The Pinion Vol. 94 No. 4

THE PINI N

150 YEARS of PRIDE and TRADITION

Student-edited paper of McKinley High School Vol. 94 No. 4

Honolulu, Hawaii

May 2016

Honolulu, Hawaii

page 9

page 11

page 16

page 8

page 14

page 3

RS 16-1328, May 2016

2 THE PINION News

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The United States election 2016

Who will be the next president?

by Hoang Nguyen, reporter It is 2016 which means Barack Obama’s presidential years have come to an end. That means the years that Barack Obama is president are finished. The United States will have an election and a new president.

The people running for president on the Republican side are businessman Donald Trump, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Governor John Kasich.

In early May Cruz and Kasich dropped out, leaving only Trump. On the Democratic side is Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. Based on numbers so far, Clinton is winning the Democratic nomination.

This election is different to previous elections because of Donald Trump. All of the people running for president have a job in government, but Donald Trump did not. He is a businessman and he says things that shock some people.

Sophomore Donovan Pak said he thinks that the campaign is “terrible.” He likes Sanders. Between Clinton and Trump, he prefers Trump more than Clinton because it will be good for the country. “Statistically speaking, I think Trump will win,” Pak said.

Sophomore Jason Thai said, “I think Bernie Sanders will win this election, Thai said. He thinks Sanders will focus on rebuilding crumbling instruction and creating jobs. “This is what a U.S. president should be focusing on.

Sophomore Mikaela Rivera also supports Sanders. “I don’t really agree with Trump and Clinton. I don’t like how they are rude and racist,” Rivera said.

Senior Daniel Pham is eligible to vote and he said that it’s his duty to vote as a U.S. citizen. He said he will vote for a third party candidate because if Trump wins the Republican nominations, he will consider voting for a Libertarian nominee.

“Not voting for Clinton is new blood,” Pham said. He does not agree with many of her issues.

(Who do you hope will win the election? Vote at mhspinion.com.)

Jade Tamanaha, Karl Sundara, and Tiernan Glidewell answered the questions for Tiger Tally.

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150th pride and tradition day

- THE PINION 3 News

by Kanoelehua Costorio-Meyer, reporter Although not always in the same place and not by the same name, President McKinley High School has been around for a while.

2016 is the year in which MHS honors its 150th anniversary. The year has been full of small celebrations like Pride and Tradition Day, in which the student body dedicated itself to learning MHS’s history.

Former McKinley student Jake Hoopai wanted to put together the performance to show his pride that he once was apart at MHS. Hoopai had graduated from this school and wanted the 150th year of MHS to be memorable, so he made this day special for all students and staff.

Hoopai came to MHS when the school had made its 100th year. Hoopai had people who graduated from this school come and share their experience and share about how they became successful.

Freshman James Kabjor’s favorite part

of the performance was the hula.

“The song and the harmony was good,” Former student Jake Hoopai went to McKinley High School when it Kabjor said.

During Pride made the 100th year. 50 years later he wants to make are 150th year memorable. and TradiDancers performed the hula to tion Day, some “Au’au’ia,” drawing the crowd in with a people told stories of when they went powerful scene. here or what had happen in the school Freshman Nathan Wab Neeto said, during their days.

“The best thing about coming to McKinStudents from the chamber chorus ley is that you have a lot of friends around had sang, “America the Beautiful” then when you need them.” the JROTC drill team performed their Over the course of 150 years, MHS has alternative arms. kept up its tradition of school pride.

Guy Hagi was the MC of Pride and Pride and Tradition Day was a great Tradition Day; he spoke about what MHS way for MHS students to learn what it’s was like before and how much the school like to be a tiger and how those values remeant to him. Hagi had also talked about main unchanged throughout their lives. respecting people around you because they could respect you back.

Snapchat new updates Contacting without phone numbers

by Kanoelehua Costorio-Meyer, reporter Snapchat’s latest update allows users to call or facetime with friends or family.

If a user doesn’t know a person’s phone number but has them on snapchat, the user could call them there.

Freshman Michelle King said she likes the way it can now contact your friends in different ways. “It’s cool to have the new update because we can now talk to our friends without using their phone number,” King said.

According to Business Insider, over

more than 300 million people use Snapchat.

About 294 million people snap a photo at least once a day. 147 million people snap a photo twice a day, and about 58.8 million people snap a photo at least five times a day. Freshman Kyle Ahuna-lee is one of the 300 million people on the app.

“My favorite thing about snapchat is that you get to record all the memorable moments,” Ahuna-lee said. People appreciate Snapchat’s new updates.

4 THE PINION -

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Features

All out or stress out?

Principal Ron Okamura said he thinks one of the things students need is a goal. Illustration by sophomore Jamie Lee.

Do grades motivate to excel or tend to stress out?

by James Deguinon, reporter Working, getting headaches, looking back and forth at the paper for knowledge after knowledge, pressing hard at the paper with a pencil and turning in the work to the teacher all for just one thing. For what? Grades.

In a 2005 article, the pressure for good grades leads to high stress. In the article, Denise Clark Pope said that stress is created from the pressure of getting top grades from parents and schools. Researching the sources on high-achieving students’ intellectual engagement, Pope found something else. Pope thinks that a student’s life depends on their grades.

Pope said students feel like the most important thing they could do is get the grade by any possible means.

“I feel scared sometimes because you may never know if it’s good or not” said freshman Edrina Apilis. “Like I want to be a doctor or nurse so I want to work

hard in school so I can achieve my goals” Apilis said.

Not only do grades seems to stress out the students, but the ones who give them the grades. Grade inflation does often put more pressure on professors to give higher grades for better evaluation.

“I think it depends on the assignments that I give,” social studies teacher Robi Nitake said. “I think all assignments are different but it can get pretty hard depending on what the assignment is,” Nitake said.

Nitake said how hard the assignments are is how much work hours she uses to grade her students.

A thing that a student might think is that the work is too difficult. However, when a student studies more and eventually gets smarter, grades are like rulers.

Grades measure how hard you work and how much you achieve. When the work is easy, students get good grades. Students get good grades and teachers and administrators are satisfied. Satisfaction leads to

more expectations. GPAs go higher and teachers expect students to do better more well as the last students who did well. See the cycle yet?

Principal Ron Okamura said he thinks one of the things students need is a goal.

“When you understand where you want to be and how to get there, it makes it a lot easier,” Okamura said.

The Pinion Staff Adviser: Cynthia Reves Editor-in-chief: Sarah Kim Section Editors: Josephine Muniz and Karl Selga Reporters: James Deguinon, Hoang Nguyen, Kanoe

Costorio, Katie Jones

Publication Information

The Pinion is published by the Newswriting class and printed by Reprographics Learning Center.

The Pinion McKinley High School 1039 South King Street Honolulu, HI 96814 Email comments or questions to pinion@mckinleyhs.k12.hi.us

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- THE PINION 5

Video games + education = benefit?

Features

Do video games help with school or are they a waste

by James Deguinon, reporter Go to school. Go home after school to play video games. Sleep. Those who play video games daily, games like Super Mario Bros, GTA, Call of Duty, Pokemon, or Super Smash Bros are no strangers to this schedule. When playing a video game, chances are satisfaction will come out of it.

“Video games are fun in general depending what kind of game it is,” senior Erik Zhang said. Zhang would spends 10 to 12 hours playing video games a week. Now what if it were combined with academics? Does staring at bright lights while mashing on a bunch of buttons actually help in education?

What are video games really? Video games are electronic systems that move images by human interactions. Over the years, video games have gotten a bad reputation for rotting young people’s brains or distracting them from more important things. Now video games seem way beyond that concern. However, according to an Huffington Post article, there are ways video games can help students academically.

“Over time after playing with my friends, I met other people and I made friends with them,” senior Alex Nguyen said. Nguyen plays video games two

days a week up to three hours. In research published by the Pew Research Center, 70 percent of gamers play with their friends who are in the same room and only 20 percent play alone. Games like Call of Duty or League of Legends teamwork. These games will put teamwork skills to the test making communication and impersonal skills the way to progress. With this, having positive social skills could lead to good relationship, achieving in school, successful career and successful marriage. Playing

“Video games help in education because it helps you think of strategies”

senior Michael Zheng

video games is a highly social activity.

Video games can be suited for individualized learning, too. It allows young people to learn at their own pace.

When solving problems, the game would make challenges difficult if correct and if players struggle, the game adjusts the

difficulty or present the same idea in a different explanation until the student gets it and figures it out.

“Video games help in education because it helps you think of strategies, puzzles and other stuff,” senior Michael Zheng said. Zheng said that he play video games seven hours a week. Games help improve critical thinking skills and reading comprehension. In history classes, students learn about a famous person or famous events in history and have to read about them in a book. If a student played Assassin’s Creed 2, they’d probably know who Leonardo da Vinci was during gameplay. Video games allow players to put themselves in another character as they experience the place or culture they learned about in class virtually.

Playing video games can give a positive effect. It gives you time to relax and benefits you mentally and physically.

Huffinton Post article said playing video games reduces chances of getting heart problems and stroke, boosts memory, buffers against depression, helps indecision making, suppresses urges to stresseat and reduces acne.

“Video games to me is a way of just relaxing and just kicking back with your friends and just doing something that we all have in common,” Nguyen said.

Huffinton post article said playing vidio games reduces chances of getting heart problems and stroke. Illustration by sophomore Jamie Lee..

6 THE PINION -

Following your life’s passion in a career Features

Choosing the right path important to success

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Junior Jeslin Takahashi wants to be a smokejumper. “I want to be a smokejumper because I get to go on adventures,” Takashi said. Smokejumper is a group of wildland firefighters who parachute into an area to combat wildfire. This career sounds like tough job to do and could be highly risky. Photo by Kanoelehua Costorio Meyer.

by Kanoelehua Costorio-Meyer, reporter Start planning a career path in middle school. In high school, you can start taking the classes you need to take to make that career happen. High school is the ideal place to start your career earlier because that’s where everyone will find what they want to do in life. Choosing your career earlier could help make a difference in your life. To sum it all out, choosing your career would be like choosing what you’re next step is going to be and where you might end up. School is to help you learn what you want to do.

In order to have a good career path, you need a good education. Education matters because without it, you may not meet the expectation for the job you want.

When choosing the right career path it will or it might lead you to a good life and a good future.

What do you want your future to be like? Will you choose the right path ?

The passion you create for your career will help you achieve a lot in the path you choose. You could choose to be a professional basketball player, but you need to pass high school and get good grades for people to want you. You should start thinking of where you want to be and where you want to end up at.

Senior Kristy Ho wants to be an artist when she grows up and make it into an everyday life. Ho thinks that this career is good. The college she wants to get her degree from is at the University of Hawai’i, Hilo. Ho should display her art for everyone to see how good she is and to show how passionate she is about her art. Photo by Kanoelehua Costorio Meyer.

Sophomore Chloe Barro wants to be a civil engineer. Barro said she wants to build things that are going to be important in life. Barro said it’s important because she could build something to protect people from a tsunami. What she choose as her career could save people’s lives and could be helpful and useful for a lot of people Photo by Kanoelehua Costorio Meyer. .

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- THE PINION 7 Features

Vietnamese boy embraces culture Guest Essay

by Henry Trinh, guest writer

Are you Filipino? What are you? Plenty of people around ask me these questions frequently around school and even people I meet outside of McKinley High School. I tell them that I’m mixed with Vietnamese and French, although I don’t want people to classify me only by my race.

I want people to know that I am an athletic beach bum that hangs around the scorching sun next to the ocean whenever I have free time. People probably assume I’m Filipino because of my slightly tan skin tone for being out in the sun all day.

I love to swim, but I also like to surf and do other physical activities. Some of my favorite physical activities include hiking, outrigger canoe paddling and volleyball. Aside from all the beach activities, I love to eat. I can eat a whole fridge full of my favorite foods. Sushi, Korean barbeque and acai bowls are some of my favorites. I’m always down for a cold fruit smoothie which is my favorite type of drink.

Before I moved to Hawaii and became a beach bum, around more than half of my life ago, I grew up in the cities and coun-

tryside of Vietnam. I mostly isolated myself from the sun. I sat under the shade on an Asian stool given to me by my Auntie Karen. I moved to Hawaii and started to fall in love with the warm beaches surrounding the island. I started hanging out with a group of new friends that also enjoy the beach, and I adapted myself to a life in flip-flops, board shorts and some sunblock.

When I make new friends, I tend to show my Vietnamese, stereotypical side like talking in my Asian accent for humor.

I sometimes even suggest to get some pho, which is a Vietnamese cultural dish, to give them a hint of who I am so I can avoid being asked, “Are you Filipino?”

The rest of my identity is already in me. Since I have a slight tan, wear board shorts and slippers all the time, people almost instantly assume I’m a beach bum. To show my athletic side, a lot of my peers know that I paddle for Healani Canoe Club and play volleyball almost twenty four-seven.

I’m confident in who I am; I don’t care if anyone judges or criticize me.

Anyways, is anyone down to go to the beach or grab food?

A day without a phone Students consider outside activites without phone

by Kanoelehua Costorio-Meyer, reporter

Can Mckinley High School students last a day without their phones? What would you do without your phone? The Pinion asked four students to answer these questions.

Freshman Kamalei Yanuaria said that she can’t handle a day without her phone.

Yanuanu said that if she didn’t have her phone for a day she would play volleyball.

Freshman Stella Martinez said she would not go a day without her phone. Martinez said that she would go to the beach or work out if she didn’t have her phone.

Freshman Sonee Taylor said that he can’t go a day without his phone. Taylor said he would cry then go to sleep.

Freshman Isi Rivas said he can’t go a day without his phone.

Rivas said he would go and borrow someone else’s phone or go play outside if he didn’t have his phone for a day.

I tried to go a day without my phone Monday morning until six p.m. I left my phone at home on purpose so I could try a day without it. I had nothing to keep me occupied during the ride to school like I usually have. On Monday when I left my phone at home I was thinking how hard it was going to be without it, But I had did my work in class and I wasn’t distracted that day. I had my friends by me so that I could talk to someone and wouldn’t feel like a loner. When I didn’t have my phone I could learn new things and see what was happening around me.

8 THE PINION Editorials

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Are schools making robots?

For years the school system hasn’t changed anything that will guarantee that the students will graduate on time or at all. Something needs to be changed.

Illustration by sophomore Jamie Lee.

T

by Karl Selga, section editor

he school system can be compared to “factory farming”. I see schools as places where we the students are the livestock and we are drained of our creativity, individuality and free thinking ability. School is a place where all students can express their feelings toward topics as long as they are appropriate.

When a person is silenced you are not just oppressing them, you are also wasting a possible opportunity for that student to find out who he/she is or what they want to do with their lives, those are two questions which people attempt to find answers for a long time. Just like how the animals in factories are exploited for their eggs or meat.

When I was a freshman I thought I was going to be taught things like how to buy a house, how to balance a checkbook or a class on how to think as a critical thinker so then you will be able to do that when you are out of school. But what you are really taught is how to use the Pythagorean theorem effectively, how to put on a condom or use birth control, what the

plot was in Beowulf, what stimulates the brain and that the silk road was an important trade route. All these things are good to know, but will it help you when you get a job? Probably not. After I graduate I will be able to succeed in the real world, said sophomore Jamie Dela Cruz.

If high school is about growing up and thinking for yourself, then why don’t we get to choose our classes. There is a time near the end of the school year when underclassmen besides seniors choose their classes for the following year. But if you only put the classes that you want they automatically add classes you do not wanr to fill in the blank. Where is the independent thinking aspect here?

It seems when we were younger we are told to follow our dreams and the sky’s the limit, but when we become teenagers it all changes. It turns into following certain guidelines. I do not agree with the school system, said sophomore Isaiah Rivera.

I’m not saying that the things we learn right now are not useless, but if a student knows exactly what they want to do with their life as a career why not just

give that student what he/she needs to get to that place. If he/she doesn’t know where they want to go, there should be a class where a teacher breaks down what they can take in college, what they can minor and major and how they can apply to a college of their choice.

Now some would say, “That’s what college is for”. Well yes, you are not wrong, but when someone goes to college they don’t think about going because they want to learn about that subject. People go to college because they want to major in that subject so they can get a job. College was not invented so people could get jobs. Colleges were made so that people could better themselves as intellectual beings.

But as the years past that is what colleges have turned into; a place our parents, teachers, government and society holds as a huge doorway to a job. It is still a good idea to go to college if you want to get a job, but just know that nothing is guaranteed when going into college, do not think just because you get a diploma you can get whatever you want and that you are entitled to a life of luxury.

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- THE PINION 9 Editorials

Future planning course: impactful or useless?

Students must have the motivation to reach their college or career goal. Photo by Sarah Kim.

Student responsibility vs. lack of preparation can affect success in education and in life

by Sarah Kim, editor-in-chief

A

ccording to the U.S. Department of Education, college graduates with a bachelor’s degree usually earn 66 percent more than those with only a high school diploma. The individuals with a bachelor’s degree are more likely to earn a career.

Yet, are high schools preparing students enough for their future?

From my experience at McKinley High School, I’ve always been a proactive student; I implement my time to visit my career counselor almost every month to ensure that I’m on the correct path to my career goal. Others, however, do not have the time or effort to talk to their counselor often.

“A class wouldn’t be time consuming because it’s an actual class. It doesn’t take extra time out of your own schedule outside of school,” sophomore Shani Huang said.

A class that goes over future guidelines is a necessity during high school, preferably junior year. Junior year is the ideal time to take college tests such as the SAT or the ACT. During this year, students are beginning to seek the career they desire to pursue. The class can support students in their current decision and provide them with other options.

“I want a future planning course to inform me about the SAT

and the ACT. It will help guide me for my career and college goal,” Huang said.

Career counselor Colleen Inaba was uncertain about having a future planning course because she doesn’t know if many students will take the class seriously since several of them do not take advisory seriously.

McKinley High School, however, does have many resources to help them prepare for college. Some include the AVID class which stands for advancement in individual determination.

AVID is somewhat like a college preparation class that’s available to all grade levels.

Furthermore, there are countless online sources including one called, My Future Hawaii, which is a website that all MHS freshmen students are required to sign up for.

One factor that Inaba and I shared is that we both believed that if the student is motivated, they will be successful with any career goal they choose.

MHS should establish a class that will assist students with their future planning because many of them are struggling with their decision. There are many resources online, but not everyone has access to a computer and advisory is mandatory, but not all students take the 30-minute time period seriously enough.

Even though the motivation aspect is the student’s responsibility, he or she still needs guidance. Thus, the future planning class will be profoundly effective and helpful.

10 THE PINION -

Vietnam to Hawaii Editorials

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Honolulu is my new home

by Hoang Nguyen, reporter

My name is Nguyen Van Hoang and I am a freshman at McKinley High School.

I came from Vietnam and I have been here for two years. But the question is how and why I got here? I’m here not because I want to come here. I’m fine with my life at Vietnam and with my friends there. My father got a job here and my family and I had to move to Hawaii.

The night before we went, I felt very nervous, and I could not sleep. My neighbors came to my house and asked me a lot of questions. I felt very confused, and I didn’t know how to answer their questions. I ignored their questions and played some video games on my laptop.

We went to the airport at 6 a.m. the next day and started our flight at 9:45 a.m.

We got to Hawaii 17 hours later. My father took us to his house. That time, we didn’t live in Chinatown yet. My family and I stayed at a place that I didn’t know about; we stayed there for two months. In two months, I didn’t do anything except watch One Piece, a Japanese manga series, and play games on my father’s laptop. We moved to Chinatown after two months. I went to school a few days after moving to Chinatown and that was called Central Middle School.

Central Middle School was different than Truong Trung Hoc Co So Ngoc Lien, a school that I went to in Vietnam.

CMS started class at 8 a.m. Students switched classes when the period ended and their math level was lower than THCSNL. The homework that teachers gave was not a lot. Students could bring their phones to school. Students ate lunch

This is Central Middle School and that is the school that I went to two years ago. At this school, I have a lot of good memories with my Vietnamese friends. Photo by Wikipedia.org

at school and went home at 2:15 p.m.

Students would pass if they got an A, B, C or D in their class.

Truong Trung Hoc Co So Ngoc Lien started class at 7 a.m. When the period ended, students stayed in class and waited until the teacher for the next class to come. The math level was very high. Teachers gave students a lot of homework, and they gave homework to students everyday. Students could not bring their phones to school. Students did not eat lunch at school. Students went home at 11 a.m. and they ate lunch at home. After that, students had to go to an afternoon class at school and it usually ended at 4:25 p.m.

At this school, teacher would not give students an A, B, C, D or F. To pass, students had to pass two big tests at the end of semester one and two. At the end of the semester, they had to do five tests in one day. They had to remember five study guides for each subject all at the same time.

The first time I went to CMS, I was scared because I didn’t know English and no one was there to help me. After one day, I met four Vietnamese students and we became friends. Their names were Trong, Trung, Tung and Duy. They were

always ready to help me when I asked.

We usually played together. We went to Kukui, sat there and talked or borrowed a ball and played basketball. Trong and Tung didn’t want to play basketball, so they sat there and watched me and Trung play with other guys. That was the first time I played basketball so I was very bad. Sometimes, we didn’t want go to Kukui so we all went to Tung’s house.

On the weekends, we went to the beach.

Sometimes, we went to the movie theater and watched some new movies.

In the two months of summer, I went to summer school and did a lot of fun things with my classmates.

When summer ended, the new school year came. After ten days at school, Trong told me that a Vietnamese student moved to CMS. His name was Phat. He was a funny guy. He always told us jokes and made us laugh. We went to Kukui again, but that time we did not just sit there and talk. We played a game call “chasing.” That game was very fun. Sometimes, we played killer with Trong’s card. I felt like eighth grade was much more fun than my seventh grade.

In eighth grade, I did a lot of fun things with my friends. I thought that was the best time to come.

Teen musical.ly users are overly creative? mhspinion.com

- THE PINION 11 Editorials

Vulgar songs have risky effects

by Josephine Muniz, section editor Musical.ly is a lip-syncing app for all ages that has been spreading around Instagram, Facebook and other social media apps. This app could be dangerous.

Users can choose any song to lip sync or dance to. Many people choose popular songs. There are also dance trends that go viral. Users who make many videos daily can get famous on musical.ly and are soon noticed and found on other social media sites.

I have a musical.ly account with about 96 followers. Out of those, I personally know only about ten. Whenever I used to post something, half of my likes are from people I do not know.

The app allows users to see people who post near them.

I sometimes recognize people that I see at the mall or even at school. Almost all of the musical.ly posts I see have cuss words, hidden vulgar terms and phrases or degrading motions and dance moves. Most of them have all of the above.

This is serious and threatening to the children and teens that make these kind of videos. The first reason is that it can cause bullying or gossip. I hear conversations at school about people I know. People can save a musical.ly video from the person who created it and the creator does not have to know. A lot of gossip I hear is related to the app.

Freshman Autumn Arcangel said that she doesn’t think the app is inappropriate unless it is used in a “bad” way, like making fun of a girl who posts a video with vulgar content.

About 20 of her friends use the app which she uses too. She also said the app can harm people if someone posts a sexualized video that gets shared around social media.

The thing that really disturbs me is that if the girl making the video isn’t considered “pretty” in today’s society, as if she doesn’t have the ideal body or she isn’t popular, she would be looked down upon. If the video creator was someone popular with the ideal body type and face, that would be accepted. She wouldn’t be called names for making the same video the other girl made. It would be considered cute, hot or beautiful.

Freshman Meisha Diwa is familiar with the app and does not think it is dangerous in any way.

Think before you post a video that you may think is only shared to your followers, but the whole world can see. Also, think before you share a video of another person. Let’s not make musical.ly a negative thing..

Freshman Autumn Arcangel makes a Musical.ly while Freshman Exequiel Ababa watches her. Photo by Josephine Muniz.

Top songs used by teens Madeintyo : I want Jeremih : Impatient M-City J.R.: Addicted to my ex Teeflii Ft 2chainz : 24 hours Too Many : Prod Russ Young Money : Bedrock Kranium ;Nobody has to know Project Pat :Twerk it Wiz Khalifa : Wale Diamondz: Do You like it when I

Editor’s Pick

12 THE PINION Editorials

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Kahala Beach

by Sarah Kim, editor-in-chief

H

onolulu, Hawaii, is ranked number eight for the best places to visit in the United States according to U.S. News Travel because of its vast variety of activities, natural beauty and historical background.

For some local residents, it may seem repetitive hearing these cliche factors about Hawaii. Yet, as a newcomer to Hawaii I’ve explored sites that exceeded my expectations.

One of the many locations includes Kahala Beach. It’s nearly empty compared to Waikiki Beach, which is filled with tourists.

The sounds you can hear are solely the waves and it’s an ideal spot if you are looking for a place to focus or to simply seek tranquility.

Furthermore, if you are an animal person like myself, you will appreciate how Kahala’s Hotel and Resort, which fronts the beach, has an open landscape that contains ponds with fish, sea turtles, stingrays and dolphins.

Kahala Beach is an ideal location for any individual that’s looking for a calm place to visit. Photo by Sarah Kim.

- THE PINION 13

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Editorials

Is This It

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by Karl Selga, section editor

he Strokes is an American rock band that was formed in New York City circa 1998.

The band members consist of Julian Casablancas on lead vocals, Albert Hammond Jr. on guitar, Nick Valensi on guitar, Fabrizio Moretti on drums and Nikolai Fraiture on bass guitar.

Their genre of music fall into categories such as Indie rock, post-punk revival, garage rock and new wave.

This band has helped me through tough times with songs like: Someday, Is this it, Under Cover of Darkness, Last Night, You Only Live Once and I’ll Try Anything Once.

The voice of Julian Casablancas adds a nice touch and is a unique voice unlike most vocal artists.

People say that he shares the same vocal range as Elvis Presley which is a baritone. All their albums are filled with great songs, but the albums which I recommend are: Angles, Is This It and First Impressions of Earth.

This band has inspired bands like Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and Kings of Leon.

They are seen as one of the most influential bands of this century.

The album cover for The Strokes 80s Comedown Machine is striking. Photo by The Daily Princetonian.

A Real Sport

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by Josephine Muniz, section editor

heerleading is a sport that defines leadership.

The JV and Varsity cheerleaders make a pyramid at their last practice together as a team. Photo provided by Dasia Nakatani

As an athlete, you must represent your school as best as you can. It requires great teamwork, determination, positivity and goal setting.

When I first joined I was physically and mentally afraid, but the team was nice to me. I was out of shape, and I didn’t believe I could do the things I do now, but they helped me through it.

I think that cheerleading is a sport and it isn’t easy; it’s very serious. It can be extremely dangerous if the stunts or tumbling aren’t done right or practiced. At the same time, it is fun.

It builds stamina, harmony and confidence in yourself so that you can reach your goal.

Sometimes I still doubt myself, but I remember how far I’ve gotten and realized I can only push harder and do better. People shouldn’t underestimate this sport because it’s just like any other one.

14 THE PINION Sports

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Championship banners hang in the gym. Photo by James Deguinon.

McKinley sports history

McKinley sports teams making a comeback

by Katie Jones, reporter Walking into the McKinley High School’s gym, one can see banners and trophies of all the years that McKinley High School has been victorious in Oahu sports.

Looking over old yearbooks and even The Pinion, which can be dated back to the early 1900’s, MHS has had a rich sports history.

Among the pages, a reader will find the wins and loses the sports teams have experienced.

MHS has conquered in all types of sports including football, volleyball, soccer and even bowling. MHS has had a proud winning streak from the 1940s to the 1960s that has made Hawaii history.

Some of the more noteworthy years in the school’s history are from the 1930’s to the 1960’s, in which the school’s sports team was one of the major ones on the island.

Athletic Director Bob Morikuni said, “McKinley was always popular, if not the most popular and oldest schools in Hawaii.

They were always known to have great sports programs.”

Taking third in their eastern division, the girls volleyball team is doing well this season. In judo, the boys lead the eastern division championship. Tennis and golf have done well this season.

Baseball has had several good wins.

“Compared to last year, we are better,” Morikuni said.

McKinley High School has improved in their sports program. Photos by James Deguinon.

- THE PINION 15

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16 THE PINION Thank You

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A message to the readers of The Pinion The Pinion staff received first place in Layout and Design and in Editorial Cartoon in the Public School Division. Photo by adviser Cindy Reves.

From being a part of The Pinion, I’ve learned the value of time and being apart of a team. Whenever the staff put together a paper, it was stressful and time was super limited because we would have to bring the paper to the printing press the next day. Working as team, however, made every stressful aspect more relaxed and it brought us together. We all had the same goal of creating a newspaper that everyone at McKinley High School would enjoy reading. Furthermore, I developed a bigger passion for writing. Not only did writing help me express my opinion, but also the voices of many at MHS. Joining and reading The Pinion is easy, but working for The Pinion takes a lot of effort and determination. I want to thank everyone that took their time into reading The Pinion because it really shows that our hard work was worth it in the end. Lastly, I owe a huge thank you to Ms. Reves because she made me understand and appreciate journalism more.

- Sarah Kim, editor-in-chief I would like to thank the students of McKinley High School for reading the The Pinion. Seeing you guys read the paper felt like you all had learned something from reading it. I hope you guys enjoyed reading the paper and talked about it to your friends. I hope you guys join this class next year and have a chance to put your ideas into a story.

- Kanoe Costorio-Meyer, reporter

I would like to thank everyone who read The Pinion for sticking with us through it all. These papers have not been easy to make. Behind all the articles there have been many stressful times and all we can ask for as The Pinion staff is that you take some time out of your day to read a little bit and think a little more. I would like to thank Ms. Reves for coordinating this class and giving us the tools, the knowledge and the experience of what journalism can be. I would like to thank my fellow staffers for keeping a level head when times got tough. Thank you everyone for reading The Pinion. I hope to see more quality papers from next year’s staff.

- Karl Selga, section editor Being in The Pinion has been a really good experience for me. When I signed up for it, I thought it looked cool and knew nothing about it. I have learned so much and I am thankful for my teacher and my staff for teaching me so much. There have been many great field trips and opportunities in this class. Thank you to everyone who took their time to read my articles.

As a freshman, The Pinion has helped me improve on many things such as social skills, vocabulary, caring about what’s going on in the world and most importantly, putting my ideas into stories. I can go into sophomore year knowing more about journalism.

-Josephine Muniz, section editor

This class has taught me so much. My English and writing skills have improved, I have better time management, and I have a firmer grasp on what it takes to not only be a journalist but also a writer.

Laying out the paper has shown me that although hard work is stressful, the end result are worth it. Newswriting has made it known to me the many opportunities in the journalism world as well as the next steps to take in college.

This class has been a fun and informing way to spend my school time. If I could, I would take it again. Thank you to newswriting for improving my writing and helping me be apart of something greater.

The Pinion staff aren’t just students; they’re friends and I am proud to have been with them through the year.

- Katie Jones, reporter My name is Hoang and I am a reporter for The Pinion. In this class, I have done a lot of stuff such as think about story ideas, write a story based on that story idea and fix and publish those stories. That was the most fun that I had in the class. I would like to say thank you to Ms. Reves and my classmates for helping me improve my writing skills.

- Hoang Nguyen, reporter It has been an honor to work with the people sitting next to me and I really had a blast writing for you all. It has been an honor to represent our school as The Pinion. During the quarters, I learned something new such as editing the issue on a computer, how to write stories and other things such as social skills and vocabulary. The field trips were fun and the gang and I had a great time. As a freshman in this school, thank you to the people I interviewed for taking part in my stories.

Thank you to Ms. Reves for your guidance during these stressful times. Thank you to my fellow classmates who showed some love and support with each other. Most importantly, thank you to the people who read The Pinion.

- James Deguinon, reporter