Posted by Kevin Dudley on 5/8/2023
Late in the 2021-22 school year, Shaw Middle School eighth graders approached English Language Development teacher Cynthia Hagan about starting a club for the school’s large number of Pacific Islander students.
While there wasn’t a lot of time to host many meetings, Principal Jon Swett asked the fledgling Islander Club to host a celebration for the entire school in honor of Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May.
“The kids came together, they learned a dance and did it in front of the whole school,” Hagan said.
It was a hit, and to ensure the club was sustainable, Hagan picked some students who really stood out to lead the club for the 2022-23 school year. One of them was Clancy Heine, a Marshallese student who’s lived in Spokane since 2015.
Heine was suddenly thrust into leading the club after his friend and fellow Shaw Pacific Islander student Henry tragically passed away last summer in an accident. This forced Heine to grow up quickly and lead the burgeoning group to honor his friend.
Heine has learned a valuable lesson in leading the group under such circumstances.
“There’s good times and we have bad times, but it’s mostly good times,” he said. “We learn how to overcome challenges and learn who we are.”
The Islander Club at Shaw is now busy preparing for another schoolwide showcase. Heine and his fellow club members, which include his sister, are also serving as mentors and positive examples for their fellow Islanders and classmates. Hagan said Heine is often in the hallways encouraging others.
“He comes along and if he sees sixth and seventh graders in the halls when they’re not supposed to be, it’s ‘Get to class, don’t be tardy.’ He’s setting that example for them, too,” Hagan said.
Heine hopes to be a role model, and to encourage others to keep the club going after he leaves for Rogers High School next year.
“We’re training them to be like us next year when we’re in ninth grade,” he said. “It’s been challenging at times but it’s good.”
Heine’s strength in the face of adversity helped him win this year’s Chase Youth Award for Leadership for middle school students.
“I was shocked,” he said of his award. “I thought I wasn’t going win until I heard my name. I was happy.”
Hagan was extremely proud of the award, which is a testament to Heine’s growth and maturity in leading Shaw’s Islander Club.
“The main reason I nominated him was because it was a very hard start to the year for us and he stepped up to the plate and said, ‘I’m going to be a leader for Henry’ and he did,” she said.
