Silver‑haired and tiny, Dianne Boons walked down the King Street sidewalk on her way to meet a group of young journalists—a group that, at the time, included me. She lived in a condo not far from campus, but she never treated McKinley High School as a place she simply passed by. Once a reporter herself, she returned to the rhythms of a newsroom in the way she knew best—by listening closely and offering what she could.

Born Aug. 9, 1939, Boons peacefully passed away on March 22, 2026, at the age of 86. A longtime Honolulu resident, she became involved with McKinley in 2022 after learning about the school’s band booster program. A childhood band student who had watched the McKinley musicians in parades for years, she said in a 2023 Pinion interview that she wanted to support them.

That first step led her to join the School Community Council as its Community Representative, and soon after, she began volunteering weekly with the school’s newspaper, The Pinion. In the newsroom, she mentored student journalists by reviewing drafts, discussing ethical reporting and strengthening clarity and structure within their stories.

Before her time at McKinley, Boons worked as a daily newspaper reporter in New York and Colorado, covering topics including mental health. Her reporting earned recognition from the Mental Health Association. After relocating to Hawaii in 1982 to support her brother in starting a law firm, she continued communication‑related work and later taught business communication at Hawai‘i Pacific University.

Pinion adviser Cindy Reves said Boons quickly became known for encouraging students through their drafts and helping them think through their writing. She called Boons the newsroom’s “biggest cheerleader,” someone who supported students through every stage of the process with guidance shaped by her reporting experience.

“She used to write letters to [students],” Reves said. “She was always leaving little messages of encouragement.”

Reves also recalled how meaningful it was to have Boons in the newsroom during difficult moments. When the staff had to cover the death of a McKinley student, Reves said having another adult to think through the ethical questions and emotional weight “made a really hard situation easier to navigate.” Boons listened, offered perspective and helped students consider how to handle the story with care.

Former Pinion editor‑in‑chief Shane Kaneshiro (c/o ‘24) said what he remembered most was how Boons approached editing. “She let you talk,” he said. “She let you show the way you wanted the article, and then she guided you.” He described how she met with students one‑on‑one, reading their drafts closely and helping them shape their ideas without imposing her own voice—a style he said continues to influence how he leads and edits today. “She was always there … even though she didn’t need to be,” Kaneshiro said.

As one of the students she mentored, I knew her simply as Ms. Boons. When I brought her drafts—from political to investigative reporting—she stopped at sentences that didn’t track, asked why I chose a certain angle and pushed me to justify every detail. She never rewrote my work; she made me explain it, a process that forced me to think more deliberately about every choice on the page. That growth shaped the journalist I was becoming and helped open opportunities I never expected, including my selection for the 2025 Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference in Washington, D.C.

Boons’ presence in the newsroom left a lasting imprint—not just on the stories she edited, but on the students who learned to write and think under her guidance.

A private celebration of life will be held in the fall. To learn more about her earlier involvement with McKinley, see her 2023 profile, “Former Newspaper Reporter Gets Involved With the School Community,” at mhspinion.com.

This story was originally published on The Pinion on May 5, 2026.