Damien Memorial School featured on HONOLULU Magazine Annual 2023-2024 Private School Guide
Hawaii Association of Independent Schools has teamed up with HONOLULU Magazine to publish the 21st Annual 2024 Private School Guide. This year DMS students Daniel (ninth grade) and Cailin (sixth grade) are featured on the cover story “Shaping Leaders of Tomorrow.”
Article published in HONOLULU Magazine “2024 Private School Guide”
Shaping Leaders of Tomorrow
How four private schools are equipping their students for a future that looks more unpredictable than ever.
BY MARIA KANAI
The world is always changing. Everything from new technology and digital trends to global issues like climate change affects what we need to prepare our keiki for, and how. How are schools guiding and shaping our children so that they grow into adults who are not only tech-savvy and innovative, but responsible and caring citizens? We spoke with four private schools that provide opportunities, programs and tools to build up our children to not only excel academically, but to think critically, show leadership and encourage values like respect, integrity and kindness in a future that looks nothing like what many of us ever expected.
Embracing Artificial Intelligence
Talking with Dr. Arnold Laanui is like being in a philosophy course – the president of Damien Memorial School enjoys discussing theory and has a deep respect for technology. Heʻs especially intrigued by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence.
“When you look at technology, you can see how much has changed. The tricky thing in this environment is to develop a program to prepare students for a workforce that’s rapidly changing,” Laanui says. “In order to do that, we need to instill certain fundamental truths about human achievement, financial success and character development. Do some alchemy on our side and come out with something golden into the future.”
Laanuiʻs passion for technology hails from his background in the FBI, where he was involved with cybersecurity and taught digital ethics. “AI can never replace the human component. You donʻt want to rely on it. In education, we must teach a new generation of humans to ask better questions and think deeper. That’s not easy to do.”
Damien Memorial School is proud of its robotics program and how it encourages students to think critically and creatively to solve community issues.
For example, a typical English teacher may be worried whether a student used AI to write an essay. For Laanui, thatʻs not an immediate concern. “My concern is whether a faculty member would start using the tech to write shallow lesson plans. Then youʻve become a cog in the wheel,” he says. Laanui has big plans to bring in new faculty who are willing to change the way they normally teach and tackle the challenges brought on by AI. He says it’s about embracing, not shying away from, AI. “I feel we are right at the very cusp of how education is going to shift, especially with the popularity of AI models. Folks are beginning to have conversations about how AI impacts education, and our school plans to be at the forefront of that. These past two months, weʻve been having conversations with partners that are interested in addressing this issue.” he says. He can’t share which partners at this early stage, but he hints at a landmark technology company on the West Coast.
In addition to artificial intelligence, other new technologies can also be used in innovative ways; for example, Laanui plans to bring drones into the school’s robotics program. “I donʻt want my students to just fly drones, but make them into tools that help them better understand their world and use the tech to help the community.” Damien Memorial School also has a thriving aquaponics program that Laanui hopes to grow into a fish pond to better teach students about climate change, water safety and sustainability.
As a faith-based institution, Damienʻs programs cohesively create an environment where students are welcome to ask questions–not just academic or technological ones, but larger, metaphysical questions, too. “Students are encouraged to think about their purpose and wrestle with what is good and evil, and where they take a stand,” he says. “That’s the grander purpose of education. Our job is to provide students with tools that pave the road ahead after graduating.”