The Pini
n
President William McKinley High School
Vol. 91 No. 3
McKINLEY HIGH SCHOOL’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
USDA plans for schools nationwide to have meal changes
December 2012
by Annie Lien
1 cup,” said Mitch Arnold, McKinley’s cafeteria manager. Along with that, the cafeteria staff now offers students fruit juice. They give students canned fruits and whole fruits like bananas, apples and oranges. Diana Gomez (12) said she likes the addition of fruits because she loves fruits. Students are offered steamed or cooked vegetables and fresh salad. ”Other high schools are not like us,”
“Before, we used to offer 1/2 a cup of regular fruits and now we have to offer 1 cup.” --Mitch Arnold, cafeteria manager
said Arnold. He puts the fresh salad into bowls. He said that if you were to go to any other high school in this state, salad would go on your tray. These are the small things that the students of McKinley should appreciate. ”I think it’s better and healthier. It helps us get the right amount of nutrition,” said Gomez about the meal changes. With this much food being added,
Arnold said that it is “much harder” than past years to prepare the meals because he does not have enough staff members. In addition to more fruits and vegetables, the USDA also requires schools to decrease protein and carbohydrates. Arnold said the buns used to be 3.2 ounces but they were required to shrink them to 2. The entrees look very small now. The cafeteria staff works hard to make their food look appetizing so students will eat it. Furthermore, they try to serve the food as hot as possible. Arnold said that everyone judges their food by the way it looks. ”If something doesn’t look good, then you’re not gonna eat it.”
Photo by Annie Lien (11)
Schools across the nation, including McKinley High School, have been taking small steps to improve school meals as part of a United States Department of Agriculture campaign. More vegetables and fruits have been added to the school lunches. This is one step schools are taking to improve student diets. More than 31 million students take part in the National School Lunch Program and more than 12 million participate in the School Breakfast Program. It is important that schools like McKinley High take steps to ensure a healthy breakfast and lunch for their students. As part of her Let’s Move! campaign, First Lady Michelle Obama is encouraging healthier food in schools. The campaign started in February 2010. Its goal is to lower the rates of child obesity by changing the way America’s children eat and exercise. Obama dedicates herself to helping children grow up to be healthy, so in December 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Healthy, HungerFree Kids Act of 2010, which allows the USDA to make changes to school lunch and breakfast. The USDA asked for more fruits and vegetables to be added to school lunches, which will occur during this school year. ”Before, we used to offer ½ a cup of regular fruits and now we have to offer
Cheeseburger and oven fries with whole apple and 1/2 pint of milk. You can see some of the changes made.
RS 13-0599
2 THE PINION December 2012
Meal improvements cost money, time by Annie Lien Mitch Arnold, McKinley’s cafeteria manager, agrees with Michelle Obama in getting schools to make meals healthier, but he said, “The plan was poorly executed.” These meal changes are not helping the school financially. “The USDA is going to have to realize this,” said Arnold. McKinley is spending thousands of dollars every week on food. Sometimes it goes to waste. There are not enough students participating in the School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program in McKinley either. “Not enough that I’m satisfied with,” said Arnold. He wants to see at least 1,000 to 1,100 students eat lunch. Most of the time, the cafeteria is stuck with leftovers. When Arnold checks the trash bins, he
finds whole fruits thrown away, which disappoints him. One time the cafeteria wasted 580 salads because students did not want them. Time and money is wasted when students just throw away
“If you don’t want it, don’t take it.” --Mitch Arnold, cafeteria manager
food. Arnold suggests, ”If you don’t want it, don’t take it!” Diana Gomez (12) said she feels the same way. Students are always offered the food and not forced to take it. However, Arnold encourages students to take the fruits because “it’s cheap, free and comes with the meal.” He
said, if you are not going to eat the fruit during lunch, you could always save it as a healthy snack for later. Arnold said that more students should be grateful for what they are given. There are people who are starving in the world, yet McKinley students still take the food they are given for granted. One of the goals of the campaign is to resolve child obesity. A reason why we have obesity in America is because of the food we eat. Overall, McKinley is doing its best to help with this issue and the school has one of the best cafeterias in the state. The next step is to serve students less processed food, which means making more from scratch. This idea is slowly being implemented.
Notice the fresh salad in a bowl, the fruit juice, the whole banana, and the main meal that the cafeteria staff helped prepare. The meals have changed quite a bit this year. Photos by Annie Lien (11)
Mock Elections
One teacher had her students vote for who they wanted to win this Presidential Election. 19 students participated in voting. 0 Romney , 19 Obama Here are some reasons for their choices: The person I chose was Barack Obama because he is for equal rights and he seems like he knows what he is doing. He supports gay marriage. I also like that he is trying to get job opportunities for people.
President Barack Obama and his family celebrating his second term as president on November 7, 2012. Photo by Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT
I chose Barack Obama because he is a smart leader. Also, he went to one of the private schools in Hawaii, Punahou High School. He went to college and then became President. He is a great speaker for a president. That is why I vote Barack Obama. He is also brave enough to take care of our world.
Winter dance to be held at elegant spot
December 2012 THE PINION 3
by Briana Ribillia-Ramones
The winter dance is just around the corner. This year’s winter ball has the elegant theme of Soiree d’Elegance. Previous balls were held at McKinley’s gym. This year, it will be held at the Pacific Hotel Beach on December 14. Student council member Jessica Zhan (11) said that this year “students will enjoy it because it is a unique and different theme. Plus it’s going to be held on the last day of second quarter, so students will enjoy themselves.”
“I expect this year to be fun.” --Josiah Shimabukuro
Prices are $36 for students and $43 for outside guests. John Paul Arios (12) said he looks forward to “great food, good music and dancing.” Last year, students enjoyed the photo booth where they got to take pictures with their friends. Josiah Shimabukuro (11) said, “I expect this year to be fun by spending a good time with my friends.” Date or no date, winter ball is open to all McKinley students. So dress in your finest and come out to this year’s winter ball.
Looking for a challenging elective? Try Newswriting!
Find Breaking News at myhsj.org/pinion
Art by Caihong Ding John Lai (12) prepares his group’s rocket. The result criteria was based on an average of points accumulated from rocket height, hang time, and consistency of recovery deployment system. 1st Place: Team #11 Michelle Back & Peisheng Xu 2nd Place: Team #4 Bo-Suk Kim & Andrew Nyugen 3rd Place: Team #10 Wai Kit Ho, Maximus Hui, & Jason Mar 4th Place: Team #7 Hiu Shan (Vivian) Au & Jathryn Racasa Photo by Roel Abitong
4 THE PINION December 2012
Education, a privilege taken for granted?
by Chanel Alarca and Anthony Lee Many kids around the world do not have the privilege to be given an education. In one case, a 15-year-old girl in Pakistan was shot in the head, fighting for Pakistani girls to have an education. As you can see education is something worth fighting for, not to be taken for granted. Having an education is worth more than you can imagine. It’s not only school-related things. Education is an obligation the government must fulfill. It helps to build a strong and self-reliant economy and government. As a student, you might feel education can be a burden, with many required classes you feel forced to take. This is only a small step and time goes by so fast-- before you know it, you could be in college, choosing your own classes and being independent of your own learning. Education is only a small part of your life. You may be in school for around 12-16 years, but that is less than twenty percent of your entire life. The rest of your life depends on the choices, one of them being whether or not you take advantage of your education. A girl attending a religious education class in third grade, Besat Girls Education isn’t just a great opportunity. It is free knowlPrimary School in Bandar Abbas, a major port city in southern Iran. edge-- free power, giving us chances to make decisions to better the world. It is unfortunate that it is something a lot of These classes, which form part of UNICEF Iran’s Global Education people take for granted while 61 million children worldwide pilot project, follow a child-centred approach, allowing children in developing countries do not have the option. People need to maximum participation. © UNICEF Iran, Shehzad Noorani, Creative stop taking our free quality education for granted. Education Commons is something that you need to have. Remember, there are others in the world just like you who desperately hope and pray for an education. Don’t take it for granted; value it.
Letters to the Editor
Dear editor You and the staff members are doing a good job on the Pinion. I liked the drawings in Issue 2 and I liked the scary stories. I like how you guys use other people’s stories in the Pinion because it shows people that they have a talent in writing or drawing and it gets them a spotlight for a bit. Sincerely, Desiree Ancheta Dear editor, I enjoyed the page titled “Stress must be managed.” I enjoyed it because I think every student has stress about the same things. It’s comforting knowing that you’re not the only one that is stressed about school work and juggling so many things. It is helpful reading this page because you can see how other people deal with their stress and try it out! Sincerely, Allerie Skilling Dear editor, I really liked the scary stories section. I never thought I would because I have never really liked scary stories. I always liked action books, but I read all the stories in the Pinion. I thought it was a good thing to do, giving publicity to interested students. Are you going to have a story section again with stories as good or better than this? … Can’t wait until the next release. Good work with the Pinion once more. Art by My Lu Sincerely, Tristan Mapp
Frankenwords
December 2012 THE PINION 5
Students created their own words by combining roots and affixes. Use your knowledge of English and try to guess what they mean! Com able Cassie Le (10)
Poly tac ism Michie Okura (10) Auto mono ism Stephen Brown (10) Com antho ette Irene Tsang (10)
Editorial cartoon drawn by Ariana Makasiale (11)
by Annie Lien The Department Of Education is asking for $42 million dollars towards laptops for public schools. Their goal is that every public school student has a laptop and every teacher has been trained to use this in the classroom by 2015. This plan will generate a higher learning environment for the students who are not fortunate enough to be able to go to private schools. It will eliminate the use of textbooks, give a direct communication between the teachers and students, It is necessary that every student should be given the opportunity for this. It will change the way the students learn and could possibly make it easier. It’s important that the DOE is able to accomplish their goals.
Computers vs Textbooks
Art by My Lu
Check your answers at: myhsj.org/pinion.
by Anthony Lee
Public schools should not adapt traditional textbook learning to laptop learning. Although technology is convenient, it is too expensive. The school would also always have to worry about students stealing the laptops. Although students occasionally steal their given textbooks, there is a much higher chance a student would take a laptop instead. A laptop has many functions besides doing schoolwork and the school cannot control how people make use of their time on the computer. Some may study better while some might just play around.
Happy Holidays
6 THE PINION December 2012
Snowflake By Jin Ling Yan I am a snowflake. There are no other one like me. Carefully cascading down from the chilly sky, I settle down into a safe place. When the sun decides to come out and play, I glisten like a disco ball. Just like how you see me day by day, with a bright smile on my face. My intricate designs represent my personality. Some might say it’s too complicated. Some might say it’s unique. You just have to get to know me and see.
Winter Memoir By Andy Thai Twas’ a cold winter night, With Christmas storming near, As lights that shone so bright, It became such a befitting sight. Decorations wound through my friend’s mysterious house, I was greeted by the strong scent of brew, That made my nose cringe as I scurried ‘round like a mouse, As I pushed through mazes of fluffy coats and scarves. As I strode down past walls of clashing colors, With sights of unfamiliar faces overwhelming, It became a house of wonder, A memoir befitting of a wanderer.
Art by My Lu
Art by Caihong Ding
December 2012 THE PINION 7
The lazy student’s guide to cookies for Santa Preheat oven to 350f 1. One egg 2. One cup of peanut butter 3. One cup of sugar Stir well Shape into cookie rounds Bake for 10-12 minutes
Art by My Lu
Milk and cookies Rudolph Kiss Twice Nine
Word Bank
Celebration Ho Ho Ho Wreath The Grinch Star Art by Dominic Gonzales
8 THE PINION December 2012
Khong helps clean cactus garden by Laila Khong Laila Khong spent a morning helping out Kapiolani Community College cactus garden as part of a service-learning activity for biology class. The class had just finished studying habitats and adaptation. She enjoyed her experience and you can read about it below. There are no words to explain how I felt when I cleared the whole section of the front of the garden of weeds. I knew I wanted to take the most challenging job so that the feeling of accomplishment would be unbeatable. I learned a lot during the difficult tasks, too. I learned to differentiate the weeds from the cactus since they come in so many different forms. Once they start growing, there’s no stop to them unless you destroy them deep from the roots. That’s why it’s important to use a digging tool to make the job easier. Weeds are scary and creepy because they grow rapidly and can wrap around anything they come in contact with. I also learned if you don’t want to get punctured by cactus spikes, wear gloves. And make sure you think about the risk of going to pull the weeds only centimeters away
from sharp needles. Boy, do I hate all and interesting to touch real Venus flysorts of needles! Safety is always the first traps, fooling them, watching them close thing on the list. their mouth thinking they’ve caught an I also learned more about the ecosysinsect. tem consisting of producers and decomAfter a long morning of work, I was posers. I was surprised to find a June happy to eat the delicious food provided bug, a snail and an for us but, of earth-worm all uncourse, nothing derneath one small could compete pile of leaves. In adwith how proud dition, I discovered I felt after digan anthill and all the ging out two ants feasting on a bags of weeds. huge dead cockroach. After seeing the It was nasty. Then total amount of I found a bunch of bags, I realized cactus fruits that had that teamwork leaves growing on always gets the them. I wasn’t sure best results. I if they were edible After cleaning, the garden is now clear of almost all also came to the or not, so I did some weeds beneath rocks and those visible to others. realization that if research. I couldn’t the KCC cactus find information for the exact fruit I garden held that many surprises for me, found, but I learned that all cactus fruits imagine how many surprises there must are edible. Although none are poisonous, be in the rest of the world. Those places I’m still hesitant to actually eat it. include the Amazon Forest to the Sahara My experience also included interDesert and all the way to the Arctic. I’ll acting with a Venus flytrap for the first just have to wait and see. Curiosity altime. I had no idea there are other plants ways gets the best of me. disguised as them, too. It was very funny
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Pinion Staff
Adviser: Cynthia Reves Editor: Annie Lien Assistant Editor: A nthony Lee Reporters: Ariana Makasiale, Chanel Joy Alarca, Briana Ribillia-Ramones
Publication Information
Top Row: Ray Macawili,Almog Dekalo, Wei Gong, Adrian James Labador, Sophia Hu. Second Row: Nicholas Fong, Jonas Almoguera, Seunghun Joo, Zhihui Yan, Mark Buenafe. Third Row: Michelle Xiao, Hazel Murao, Dasom Joo, Vivian Li, Jeddahlyn Temonio, Laila Khong
THE PINION is published by the Newswriting Staff and printed by the Reprographics Learning Center. The Pinion McKinley High School 1039 South King Street Honolulu, HI 96814 Email comments or questions to mhspinion@gmail.com
December 2012 THE PINION 9
by Chanel Alarca Many of us may think that babysitting is about dealing with a bunch of brats who scream, poop and enjoy making your job harder. Stephanie Hino (10) started babysitting around age thirteen, five times a week for her family and three or four days a month for her mom’s best friend. The time Hino spends with the kids made her bond with them more deeply, forming a strong relationship with the kids considering her their big sister.
“Don’t leave kids alone or take your eyes off them.”
--Stephanie Hino (10)
The youngest is 2, following 3, 4, and the oldest being 7. “Babysitting can be a tiring job to do,” said Hino, making sure that they don’t get into any trouble, and making sure they don’t destroy the house before their parents come home. The oldest is the easiest to take care of, said, Hino because he only watches television, while the young ones are the hardest to take care of because they scream and cry all the time for no apparent reason. “You should never give kids sweets,” said Hino, because they will get hyper, giving them energy to do bad things around the house. “Don’t leave kids alone or take your eyes off them,” said Hino, because they will do something bad, Hino left the oldest alone for a couple of minutes and found out that he put a roll of tissue paper in the toilet, causing it to flood, making Hino clean up the mess. “Never leave glue or glitter with kids!” said Hino, because when kids get a hold of that, they will put them on valuable things. In Hino’s case, the three-year-old got hold of glue and glitter, smearing it all over Hino’s phone, forcing her to get a new one. Even though they cause trouble, they do good things, too. One kid made a cute heart card out of honey nut cheerios for Hino. Another kid Hino babysat made a love letter to her. Also, the girls play with Hino’s hair and she lets them do her makeup. It is true that little kids are troublemakers, but do the cutest
things that make you forget the troubles they committed. Hino said that it is tiring to take care of the kids, with all the trouble they do, keeping up with them, but all they really want is your attention and to know you’re always there for them.
Photo by Kayla Pondelicek
Babysitting teaches responsibilities of loving and caring for children
Stephanie Hino started babysitting at age 13.
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10 THE PINION December 2012
Math teacher surfing aroun
by Ariana Makasiale
Winter season busy for cheerleaders by Jessica Thepsenavong
Mckinley High School Varsity Cheerleaders performed at the OIA’s championships. Top: Cheerleaders performing their jumps. Bottom: The last pyramid when they are about to end their routine. Photos by Cindy Hoang (10)
Winter is one of the busiest times of the year for the cheerleaders. Normally winter marks the beginning of their competitive season. This year they have done remarkably; both JV and Varsity made their way to the OIA Cheer Championships. Besides being in gear for competition, the cheerleaders also begin learning basketball cheers to pump up the crowd at both the boys and girls basketball games as they start their season. Bayley Michaud (12) said, “Being in both comp and sideline I have to keep up my grades. The weekly grade checks we have require me to step up my game more.” This is Michaud’s first year at McKinley. She is new to the cheerleading team and said, “Cheerleading is definitely a challenge, especially when you spend more time at practice than at home.” The love and passion for a yearlong sport encouraged the cheerleaders to go all the way. Their team motto is “THIS IS OUR YEAR.”
Know the phrase “Can’t judge a book by its cover?” This rule definitely applies to Lance Fukuhara, a math teacher at McKinley High School, who would surprised most when they found out that he has practically surfed around the world. Listing places like Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bali, Western Samoa, and Japan, he has been to places that most students have only seen on TV. It is not something you would expect, which makes for a great story. Fukuhara said that it is easy to mix the two things that he loves to do, surfing and traveling. With both as hobbies, he and a group of friends plan for these adventures. “The best part,” he said, “is I love to travel period. If I can mix surfing and traveling, it’s the best, right?” Be-
Photo by Tammy Le (11)
Entertainment books on sale Buy “the gift that keeps on giving,” the 2013 ENTERTAINMENT BOOK. It costs $30 and is filled with 2 for 1 discounts on dining, shopping, movies, hotels, cruises and other events. See Neal Takamori in A-109 before December 20. $6.00 from the sale of each book will benefit the Athletic Department with transportation costs for the teams.
Lance Fukuhara is a math teacher at MckKinley High School.
Maldives is Fukuhara’s favorite place to surf.
December 2012 THE PINION 11
r, Fukuhara, shares experiences nd the world, learning to be humble sides gratification, exploring gave him a newfound perspective on things. He said, “It’s so different. Coming from Hawaii, we live on an island and our experiences are so limited. When we go to third world countries, we really appreciate what we have.” So, what was his most favorite place? For surfing purposes, Maldives for the quality of the waves. “It’s so pristine,” he said, comparing it to those of Hawaii. However, Japan was the choice for traveling. “I love Japan,” he said. “It has good food, neat stuff to see, and I have friends there that I go visit.” Surfing and traveling were both things he began to do when he was a child. At twelve, his brother first taught him to surf and his parents took him traveling a lot as well. He never gave up either. “When I get to see different parts of the world and mix my passion of surfing with it, it’s fun.” Teaching was somehow thrown into the mix as well. He taught in
Japan through Japanese Exchange Teaching (JET); he was sent to a small town called Chiba. He taught English as a second language and luckily was still able to surf. This is what sparked his interest in teaching. After coming back to Hawaii, he enrolled into school to get his teaching credentials. With all these experiences, he is bound to use at least some of it in the classroom. His students knew he surfed but had not
“I think it’s cool. He’s a cool teacher.” Fukuhara said that traveling “gives you a broader perspective. Not everybody thinks the same way we do in Hawaii.” It also helps with the vast amount of foreign students at McKinley. “They’re not acclimated to what we do here,” he stated. “We can empathize with them.” Fukuhara knows the secret to having a good time when you travel. “When you go to a different country, you don’t need to be proficient in the language. You should be proficient in courtesy.” He stated the importance of knowing how to say simple words such as thank you or please. “If you learn a few polite phrases, that’ll take you far.” Besides politeness, he stressed humility. “You can’t act like, ‘Oh! I’m from Hawaii! Look at me!’ You have to be humble. Spread the Aloha Spirit.”
“When I get to see different parts of the world and mix my passion of surfing with it, it’s fun.” --Lance Fukuhara, Math Teacher
really thought anything of it. Robin Keith (9) said, “He just teaches, but I think it’s interesting since most teachers haven’t done that.” Tanley Naur (9) commented,
by Joseph Bardouche I always loved surfing at Waikiki, and I still do. But the reason why I stay at Kuhio Beach in Waikiki is because it is where I surfed for the first time. I was 5 at the time where I saw surfers at Kuhio catching waves. I was impressed with the sport and begged my dad to teach me. Immediately he said yes and bought me a board. We headed to the surf and I was already cold and scared. The water was clear and I could barely move. My dad got me on the board and paddled out. I was hit in the face many times by the waves. I could barely have my eyes open to know where we were going. I found a nice spot; however, the waves were four
to six feet! (Thanks a lot, Dad.) I mounted the board and waited…and waited...and waited. “Get ready!” Dad said. I looked back and found a wave about four feet. My dad pushed me on the wave and told me to paddle. I didn’t and fell over into the ocean. I tried again and again and failed. It looked so easy at first, but I couldn’t seem to get it! I figured I would paddle harder next time. A wave approached. I was scared because it was five feet tall! I paddled and closed my eyes. I didn’t fall, didn’t taste any water. But instead I hovered. I opened my eyes and was amazed. I was gliding on the water and I went on incredible speed. The breeze in my face, the spray of the sea, and the wind in my hair. That’s when I figured…I was surfing.
Photo by Michelle Pang and Jenna Kruse
Bardouche recalls learning to surf from dad at Waikiki’s Kuhio Beach, falls and all
Joseph Bardouche surfed at the age of 5.
12 THE PINION December 2012
T h e M a y a n s &
t h e i r c a l e n d e r
Regardless of what actually happens on December 21 this year, the hype provides a good chance for all of us to ponder the question: If the world were to end in 2012, what is one thing you’d like to do before then?
Photo by Alexander WongKelly Duong I would rob a bank and go shopping and buy the things I really want for the first time. -Anna Marie Manog Before the world ends, I would find a plane or submarine and weapons, food, a light source, etc. that I can use and some other important things since I might not die even if the world ends. -Tyler McClellan I would travel around the world and visit all the places. -Themlyn Aisek If the world were to end in 2012, I would prefer to live life as I’ve always lived it with full normality. -Arnold Shek I would learn to say “It is the end of the world” in many different languages. -Du Nguyen
I would date the guy that I like. -Cassie Le I would say goodbye to everyone I know and apologize for everything I’ve done bad. -Joshua Castellano I wouldn’t do anything special, just let everything go the way it is meant to be. -Mitchel Joy Dela Cruz
I would build a spaceship so I can live longer and discover some new species in outer space. -Marlon Yabut I would jump off a building and try to fly like Superman. -Eric Luo I would like to cover everything on my bucket list, like watching the sunset/sunrise and stars with someone special. -Angelika Santiago I would draw as many drawings as I could; I would sing as many songs as possible and post them on YouTube; I would say three words to the person I love. -My Lu
Photo by Michelle Pang and Jenna Kruse I would spend my time with my family because, whatever happens, I know that they are beside me. -Wayne Montero I would lie down and enjoy my last moment of living. -Tevita Tatofi