THE PUNAHOU CARNIVAL

By the spring semester, junior high boys and girls were beginning to pair up. The catalyst for these love matches was the Punahou Carnival, the biggest and best on Oahu because of its rides, food and game booths, and a white elephant tent stocked with alumni donations ranging from Tiki lamps to Vegematics to 14 carat gold ku'uipo bracelets. High school students were responsible for manning the booths with the help of alumni volunteers. Bishop Hall buzzed with gossip about who was taking whom to the carnival. Cecily Garza turned down my big brother Ben because a sophomore from Roosevelt High had asked her to go steady. Rumors spread that some of our seventh grade girls were smoking pakalolo, dropping acid, and going all the way with older guys.