rd grade class.

Class photo, Mrs. Lau’s 5th grade class.

Class photo, Ms. Yamasaki’s 6th grade class.

So where’s the 4th grade? It seems there’s a gap in the photos and in my brain cells.

–> See a few more photos from the Kahala Elementary School 60th Anniversary.