Assets students help build new playground during school’s ‘Give Back Day’

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Assets School students traded the classroom for a construction site Friday as part of the school’s annual Give Back Day.

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Sixty high school students helped build a new playground at the school’s K-8 grade campus on Ohana Nui Way.

The project replaces a playground that had been in place for 32 years.

The day also included a major donation from former Assets parent Dexter Mar, who committed $500,000 toward a future performing arts space at the school.

The Radiant Star Performing Arts Studio will honor Mar’s late son, Zachary, and his late wife, Faye Fujisaki Mar.

“The building is very appropriate for both of their loves of the performing arts,” said Mar.

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Zachary graduated from Assets School in 2008 and performed on stage at Assets and Diamond Head Theatre. Faye was a Broadway and Off-Broadway dancer.

The playground and performing arts studio will be part of the school’s new Clarence T.C. Ching Neighborhood, which will also include classrooms for art, music, drama and robotics.

Earlier this week, the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation donated $3 million toward the project, marking the largest donation in the school’s history.

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