Imua Nov 2008: Volume 84, Issue 4

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Vol. 84, Issue 4

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November 27, 2008

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Imua ‘Iolani

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Honolulu, Hawaii

No repair date for damaged playground by

Cristin Lim

Though most upper school students have outgrown the playground, this isn’t true for all of them. Over the years, some have commonly been seen on the play structure. On Sept. 25, the night of the grades 10-12 Open House, moderate damage was done to the playground adjacent to the tennis courts. The spiral slide, though made out of heavy plastic, was cracked and bent.

“It’s a natural instinct for kids to like playgrounds, and we’re still kids,” said junior Miranda Linsky. There is no set date for the repair of the playground. This damage, allegedly caused by high school students, led the adminis-

tration to ban all upper schoolers from the playground.

Enraged students felt unfairly targeted and blamed for the damages, and questioned the administration’s decision for the ban.

“I think it’s fair in the sense of being a punishment,” said junior Robert Moran.

According to Mr. Tate Brown, Dean of Students, the playground equipment is not intended for upper schoolers; it is designed for young children. When older students play on the playground, younger ones are intimidated and feel discouraged from using it.

“If you are really upset by this whole situation,” Mr. Brown said, “Help us figure out who really did the damage.”

Amelia Linsky | Imua ‘Iolani

There is no set date for the repair of the spiral slide, which was damaged on September 25.

Aesthetics, Athletics, and Academics Part 1: Aesthetics by

Emily Saka

The 2008-2009 school year has already brought very noticeable change to campus, with the remodeling of the front of the Castle Building and the new statue of Sun Yat-Sen just beyond Castle’s new steps.

Students returning to school back in August greeted the renovations with mixed feelings. Some thought the fresher, contemporary look was a welcome change to the building and the campus feel as a whole, while others were concerned that it wasn’t a practical investment for tuition dollars.

However, what most students neglected to consider was the functional purpose for the renovation. Headmaster Dr. Val Iwashita encourages students to think about the practicality of the changes instead of looking at the reconstruction on purely aesthetic terms.

He says that the planning for the Castle Building changes and the Sun Yat-Sen statAmelia Linsky | Imua ‘Iolani ue both began about three years ago, back The remodeled Castle Building provides a more comfortable space for middle when the economy was in better shape. The decision to remodel Castle came about after school students.

looking at the limited space for seventh and eighth graders to hang out on campus.

“The I-Building courtyard was congested and hard to get through,” Dr. Iwashita said.

By moving seventh and eighth grade lockers to the front of Castle and then expanding the stairwell to add extra hang out spots, the problem of the crowded courtyard has begun to resolve itself.

“It was a matter of creating more comfortable places,” Dr. Iwashita said. Plans to add more shade to the reconstructed area are currently in progress.

The Sun Yat-Sen statue was a different kind of project because it was made possible by a grant from Mr. David Ai and the Sun Yat-Sen Foundation. David Ai, an ‘Iolani ’72 alumnus, is the grandson of Mr. Stephen Ai, who was a classmate of Sun Yat-Sen’s and one of Sun Yat-Sen’s financial supporters.

Sun Yat-Sen had a key role in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in China in 1911 and ending imperial rule in the country.

Where does our tuition

Inside: Election recap - 3 XC states - 4 Alumni return to teach - 6, 7 Indonesian visitors - 12

go?

Continued on page 12.

Index Editorials--2&3 ‘Lost’ star visits - 12 Photo courtesy of Mrs. Cathy Lee Chong

Sports--4&5 A&E--8 Lower School--10 Middle School--11 Features--12

Editorials

Page 2

Imua ‘Iolani

Killing for coconuts: What if an AP Government class was stranded on a tropical island with limited resources?

Mr. Woodie Milks III proposed this hypothetical situation to get his students thinking about government’s purpose and function.

by Ayesha

Cooray

What started off as a class exercise soon evolved into a full-fledged debate.

From appropriating how many coconuts we could each consume per day, we soon argued heatedly over whether or not we would kill someone if they violated the rules or if they stole from the group.

A majority of the class argued that killing would indeed be necessary because of the dire situation: lack of just one resource could induce the hysteria and paranoia such a vile act would require.

In my opinion, that situation is unlikely to occur considering that there are under twenty people in an AP Government class.

It is unlikely that we would separate into factions and compete for resources but more likely that we would attempt cooperation and thus ensure survival.

In a small group, any sort of resource conflict would merely be verbal albeit heated. If a person noticed another stealing, that person would probably complain to the others and discuss possible plans of action. Any sort of confrontation would occur with the majority confronting an individual, who would likely succumb to peer pressure since not many alternatives would exist.

Besides, this isn’t “LOST”: if twenty college-bound seniors, bursting with socalled potential, had been lost in an airplane crash, the media would have a field day.

No company would want to be publicly

responsible for the possible death of twenty students and thus much effort would be put forth to find us. Through the marvels of modern technology and mapping, we would eventually be found.

This belief that someone would find us would weigh on our minds as we lay stranded; if we killed someone and were then rescued, we would have to face the societal consequences of the crime.

Furthermore, we would be traveling on a commercial airline so we wouldn’t have any modern weapons. Killing someone would require brute strength and not be as physically easy as pulling a trigger.

Do my classmates really believe they could beat someone death with a tree branch, enduring screams of pain? If so, I don’t think they should be so quick to devalue their humanity.

Operating under the belief that someone would find us would ensure some rationality even in face of resource conflict. If we knew we would be rescued, we would take advantage of our situation.

Stranded on an island with limited food and water? Think what a college essay that would make.

The fittest will survive Maile Scarpino

It’s obvious that everyone is out for themselves; the people who aren’t would The island discussion left many of the be the first to go. Keep in mind that nice AP Gov students stranded between two op- and naive people are often the ones who suffer most; those who aim to please are posing opinions.

Call me selfish, but if our class was often deceived, because they are easily starving, I wouldn’t share the complemen- manipulated. This is why individuals betary peanuts I saved from the plane flight, come rough and secretive, as seen in the or rather plane crash. What about “LOST”? reality TV series “Survivor.”

As human beings, the philosophy of surOne doesn’t exactly think of fuzzy bunvival of the fittest has been hardwired into nies and rainbows when this TV show is our making.

Of course, we wouldn’t kill brought into discussion. The characters each other over a parking place because it are constantly arguing and making alliancisn’t a life threatening or altering matter. es, which are broken, then re-instated, and But food, shelter and health are critithen broken again due to the fact that trust cal commodities to survival. I would take amongst the strandees is non-existent. whatever actions were necessary to keep myself alive.

Yes, I would even commit murder. If you were tired, hungry, possibly suffering from malaria and a classmate is doing any of the following: stealing food, being lazy, but still demanding the same rights and property as others, acting violent, making threats, going crazy, or snoring REALLY LOUDLY, I’m sure you would resort to killing, too. by

Cautious good luck to Obama

by

Sean Yancey

Hearty congratulations to President-elect Barack Obama. The election of the first AfricanAmerican man into the office of the presidency just goes to show America’s particular knack at reinvention.

The polls weren’t wrong after all. There was no “Bradley Effect” and perhaps in its place was something the media dubbed the “Buffett Effect,” in which white men told their conservative buddies they were voting for McCain and instead voted for Obama. In fact, a higher percentage of white men voted for Obama than any Democrat since Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton included.

Racism may not be over, but maybe as a country we can move past race and towards cultural, socio-economic and even ideological differences, which constitute reality rather than abstract bigotry. Obama only had 52 percent of the popular vote, but the election represents realignment, even if it is temporary.

Even hardcore Republican states such as Indiana, home of NASCAR, which hasn’t gone blue since 1964, voted for Obama.

America is hardly a perfect union, but the election proves to Americans as well as the rest of the world that we are at least receptive to a proponent of change, aspiring to do better than what came before.

Let’s not forget about the other players and the down-

Illustration by Cordelia Xie

Civility must prevail

ballot races. Needless to say, after eight years of Bush’s un- unified government. popular leadership the GOP was fighting the perfect storm.

Second: I fear that Obama’s core beliefs are different Palin’s polarizing war of “real America” versus the “other from his moderate-sounding campaign rhetoric. His votAmerica” saved the Republi- ing record and long-term relationships suggest that he will dramatically increase domestic spending. Obama said, “Spend now, and scrimp later.” Way to throw the deficit on the up-and-coming generation.

Third: with the economic crisis the government has and will take an increasingly heavy hand in the private sector. Support for free market fundamentalism has dropped sharply if not disappeared altogether in most people. Expect more attacks on capitalism across the board for better or worse.

Fourth: Obama said that spending such be “cut with a scalpel, not a hatchet.” But he’s got to get it under control. Bring home troops and cut the military budget. Any non-defense budget waste must be excised as well.

Apart from the symbolism of the Obama presidency, c a n b a s e there is the matter of governing well. Over the next four but destroyed the moderate support years we will witness recession, and hopefully recovery. for which McCain was famous. With the senate elections But no matter what happens, expect a bout of amnesia still in the air, the Democrats even have a smidge of pos- from our friends in D.C. as a new party takes control and sibility of obtaining the 60 seats necessary for a filibuster- a continuing battle between right and left when a better proof majority. point of view is one between control and choice.

Everyone’s eyes are set on Mr. Obama. No doubt he Now for the caveats and recommendations that arose from the election: first, beware of unified government. His- is a landmark president, but the conditions are perfect to tory shows that during those periods when the same party give him a shot at being a truly “great” president. And controls both Congress and the White House, regardless of right now, with the country’s crumbling economy and party, expenditure skyrockets. When bills pass a divided deteriorated image around the world, Americans need a government it is usually in the form of lasting legislature president to rebuild. As the columnist for the New York because it requires bipartisan support; this is in stark con- Times Thomas Friedman stated, “The Civil War is over. trast to the easy and numberless bills that can pass through Let Reconstruction begin.”

‘Racism may not be over, but maybe as a country we can move past race and towards cultural, socio-economic, and even ideological differences, which constitute reality rather than abstract bigotry.’

November 27, 2008

A blast from the past

A reprint from `Imua Iolani May 2000

By Edward Knox ‘00

I’m not sure why I’m writing this little passage. I’ve never been accused of being wise. Well, sometimes a wise-ass, but never just wise. And this isn’t as fun to write without the stuff with the –ass suffix attached. Maybe it’ll come to me before I’m through.

I think I might have survived adolescence.

Not everyone I know did, figuratively and literally. Any adult who tells you that high school was the time of their life must be living in hell. But I’ve passed through purgatory now.

You grow up awkward and ugly, wanting to do everything you can’t, and you regret them after you’ve done them. Our culture defies teenagers. They find all 10 of them with perfect skin and pearly teeth and give them movie contracts. I say good riddance to my teenage years.

You sit there, cynical as hell. In the back of your head, you think it’s cool how cynical you are, but you repress it because thinking you’re cool isn’t cool. You actually care about being cool, about what people think of you. Yet I digress. You sit there and watch all of these poor people living in this static and inconsequential world. Maybe if life weren’t so certain, unseen virtues would just appear in people you never gave a second thought to. But the irony is that a population full of mediocre people, fussing over brand names and if they’re cool or not, is infinitely better than millions of starving heroes. Why do you care?

So after you get over the inher-

By Tiana Bohner “You’re lucky if you even have dress days next year,” a senior told me in astonishment as she saw fellow classmates walking around on Halloween. The school dress code was clearly thrown out the window during that spirited homecoming week.

But that’s just it. It was all in the name of spirit.

Other times, students’ costumes were not improved by being out of dress code, which forces us to realize that there is a line where spirit ends and abusing the privilege begins.

Now it’s just determining whether or not the flouting of the school dress code was necessary.

Of course, no one could help but notice how explicitly some students broke the dress code.

Yes, they were punished or at least given a warning. But why?

Many people’s costumes, though not abiding by school regulation,

ent pointlessness of the exercise, you look at these poor people, especially the ones your age . He’s an idiot, but a really nice guy.

She has the most potential out of almost everyone you know, and now they found she has a condition. He was the happiest and most carefree person you ever met, and now he’s dead. You loved her, but she never loved you back. Oh wait, that’s your problem, not hers. Well, he’s your best friend, but his life is going nowhere.

He’s an inspiration of wit and charm, but he’ll drink himself to death pretty soon. She has it all together, and has no clue. She wants something more out of life than Saturday night at a karaoke bar when she’s 25, but you don’t know if she’ll ever have the courage to break out of the quiet shelter of ‘Iolani. I can’t help but shake my head so softly as not to be noticed every time I hear an ‘Iolani kid wanting to go out and be a badass, do all the cool things and spurn the shelter. They sound like I did, mocking the safety from the outside world, wanting to be a starving hero, but never really expecting to starve. I grew up relatively unsheltered because the circles I ran with weren’t connected to ‘Iolani. Perhaps by chance I made it through where a few of my friends didn’t. You won’t believe me, so ask any of the other few kids graduating this year whose friends similar fates befell. (I sound like I’m writing in old English.)

Adolescence is something to be survived. It’s a storm and you’re out there on a raft. If you can find a little shelter in a place like ‘Iolani, be happy for it.

Editorials

Page 3

Creative teaching benefits all

By Katrina Karl Oh, silly Imua staff, you’re thinking. What have you done now?

Obviously, we’ve resurfaced an editorial from a student that some of ‘Iolani would rather not remember or become acquainted with.

Little has changed since 2000, both with adolescence and our school. Sure, we now have a more diverse student body than I ever saw as a lower school student not too many years ago, and two Sun Yatsen statues (easy there, ‘Iolani). But for the most part, ‘Iolani is what it always has been—a respected college preparatory school “committed to upholding its legacy of academic, artistic, and athletic excellence,” as our website will tell you. As Mr. Knox wrote eight years ago, ‘Iolani is indeed a shelter from adolescence, a time I’ll be glad to say good riddance to as well. “’Iolani is outstanding at teaching kids academic fundamentals,” Mr. Knox said in an e-mail interview. “If you just indulge your inner nerd, ‘Iolani can be paradise.”

‘Iolani is most certainly paradise when that’s what you insist on making it. But what is ‘Iolani for those who are less sure of where they fit into the academic environment?

Although ‘Iolani aims to promote academic and intellectual growth, the school often has few solutions for students whose learning styles do not fit into expected molds.

“I fault ‘Iolani for doing too little to reach out to those of us on fringes: academically, athletically, and so forth,” Knox said. “There was a lot of sighing and head-shaking, but not a lot of creative solutions.”

Current ‘Iolani student Sean Scott ’09 put it plainly: “’Iolani is geared toward a certain type of learning and people are expected to conform to it,” he said.

All the Smartboards and sighs in the world will not solve an inability to address different learning styles, or learning in general.

At a high school level, learning should be about teaching students how to learn rather than forcefeeding content. Granted, some subjects inherently

lend themselves to ensuring that there is meaning behind course material and that students with different intelligences can learn effectively. No, I’m not going to attack any specific subjects, in part because of my extreme, borderline-ridiculous biases (Ayesha Cooray and I have a theory that math doesn’t exist. And no, that is absolutely not a joke). Everyone learns differently and does their best in different subjects.

Scott thinks that the history department best addresses different learning styles. “They apply more real-world experience to the subject,” he said.

In my opinion, the language department at ‘Iolani best recognizes multiple intelligence, largely due to the fact that language learning in general necessitates multiple teaching techniques.

French teacher Mrs. Catherine Pettit, for example, teaches various strategies to help students learn a new language for the first time. By having students learn French through everything from songs, play-acting, and exaggerating different sounds to preparing poster boards, delivering presentations, and working individually, in pairs, and in groups, Pettit ensures that she addresses different learning styles and that different types of students can be successful.

Mrs. Pettit feels that the purpose of learning in high school goes beyond success in individual courses. I’m sure that all teachers want to ensure that students can learn effectively in their classes and beyond. Sometimes sighing and head-shaking do not even occur, though—“problems” with learning are met with offense in the worst cases. Different learning styles need to be acknowledged and accommodated in all subjects, not just in those that naturally lend themselves to many methods of teaching. Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory outlines different types of intelligences (linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial-visual, interpersonal, and intrapersonal) and the specific capabilities they give people. Simple, creative teaching methods like those Pettit and other teachers utilize can easily be applied to other subjects without drastically changing lesson plans. If nothing ever changes, students “on fringes” will be fated to accept mediocrity and remain overlooked.

After graduating from ‘Iolani in 2000, Edward Knox went on to earn a degree in history from American University. After college, Knox taught English in Vietnam and joined the Peace Corps, which took him to to the Philippines. Knox currently works doing economic research for his father and is starting to write free-lance for local magazines.

Photo from 2000 Ka Mo’olelo O ‘Iolani.

Spirit prevails over rigid dress code

were in good humor, and raised and opt for a more conservative the box of simply wearing red, our spirits. The costumes offered choice like a plaid shirt and jeans. green and yellow. Then the line students laughs and entertain- The excitement for the day is then becomes vague as students are ment, which only raised people’s limited as we remember the catch told they cannot wear shirts with spirits and excitement. to all of this- stay in dress code. faces on them. Don’t get me Sometimes exceptions need The next day the theme is reggae. wrong, I understand this rule and to be made to the rules. agree, knowing that wearFor example, during ing a shirt with blackface homecoming week, stupromotes racism and disdents who cross-dress graces both the school and in good taste should not the student. But does that be punished. If their mean that all faces are off costume is wholesome limits, including the legand the student isn’t endary reggae artist, Bob wearing something sugMarley’s? gestive, then why give On the other hand, them detention for bemany students did take ing spirited? advantage of the dress You also cannot days, coming to school completely blame the scantily clad and claiming creative students who that it was the only way are always trying to their costume could be Courtney Ochi | Imua `Iolani worn. In this case, dress make the most of each dress day. If we are giv- Many students compromised the dress code to days are not an excuse to en a Country day, then enthusiastically show their school spirit. don a racy outfit which the thought of wearing you planned on wearing to overalls will cross many minds. This only raises more controversy a Halloween party to school.

Most will probably reconsider as students try to think outside of For those of you who did dress

improperly, keep in mind that there’s always a way to stay in dress code while still maintaining the look you were going for.

To an extent, the rules need to become more flexible during homecoming week, as should the teachers because for the most part it is their in their discretion, whether or not a student receives detention.

It is also necessary for the rules to be explained more thoroughly to students and the faculty so that everyone knows, without a doubt, what will not be tolerated and what will be universally acceptable.

As director of Sudent Activites, Mr. Kirk Uejio explained, “Dress days are the visual manifestation of school spirit.” Just keep in mind that dress days come around only once a year for a week, so take advantage of the privilege, and enjoy those spirited days, but don’t get crazy.

Sports

Page 4

Imua ‘Iolani

Cross Country States: ups and downs

By Katherine Lum

‘Iolani took third.

“We had a shot at first,” said Mr. James Rubasch, the boys’ cross country coach for the past twelve years. “If the boys ran as well as they did at ILH championships, they would have had it.”

The boys’ team won first at ILH championships at Central Oahu Regional Park (CORP) on Oct. 25 with ‘Iolani’s first five runners in the top ten.

“You can’t base the whole Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Beth Mulloy season on one meet, though,” Tyler Mulloy ‘09, Troy Esaki ‘12, Andew Ellison ‘10, and Justin Higa’11 run to the finish.

Mr. Rubasch said.

On the boys’ team were Tyfinisher. At state championships, he didn’t On the girls’ team were Jenna Wong ’10, ler Mulloy ‘09, Troy Esaki run his usual race, finishing 196th out of 197 Leyna Esaki ’09, Maile Scarpino ’09, Valerie ‘12, Justin Higa ‘11, Andrew runners.

Pyun ’11, Elysse Tom ’09, Phoebe Jordan ’10 Ellison ‘10, Kasey Chun ‘12, “We all ran to the best of our abilities given and Rachael Mintzlaff ’10.

Robert Tathe conditions,” junior AnMiranda Linsky ‘10, a junior varsity runmai ‘09, drew Ellison said. “Next ner this past season, went with the team to the and Borys year we will win.”

Big Island for the meet.

Pleskacz Robert Tamai, one of the At the beginning of the season, Mr. Chester ‘11. team’s captains, said that Blanton, the girls’ head coach, better known Sophohe was proud of the team as Chet the Jet, said that the team had a good more Plesand that the effort showed. chance at winning states. A series of injuries kacz is He added, “Although it made the season a difficult one and lessened known to didn’t turn out the way we expectations for states. run a fast expected, we still had a good season.”

After hoping to place sixth, a fourth-place Katherine Lum | Imua Iolani race. At ILH championships, As for the girls’ team, they returned home finish was “miraculous,” Linsky said, adding Jenna Wong ‘10 leads the pack of runners in the Pleskacz placed eighth over- with well-deserved success from the Big that the “much harder battle” meant that all and was the third Raider Island. “in the end [they] were prouder.” state cross country meet.

The girls came home pleased about getting fourth place while boys returned with third.

‘Iolani’s girls’ and boys’ cross country teams traveled to the Big Island to compete in the state championships on Oct. 31. The state meet took place at Hawaii Pacific Academy, and the course was a tough one.

“It was the hardest course I’ve ever run,” junior Phoebe Jordan said. After running the steepest hill twice, “girls passed out and threw up at the top. Four out of the seven ‘Iolani girls basically had to walk up the second time.”

In the girls’ race, Punahou took first, Seabury Hall second and Kamehameha third, followed by ‘Iolani. In the boys’ race, Leilehua came in first, Kamehameha took second and

“We all ran to the best of our abilities”

Kayaking falls short of goals

Nicole Peltzer | Imua ‘Iolani Kimberlee Souza ‘11 paddled her way to third place in the sprints at the ILH kayaking championships.

By Jana Dagdagan

On Nov. 8, the ‘Iolani Kayaking Team competed in the ILH Varsity Championships. For three years, the girls’ team has won three consecutive championships. Unfortunately, they fell just short of that this year and received second.

“It was a little disappointing, but we had a really good season,” said senior Hannah Smith.

The kayakers remained optimistic despite the results.

“We finally got some new people on our team!” exclaimed Giulia Anderson ‘09.

Both Smith and Anderson have been on the kayaking team since they were freshmen, and had experienced victory in the

championships year after year.

However, these girls, as well as other kayakers, remain determined and understand that kayaking is not only a sport. It is also supposed to be fun!

“Our loss didn’t really affect us, because we are basically here to have fun. I think it’s all about the experience and the team spirit,” said junior Webster Ross.

“It was still a good year, and we did pretty well as a team,” added sophomore Logan Nowack.

Although this past kayaking season was not as successful as in past years, these athletes are readystill fired up for the next kayaking season.

Unsung heroes: the offensive linemen

By Niklas Streng

In the game of football it is said that, “Defense wins championships, and offense fills seats.”

Those seats are filled so the fans can see their home team score vast amounts of points on the opposing team.

The trenches of the line of scrimmage hold a group of young men who bring the glory of the offense into full view. ‘Iolani Raiders’, the five offensive linemen hold the entire offense on their shoulders.

The self proclaimed “Hoggies” are coached by Mr. Samuel Cropsey. Mr. Cropsey, an ‘Iolani math teacher, played on the offensive line for his entire football career.

For those of you who do not know much about at all, the offensive linemen are the guys on the field that snap the ball to the quarterback. They also double as the main blockers for a good majority of the defensive attacks that could potentially put the ball carrier in trouble.

The job of offensive lineman comes with a lot of responsibility. This also comes along with a lot of “tough love” and “constructive criticism” from coach Wendell Look. As wonderful as

being an offensive lineman can seem, it is not all doughnuts and coffee. The offensive line comes without its fame and glory.

In newspapers, you can read articles about the “Former University of Hawaii Quarterback” Colt Brennan, “Hawaii’s Number One College Prospect” Manti Te’o or even “Former Junior Varsity Quarterback Coming Back to Win Division 1 State Title” Andrew Manley. You will never see a newspaper article about Alan Faneca, Al Lolotai, or how John Madden used to play offensive line. The point is that the responsibility of the offensive line comes without the glory of all the other positions in football.

So this brings the question, “Why play on the offensive line?” The answer to this question is simple. Players like Joridan Sele ‘09, Daniel Mitchell ‘09, Jordan Tacon ‘09, Mark Rulona ‘09, Chris Geiger ‘10, Michael Thomas ‘10, Grant Yonemoto ‘10, Tiras Koon ‘11, and Ryo Chow ‘11, among others, will say that they didn’t join the ‘Iolani Raiders football team for the glory, for the articles in the paper, or to be a “Gamebreaker” every week in the Tuesday edition of the Honolulu Advertiser.

These young men are offensive linemen because they love their team and are willing to bow their heads to see their team perform well on the field.

Bianca Bystrom | Imua Iolani The offensive linemen battle with the opposing defense.

Sports

November 27, 2008

Alumnus makes big show

By Reyn Nagamine On Sept. 1, ‘Iolani graduate Kila Ka’aihue was called up unexpectedly to play for the Kansas City Royals.

Ka’aihue entered ‘Iolani School in seventh grade and was followed by his younger brother Kala. Ka’aihue played intermediate baseball in seventh and eighth grade and then went on to play at the varsity level for four more years.

Throughout his varsity career, Ka’aihue predominantly played first base. As he began to develop, he became a threat at the plate and a vacuum at first base.

“He was always an aggressive hitter,” Raider Assistant Coach Kevin Ing said in a telephone interview.

Throughout his high school career, Ka’aihue earned many honors and was always a well-re-

spected athlete.

He was drafted in 2002 in the fifteenth round to the Kansas City Royals, according to an article in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, which also reported that Ka’aihue had been called up. Straight out of high school, Ka’aihue spent six years in the minor leagues playing for teams in the Royals’ farm club system.

It has been a long and arduous journey; however all of his hard work paid off as he was called up to play with the “Big Boys.”

Since there were already three first basemen strings in front of him, Ka’aihue did not receive as much playing time initially. But as a rookie, when he was asked to perform, Ka’aihue did exceptionally well for his first season in the majors, ending the regular season with a batting average of .286 with one home run and one RBI, according to an article on

royals.com.

Even though the Royals haven’t been too successful in recent years, Ka’aihue will continue to get the opportunity display his talents and fulfill his dream of living the life of a professional baseball player.

Page 5

Cheerleaders flying high

By Alton Choy

What is that loud bubbly force gracing the football sidelines?

Besides tumbling, they are expert jugglers, holding an average GPA of 4.0 in courses including AP Biology, calculus, French, economics, and psychology.

They are the ‘Iolani cheerleaders--a small squad with high octane spirit and brains to boot.

In addition to dancing and cheering, these girls perform dangerous stunts that require tougher than average neurons. This results from practice every day like most ‘Iolani teams have worries about injuries, grades, and college admission. To perform stunts, every cheerleader needs to be strong and have steely nerves with some gymnastic ability.

Senior captain Melissa Lee is the solo flyer for the squad.

“I’ve never been seriously injured,” Lee said, “but I’ve been dropped a lot.”

At the ‘Iolani Cheerleading Invitational on Nov. 3, Lee went from an aerial dismount (a jump to return to the floor after a stunt) into a back flip. Aside from flying, Lee can tumble across the blue mats like Olympic medalist Shawn Johnson. From a simple cartwheel, she back flipped in mid-air tucking her knees to her chest.

More of the squad’s fantastic stunts are on display at football games.

“I know people don’t think it’s hard,” but it is, Lee said. She added, “It’s really fun.”

Spirit and brains to boot

2002 Ka Mo’olelo O ‘Iolani Kila Ka’aihue’s senior year book photo. He was drafted right after high school to the Royals.

Volleyball: Tough match ends senior season

By Tyler Yamamoto

The ‘Iolani girls volleyball team battled throughout the year, beating top-seeded Kamehameha, hosting the annual Ann Kang Volleyball Invitational, and traveling to Las Vegas to play in the Durango High School Fall Classic Tournament. While the Raiders used a mix of different players of all ages to their success, a core of seniors led the team to a great season.

After playing volleyball for four years, Kelli Ching decided to bowl during her junior year. For her final year at ‘Iolani, Ching returned to volleyball, playing mostly as a backup defensive specialist or outside hitter.

“When the team needed a back row player to make a pass, dig, or a serve, [Kelli] got the job done,” varsity Head Coach Jenic Tumaneng said.

Ching’s most memorable moment this season was the victory over Kamehameha.

“It’s an indescribable feeling,” she said of the upset which gave ‘Iolani a shared spot atop the ILH standings.

Ching hopes to attend the University of Redlands next year and wants to major in elementary education. She hopes to continue playing volleyball either on the club or Division III level. *** Jana Tokuhama served as the team’s libero for the past two years.

Tokuhama’s play earned her a spot on the 2007 All-State Second Team, the 2007 ILH First Team, and the 2008 ILH Second Team. She was one of the starting six who led ‘Iolani to a second place finishing last year in the state tournament.

“Jana is like a sponge,” Tumaneng said. “She will gather a lot of information in doing the skill or playing the game.”

While Tokuhama still is not sure about where she wants to attend college next year, she doesn’t think volleyball will be a part of her agenda.

“Perhaps softball, but the possibilities are endless,” she said.

*** Pac. She hopes to attend Northwestern After red-shirting her freshmen sea- University next fall. son, Chelsea Hardin took over a start“Kelly would be a steal for a colleing role as one of the Raiders’ starting giate team that decides to pick her up,” middle blockers. However, it was not Tumaneng said. until this year that Hardin made the Although she is unsure about partransition to a new position as the right ticipating in volleyball next year, Pang side hitter, playing in the back row. still wants to continue playing volley“She did her best to adapt to the ball at the club level. changes of that position, and worked *** really hard to understand the duties Middle blocker I’ishah Keli’ikoa that I expected,” Tumaneng said. has played with success during her Hardin took this challenge in prepa- career at ‘Iolani. Combined, Keli’ikoa ration for college, where she will play and Hardin have an overall record of on the outside due to her 5’11” height. 97 wins and 19 losses.

Hardin was on the Star Bulletin’s “They both did their best to lead the 2007 Fab 15, as well as two ILH first team and set high standards for the unteam selections. She counts the victory derclassmen,” Tumaneng said. over Kamehameha during her junior Keli’ikoa was a middle at ‘Iolani, year as a fond memory. but she used to set. Her best moment “Last year was more intense,” she from this season came in a three game said. The three-game win made ‘Iolani win against the Warriors. the ILH first round winners.

“We went to Kamehameha, and we Hardin signed her national letter of knew it was going to be a hard match,” intent on Nov. 12, committing to Cal she said. “We worked hard and came Poly San Luis Obispo. up with a big win.” *** Keli’ikoa hopes to attend Oregon After suffering her first knee injury State University next fall and continue in the eighth grade, Kelly Pang re- her volleyball career there. turned as a freshman and earned a spot *** on the all-state first team as a libero.

Despite fighting to ward off a 2-1 But subsequent reinjuries largely deficit against Kamehameha, the Raidlimited her playing during her sopho- ers ended their season after losing the more and junior years, until the last fifth set. Although the five seniors home game of her senior season. won’t get to wear their ‘Iolani jersey In front of a raucous crowd attend- again in the lower gym, their impact ing Senior Night in the Lower Gym, was felt throughout the year.

Pang contributed as a defensive specialist on her first game back, a day after she received the clearance to play.

“It was unexpected and nice,” Pang said.

“It was really good to be back.”

Pang controlled the back row as the team’s libero during the ILH second round Bianca Bystrom | Imua ‘Iolani match against Mid- The team cheers before beginning a match.

By Jana Tokuhama After a rough first round, the girls varsity volleyball team was eager to play Kamehameha in the semi-finals of the ILH second round play-offs.

Coming off of a three-game victory over the MidPac Owls, they were ready to take on the defending state champions, whom they had beaten in an exciting match earlier in the season.

On Oct. 21, in front of a full Lower Gym, the Raiders fell after a spirited back-and-forth fivegame battle.

During the first set, the Raiders got to a quick start, ahead 8-3. With the help of several Kamehameha service errors, they hung on to that lead, and quickly won the first game, 25-18. However, the Warriors came fighting during the next set, and battled off two Iolani set points to win the second game, 25-27.

With the match tied, the Raiders and Warriors came out fighting in the third set. Down 17-23 at one point, the ‘Iolani girls pushed and came back to within one point, before losing the third game, 23-25. Kamehameha up two games to one, the Raiders came off with a strong start in the fourth game. Fueled by two 6-point service runs, ‘Iolani quickly won the fourth set, 25-19.

As the fate of the match depended on the result of the first-to-fifteen fifth game, the tension in the gym rose and both sides raucously cheered on their schools. However, the Warriors got to a quick 5-0 lead. An ‘Iolani 4-point run proved insufficient, and Kamehameha won the final game 11-15.

I’ishah Keliikoa ‘09 led the Raiders with 17 kills, while Mahina Haina ‘10 added 14 and Chelsea Hardin ‘09 had 10 with several timely blocks.

Setter Malie Yoon ‘10 had an impressive 46 assists with 2 aces. Despite these great offensive stats and a tough defense, Kamehameha still topped ‘Iolani, ending their season without a chance to go to the State Tournament.

“We did well throughout the first four games, but the last set, we waited too long to come back,” freshman Ashlee Asada said.

Overall, however, the 2008 season was a memorable and exciting one for the coaches and players alike. From the Ann Kang preseason tournament to their last game, the ‘Iolani Girls Varsity Volleyball Team enjoyed the game and grew as players and friends.

Page 6

Features

Imua ‘Iolani

Balancing his Raider spirit

By Tyler Yamamoto

Seated in chairs forming two half circles, 15 freshmen chat amongst themselves as they go over their assignment sheet facing the chalkboard. The room erupts into laughter and cheers as they hear, “Discoverer’s Day. No school!”

After sharing this optimistic observation, Mr. Erik Yamamoto, ‘Iolani class of ‘99, finishes going over the assignment sheet with a smile, then rips sheets of recycled paper in half and passes them out to the students. The students maintain their conversations with some added worry about the quiz they are about to take.

The classroom, now lit only by the sunlight from the windows, suddenly grows quiet as Mr. Yamamoto reads each multiple choice question off the projector shining against a screen in the front of the room.

After only a few minutes, the quiz over, the class is back to a lively chatterbox as the fluorescent lights fill the room again.

Students describe Mr. Yamamoto as a fun teacher who tries to lighten up his lessons. “He had us sing and dance, instead of just a normal lecture,” said Reyn Nagamine, a senior who had Mr. Yamamoto for Europe and the Modern World (now History and the Modern World). “It was easier to remember and more enjoyable.”

A son of ‘Iolani, Mr. Yamamoto realizes that school creates a lot of stress and can be very difficult to manage. He says that if he can make things more humorous and lighten the stress a little, then it should make the learning environment a little easier to handle.

Some people might think that his slide shows in class are a reflection of his personality since he drew, colored, or wrote in additional notes or pictures using his mouse—not a SMART Board on many of the slides. In actuality he was just making use of what he had.

After moving from the Castle building to the I-Building this year, Mr. Yamamoto’s new room has a chalkboard, a rarity on campus. It was not that Mr. Yamamoto did not have SMART Board because of a backlog in orders or it was not deemed necessary by the office. In fact, he did not even request a board.

“I try my best,” he said in regard to a map which he color coordinated and drew in some added notes. “Other teachers can benefit from (a SMART Board) more.”

Ms. Ernette Au, Mr. Yamamoto’s former teacher and a current colleague, said, “He was a model student. He is an outstanding teacher and a class adviser,” also adding that his work ethic as a teacher is just as good as when he was a student.

The campus has changed quite a bit since his graduation when he served as senior class vice president and senior prefect. He acknowledges that the students have nicer facilities including the Weinberg building, the parking structure, new athletic facilities, and better resources for teachers to work with.

He also senses a different attitude from teachers.

Mr. Yamamoto recalls that the workload was different because they did not have no-homework weekends. He said that the teachers focused more on “success rather than balance.” Now there are classes such as a leadership class

taught by Mr. Kirk Uejio to help get students involved.

Prior to his young career at ‘Iolani, Mr. Yamamoto taught and coached baseball at Moanalua High School. There Mr. Yamamoto taught English, social studies, media, guidance, and study skills all in the course of one day. At ‘Iolani he teaches two different courses—History and the Modern World, and History of the Ancient World. This allows him to focus more and he can give more to the students since he doesn’t have such a broad range of subjects to teach.

He also balances being a part of the ‘Iolani baseball coaching staff as well as the ‘Iolani faculty, just as he balanced being a pitcher on the baseball team and a student in high school. “It is much harder as an adult,” Mr. Yamamoto added.

“If I do not show up prepared as a student, the worst I can get is a zero,” explained Mr. Yamamoto. But failing to prepare as a teacher would be letting down the students who expect to learn from him.

It was some time after he entered the upper school that Mr. Yamamoto started to think about becoming a teacher. “It looked fun,” he said describing how this became his ambition. It wasn’t a choice based on a favorite teacher, but a “collection of a lot of different teachers.”

In his limited free time, Mr. Yamamoto enjoys hanging out with his friends and family. He also enjoys surfing, however, he hardly has the time for it anymore.

Mr. Yamamoto graduated from Claremont-McKenna College and majored in history and literature. He is also currently working on his Master of Educational Foundations degree and is a co-advisor for the class of 2011.

That’s the ‘Sue’ for you

By Nestor Agbayani

With a red and cream-colored aloha shirt, black dress pants, and Jack Johnson music playing in the background, Alan Suemori leaned on a small desk and glanced around the classroom.

He observed the laughter from his

students, and the sudden smiles that emerged from others who were just entering the room.

Everyone seemed glad to be in the class. Mr. Suemori, more commonly known as Mr. Sue, was happy to see this.

“There’s a tremendous incentive to

make classes fu out-of-control that’s not just l class with a ga ally named “Th Mr. Sue belo of ‘Iolani teac who graduated and have colle their teachers. T to overcome, Mr. Sue said. H culty of address by their first na A 1975 alum when ‘Iolani o dents. “It was “[It was] hard that broad socia to see girls as f In order to m his friends m These social c parties, where clubs mingled.

Mr. Sue’s lif plishments. H at ‘Iolani, and lumbia Univers Hawaii where h Public Health a degrees. Whi ‘Iolani School, a member man ing the ‘Iolani P Despite the after attending the school for to observe and

Once a Raider, al

Alumni have returned to teach throughout t

By Tawni Murphy During any period of the day, the SAO is always filled with a sociable atmosphere. Every day in the SAO, you can always find `Iolani alumni and member of the 1998 Hawaii State Boys Basketball Champion Team who came back to `Iolani School to be Student Activities Director.

During his senior year of high school, Mr. Kirk Uejio was not only the player who forced overtime in the championship game, but he was also named 1998 Hawaii State Player of the Year.

“I learned a lot. I didn’t feel like the best, but I did feel like the leader,” Mr. Uejio said.

After graduating in 1998, Mr. Uejio attended Claremont-McKenna College in California. Although Mr. Uejio was supposed to continue playing basketball during college, he decided to quit in his sophomore year.

“I don’t regret quitting,” Mr. Uejio said. “I was becoming really burnt out and it just wasn’t fun anymore. So my coach asked me what was wrong, and I told him that it just wasn’t fun anymore, and he told me that maybe I should quit.”

After returning to the islands, Mr. Uejio taught math at Saint Andrew’s Priory for a year. In the summer of 2003, Mr. Uejio formally accepted an offer from `Iolani to be the Student Activities Director.

“I think that Mr. Takayesu would be one of the most influential people that I met while at `Iolani because he was the one that told me about the job position,” Mr. Uejio said.

“I called him one day and left him a message saying that the position of SAO Director was open and that I thought he would be a good candidate for it,” Mr. Takayesu said.

“He was always a quiet student who seemed to blend in with the rest of the class because he didn’t cause trouble.”

Outside, students pass by the SAO, greet-

ing Mr. U. and then continuing on w “The student body seems like verse. And the same thing goes here,” Mr. U

g i ta n i o D

November 27, 2008

fe is filled with accomHe was a Senior Prefect further excelled at Cosity, and University of he earned his Master of and Master of Education ile teaching history at , Mr. Sue has also been ny organizations includPeace Institute. ese accomplishments, ‘Iolani, and teaching at 16 years, he continues practice humility.

A true daughter of `Iolani

By Jan Biernacke

Sitting at the desks in a circular formation about the room, English students lend Ms. Meghann Schroers their ears. Her long, lightbrown hair dangles unless she manages to neatly bun it. Sometimes, she’ll rest her feet on a nearby chair during long discussions.

Schroers, 28, is “a cool English teacher,” said former American Literature student Christopher Tokeshi. “She understands us as students because she was one of us just about 10 years ago.”

She currently teaches British Literature and Englihs 10 Honors.

Schroers was born into the ‘Iolani family. She grew up on campus because both her parents worked there. Her mom, Mrs. Gail Schroers, a current ‘Iolani English teacher, and her father, Director of Athletics Mr. Carl Schroers, moved to Hawaii from California in 1977. “Why not Hawaii?” said Mrs. Schroers.

Although they didn’t have a house, Mr. and Mrs. Schroers didn’t feel too bad because there were other families on campus with children. “Meghann and [her brother] Clayton were especially close to the Roberts boys. They’d even have sleepovers,” said Mrs. Schroers.

lways a Raider

the years

with their conversations. it has become more difor the adult personnel Uejio said, reflecting back on the differ-

ence between now and when he was a student. “When I was here, there was a different college counseling director as well as a different Dean of Students. Mr. Brown was actually one of my teachers here.”

“Kirk was kind of like the dream student; he was interested in everything,” says Mr. Brown, who was Mr. Uejio’s history teacher and is currently the Dean of Students. “His enthusiastic attitude was able to spread throughout the whole class, which created a positive attitude. He was the one that I would always be able to rely on to help with anything. He was different than he is now. He wasn’t the guy with the crazy personality that he has now.”

As Student Activities Director, Mr. Uejio gets to know almost every student in the upper school whether it is from his sophomore leadership class or just by stopping in to say hi.

“The students would definitely have to be the best thing about working here,” Mr. Uejio said with a smile. “I get to hang with the best students, at the best school, in the best state, in the best nation in the world.”

But although he gets to know everyone, the hardest thing for him is that he has to say goodbye at the end of the year.

“Starting over would have to be the hardest thing.

After I finally get to know everyone, the year is ending. It’s especially hard with the senior class. Having to say goodbye to them is hard.”

On the board near the door to the SAO, there is a collage of nametags that all have different quotes from the school year. For example, there is a sticker that says “I love parents” and another one that says “A clean desk = a clean mind.” In his life, Mr. Uejio has always lived by a very special quote, “Make every day your masterpiece,” by legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.

“If I make everyday a new masterpiece, I know that I will be living a great life.”

l

al f o r ‘U ’

Page 7 Schroers was among some of the first daughters of ‘Iolani to graduate in the class of 1998.

While she attended ‘Iolani, she enjoyed history, science and not surprisingly, English courses. Some of her favorite courses were British Literature and Shakespeare. English teacher Dr. Michael LaGory, one of Schroers’ high school teachers, told her she could become a great English teacher early in her high school career. Schroers said she was offended. “I had sworn I would never become a teacher,” said Schroers.

Schroers also enjoyed horseback riding. She still has a horse that she keeps on Big Island.

Dancing was also an important part of Schroers’ life.

She took ‘Iolani dance courses from grades nine to twelve.

She also danced after school in the Halau ‘Iolani, Advanced Jazz classes, and was on the Dance Team. Schroers took ballet classes at Punahou twice a week and was an apprentice for Hawaii Ballet Theater.

After high school graduation, Schroers left to attend Stanford. She got her M.A. and B.A. in English by the age of 22. She even managed to take a Horse Medicine class.

Unfortunately, by the time

It ‘Mas’ be `Iolani

un,” Mr. Sue said. “Not fun, but something lecture.” He started the ame, which he personhe Sexy Seven.” ongs to a special group chers: faculty members d from this very school, eagues who used to be This relationship is hard and is “really weird,” He pointed out the diffising his former teachers ames. mnus, Mr. Sue attended only admitted male stus tough,” Mr. Sue said. for ‘Iolani guys to get al education, you know, friends.” meet girls, Mr. Sue and made clubs at YMCA. clubs threw dances and members from other

Features

By Eunice Chang David Masunaga’s Geometry class burst into peals of laughter listening to their teacher explain the “glide reflect” motion using incoherent noises. Geometric shapes hang over students’ heads, books are jammed in shelves, papers are stacked on top of one another, and random projects take up what little space is available. Mr. Mas’s classroom gives flavor to the campus, and so does he.

Wearing his usual glasses, a light pink collared shirt, and his trademark bowtie to complement his wardrobe, he emitted a squeaky “Whoot!” to emphasize a motion on the projector.

“But wait—!” Mr. Mas said his catch phrase, indicating there is more to it than just his explanation. “If you drop the object like this—Wheeee!”

Another round of laughter follows.

“He’s funny, he’s smart, he knows what he’s doing, and he offers something unique to the school,” Kira Swope, a junior in Mr. Mas’ design science class, said.

Mr. Mas is an ‘Iolani graduate of 1975, what former headmaster Father David P. Coon called a “watershed year.”

The school was changing, from strict and orderly to more assemblies, the beginning of proconsuls, and bands playing at more games and not just at concerts and football games.

Mr. Mas was an oboist in

she graduated, the nation was in a recession due to 9/11. There were very few job options for Schroers.

She eventually took a job at Hawaii Preparatory Academy on the Big Island; it was “home but not home.”.A few years later, she started working part-time at ‘Iolani teaching English 10A and Creative Nonfiction. After a year, there was a full-time job opening in the ‘Iolani English department. It was perfect timing and she got the job.

She joined her mom and dad on the ‘Iolani campus once again. She and her mom especially “love the idea bouncing when it comes to curriculum planning,” says Schroers. “It’s really neat. We give each other tips, eat lunch together, work out, and car pool in mornings and afternoons.”

Mrs. Schroers feels blessed that they can all understand each other’s jobs. “We share the joys and aggravations.”

Especially because of her 19 previous years of experience as a student and resident at ‘Iolani, Schroers understands the school well. She is familiar with the problems and can relate to the students, too. “I’m in for the long haul. I love this school as much as I poke it with a sharp stick.”

band and in the Hawaii Youth Symphony, a yearbook staff member, involved in church youth group activities, and part of a chamber music group.

Some of his teachers were Mr. Charles Proctor (English 9), Mr. Jack Kay (regular and A.P. Biology), and Mr. Wayne DeMello (band). “This school still has the same high standards and rigor, although people say the workload has lessened ever since the girls started coming to this school,” Mr. Mas said. He also said the graduation requirements are similar, except now there is one more year of science and history added.

In college, he double majored in math and biology with the intent to become a teacher. After three years in college, he decided to go into math because he was more ahead in that than in biology. Unfortunately, there were no jobs available. He worked three different jobs: at Northwestern University’s food service, as a clerk typist at New York University, and transcribed tapes.

“I had to wash a thousand sets of dishes a night. Yes, a thousand sets,” he recalled.

Fortunately, he was recruited by Father Coon to teach math at ‘Iolani, anh here he stands, in front of the projector demonstrating a glide reflection and saying “Whoot!”

Photos by Courtney Ochi and Marissa Sakoda

Imua ‘Iolani Arts & Entertainment Fall Play: The Prodigous Snob Inside and Out The Insider’s View:

Page 8

by Amelia

Linsky

Playing Lucille in Moliere’s The Prodigious Snob was one of the best experiences of my life.

I only auditioned because of an injury that prevented me from participating in my first commitment, cross country. But, still glowing from the residual glory of closing night and the sporadic compliments of audience members, I can say without hesitation that I have no regrets.

The glory comprises but a small portion of the work that went into the play. After all, we only had three official shows.

We had months of preparation.

Memorization of lines and blocking was difficult, not to mention stressful.

The performances were the best part, but more like a reward for working hard together than the goal toward which we’d worked all along. Mr. Duval has really improved the theater pro-

gram from what I experienced in seventh grade Beginning Theater.

So many aspects of Iolani Dramatic Players’ productions have benefited from his oversight: technical things like lighting, sets, costumes, and publicity, as well as the quality of the stage-work.

The space in Seto Hall is more like a ledge than a real stage. We have no wings, no curtain in front, no permanent stage lights, no orchestra pit, and the stage protests loudly whenever we walk on it.

The audience seating is horrible, with uncomfortable chairs and a flat floor: no compensation for those unlucky enough to sit in the back, or behind a bigger person.

However, I felt that our play was good enough to make up for the failings of Seto Hall, to convince the audience that they were viewing a real production.

It’s hard to tell from behind the wings, but the amount of laughter from the audience seemed to justify our efforts. We found the

The audience’s view:

Jen Samantha Rasay ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Spectators gasped, snickered, and guffawed in their seats as twenty-three ‘Iolani students performed Moliere’s comedy classic, The Prodigious Snob, from Nov. 5-8.

Full of witty jokes, innuendos and foolish pranks, the play garnered raving reviews and praise.

Miles Malleson’s translation of Molière’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (The Prodigious Snob) communicated to the audience the fate of those who feign importance and superiority to gain acceptance into society’s highest ranks.

The play tells the story of Monsieur Jourdain, played by by

Samuel Kor ‘09, a nouveau riche man who views himself as important and wise. He attempts to convince others of his good breeding by learning the arts of fencing, dancing, and music with the help of various masters. But a desire to be considered aristocratic paired with gullibility make the comic hero an apt target for flatterers out to cheat him of his wealth.

Matt Hirokane ’09, in his role as Count Dorante, becomes the greatest usurper of our hero’s wealth. Convinced that Dorante can help him win over the beautiful Marchionesse Dorimene, played by Jackie Mosteller ’10, Jourdain continues to provide the Count with large sums of money for his own purposes.

Pump it up! professional musician.

Kaela Shiigi They were followed the next Homecoming truly lived up to the theme of “Pump it up”. Start- day by the much anticipated ing the week before homecoming, surprise professional band who at lunch, the center courtyard was turned out to be Beach 5, a local filled with wonderful live music. Hawaiian and Reggae group.

Finally, Summer Roots, a RegWhen the festivities were announced, the names of the bands gae band formed by seven seniors were all kept a surprise which and a junior, added an extra boost added some mystery to the spe- of spirit to the red, yellow, and green dress day. cial events.

Director of the SAO Mr. Kirk Just Funk, a collaboration between students and faculty mem- Uejio said that we can expect bers, kicked off the homecoming more live student entertainment lunch assemblies with a rocking during homecoming week in the performance. The saxophone coming years. For more informaplayer was Mr. Fred Li who used tion on the bands, go to imuaonto teach at Iolani and is now a line.org Photos by Bianca Bystrom| Imua Iolani Members of the trumpet and trombone sections played on the football field as the marching band performed during the half time show at the Homecoming game. by

important words, the little jokes within lines, the puns, and emphasized most of them enough for the audience to understand in rapid-fire dialogue. I hope we did, anyway.

I’m going to miss the fall play— the wonderful people, and the consistent teamwork oriented toward our common goal of making a good show. At the cast party at Bubbie’s, at half past 11 p.m. on Saturday night, I realized with a bit of a shock that I won’t be here for next year’s play. It’ll be up to the juniors, who mostly played supporting roles in a senior-dominated cast, to continue to lead quality shows and even improve on our legacy.

But there’s still the musical!

The ‘Iolani Dramatic Players will present Pippin, a comedy about a prince’s search for ultimate fulfillment and the truth about life, at Diamond Head Theater February 26-28. Yes, that was a shameless plug, but trust me—it’ll be worth your while to buy tickets.

The audience received the witty banter between Cleonte and Lucille (Jonathan Lee ’09 Amelia Linsky ’09) and Nicole and Covielle (Blaire Tolentino ’09 and Chaz Silva ’09) as each couple seeks permission from Monsieur Jourdain to be married. Towards the end, Cleonte and Covielle play a well-executed trick on Jourdain, eventually allowing all characters to marry as they choose and leaving Monsieur Jourdain abandoned and bewildered.

The audience liked Kor’s facial expressions throughout the play.

“Sam’s face just had that way of lighting up whenever Monsieur Jourdain learned something new.

And when Monsieur Jourdain got confused or annoyed, his face was

Photo courtesy of Mrs. Cathy Lee Chong Senior Samuel Kor played Monseiur Jourdain in The Prodigious Snob. hilarious and very convincing,” Shayne Rasay ’11 said.

The furnishings of Monsieur Jourdain’s home successfully transported the audience into the play and the time period itself.

“When you’re doing a period piece,” explains director and ‘Iolani theater teacher, Mr. Rob Duval, “you have to be somewhat accurate. You have to come as close as possible to the real thing.”

During auditions, Duval explained that it was clear which students would fit each character.

“Not only did they grow into their

characters, but they were able to grow during the performances as well,” he said.

Overall, Duval wanted the audience to be entertained. “I wanted them to laugh, to forget their worries for those particular two hours, to understand the message of not trying to be what you’re not,” he said.

“This is very different from what we did last year, which was a Greek tragedy,” he said. “Every year, we try to mix it up a little bit.”

Life Lessons from Disney

November 27, 2008

By Emily Shimkus

Chances are that everyone at some point in their lives has watched at least part of one Disney movie, from an old classic like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” to the more recent “Lilo and Stitch.” So what do you get out of those movies besides grimaces, guffaws, and catchy tunes stuck in your head? Here’s a list of things I have learned from watching Disney movies over the years.

1. Just say no. If a creepy old woman with buggy, shifty eyeballs and warts on her nose offers you a red delicious promising that it’s a “magic wishing apple,” don’t take a bite. Let’s just say that it didn’t work out so nicely for Snow White.

2. The word “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” fixes everything. If it got Mary Poppins first place in a merry-go-round horse race, just imagine what it could do for you. Plus, it’s just fun to say. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

3. Don’t touch sharp things!

Not only could you bleed to

The Lighter Side

death from the sharp needle on your favorite spinning wheel, you could fall into an enchanted sleep for eternity unless there’s a brave prince willing to hack through thorns and slay a fire-breathing dragon to rescue you. But believe me, men like that are hard to find.

4. Just because you have big ears, that doesn’t make you a joke. Dumbo can use his to fly.

Maybe you can too!

5. Don’t follow any white rabbits or ask the Cheshire cat for directions. All roads lead to the Queen, but all she wants is your head because you don’t know why the cards are painting the roses red. It doesn’t make for a pleasant trip to Wonderland.

6. Evil stepsisters ruin your beautiful dress for the ball and leave you wallowing in despair?

Not a problem. The Fairy Godmother will pick up the slack for you, but only until midnight. That is one curfew you won’t want to blow.

7. If you have a beautiful voice, don’t sell it off willy-nilly to a sea-witch for a pair of legs! Body language is not all it’s cracked up

to be.

8. People can always tell when you’re lying. It’s as plain as the elongated nose on your face.

Just listen to your conscience next time. He’ll “give a little whistle” and try to keep you away from giant man-eating whales named Monstro.

9.“Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” What does this really mean?

That you, like Stitch, can be the most vicious, water-phobic, city-destroying, crazy creature in the universe, but you won’t get kicked out of the house.

10. Male chauvinists beware.

Just because someone is a girl doesn’t mean they can’t beat you up. Mulan kicked butt and saved

Ask Birtha:

Page 9

Illustration by Cordelia Xie | Imua ‘Iolani all of China. So there.

11. Even though you’re the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” you can’t just steal his magical pointy hat, grab his spell books, enchant broomsticks, and flood the house. If Mickey Mouse can’t get away with it, neither

can you.

12. “Happily Ever After” means the end. So, without further ado, “And they all lived happily ever after.”

Crazy Cat Lady Answers Your Questions! smoldering passion for how they penetrate so much more than your soul!), you’d know what I mean.

Anyways, I digress. I don’t want to let this broad get in the way of our friendship, but I’m not digging the inevitable feelings of loneliness and confusion that I know must accompany her blatant rejection. Any suggestions?

Yours truly, Apprehensive in Annapolis

By Annie Rian Dear Birtha, OK, so I’ll admit right off the bat that I’ve never been too good with the ladies. I’m kind of a shy guy, and my performances are average. Are you picking up what I’m putting down? So anyways, there’s this girl, let’s call her Mildred. Me and my broheim Archibald both want to ask her to Winter Ball, but Archibald always gets the ladies and I’m afraid that he shall prevail in this battle for her attention. And, I have to admit, he’s a handsome bro. I mean, he is FINE. If you’ve ever run your hands over his bulging, tanned biceps, or stared deep into his piercing blue eyes like the sea after a storm (and felt with a

Dear Apprehensive, I’m so sorry to hear about your situation. I know exactly how you feel, since my Sprinkles died just a month ago and I’m still coping with the loss. I still remember how he used to shred my undergarments so affectionately, and how he used to turn up his goshdarn nose at anything less than Filet Mignon With a Hint of Sage Fancy Feast brand cat food. A wise dark-skinned man once told me: “Cats must be the change you wish to see in the world.” As I know you will too, I went through the seven stages of grief after his death: happiness, bloating, chronic diarrhea, and denial. It’s always good to have a few tricks up your sleeve, like I said. Knowing how to reprogram your partner’s database is key in any relationship,

especially if, as in your case, your partner is a robot. Robots are so much feistier and more willing to experiment, I tell you . . . in the chemical laboratory, that is. So my advice to you would be just this: “Semper Paratus,” which, in laycat’s terms might be loosely translated as “Always Paratus.”

Remember the three D’s to success: Dsuccess, Dhard work, Dfocus, and Diligent Cat. That’s what Granny Steve always told me. It’s also the motto of the Radio City Rockats, you know. I was a Rockat once, in my golden years: what you might call a “hot mama,” yes sirree! The Old Vacuum Cleaner, they used to call me. But this isn’t about me: it’s about my gall stones. They’re over there on the shelf, along with my placenta and umbilical cord. Waste not, want no cats, that’s my motto. But if you want my honest opinion, I would stick with Plan A: return the mice and the can-can dancer costume before, rather than after, you even attempt to kidnap that over zealous man-child tricyclist!

I hope that helps. Good luck with your mysterious bowel pains! My fourth husband Carl, rest his soul, had the same problem, only he got the doctor to do some sort of new-fangled surgery

to get rid of it. You know how technology is these days. As the great Confucius once said: “We am who think cats is so cute.”

Saucily, Birtha

Dear Birtha, Ever since my boyfriend Xavier and I broke up, I’ve felt so lonely and friendless. My former best friend Chastity hates me because Xavier cheated on her to be with me, and since I’m generally a rude, obnoxious, racist backstabber, I don’t have any other friends. Now that Xavier and I aren’t together anymore, I feel like my life is over! There’s nothing more to live for! Please help me, Birtha, or I’ll kill myself!

Insincerely yours, Lecherous in Los Angeles

minutes of Crime and Punishment during story hour to get him settled down. He’s just been so distraught after the election, and I don’t blame him--just because this so-called Barack Obama has the voice of a baby angel that just melts my gosh-darn heart doesn’t mean those gosh-darn liberals and Africans can elect him president of this fine nation! But, I’ll warrant, he’s quite a looker--a handsome young man, yes indeedy.

Me and that Barack Obama, we’d make a nice pair. I wouldn’t mind if he came over and cleaned the pool once in a while, and maybe stayed for dinner, too. I do make a darn good meatloaf puree. You know, my cousin Eunice-Jane, she always says: “If you got it, flaunt it, baby, flaunt it!” I take that to heart, yes indeedy. Just yesterday I says to Eunice-Jane, I says: “Eunice-Jane, I think it’s about time you died. You’re ninety-nine years old, for cryin’ out loud!”

I hope that helps! Like Ronald Reagan, rest his soul, once told me: “Ask not what you can do for your country; ask what cats can do for your country.”

Suggestively, Birtha

Dear Lecherous, Twinkletoes, Puss in Platform Heels, Madamoiselle Antoinette, Monsieur Sparkles, and Paul Newman send their greetings.

They’re feeling a little saucy after their baths, especially Paul, the feisty little bugger, just meowing and spitting and hissing up a gosh-darn storm over here! I had to read an extra twenty-seven Illustration by Stephen Stack | Imua ‘Iolani

Features

Page 10

Imua ‘Iolani

Fable II: Who will you be?

By Stephen Toyofuku Well, Fable fans, the time has arrive. On October 21, Fable 2 was released on X-box 360. The game is not a continuation of the first, but takes place with a new hero, close to 500 years after the first game.

Albion is now a pre-industrial society, with the largest city in the game still being Bowerstone.

The Hero’s Guild from the first game no longer exists, and the story follows the player’s character, possessing heroic blood, on an epic adventure, and your dog comes along too.

Many similarities are carried over from the first game such as classic golden path finder, expressions, strength, skill, will, and the fable trademarked interactive dynamic world.

New features include new weapons, so archers put away the long bow because now there are guns! Fable 2 features a set of cross bows, but mainly the addition of firearms is adds a new dimension to game play. The world is much larger and more much more expansive in relation to the first game. Continuing a dy-

namic world theme, night and day changes, and as the days progress new jobs, quests, and sale offers appear.

The citizens of Albion are interactive as well, and they will judge your character and interact with him based upon their opinion of him/ her. Yes, her, Fable 2 offers players the chance to choose their character ’s gender.

A l s o you can now not only purc h a s e houses, but shops and taverns as well.

Overall game play is pretty straightforward, you have close and long range attacks, and magic spells.

One fun feature is that you can cast unlimited spells without worries of mana or magic points.

And of course the classic Fable feature, character alignment, and other character altering attributes. Eating healthy will keep you fit and skinny vs. eating pies will make you fat. Also the choice to be evil or good is once more is up to the player. Killing villagers, stealing, vandalism etc will make you evil (you get horns), where as being virtuous, self sacrificing, ad honorable will make you good (halo).

The game is exciting and

Design Editor: Marissa Sakoda

Photos courtesy of lionhead.com and gamestop.com Above: Fable 2 concept art of the hero and his dog, courtesy of Lionhead Studios, the maker of Fable. Left: The Fable 2 game cover courtesy of gamestop.com. brings you into the world of Albion. Equipment and money is not impossible to get, and completing the game is not ridiculously tedious.

On a difficulty scale, I would rate it a six or seven out of ten.

But the true fun of the game comes from the large variety of

Be profound, be intense, The college essay has gained infamy amongst Iolani students.

It is potentially the difference between victory and defeat with those schools in which one is on the cusp of acceptance.

That’s right, your ‘reach’ schools.

But as Mr. Fleming, Mr. Briguglio, and the English department will firmly attest, a great essay isn’t the only deciding factor in your application.

It is, however, the portion over which you have the most control.

This is what makes the college essay such a formidable foe: it is an identity cri-

published by the students of ‘Iolani School, 563 Kamoku St., Honolulu, HI 96826. Established 1923, printed at Hawai’i Hochi.

Imua ‘Iolani accepts advertising on a space available basis. Rates are $100 for 1/2 page, $60 for 1/4 page, and $35 for 1/8 page ads. Please e-mail iolaniimua@gmail.com for more information. Include “advertising” in the subject line. Deadline for the next issue is Dec. 2.

Editor-in-Chief: Katrina Karl

fun mini quests and almost unlimited number of available online options. Yes, online trading, fighting, ranking, and questing,, so grab your ether net cables.

Before you begin, set aside a couple of hours and start your journey.

Who will you be?

The college essay:

By Ayesha Cooray

Imua ‘Iolani is

be yourself

sis in 1500 words or less.

Not only must you craft an essay that exemplifies the very best of your writing abilities, but you must also decide what exactly you want colleges to know about you.

The challenge of the college essay is to

Clichéd “profound”

experiences become the whirlpool of banality. write an essay that champions an aspect of yourself that you think is uncommon without lapsing into embellished and pretentious prose that only seeks to earn brownie points with the admissions officers.

But as the essay is the only glimpse of your personality that admissions officers have, the temptation to weave a tale catering to what you think colleges want is understandable.

On the other hand, clichéd “profound” experiences become the whirlpool of banality that your essay must struggle to overcome.

Unfortunately, the college essay is only the first of the many times we will be forced to utilize our personalities to sell our skills throughout life.

With an economy in dire straits and a diminishing job market, knowing how to distinguish yourself from your competition will be imperative.

And thus with the college essay one begins the journey into modern, competitive society.

Copy Editors: Annie Rian Lianne Chung Photo Editors: Asha Allen Courtney Ochi Features Editors: Amelia Linsky Emily Saka Opinion Editors: Emily Shimkus Tiana Bohner Sports Editors: Bianca Bystrom Kelia Cowan Arts & Entertainment Editors: Akari Hatanaka Kaela Shiigi Lighter Side Editor: Stephen Stack Lower School Editors: Kyle Kim Andrew Zhou Middle School Editor: Madison Obata Editor at Large: Stephen Toyofuku Adviser: Mrs. Karin Swanson Imua ‘Iolani is distributed free of charge to students of ‘Iolani School.

Mail subscriptions are $15 per year.

Imua ‘Iolani is online at www.imuaonline.org or as pdfs at www.iolani. org under the “Student Activities” menu.

Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.

The opinions herein expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the administration, faculty, staff of ‘Iolani School or Imua ‘Iolani.

Page 11 The Middle Years What do you think of Barack The joys of Class Day

November 27, 2008

Obama becoming our next president?

“Well, I think that it’s a change and it’s pretty cool that he’s our first African American president. I know he’ll do a good job.”

- Alyssa Kogami ‘13

By Esma Arslan

Ah! Class Day, my favorite day of the year. A time when old friends come together and enjoy a single day at the beach.

A time when the food is brought out, the husky boys play football to show off for the girls in bikinis who are desperately trying to get a tan, and some just roam around saying, “Hi” to everyone and playing with their friends.

Even though I hate sitting in the gym for over half an hour, listening to the rules and regulations, cramped up and sweaty, with random girls trying to take pictures on their new camera, it’s worth it.

Follow the rules and you’re all set.

The other thing is that we have an awesome class. We have so many creative people and that’s what makes it interesting.

We have groups of people at our class day.

First, we have the boys who love football. They toss it into the mud, but isn’t that the fun of it?

Then there are the volleyball girls. If that ball comes at your head, I’m telling you, you are going home with a major concussion. We also have the magazine girls, who brought the whole stock.

In the corner the technic people, staring at their Gameboys and DS’s. I swear, they have eyes like hawks. They love to sit in the dark, when they could

be under the beautiful sun.

Then out in the water, a crowd of people are either pretending to swim or just hanging out and fooling around.

On the warm sand, we have what I like to call the tanning girls. I wonder if they ever get bored.

Then, there are people who like to sit and watch the beautiful scenery with their toes sinking into the sand, ruffled with foam. I’m probably among the people who do almost all these things, socializingand enjoying every single activity going on.

‘Iolani doesn’t forget the environment. We, as a “green” school, pick up trash after we are done partying.

It’s kind of cool, how we all line up like in the military, and then we march forward across the length of the beach, picking trash whenever we see any.

We usually don’t find much because we are such clean people, but we still don’t forget about everything around us. Class Day is one of those days when you can be the real you.

At school, you have to maintain a good reputation, and although you can be yourself, you just can’t let it all out. But on Class Day, jump, scream, yell, play, and do whatever else that pops into your head.

“Obama’s election to the presidency is like the fresh light of spring kissing our cold world left by winter winds, which will usher in a new era of growth and, indeed, our country will grow with him as president.”

- Ezekiel Kearns ‘13

Elise Kaneshiro ‘13, Erin Masatsugu ‘13, Paige Omura ‘13, Carina Fasi ‘13, Isabella Rossi de Leon ‘13, Taylor Katase ‘13, Kelis Oshita ‘13 gather together at Kailua Beach Park.

Down with the dog calls

By Madison Obata

“I don’t trust him, I just hope that he isn’t as bad as I expect him to be.”

- Raven Moniz ‘13

“I’m excited for our new president and waiting for some change!”

- Jacob Baba ‘13

Study hall is supposed to be a calm place to do your homework. It is also a place that seems to be turning into a dog pound because of the growing popularity of a homemade “dog whistle.” Most people can hear the eerie, high-pitched noise of the whistle, but some teachers may be unable to hear it at all.

How do students get this dog whistle?

Take a look at your pen the next time you are writing.

If you are one of the few who use a ballpoint pen that retracts. You can remove the tip of the pen simply by turning it. Once the tip is off, just blow through it and you’ll hear a high-pitched sound coming from the pen.

It’s not pleasant to hear. Most people actually find it a nuisance. “I think it’s annoying and I wish that people would stop making that noise. It’s pret-

ty distracting, and most teachers don’t hear it, so they don’t stop (the students),” says Alyssa Lau ’13.

Zeke Kearns ’13 also expressed concern about the sound. “Those individuals who indulge in that particular activity show a clear lack of respect for the comfort of their fellow students.”

Other students actually like making the noise. “I don’t really know who started it, but it’s always fun to make it when it’s really quiet.

Plus, the teachers don’t hear it,” explains a student who asked not to be identified.

It’s unclear who figured out how to make this noise-maker in the first place, but it seems as if students here are taking great interest in the homemade whistle.

We are not all dogs here at ‘Iolani, but apparently many students like to treat us as such.

All photos by Madison Obata | Imua Iolani

Features Star donates time, money Aesthetics Page 12

Continued from page 1.

Photo courtesy of Mrs. Cathy Lee Chong

Michael Emerson, who plays Benjamin Linus on ABC’s hit show Lost, visited Mr. Rob Duval’s periods 4 and 5 Advanced Theatre classes on Tuesday, Oct. 28. He donated $200 toward the Performing Arts Department’s Christmas break New York trip.

Statue honors Sun Yat-Sen

By Serena Li

Although Dr. Sun Yat-Sen died a century ago, his accomplishments cannot be forgotten. Known today as the Father of Modern China, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen changed the traditional system of autocracy that ruled China for two thousand years.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen attended `Iolani School for four years, from the fourth grade to the eighth grade.

When admitted to `Iolani School, he was only one of the five Chinese students. He knew no English at all. However, he was a determined learner, and upon his graduation in 1882, he received a grammar award from King David Kalakaua.

At ‘Iolani School, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen befriended classmate Mr. Chung K. Ai. Ai supported Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s revolutionary ideas. When Ah-mi, Sun Yat-Sen’s brother, was infuriated by Sun YatSen’s desire to become a Christian

and kicked him out of the house, Mr. Ai lent him money and a place to stay.

The David C. Ai Charitable Trust contributed $60,000 for the courtyard to honor Dr. Sun YatSen as Mr. Ai’s ‘Iolani classmate and good friend. Mr. Ai grew up to found City Mill and he became a scholarship donor for ‘Iolani.

The statue depicts Dr. Sun Yat-Sen as a fourteen-year-old student. There are no pictures of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen before the age of seventeen, so `Iolani School invited a Hong Kong sculptor, Master Chu, to use his imagination. The statue stands 71 inches tall.

Contrary to popular belief, “the building of the Sun Yat-Sen statue is not to advertise him for the fact that he attended ‘Iolani School for four years, but to serve as a kind of inspiration to our students,” said Mr. Glenn Ching, the

Director of Finance.

On Nov. 12 at 11 a.m., a courtyard dedication ceremony in front of Castle Building commemorated Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s birthday.

The ceremony began with traditional Chinese lion dancing, followed by Headmaster Dr. Iwashita’s opening greeting. Student speakers Olivia Fatongia ’09, Sara Fang ’09, Alex Tom ’11, and Webster Ross ’10 spoke in honor of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. Sara Fang related her experiences to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen in her speech, “A Return to My Roots.” Special guests included Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Mr. Stephen Ai, ‘Iolani graduate and President of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Hawaii Foundation.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s strong passion for justice, believed to have been rooted in Hawaii, helped him to follow his dreams. The new statue will inspire ‘Iolani students to follow theirs.

Asha Allen | Imua ‘Iolani

The David C. Ai Charitable Trust contributed $60,000 for the Dr. Sun-Yat Sen courtyard.

His ideals provided inspiration for people across China, instilling in them hope for a more just government. The intent of the statue is to provide inspiration of a different sort to the students passing by, to remind them of an extraordinary man who got his beginning here at ‘Iolani.

“How a campus looks and engages students is important,” Dr. Iwashita said. The projects were meant to better the feel and functionality of the campus, but their success is ultimately up to the students who are affected by them.

Many students who use the reconstructed steps of Castle Building and pass by the statue daily to and from class are pleased with at least one of the new projects.

Austen Tom ’14 finds that the current lack of shade over the Castle steps keeps him from fully appreciating the added space. A fixture on the Castle lanai during lunch since before the renovation, Tom is still unsure as to how much he appreciates the changes in his hangout space. However, he is a fan of the statue. “It honors an alumni who did great things after ‘Iolani,” he said.

Lauren Ho ’14, on the other hand, enjoys the renovation greatly. She and her friends have moved to occupy part of the Cas-

Imua ‘Iolani tle steps after having previously spent lunch periods under the umbrella tables.

“Before, there was only one set of stairs,” she said. “Now that they’ve opened it up, it’s much better.”

Victoria Sprowls ’14 remains indifferent about both projects.

She’s glad for the increased number of stairs and finds the statue pretty, but doesn’t feel the need to relocate to the steps for lunch, nor does she know enough about Sun Yat-Sen to fully appreciate the statue. When asked if she thought the money could have been spent for better things elsewhere, she responded, “If you’re talking about better things in terms of technology…”

Many students who aren’t directly affected by either the Castle steps or the statue somewhat share Sprowls’ mentality. But as Dr. Iwashita pointed out, the changes are affecting somebody. They are in fact of some benefit besides the obvious aesthetic advantage.

This article is the first in a three-part feature investigating the financial decisions made in our school‘s community. “Aesthetics” sheds light on the various projects and improvements around campus from the perspectives of both the administration and ‘Iolani students.

Indonesian teachers impart culture of Islam

By Nestor Agbayani We are not so different, a group of visiting educators from Indonesia said.

The 22 educators traveled from Indonesia to the United States through a program of the East-West Center’s Asia Pacific Education and the U.S. State Department to address ways on how to prepare the youth to live peacefully and cooperatively in a rapidly globalizing world.

As primary and secondary teachers in “pesantrens,” or private Islamic boarding schools, six of the educators gave a crowd of about 20 students and 10 adults an introduction to the Islamic faith on Nov. 4.

Indonesia extends 3,200 miles from east to west in Southeast Asia and contains about 17,000 islands. With an area only about 20 percent of that of the United States, the nation contains more than 300 distinct languages. This diversity is “what unites us,” teacher Imran Anwar Kuba said.

Although dominated by an 80 percent Muslim population, Indonesia is not an Islamic country, the teachers said. Different religions such as Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are present, and even within the believers of the Islamic faith, diversity exists between the moderates and

the extremes of Shi’a and Sunni Muslims.

Since the Sunni outnumber the Shi’a 99 to 1, conflicting views do not cause as much tension in Indonesia as in other parts of the world, one of the educators said.

Islam even shares several religious beliefs with other faiths.

Just like Christians, Muslims believe in Jesus, however, not as the son of God, but one of the 25 Islamic prophets. The others include Moses, Joseph, David, and Muhammad, regarded by Muslims as the greatest prophet.

Aside from the Qu’ran, the central religious text of Islam, the Muslims further practice and share their faith through different holy books taken from various religions. Muslims follow the Torah,or the Jewish Old Testament, Injil, commonly known as the Gospel, the Zabur, or the Psalms, and according to Wikipedia, the Suhuf Ibrahim.

Two male educators wore a “kippah,” a cap which provides both national and religious identity. While the first educator emphasized the religious purpose of the cap, Veri Muhlis Arifuzzaman wore a slightly rounded skullcap with unique embroidery that represents his hometown in Indonesia. He concluded saying, “Even Christians use it.”