Hawaii school named for US leader muddles alumni identity

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — “Where you went grad,” is a common question posed in Hawaii Pidgin to find out which high school someone graduated from. High school has long been tied to Hawaii residents’ sense of identity. What happens when that school bears the name of President William McKinley, who many Native Hawaiians disdain for his role in the annexation of the Hawaiian Kingdom to the United States? The effort to change the name is meeting resistance from mostly older alumni who say renaming their alma mater would rattle their identity. The resistance comes amid a growing movement across the islands to restore Hawaiian place names in an attempt to honor and respect Native Hawaiian culture and history.