ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY said mahalo and a hui hou to Lawrence Kama on Monday, August 31 as he retired from the department of facilities after more than six years of service to the school. Mr. Lawrence, as the students called him, joined IPA in April 2014 as one of the facilities crew. His friendly face, warm smile, and quick laugh brightened the days of students and faculty alike.
Kama performed many different jobs around the school from keeping the Elementary students safe on the playground at recess, to keeping the classrooms and buildings clean, to working security at IPA events. And he was always there to offer help whenever it was needed.
“Lawrence is a very dedicated, loyal and generous person,” shares Kent Nakata, Director of Facilities. “For the last 6 plus years, we were really lucky to have him as part of our IPA ʻohana. He will be greatly missed and we wish him well in his retirement.”
The Elementary students showed their gratitude and appreciation for all his service with a special shout out during their virtual Monday morning assembly. Kama joined them virtually from the Secondary student center, with the rest of the facilities team nearby – masked and socially distanced.
“Something you all should know about Mr. Lawrence, is he really shows us what aloha is,” Steve Ross, Elementary Principal shared with the students and parents on Zoom during the assembly. “Everytime I interact with him he has a smile, he’s helpful and I think the whole school community would agree that Mr. Lawrence models for us what a place where values matter means.”
Gerald Teramae, Head of School, remembers his own first day at IPA, also six years ago, and how welcomed he felt.
“The first person that I met here was Mr. Lawrence, and he was so welcoming and supportive,” shares Mr. Teramae. “I didn’t know how to get into the building because I wasn’t assigned a key or fob yet, and he let me in the building and opened my office. I’ll never forget Mr. Lawrence helping me on that day.”
Mahalo nui, Mr. Lawrence!
