This fall, Punahou School hosted a naturalization ceremony for 68 new citizens who took an oath and pledged allegiance to the United States of America. Punahou School’s community got a front-row seat as the roll call for immigrants from 21 countries was read off.
The ceremony was coordinated by Punahou’s Junior ROTC program and the Davis Democracy Initiative, started by attorney Mark Davis and his wife, Janie. The Davis Family Foundation established a fund to develop curricula around issues of American democracy.
The idea was hatched around the time of the pandemic, and working with Punahou President Mike Latham and educators David Ball and Pam Sakamoto, the program took off…