Intermittent showers didn't deter approximately 200 young alumni from classes '08 to '12 from gathering at the President's Pavilion on the afternoon of Dec. 19, 2012, for the Young Alumni Holiday Party. The Office of Alumni Relations organizes the annual event to celebrate the holiday season and help recent graduates stay connected to Punahou. The breezy pavilion quickly filled with the voices of young men and women—many of them home from college for Christmas break—who enjoyed a generous buffet catered by Wahoo's Fish Taco, owned by Stephanie Pietsch '93 Gambetta and Noel Pietsch '00 Shaw.

2012 Young Alumni Holiday Party (slideshow)

Punahou President Jim Scott '70 welcomed each of the five classes back to campus and congratulated them for an impressive turnout. He shared some of the year's highlights, such as a great Fall Sports season and the upcoming Punahou Marching Band, JROTC cadets and cheerleaders trip to the Presidential Inauguration, and joked that, "the junior class is about to put on the second-best carnival ever—after yours and mine of course."

Punahou Alumni Association (PAA) president Bonnie Pang '86 drew attention to several upcoming PAA events including those planned in Seattle and Philadelphia as well as the inaugural PAA Speaker Series "From Seed to Supper," to be held on Jan. 17, 2013, at Fresh Café and featuring Punahou alums Ed Kenney III '86 from Town restaurant and Claire Sullivan '99 from Whole Foods. Pang also reminded the guests to take advantage of the Punahou Alumni Professional Network on LinkedIn with over 2,430 members, and to stay connected with other alums at Carnival 2013.

Kikilia Fordham '82, director of Alumni Relations, highlighted the school's 175th Anniversary in 2016 as an opportunity to gather alumni from around the world to celebrate Punahou. She also emphasized the importance of keeping the Office of Alumni Relations up-to-date on people's whereabouts in order to stay informed about upcoming events and initiatives. "Remember, we are here to help you," she said.