In a spirited ceremony on Friday, May 11, the 2012 Ke Ana, La Pietra's yearbook, was dedicated to Japanese language teacher, Nobuko Loncar.

Lovingly referred to as “Sensei” (“teacher”), Loncar has taught Japanese at La Pietra since 1997, but her students will tell you they have gained much more from her than that. “When you take a class with Sensei, you don’t just learn the Japanese language and culture; sometimes you even learn English grammar and US History,” said one of her students.

Originally from the Shibuya area of Tokyo, Japan, Sensei learned English at a young age and continued to study it in college. After volunteering in the 1964 Olympics, Sensei moved to Hawai'i, where she met her husband at the University of Hawai'i and started a family.

With a theme of “Cerebral Cortex,” the yearbook pays homage to the part of our brain responsible for storing memories. As a passage in the yearbook explains, “Unlike our own memories that can fade and be forgotten over time, these memories printed in ink serve as a constant reminder of the fun moments you’ve experienced this year.” Filled with images of neurons, brain cells and photos from a year of memories, this yearbook is surely one for the coffee table.

Congratulations Sensei and to the Yearbook staff for all the effort, late-nights and talent put into this year’s edition.

Sensei Nobuko Loncar - 2012 Yearbook Dedicatee

The yearbook dedication ceremony was live-streamed. To view the archived version, click here.