HONOLULU PULSE STAFF / honolulupulse@staradvertiser.com
Kaiser High School student Aaron Nee poses with an Alaska Airlines plane adorned with his artwork. (Star-Advertiser photo by Jamm Aquino)
A specially painted Alaska Airlines aircraft adorned with a winning design from Kaiser High School student Aaron Nee, 17, arrived for the first time Monday at Honolulu Airport.
The Boeing 737-800, which flew in from Seattle, displays a voyaging canoe depicting the cultural diversity of the Islands; a bright yellow hibiscus, which is the state flower; the Hawaiian Island chain; and the phrase “Spirit of the Islands.”
Nee’s design was chosen from among 2,700 entries in a “Paint-the-Plane” contest sponsored by the airline, the Hawaii State Department of Education and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools.
As the grand-prize winner, Nee also will receive a trip for four to any of the carrier’s destinations and a $5,000 scholarship.
“This has been an incredible opportunity to share Hawaii’s beauty with people throughout the country,” Nee said. “With hard work, attention to detail and determination, great things are possible.”
An Alaska Airlines jet covered with artwork designed by Kaiser High School student Aaron Nee arrives at Honolulu International Airport on Monday, June 3. (Star-Advertiser photo by Jamm Aquino)
A crew of 18 worked for 24 days at Aviation Technical Services in Everett, Wash., to paint the plane, which required 26 colors and about 140 gallons of paint. In addition, 28,800 yards of masking tape was used.
The aircraft will fly throughout most of Alaska Airlines’ network, connecting destinations from Hawaii to San Diego and from Anchorage as far south as Mexico.
Nee, who will be a senior in the upcoming school year, is a nearly straight-A student and a member of the school’s Air Force ROTC program. Known for his artistic ability and interest in graphic design and athletics, Nee said he plans to invest his $5,000 for college and take his family to visit relatives in New York, where he hopes to see snow for the first time.
Izabela Hamilton, a 12th-grader at Seabury Hall on Maui, placed second for her design featuring male and female hula dancers against a backdrop of ocean waves and wind-swept mountain cliffs. Sophia Cleek, a sixth-grader at Kapolei Middle School on Oahu, placed third for her design depicting a voyaging canoe sailing around the islands. Hamilton and Cleek will each receive a trip for four to any Alaska Airlines destination and a $1,000 scholarship.
The 10 other honorable-mention winners were awarded a $1,000 scholarship each.