Congratulations to Mikayla, whose entry in the Kahalaopuna art contest has been used on the publicity flyer and poster distributed throughout the school. 

Here is the information you have been waiting for regarding arrival times and costume requirements for your chlldren.  On both Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10:

• All children will report to their classrooms by 5:00 pm.

• They should be dressed in board shorts or surf shorts, a t-shirt, and slippers. 

• Girls should have their hair in a ponytail.

• In the classroom the children will receive their costume bag. They will change their t-shirts into the official program t-shirt provided by the school and their capes or other costuming. They will place the t-shirt they wore to school in their costume bag (with their name on it). 

• The teacher will walk the students down to Scudder Hall for warm-up. The children will bring their costume bag with them.

• Upon completion of the opera, the children will return to Scudder where they will change back into their own t-shirts (girls will change in the kitchen area), neatly fold their performance t-shirt and cape or other costuming, and replace it in their costume bag.

* Children will be dismissed from Scudder Hall after their change and parents have signed them out.

Below is a letter sent by the Fifth Grade Leadership Team that I thought you’d like to see.

Aloha kakou!

Hey! Have your heard?  Our school, Mid-Pacific Institute, is celebrating 100 Years in Manoa.  As a part of our year-long celebration, we are putting on an opera production called Kahalaopuna, Princess of Manoa (this cool opera was written especially for youth by Manoa resident and Professor Emeritus of the UHM Music Department, Dr. Neil McKay).

This opera is really special.  The entire production has been managed by us – the students of MPI (with a little bit of help from the teachers and parents)!  Our entire elementary school has been working hard for months pulling everything together.  We have been involved in rehearsals, costumes, ticket sales, set design, prop making, production, marketing, public relations, and advertising. Plus, the Hawaii Opera Theater has been helping us learn about how a real opera works.  They are helping to train the principal singers, which are all played by students.  In fact, some of the bigger roles are being performed by our high school students from the MPSA (Mid-Pacific School of the Arts).  They’re awesome!

We invite you to attend and tell your friends about  our special performance.  Our shows are on Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, at 6:00 pm in the MPI Mills Gymnasium.  If you would like free tickets for either night, please feel free to call 441-3806.

We really hope you can join us for our special night.

Mahalo nui loa,

The 5^th Grade Leadership Team

The MPI Opera Company