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For the past couple of months, Punahou Academy students in Chinese IV Honors have engaged in various community service activities as part of the SECR (Spiritual, Ethical, Community, Responsibility) aspect of the course.  Students can tutor, work at Wo Center's Chinese Immersion Program, or participate in any other community service project approved by the teacher.

Recently, many students have been volunteering with their teacher, Ms. Laura Chang-Blust, also known as "Zhang Laoshi," at Palolo Chinese Home (PCH) and making a difference there.  Chinese language students volunteer for about three hours each visit and bring games and stories to share with the elderly who go to PCH for daycare.

I personally feel that it is a wonderful experience to interact with the senior citizens at PCH because I know that they look forward to our visits.  It makes me happy to know that I can make a small difference in someone's life and brighten PCH citizens' day.  At first I was really shy and unsure of how to go about interacting with the elderly, but getting to know the seniors at PCH allowed me to improve my interaction skills and learn more about myself.

The community service hours that Chinese language students are accumulating also contribute toward receiving a $5,000 grant sponsored by the Weinberg Foundation that will be donated to Palolo Chinese Home.