Life is filled with unforgettable moments that remain in our hearts. Many such unforgettable moments were recently experienced in Hawaii by more than 800 Molokai High and Intermediate school students and faculty together with the cast, crew, and staff of iChoose.  Many individuals experienced personal breakthroughs in grappling with how better to confront violence in both their personal lives and the society in which they live.  Some of the memorable experiences included:

• Following encouragement from school faculty, one student who had expressed anger about participating in the iChoose sessions courageously chose to attend. By the end of the session, this individual had clearly opened up and experienced a real breakthrough.

• A senior high school student shared how Victory Over Violence (VOV) encouraged him to become a mentor to others on the topic of bullying. The student, a varsity basketball player, said: “I can do it because I myself experienced bullying when I was younger”. He now serves as a role model for local youth.

• A faculty member observed a student angrily kicking a door whereupon another student caught his eye and said, “Victory over violence, bro.” They both looked at each other and nodded, which prevented any further incident.

   Before the iChoose performers took to the stage, 30 Molokai Hawaiian Immersion class students presented the cast members with a performance of the song “Oli Mahalo”; a peaceful chant that echoed throughout the entire gym.

   The iChoose mini-musical, a brief play that includes dance, song, and rap, excited the students who seemed to love every minute of it. Ric Ornellas, a faculty member said, “The iChoose performance was epic. They were rocking the house, and the playlet really hit home. All 800 students were glued to their seats watching the performers.”

   After the performance, the Immersion class students responded with a spontaneous encore of “Oli Mahalo”, standing face to face with cast members as they sang. One iChoose crew member said: “The students’ song sent chills down my spine and brought tears to my eyes. If the impression we left upon the students is one-half, one-tenth, of that which was left upon us, I feel that our mission on Molokai was successful!”

   The Victory Over Violence exhibit, a series of graphical panels, was set up in the school library. One important element of the exhibit is the invitation for students to write down their feelings about each panel. The students' responses were put on a computer for viewing. Twelve laptops were made available so that the students could take the Victory Over Violence pledge on the VOV Web site.

   As a separate activity, elementary school students participated by writing their thoughts on the topic “What peace means to me” on paper “peace doves”. The doves were then hung from the ceiling of the school library for all to see.

   Many individuals lent their valuable support to this event including Denise Kelly, the principal and Diane Mokuau, the school librarian.  Another supporter was bus driver "Uncle Merv" who donated his time for the event despite the recent death of a family member. According to Mr. Merv Dudoit, ”VOV and iChoose were just too important for the kids.”

   The iChoose team is also grateful to Henry and Lyne Pali,  Rick Ornallas, Leialoha Lee, Toshi, Nan, and others.