The Force was strong at prestigious Nene Award Ceremony

The Academy’s students in grades four to six excitedly welcomed about 350 of their counterparts from eight other schools to campus for the annual Nene Award Ceremony on April 9 in the Auditorium.

During the ceremony, the students got to “hangout” via Google with author Tom Angleberger, who penned the 2014 Nene Award-winning book, “The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda.”

And, in honor of Angleberger’s focus on Yoda, an iconic character from the Star Wars universe, a cast of Stormtroopers, a Sand Person and even Darth Vader surprised student emcees Emma Kauhane and Prudence Eddy on-stage to assist with the awards presentation!

Leading up to the Awards Ceremony, students across the Islands engage in activities and contests aimed at promoting reading and related to the Nene Suggested Reading List.

This year, the Academy’s winners included sixth grader Carolei Edra – who filled in as Yoda – in the Persuasive Digital Media category, Award; sixth grader Kelly Thieu for her Interpretive Essay; and sixth grader Emma Kauhane in the Interpretive Digital Media category.

Earning Honorable Mention honors for their Persuasive Poster designs were sixth graders Ayla Hakikawa, Annika Lindberg and Rachel Huang.

Darth Vader had the honor of announcing the 2015 Nene Award winning book – “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio.

While the highlights of the Ceremony were discovering which book won and which are nominated for next year’s award, the students were also thrilled to take photos with the Star Wars cast from the Pacific Outpost of the 501st Legion after the event.

The Nene Awards are sponsored and supported by the Hawai’i Association of School Librarians, the Hawai’i Library Association, the State Department of Education, the Hawai’i State Public Library System, Perma-Bound Books, Scholastic Book Fairs ad Follett Library Resources.

Visit www.nene.k12.hi.us for more information about the Nene Award and its related programs.

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