70th Birthday of Liahona Campus

Liahona High School has an interesting history. In 1924, mission president M. Vernon Coombs obtained a property lease in Tonga, where he started a school called The Makeke School, meaning “arise and awake.” The Makeke School helped advance the Church in that region of the globe for generations.

In later years, this became the foundation for an enlarged school system in the region. Church leaders eventually obtained a lease on a 275-acre plantation outside of Nuku’alofa, not far from Makeke. They used the land there to build an expanded school campus named “Liahona,” and Makeke transformed into Liahona in 1947. Building the Liahona School represented the beginning of the Church’s labor missionary program and it was probably a leading catalyst for the Church’s expansion in Tonga. Liahona continues to prepare youth for leadership positions in their families, Church, communities, and in the government.(“Liahona High School.” BYU Hawaii: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints http://soe.byuh.edu/node/274)

Education can open many doors: some of them are personal, some are religious, and others are secular in nature. In the end, however, education ultimately helps the Kingdom of God roll forward, whether it’s in a geographical region of the world, a country, or a family.


                                           

Inspired purposes brought about the establishment of Liahona High School Campus.  Elder LeGrande Richards offered the dedicatory prayer here 70 years ago.

The kids made the leis and skirts.

I love these trikes

Bands supplied the music: Liahona High School,
Pakilau and Havelau Middle Schools.

We even had floats!

BIG smiles were all about Liahona.

The theme was the B's. This float be was Be Positive

 King and Queen

I think this was supposed to represent families are forever.