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Students and local community had the opportunity to hear the Ko’olauloa Children’s Chorus (KCC) perform their 12th year anniversary concert, “Prayer of the Children” on Thursday, April 25. The KCC is a volunteer choir composed of children from the North Shore between the ages of 9 to 17. Created by Laie resident Esther Macy in 2000, the KCC serves to “provide an opportunity for young people to learn, grow, and excel through quality instruction and experiences that emphasize the development of musical skills and understanding.” Choir member Kuyo Ulii said, “My favorite part of being in the choir is going on tours. But I like to play instruments and hang out with friends and enjoy music.” The choir, consisting of 45 members, sang a variety of songs representing different parts of the world. The choir opened with a Zambian African folk song, “Bonse Aba.” Its lyrics means, “All who sing with the spirit have the right to be called the children of God.” Casey Rindlisbach, a sophomore in elementary education from Loveland, Ohio, said, “The African one was a great way to start the show. It was full of life and made me want to stick around and see the rest of the show.” Selections also included traditional Hawaiian song, “E Nana Kakou I Na Manu” and Italian opera number, “Funiculi Funicula,” with local resident Joseph AhQuin as a tenor vocalist. Choir director Esther Macy hopes that through the choir, audiences will have a good time, have fun, and hear the positive messages their music brings. The Thursday’s concert was part of an effort to fundraise for their 2015 Italy tour. The KCC hopes to entertain audiences in Rome, Florence, and Venice during the summer of 2015. They also plan to host plate lunch sales, garage sales, and other events to fundraise for their upcoming trip. The KCC choir rehearses twice a week and is in residence at the BYU-Hawaii as part of the BYUH Outreach department.

Former CIA Agent, Homeland Security Agent, and BYU in Provo graduate Tim Ballard has taken to the silver screen to show what he and his team of former Navy SEALs, Special Ops, and CIA operatives are doing to end human trafficking and child sex slavery. In his movie, “The Abolitionists,” Ballard brings audiences to the front lines of a well-hidden war affecting millions of people around the world every day. The feature follows Ballard and company as they go deep undercover in cities around the world to liberate children from the hands of their unlawful captors. The movie’s launch website, www.theabolitionistsmovie.com, records how Ballard formed his team known as Operation Underground Railroad after a career of rescuing children from sexual exploitation both domestically and overseas for Homeland Security. The website says, “Despite the U.S. government’s best efforts, Tim observed that red tape and bureaucracy left many children falling through the cracks. These children constitute over 90% of the children lost to child sex slavery, and Tim could do nothing to help them while in the employment of the U.S. government.” Sala McCarthy Stonex, a senior political science major from Laie, said, “I think the most inspiring thing is the fact that Tim was not only a special agent who took on such a rough job, but also left the cover of the U.S. government to go out and make an even bigger impact.” Erica Greer, a sophomore exercise science major from Virginia, saw the movie and said one of the things she admired most aboutBallard and his team was how they always said a prayer before planning a mission or going into a deal. Though his faith is never directly referenced in “The Abolitionists” or on the O.U.R.’s website, www.ourrescue.org, his biography says he served a “church mission in Chile,” and is a BYU graduate. In each of the on-screen operations, Ballard inserts himself directly into the buyer’s market to arrange meetings with as many underage sex workers as their traffickers will allow. Once all the children are present and the dealers have been paid, Ballard gives a signal and his team, accompanied by the local government, swarm in and bring the slave traders to justice. Julia Anderson, a junior intercultural peacebuilding major from Utah, also saw the film and shared her thoughts: “It was so inspiring to see the great care that Operation Undercover Railroad has for these precious souls. They risked their lives to save these innocent children.” Once freed, O.U.R. helps find a safe home for the former child slaves and continues to work with them to help them work through any trauma they have. Ballard believes “The rescue isn’t complete until the healing of the child happens.” Since O.U.R.’s founding in 2013, it has been directly responsible for the liberation of more than 500 sex slaves and has put more than 180 traffickers behind bars, according to www.ourrescue.org. The film brings to light how common, especially among children, sex trafficking is in the world today. When O.U.R. visits Colombia in the film, child pornography is so commonplace, it can actually be bought on the street corner of a busy marketplace. Purchasing an evening with an underage girl there is as easy as going to the beach and asking around to find out who’s selling. When the team goes to Haiti to help a man track down his abducted son, they discover an orphanage where children who aren’t old enough to speak can be bought after about 15 minutes of talking to the caretaker. Anderson said, “I couldn’t believe how nonchalant the traffickers were.” While O.U.R. is out traveling the world to liberate children from the hands of their slave-trading abductors, they have provided a way for members of the general public to use their time and resources to raise awareness of the issue. Anderson said, “After the movie, I looked into how I can help with the cause using my own talents. I submitted an application to volunteer with collecting humanitarian needs and aftercare.” She continued, “Hopefully I’ll be able to work from home right now as part of the recruiting team, website management, fund raising, collecting humanitarian needs and educating people about the project.” O.U.R.’s website shows several celebrities who have committed to join the movement, including popular electronic music producer, Kaskade, who went on record to say, “The day I became a father, it felt like a primal switch was flipped. There’s little I wouldn’t do to secure the safety of my own children. O.U.R.’s mission to do just that for children who have been involved in modern-day slavery speaks to that same feeling. This is a fight I can get behind.” While O.U.R.’s movement is gaining popularity through social media and with the limited nationwide release of “The Abolitionists,” there is still a long way to go to fully abolish child sex slavery. The FBI reported sex slavery is “The fastest growing business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world.” Esther Candari, a junior art major from Kaneohe, said she has been following the topic for a few years and explained the growing prevalence of child sex slavery is due in part to pornography. She explained, “So many Westerners go to countries like that to engage in child trafficking because they got into porn and became desensitized.” She added that in many cases, porn addicts no longer get excited by “normal” pornography and start exploring more “hardcore” genres until they eventually end up addicted to child pornography. Candari explained that after a while, the addicts “want the real thing” and go where they can get it. To learn more about Operation Underground Railroad and how you can support the movement, visit www.ourrescue.org. “The Abolitionists” was only available for viewing on May 13 and 16 in select theaters. The times and locations of future showings can be found on www.theabolitionistsmovie.com.

A woman in a yellow shirt standing outside

A group of children wearing red Hawaiian dresses singing on a stage

Booths lined the walls of the Aloha Center ballroom during the Business Opening Social on Friday, Sept. 20. The activity was open to all students and allowed them to familiarize themselves with the various clubs and departments in existence within the business world of BYU-Hawaii. At its commencement, speakers, including Jeff Caneen, Chair of the Business Management Department, informed attendees of the purpose and nature of the BYUH Management Society, as well as its goals. Kyle Cashen, a senior in business management from Arizona and a Student Chapter President of the Management Society, said of the event, “It was an opportunity for students of all majors to meet professionals and explore different career options.” Each booth advertised introductions to legitimate career options and devoted professionals. Among the medley of clubs featured at the event were the Amps Marketing Club, BYUH Ho’okipa Society HTM Club, Scope Club, and the Seasider Investment Banking Club, to name a few. Students became absorbed as they got caught up to speed on operations and supply chain management, marketing, and information on the hospitality industry. Mandy Leuluai, a senior in business management from Utah, said, “The Pre-Law Society gave me a different perspective on business management.” Leuluai went on to explain what she had learned from the club’s booth about different lawyer positions and outlooks. Esther Cabeza, a vice president of finance in the Ho’okipa Club and a senior in HTM from California, was ready to help those interested in getting into the hospitality field. “We’re planning field trips to hotels, and a food drive on Thanksgiving. Everybody is invited—from every major,” she said. Through all the well-organized club and department promoting, there was only one small disappointment: the lack of pizza advertised to be at the event before its kick-off. Alyssa Stucki, junior in hospitality and tourism management from Las Vegas, said, “There was supposed to be pizza, but the power went out in Hauula. One hundred fifty uncooked pizzas were just sitting there.”

A new experience opened at the Polynesian Cultural Center entitled “Hawai‘ian Journey.” Friday, March 15, was the first day the experience was open to visitors. According to the PCC’s Facebook page, “This new experience will take guests on a journey unlike anything offered in the Hawaiian Islands.” The experience is about 14-minutes long and provides sweeping views of the Hawaiian Islands. Special effects enhance the audiences experience by stimulating the senses. Spraying water, seat movement, and aromas envelop the audience and complete the “Hawai‘ian Journey.” Mo Feinga, AV tech for the theatre, said the theater is “no longer an IMAX Theatre.” It is now a Digital 4K cinema, which means it is two times the HD. The theatre is also “no longer the Hukilau theatre, it is now known as the Hawai‘ian Journey theatre.” The showings begin at 1 p.m. and run until the night show. Designers for the whole experience include Mike Lee and Pat Scanlon. Lee, of Mike Lee Design, previously worked at Lucas Entertainment, the company that made “Star Wars.” Scanlon is former vice president of Imagineering at Disney. David Warner, who also worked on the night show, “Ha,” directed the new movie. Delsa Moe, Cultural Presentations director at the PCC, said when Warner was creating the movie, “[He] did not create the script,” but he took it from the kupuna, or the elders of the community. Sam Cardon, Emmy award-winning composer, worked on the score for the movie. The music features the local Koolau Loa Children’s Choir, which is directed by Esther Macy, who works in the BYUH Health Center. On opening day, Moe stood out front and helped direct visitors to the entrance of the new theater. She wore a big smile and provided information of the new experience. She said, “we wanted to do something new.” The experience offers repeat visitors another reason to come back, stated Moe. “It provides a nice break for the cousins,” stated Bryce Karrati, a tour guide and sophomore studying EXS from Utah. Morrell and Barbara Mathis, tourists from Utah, and first timers to Hawaii, stated they would come clear to Hawaii to see the new interactive movie. “Hawai‘ian Journey” provides a new view of Hawaii and allows visitors the opportunity to share in the pleasure. Moe, who is from Samoa, stated, “It makes you proud to be Hawaiian, and I am not even Hawaiian!”

Ko’olauloa Children’s Chorus sings in the Mckay Auditorium in an array of colors.

The McKay Auditorium filled as the Ko’olauloa Children’s Chorus prepared for its annual Christmas concert featuring traditional Christmas carols as well as Latin numbers. Also featured were Amy Gold’s String Ensemble, instrumental solos and hula dancing.“My sister is in the choir, and I was also in this choir for a really long time.” said Josie Tueller, a Hawaii resident who is now a BYU in Provo freshman in neuroscience. “It was a really fun concert. It was fun to see the string ensemble. They were really good. I got to see them at the beginning, and they’ve gotten a lot better.”Tueller also shared her appreciation for the Ko’olauloa Children’s Chorus and all the experiences it has given her. “Esther Macy is such a talented person, and I’m glad she shares her talents with the community. It really helped me when I was little, and I’m glad everyone gets to see that. I think the choir really brings the community together and it gives everyone something to appreciate and work for; it’s really enriching for the community.”Macy, who is the KCC choir director, shared her thoughts on the success of the concert. “I was busy backstage, but I know the kids did well. I was touched by the theme of the concert; ‘Adoramus Te’ and that means ‘to worship Christ’ and I think the children did really well at getting that message across.” “I’ve always had a dream to do this and lead a choir like this because I know our community is rich in culture and heritage and that the children can sing. I wanted to do this to open up the talents of the children and develop them. They learn to read and sing music and sing parts at a young age. They’re phenomenal,” she added. Morgan Cameron, a member of the choir from Laie, explained they had some technical difficulties backstage but “overall everyone did really well.”During the concert, Macy had also a special violinist play a solo for the audience and she dedicated it to the children, teachers and administrators who are suffering because of the shootings in Connecticut. Macy said, “I work with children and it just hurts me when I hear of innocent children being killed ... I work with these phenomenal children and I know how wonderful their spirits are and its sad for me to see how those children went.” Macy went on to say, “I know their spirits are pure and that they went straight to their Father in Heaven. My heart goes out to the teachers, administrators and families for their losses.” The concert required an entrance fee of $2, which will be used for the group’s tour to Italy in 2015. Macy said, “We’ve been invited to sing at the International Choral Festival in Tuscany and the children will also have an opportunity to sing in Rome, Venice, and Florence. The highlight of our tour will be to we sing for the saints at the

CAMPUS COMMENT: Who is your fav celebrity?“I would say Liam Neeson. He’s the voice actor for ‘Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’—he’s Aslan, the lion. He’s in ‘Star Wars.’ He plays in ‘Taken,’ and he’s in one of the ‘Les Mis’ movies. He seems to pick a good line of characters to play in all the movies he’s in. I feel like I can relate to him. [My favorite movie he plays in] is ‘Taken.’ He doesn’t give up and he doesn’t let anything get in his way… I admire that. All the odds are against him: he can’t find his daughter, but he doesn’t let that stop him. I’m just like, yeah, that’s right… like a boss,” said Erik Adams, a junior in biology from Oregon. “David Archuleta. I have a soft spot for him. I think he’s really good at truly staying Mormon. He’s on his mission now, and I have him on Facebook. His secretary posts stuff that he sends from his mission. So that’s really cool. My favorite song is, ‘You Can.’ It’s a really sweet song, and it’s all on the guitar. I really like the acoustic guitar and the lyrics to that song,” said Esther Candari, a freshman in visual fine arts from Kaneohe. “Arnold Schwarzenegger because I like how he acts in the movies. [My favorite movie he plays in is] ‘Collateral Damage.’ He is always strong in his acting,” said Panapase Butucama, senior in finance from Fiji. “My favorite is Audrey Hepburn. She’s such a classy lady. She was involved with UNICEF and she helped during World War II. I feel like she had a really cool life. She [said] a lot of really cool quotes about beauty like, ‘if you want beautiful lips, make sure that kind words are spoken from them.’ She is very kind and very beautiful and that’s something I really liked about her. She’s an older actress—she’s dead now, but she was in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and that is probably her most popular one. That’s my favorite,” said Andrea Hansen, a senior in international cultural studies from Colorado.“I like Amanda Seyfried. She’s the one of the ‘Mean Girls,’ in ‘Les Mis,’ and ‘Dear John.’ I think she’s kind of sweet. I feel like actresses these days are trying to follow what everybody else is doing. They’re trying to be the most sexy, the best of the best. But I don’t feel like she’s competing. She’s just being herself. I love her hair; it’s gorgeous,” said Mckae Joyner, a senior in international cultural studies from Washington. “My favorite would be Leonardo DiCaprio because the way he acts is very realistic. ‘Inception’ [is my favorite movie he plays in] because of the story. At the end, it leaves you questioning, did he die or is he still dreaming? I like that. I like to watch movies that leave you surprised at the end,” said Rommel Lardizabal, a senior in graphic design from the Philippines.“I like Robert Downey, the iron man dude. I’ve seen him play in a variety of roles, [even] the role of a black dude in ‘Tropic Thunder’ and he did really well. He was hilarious. Any type of character he can play and sell it. I like that he’s kind of got this bad-boy edge, but he follows all the rules,” said Jeff Hansen, a business marketing major from Arizona.