This fall, Punahou School hosted a naturalization ceremony, giving the school community a front row seat as 68 new citizens from 21 countries took the oath of allegiance to the United States of America. The ceremony was coordinated by Punahou's Junior ROTC program and the Davis Democracy Initiative.
Founded by attorney Mark Davis and his wife, Janie, in partnership with Punahou President Mike Latham and educators David Ball and Pam Sakamoto, the program was created to give students – from elementary school onward – engaging, experiential, impactful, first-hand lessons in civics and democracy.
This week, Davis and Sakamoto spoke with The Conversation host, Catherine Cruz, on Hawai’i Public Radio. "It’s about involving students in the processes of democracy as opposed to just listening to lectures about what democracy is,” Davis told HPR.
Through the initiative’s programming, Davis explained, students are exposed to and interact with many monumentally important leaders and institutions confronting our most pressing democratic issues. At the time the program was launched, he said, the organizers could not have imagined the ways our nation’s most foundational principles would come under attack. Showing students that engagement is crucial — and that civil discourse is possible — has only become more urgent.
Listen to the interview: https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversation/2025-12-17/punahou-school-initiative-preps-students-to-participate-in-democracy