| Members of PBA’s Community, Past and Present, Gather with Family and Friends for a Memorial Service Honoring an Important Leader from PBA’s Early Years
| | Dear readers of the What's New, | Yesterday, I attended “A Service of Celebration and Resurrection” for the late Dr. Janet Ishikawa-Fullmer at the Kilohana United Methodist Church with PBA Advancement Director Megan Lee and PBA’s Chaplain Rev. Blayne Nakasone Sakata. Megan, Rev. Blayne and I had been invited by Dr. Ishikawa-Fullmer’s son James Ishikawa, who contacted me through former PBA trustee Dr. Walter Kunitake.
In addition to Walter, we also saw former PBA board chairs Leigh-Ann Miyasato and Joel Determan and long-time trustee Cindy Alm. Clearly, Dr. Ishikawa-Fullmer was important to the early leadership of our school. During a time of open sharing, Walter revealed that “Jan,” as he knew her, was a tireless advocate of education. | 
| He also shared that Jan made an important early gift to the school of a large scholarship fund. One year, as the school was just getting off the ground and funding was stretched, the board asked Jan for a short-term loan, to which she readily agreed. Jan was a trustee and a great friend to PBA.
“I grew up only two doors down from Jan on the Big Island,” said PBA Advisory Council member Fred Nonaka. “It was funny because, when we met again many years later on Oahu, we didn’t realize we knew each other previously since we only used each other’s Japanese names as kids,” Fred said.
Rev. Blayne was warmly welcomed by the United Methodist ministers Rev. Bob Isip and Rev. Alan Mark, pastors of the Kilohana and Waianae churches, to read “White Ashes,” a reflection on impermanence composed by Rennyo Shonin. The words wove together in perfect harmony with our earlier singing of “Amazing Grace” and the moving stories Rev. Isip told about Dr. Ishikawa-Fullmer’s lifelong tireless advocacy for education, running, gardening, and family. Dr. Ishikawa-Fullmer's grandson John Ishikawa reflected that he didn’t always understand why his grandmother questioned how he was doing in school or which friends he spent time with, but that with the greater wisdom of young adulthood, he understood it all came from a place of love.
In her twilight years, her family moved her back to James’ home in Maryland, and while she missed her pikake flowers and the warm weather of Hawaii, she brought Hawaii’s aloha with her. James reflected that even in her late 80s and 90s she would walk miles with her stroller. When she returned home with the walker balls all worn to a nub, he realized that he needed to get a unit with actual wheels. She knew everyone in the neighborhood.
Dr. Janet Satomi Ishikawa-Fullmer lived a full life from October 17, 1925, to December 3, 2020. It was our privilege to share a remembrance of her with family and friends, and Pacific Buddhist Academy expresses our gratitude and fondness for her example and the Shinichi Saito and Onao Kurisu Saito Award established in her parents’ name. | | Warmly,
Josh Hernandez Morse
Head of School | | Understanding Displacement: PBA Observes International Peace Day
| Students and faculty gathered in the Founders Hall of the PBA Weinberg Building to honor International Peace Day, first established as a holiday in Hawaii by the 2007 state legislature after lobbying by the Junior Young Buddhist’s Association and students and teachers of PBA. An observance in partnership with the US Institute of Peace’s annual Peace Day Challenge and the statewide “Ring Your Bell for Peace” celebration organized by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, PBA’s programming focused first on the problem of displacement as a leading detractor of peace worldwide and how to understand and take action to mitigate its effects. The International Day of Peace, often referred to as Peace Day, is observed every year on September 21st as a day dedicated to promoting and advocating for peace and non-violence. The day was established by the United Nations in 1981 and is celebrated worldwide as an opportunity for nations, organizations, and individuals to come together and raise awareness. This year, PBA Head of School Josh Hernandez Morse is a Peace Teacher with the United States Institute of Peace. With an introduction to the present nature of displacement by Mr. Josh, the day began with a framing of the myriad contributors to human displacement and how both human and environmental factors interact to produce conditions of displacement for human and other beings worldwide. “It’s a pretty heavy way to start a reflection on the importance of peace,” said Mr. Josh, “but the goal of our program was to awaken students to a significant obstacle to peace in many parts of the world, to deepen their resolve to act, and to teach them practical peacebuilding skills they can use in their everyday lives to make contributions to peace everywhere.” Ranging from systemic issues such as poverty and war to more natural disaster and forced migration, PBA’s observance of Peace Day began by addressing some of the ongoing challenges to peace in practice. Crucially, students were invited to reflect on the nature of displacement at the individual, local, and global scales, and how the cascading effects of disruptions to peace influence today’s human living conditions. The Buddhist Club then led students in participating in the Ring Your Bell for Peace Day. The harmonious sound of bells reverberating through the airspace lasted for five minutes, following a welcome from Bishop Umitani and a minute of silence to honor the efforts of peacekeepers. A cohort of PBA students then dedicated a song, “Nada Sou Sou,” to the recent devastations of the Maui wildfires. As a special note, Class of 2023 Valedictorian and current President of the Hawaii Federation of the Junior Young Buddhist Association Chad Okawa '23 delivered the opening remarks. Rev. Kerry Kiyohara of Makawao Hongwanji concluded morning programming with a dharma message for PBA students, inviting them to reflect individually on compassionate response to disasters and suggesting actionable steps each of us can take as a crucial element of peace practice. “Even as individuals, if we show the Hawaiian values aloha, ohana, and mahalo to others, our simple smiles and kind words have lasting effects to build peace,” he said. As the morning continued, Mr. Kurt and Mr. Otake led the Dragon Grapplers as they mounted the Peace Pole at the top of the Fujii Garden. Mr. Heffernan hosted a family of Ukrainian emigres to share testimony of the migration from their war-torn country. Ms. Megan and the Eco Interact Club led the design of Tibetan prayer flags and compassion cards for Lahaina. And Ms. Verena hosted guest therapist Ellie Gonzalez for a workshop on centering oneself as a practice of conflict transformation. Mr. Curry also led a workshop on human-caused climate change to deepen student understanding of the importance of reducing our carbon footprint. With a break for a delicious vegan lunch from local favorite Da Spot, students experienced a hearty fusion meal in mindfulness of the environmental and ethical contributions that even the (seemingly small) daily choices can make towards a more peaceful world. As Peace Day drew to a close, Rev. Nakasone-Sakata led students in a Peace Pole dedication, drawing the PBA community together in a final commitment to collective peace building. A full day of dialogue, celebration, and mindful reflection on the importance of peace left students with much food for thought and action, in engagement with the broader Hawaii community. | | International Day of Peace
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The PBA Grappling Club works together to put up the PBA Peace Pole.
|  With the help of Uncle Kurt, the Peace Pole now stands proudly in the corner of our garden.
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Students work together to identify peacebuilding skills.
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Students help to put up decorated Tibetan peace flags.
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Students create Peace Day Challenge and compassion cards.
|  Students make compassions cards for victims and survivors of the Maui wildfires.
| |  Guest speaker Ellie Gonzalez leads a workshop on Communication: Active Listening and Dialogue.
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International refugees from Ukraine, Valentina and Dima, share their experiences migrating from Ukraine to Hawaii.
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Students decorate Tibetan peace flags.
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Students in the Buddhist Club participate in Ring Your Bell for Peace.
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| For more information, please contact Advancement Director Megan Lee at [email protected] or (808)532-2649. | | Reserve your seat at this year's Lighting Our Way banquet today! Visit our website for more information. We hope you can join us to celebrate the community achievements of these amazing honorees. | | Office Hours
7:30am - 5:00pm | | |
