CELEBRATING THE DIAMOND JUBILEE OF THS, 2022
HE Hon Titilupe Fanetupouvava’u Tu’ivakano is the Tonga High Commissioner to the Court of St. James, United Kingdom. She is a member of the Class of 1989 of Tonga High School and is the Patron of the #RoadToFaaimata Initiative.
This year sees the 75th anniversary of Tonga High School (THS). The THS alumni’s San Francisco Chapter hosted a successful three-day event last month, on 3rd – 5th June 2022, that marked Tonga High School’s 75th Anniversary. The celebration which took place in Burlingame in the Bay Area of California, was graced by the presence of Her Excellency, Hon. Titilupe Fanetupouvava’u Tu’ivakano, Tonga’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom as the Guest of Honour.
On Friday 3 June 2022 at the Westin Hotel in Milbrae, California, Her Excellency, Hon. Titilupe Fanetupouvava’u Tu’ivakano launched a book published to commemorate this significant milestone in Tonga High School’s history. The 607-page book entitled “ROAD TO FAA’IMATA 2022 – 75th Anniversary” marks the diamond jubilee of Tonga High School and serves as a tribute to the Founder of Tonga high School; ex-students, their parents and families; the teachers; and the government and people of Tonga.
The book contains stories of students of Tonga High Schools from 1947 through to 2021. The recollections of ex-students are intriguing snapshots that provide glimpses into life at the school (and Tonga) at the time these students were at Tonga High School. These stories, though brief, are some of the strands that have, over the last 75 years, woven the rich and interesting history of Tonga High School. Inherent in the stories are – the joy at being some of the select few to be admitted to the school, the applauds for educational achievements as well as overcoming challenges through perseverance and sacrifice. These personal accounts unravel the values, principles, and ideals that each person (who had passed through the school gates and registered their names on the school roll) has gained or can contribute from their Tonga High Schoolexperience at Faa’imata. They are a testament to the spirit of the school’s motto Ki He Lelei Taha and its legacy.
When launching the book, Her Excellency, Hon Fanetupouvava’u said:
“We all went to Tonga High School because it was our parents’ choice for us to attend the school. Whether we were eager, indifferent or reluctant students did not matter, every student was transformed by the ‘Ki He Lelei Taha’ spirit as he/she progressed through THS. Some ex-students realized the rationale for their parents’ choice of school while they were at THS; some when they finish from THS, and some have only come to appreciate their parents’ choice in their careers or later in life.
As I launch this book, it is my fervent wish that as Tonga High School students and ex-students that we continue to promote, advance and practice the school motto of KI HE LELEI TAHA, TO EXCEL and TO THE BEST in all our endeavours.”
The “ROAD TO FAA’IMATA 2022 – 75th Anniversary” commemorative book was authored and edited by ex-students of Tonga High School. It contains history of the school; more than 140 profiles/stories of ex-students and their classes over the past 75 years; and songs composed in honour of the school. Tonga High School alumna Professor Konai Helu Thaman’s latest poem, “At THS” was written especially for occasion of the school’s 75th anniversary and is also published in the book. Her Royal Highness Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita graciously provided the Foreword for the book. The special tribute to the Founder, His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, was written by Her Excellency, the Hon Titilupe Fanetupouvavau Tu’ivakano. The production of the book was coordinated by an independent group of THS ex-students under the Road To Faa’imata Initiative.
The book is available via: https://www.xlibris.com/…/834859-road-to-faaimata-2022
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