Vol. 100 No. 1 October 2021
The student-run newspaper of McKinley High School
Established in 1920
SCHOOL RESUMES IN PERSON
AS DELTA VARIANT RAGES
Social guidelines force students to congregate outside at recess. Students are to remain outdoors with social distancing during non-class times (before and after school, recess, and lunch). There will be no loitering in building hallways and classrooms. Photo by Shane Kaneshiro.
by Shane Kaneshiro, reporter As students return to in-person learning amidst the highly contagious delta variant surge, students and staff are potentially being exposed to COVID-19 on campus. Although McKinley High School implements the four core mitigating strategies of vaccination, staying home when sick, correct and consistent masking indoors and
outdoors, and following respiratory etiquette, some still feel anxious. Student body government secretary Sofia Koutouzos said, ?We're all crammed in there. There's like thirty of us in small classrooms, and it's kind of scary." Koutouzos suggests to limit the number of kids in the classroom or to space them out. ?I'm a little nervous about it (delta variant) because the infectious cases are going up pretty fast. It's a little RS 22-0260 - October 2021
Est abl i shed i n 1920 All content and more can be found at mhspinion.com.Print archives can be found at issuu.com/mhspinion.
St aff Althea Cunningham Perlynn Calep Shane Kaneshiro Jerome Linear Athena Griep-Matautia Ganesa Kaira-Souza
Kaylee Osaki and Amira Areola. Photo by Lisa Kaneshiro.
Advi ser Cynthia Reves
Mi ssi on The Pinion staff strives to provide and maintain accurate, entertaining and informativenews for the students, staff and alumni of McKinley High School. We strive to show diligence in creating all our content so we can make a positive contribution to the public.
Publ i cat i on Informat i on The Pinion is published by the Newswriting class and printed by ReprographicsLearning Center.
The Pinion McKinley High School 1039 South King Street Honolulu, HI 96814 Emai l comment s or quest i ons t o PAGE 2
"Classrooms should have more air circulation and to have the students be physically distanced apart from each other while eating." - Junior Kaylee Osaki
concerning because the delta variant is spreading around to even kids our age,? said senior Jolie Tajon. Junior Zaniel Ortega said a lot of his peers are too close to each other, which he feels compromises the health and safety for students, faculty and staff. He said open space and no contact should be enforced. However, the Department of Health does not list physical distancing as an essential strategy since it is not practical in all school settings and, therefore, safety is always a risk for students and staff, who cannot always follow the requirements. Principal Ron Okamura said social distancing in the classroom can't always be 100% certain that every student is going to be the same length away from each other. ?I wish we could do a whole lot more but, unfortunately, you know, with what we have, the amount of students and the amount of classroom space that we have today, it's adequate enough to keep us as safe as possible,? Okamura said. Okamura said pandemic safety has many layers, such as keeping students?bodies healthy, knowing how to serve lunch, and how to separate the students and is becoming more challenging. He is trying to keep everybody safe and to keep operations of the school as normal as possible.
OCTOBER 2021
NEWS
Eliminating meal payment transactions, contactless grab and go provides free nutritional meals to minimize the spread of COVID -19. Photo by: Lisa Kaneshiro.
Freshman Sean Lester Serrano prefers to follow the previous Center for Disease Control and Protection guidance for COVID-19 prevention to be physically distancing six feet apart instead of three feet. Sophomore Kaitlyn Vo said, ?I would recommend more tables or opening the tables by the cafeteria.? She also said there are too many people in the hallway. ?We always bump into each other.? Vo said she thinks not enough is being done to stop the spread of COVID-19. Junior Amira Areola echoed Vo?s concern about overcrowding and commented that students should be allowed to eat in their teachers' classrooms. Junior Kaylee Osaki added that the classrooms should have more air circulation and that students should be physically distanced more from each other while eating.
when deciding upon rationing critical care. For Osaki, a school shutdown would keep the community safe. Ortega said shutting down the school is the best way to keep the safety of the students. He said a shutdown will prevent the transmission of COVID-19 from skyrocketing. Sophomore Ruo Xin He was 100% virtual learning her freshman year. ?As more numbers go up, I think parents will want them (their child) to be distance learners,? she said.
VACCINATION LoRheba Josiah, a special education teacher, worries that some students believe that getting the shot isn't needed, despite the fact that the FDA approved the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and the advancement of the COVID-19 vaccination percentages of the school population twelve years of age and older as one of the most fundamental strategies to help preserving in-person learning. In September, the CDC reported the vaccine doesn?t prevent COVID-19 infection, but those who are vaccinated are less likely to develop serious illness, hospitalization, or to die compared to people who are not vaccinated. Jason Yadao, algebra II and health teacher, said he felt disappointed when the spike in COVID-19 cases occurred. Osaki feels bad for the hospitals and patients. The governor signed an executive order in September providing immunity to health care facilities from liability NEWS
Many students hang out on the walkway of T building. With not enough benches or tables, students sit on the ground to have their breakfast and lunch. Photo by Shane Kaneshiro.
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Students taking notes in Cynthia Reves English classroom are socially distanced by three feet and consistent masking indoors, which are the mitigation practices to prevent the spreading of the virus.
Yadao agrees with He and said he thinks there might be a time during the school year when we have to shut down the school for the safety of the school. ?I think it comes to how many students are at risk. Eventually there's going to be less of a point teaching if a majority of my classes are absent," Yadao said. "And at that point, you know, it will be better to teach online than it is to teach in person.? Josiah expects there would be an improvement for the rest of the school year if a shutdown happens. ?We could nip it (infection rate) in the bud now before the school year continues on," Josiah said.
St at e Dist an ce Lear n in g Pr ogr am Of f er ed The Department of Education distance learning plan provides online classes for students with underlying medical conditions and parents who don?t feel comfortable sending their child to campus. The classes are supervised by the statewide DOE rather than individual schools. However, the classes are only for students in fifth grade or higher and are available to about thirty students per grade. ?Online learning was really hard because no one was there to help you and you couldn't understand anyone,? Areola said. Yadao said, ?One of the most awful things about the year 2020, was how the pandemic really destroyed the line between work at home.? Yadao had to adjust his teaching practice after over a year of virtual learning. He had to make accommodations by giving additional time for his students to complete their work since most of them learned on their own with online instruction.
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Josiah offers online activities for the students to adjust back to normalcy. Serrano said he worried about computer problems during distant learning. He said returning to 100% in-person learning is a relief, and he enjoys socializing with his peers from a distance. Ortega said being in school and seeing his friends for him is a relief. ?I get to see my friends and I honestly like in-person learning way better than distance learning. It just feels way better,? Ortega said. Student Body Government President Aniqua Mehdi said
?I just would like the school year to be as normal as possible. For example, to be able to attend prom and other events.? - Senior Eugene Asis
she plans to continue to post and to engage with the student body on Instagram to implement creative events such as a virtual party. ?We're really trying our best to provide a good experience for everybody, but a lot of the time it (events) gets pushed to online or virtual due to the spike in COVID-19 cases,? Koutouzos said. The first week of school, student government had to modify the in-person Welcome Back Assembly by streaming it during 20/20 period. Governor David Ige told the Star Advertiser in
OCTOBER 2021
NEWS
"I like wearing masks. A lot of respiratory illness are spread via droplets. There will be less infections as the mask catches the droplets." Clinical Health Teacher Tiffany Miyashiro
Ortega compliments the school for following the safety guidelines. ?Good job, guys. Keep doing what you are doing and stay safe! Yeah!?
September that there won?t be another full-scale shutdown, stating that restrictions will be implemented such as curfews or further reductions in the size of social gatherings. Tajon said the pandemic has changed people both in good and bad ways ?I think, as humans, we definitely need some social interaction. Being in a pandemic and having to quarantine or going into lockdown has definitely done some damage. There's a little bit of negative side effects. But it has also helped some people grow. So I think there's benefits,? Tajon said. ?We need the support to keep going.? Senior Eugene Asis said he would like the school year to be like the pre-pandemic years so he encourages students to get their vaccine. ?I just would like the school year to be as normal as possible. For example, to be able to attend prom
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and other events," Asis said. Tajon complimented the teachers for keeping the school safe and said the rise in cases are preventable with enforced guidelines. ?I think they're doing a really good job following the guidelines and making sure that we set those boundaries to keep everybody safe,? Tajon said, ?I think as long as we keep up this mask mandate and keep them social distancing, I think we'll be okay.? Mehdi praised the school for being safe and said the school should continue social distancing. ?I think the school is doing a good job of making sure students are distancing themselves, and keeping their masks on,? Mehdi said. ?So I would just continue, and make sure there's a good support system around the students because, really, COVID-19 has brought a lot of students down.?
OCTOBER 2021
"Start eating well, exercise more and keep your mask on." Sophomore Cherry Dalan
"Having vaccines makes people feel safer to go outside and will help us open up more and help the world if everyone gets vaccinated." Junior Mariel Tadena PAGE 5
A
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Q
Quest i on : How do you feel about t he safet y measures we put i n for t hi s school year? Answer: I feel okay about it. I wish we could do a whole lot more. Unfortunately, with what we have and the amount of students and amount of classroom space that we have, I feel that it's adequate enough to keep us as safe as possible. If I had my own way, we'd be in much smaller classroom sizes . ... We're in a pretty good place right now.
Quest i on : As a pri nci pal t r yi ng t o run a hi gh school duri ng a pandemi c what has been t he hardest part ? Answer: That's a tough question because it's a hard enough job when you're not in a pandemic. You're trying to keep everybody in school, and trying to get them to learn and make sure the teachers are teaching. With the pandemic, you added not only one layer but many layers of making it harder. ... We have to look about keeping everybody healthy, making sure that every aspect of our daily lives in school, even lunch, how we serve lunch, when you can and cannot eat, how we separate campus (is safe). So it's become .. a whole lot more challenging, just trying to keep everybody safe and trying to keep operations of the school as normal as possible. ... People say, "Wow, how do you do it?" and I ask myself that question a lot of times and when I go home,"How did I make it through this day?" because there's so many different things that happened throughout the day.
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H T I W
Quest i on : What are your t hought s about a possi bl e ret urn t o onl i ne school ? Answer: I would like to keep you folks here as long as possible because this is the best education setting, in school. ... So, it will take the order from the governor, who goes to my boss to tell me that we're going to lock down, but as far as being in favor of a lock down, I'm not for it right now, unless it really starts to skyrocket. We've been pretty lucky here at the school. ... But it concerns me with the numbers of cases that are coming up. ... I don't know what the magic number is to lock us up but I think if it continues to go up, the government is going to do something as far as locking the state down, but I'm truly not in favor of it. My thoughts would be that, it'll be the last resort, I think it showed us last year, showed me last year, that a lot of our students struggled with being virtual and online because I think you still need that face-to-face contact with your teachers to get instruction. ... I really want students and teachers to be back face-to-face in the classroom, to get the best instruction possible.
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NEWS
THE PRI NCI PAL Quest i on : Beyond keepi ng us safe, what ot her goal s do you have and what chal l enges do you ant i ci pat e t hi s year? Answer: The goal is to graduate all of you, make you successful, make you pass on from freshman to sophomore, sophomore to junior, and junior to senior, to graduate and go off to college or career or wherever you want to go. It's always been the goal, to make you prepared, as successful as possible. How this pandemic has really affected us is that it limits the opportunities, like you can't go on field trips, you can't go visit colleges, you can't go visit different workplaces. ... I think that's the piece that's kind of missing, making you understand what is it that you want to do or want to be after high school, which has always been a goal.
Quest i on : How di d t he pandemi c affect you out si de of your job? Answer: When it first hit and we got locked down, I
Quest i on: When t he pandemi c st art ed, what t hi ngs di d you real i ze? What i mmedi at el y came t o your mi nd? Answer: The first question is "Okay, how are we going to deal with this as a school?" I knew that it was not going to be the same, how it normally is where you come to school every day, with the teachers in the classroom, meeting friends and all those kind of things. so I knew that that was going to be very different. And how to figure out how we come to school, not only you folks but the teachers as well, how to keep everybody as safe as possible. So it was difficult to plan out to make it as safe as possible. ... Everybody talks about the new normal. The new normal is where everybody's got to wear face masks, everybody's got to be three feet apart. So it's not the same as it was before. That was the big realization. It's gonna be different.
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missed my friends and family. I couldn't get to see them. You guys all know the same feeling. We couldn't go out to the movies or out to eat in a restaurant. So it affected me that way as well too. And then most importantly I travel a lot, so it cut down on my traveling. I couldn't even go visit my mom on the Big Island because we were not allowed to travel. ... So however you guys feel affected, I'm the same way.
Quest i on: What are t he chal l enges we have t o deal wi t h now t hat al l st udent s are back i n person at school ? Answer: Keeping everybody safe. And I think that's the hardest thing because you folks, students, human nature, everybody wants to be by each other. And with this new pandemic, it's about social distancing, cannot be hugging each other, cannot be high fiving each other like before. And I think that's the biggest difference, how do you keep everybody away from each other, having a three foot distance in between.
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JROTC by Althea Cunningham, reporter McKinley High School?s JROTC program is the oldest public school unit in Hawaii. The 2021-2022 school year marks one hundred years since the first established unit and the McKinley JROTC staff and cadets keep the program functioning. ?One hundred years is something special. There's a lot history to be one of the oldest schools,? Army Instructor Sergeant First Class Micheal Cummings said. Some people think that JROTC just teaches students to be soldiers and makes them join the military. This is not true. Many cadets do have aspirations to serve in the military, and recruiters visit to pitch their branches, but students are under no obligation to join the military. The program?s actual mission is to ?motivate students to be better citizens.? This is one of the first things a cadet learns. ?We do not recruit people to go into the military. Even though that goes around, that's not even true. We treat each other like family,? Junior Cadet Captain Bruce Sipelili said. JROTC is primarily run by the cadets. The staff officers organize and execute everything from cleanup, to drill meets, team competitions, and helping out with school events. Current cadet staff officers are students who?ve taken JROTC at least two years in a row and
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Celebrates 100 Years
actively participate in events. The instructors provide the information, supplies, and guidance the staff needs to get things done. ?You go and grow up and do the stuff that you just do for your future, but it gives the purposes to take care of myself,? Senior Cadet Sergeant Major Lové Alexander. Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Pulido is the Senior Army Instructor who teaches second and third-year cadets. Sergeant Cummings is the Army Instructor who teaches first and four-year cadets. "We don't give you discipline, we help you to show the discipline that you have. It's all about bringing the best of you to the forefront," SFC Cummings said. Pulido graduated from McKinley in 1990 and served thirty years in the Army. He became a JROTC instructor to help Hawaii?s youth and community. He also wants to give back the opportunities that the program has given him. ?I absolutely love it here. It is unbelievably amazing returning to McKinley and being a part of the Pride and Tradition once again. I feel like I have come full circle and this is where I belong,? LTC Pulido said. SFC Cummings has been an instructor on the mainland for ten years now. He enjoys pouring knowledge into future leaders and guiding them on their path. He has twenty years of military service, and being an instructor allows him to continue to serve.
BATTALION COMMANDER
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
C/LTC ALTHEA CUNNINGHAM
C/MAJ EUGENE ASIS
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"It's something greater than myself. It's my way of giving back what was given to me," SFC Cummings said. The staff is a small number of people compared to the battalion. Without the participation of the cadets, there would be no point in the planning and organizing that the officers do. Besides wearing their uniform, helping out with events and inspections, cadets can join teams that challenge their physical fitness and mental discipline. These teams get the opportunity to represent McKinley JROTC in competitions with other schools' teams. ?I'm on the Rangers team. We do lots of physical exercises and tying knots. It's given me a sense of fulfillment. Yeah, like it makes me happy to work out and to take care of myself,? Cadet CSM Alexander said. If things go well regarding the pandemic, the Battalion plans to celebrate the centennial with a parade and invite alumni. They also plan on bringing back a scrap-booking tradition that got interrupted by COVID-19. Even after one hundred years, cadets keep the traditions and programs alive, so the next generation can learn and grow as well. ?Believe in yourself - every goal can be achieved if you are dedicated and work hard towards them,? LTC Pulido said.
COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR C/CSM LOVE? ALEXANDER
NEWS
JROTC Staff BN S1
BN S2
BN S3
ADJUTANT
INTELLIGENCE/SECURITY
OPERATIONS/TRAINING
C/1LT KATHERINE WABOL
C/2LT PRESTON MARTIN
C/1LT BRUCE SIPELII
BN S4
BN S5
ALPHA COMPANY
BRAVO COMPANY
SUPPLY/LOGISTICS
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
COMMANDER
COMMANDER
C/2LT AGATHA ASIS
C/1LT ANGELICA FINULIAR
C/2LT ISAIAH ATKINSON
C/2LT CHEDEN RAGRAGOLA
CARDONE HOPES TO CAPTIVATE STUDENTS by Jerome Linear, reporter Cecilia Cardone, McKinley High School?s new Spanish teacher, is originally from Argentina. She decided to move to Kauai where she taught Spanish at Kauai Middle School for some time before coming to McKinley. She is enjoying it so far and is looking forward to teaching Spanish. Cardone became a teacher because she always liked to teach. She also likes the way her schedule is set up as a teacher, allowing her to travel during the summers. Even with the extra stress of being a teacher during a pandemic, she still loves teaching. ?With this Covid pandemic, working as a teacher became way harder,? she said. Cardone likes going to the beach and the outdoors. She also likes playing sports and hanging out with friends. She also loves animals and playing with her dog. ?I wish I could bring my dog to work. I think everybody should bring their dogs to work,? she said. Cardone's main goal for her students is to be able to have a conversation in Spanish. She also hopes they are able to write letters and meet people from other
FEATURES
countries. ?I hope my students will be able to use the language I taught them all over the world,? she said. Moving to Hawaii was a memorable experience for Cardone, and a life changing decision. Cardone grew up speaking Spanish in Argentina. Loving to travel and being outgoing, she decided to move to Hawaii. ?I think it's always a good experience to leave at least once in your life, and to live outside where you?re originally from,? she said.
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New lib ra ria n seeks by Athena Matautia, reporter Sandra ?Sandy? Domion is the new librarian at McKinley High School. She has been a librarian for 15 years. Some of you may know her from Ma?eMa?e where she worked for 10 years. Before that, she worked at Waialua elementary school for 5 years.
?I was just really happy to get to be back in a high school setting? is what she said when asked about how she felt being here at McKinley. Domion is very hardworking and spends most of her time working her multiple jobs, which include being a librarian, teaching e-school, and working at Whole Foods (where
FROM A KITCHEN TO A CLASSROOM by Jerome Linear, Ganesa Kaira-Souza, reporters Brain Yamagata is the new culinary arts teacher, and is ready to share knowledge with McKinley High School students this school year. Yamagata had many jobs before coming to McKinley. He was a student activities coordinator at Niu Valley Middle School, and before that for about 12 years he was a 6th grade science teacher at Kawananakoa Middle School, and before that he taught as a 8th grade science teacher at Mililani middle school, before that he worked in the food industry, working in many restaurants around town. ?I want to share my passion for food with students, to get them excited about cooking,? Yamagata said. ?I want to help students find what they?re good at and what they?re passionate about,? Yamagata left the food industry to start a family, and has always wanted to go back to working in kitchens. Yamagata has a wife and three children and this is where he spends most of his free time. He also does all the cooking in the house. Now he is able to share his passion with his students while still being able to provide for a family. PAGE 10
?This was an opportunity for me to, you know, teach what I love doing,? he said. Yamagata dropped out of the University of Hawaii at Manoa to pursue what he wanted to do, which was cooking. Soon after he transferred to Kapiolani Community College and finally had instructors telling him he was good at cooking. The discipline in the kitchen forced him to grow up and he was soon able to go back to University of Manoa and get his teaching degree. He wasn?t the perfect student throughout his life, but he always had the drive to become something. He learned how to improve and grow when he was working in the kitchen before he came to McKinley. ?I want to help them find what they're good at and passionate about,?he said. ?Once you find something that you're really good at, something that you're passionate about then you can do anything with it.?
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FEATURES
s rea d ing c om m unity a t MHS she works four times a week.) Domion also spends a lot of her time with family, reading, or playing mobile video games. Domion also enjoys planning trips for her family. One prominent moment in her life was when her daughter left for college. She misses her daughter a lot and is still getting used to her not being
there. Domion wants kids to know that they have access to the library to get materials, study, or do homework, and to feel comfortable doing so. ?My goal is to get more people aware that we're here, she said. She also wants students to know that she is there to help students.
Domion enjoys seeing the students and helping them exceed. ?I would love for them to come visit the library and get to know me.? She wants them to have the eye opening experience she had when she realized she loved reading and decided to be a librarian.
NOT-SO-NEW INSTRUCTOR
JOINS MHS JROTC by Shane Kaneshiro, Athena Matautia, Perlynn Calep Sergeant Michael Cummings is a new staff member at McKinley High School. He has been teaching JROTC for 12 years, in California, Texas, Maryland and now here in Oahu. Cummings has 20 years of military service. His wife is also in the military. His wife got promoted to colonel and was offered a position in Hawaii. Cummings applied and was offered a job at McKinley. Cummings enjoys spending time with his family. He has a 28-year-old son, a 24 year old daughter, and a 13-year-old daughter. On vacations, Cummings loves to spend time with his family. Outside of school, you might find Cummings at a national park with his family, with the national parks cancellation stamps if possible. Cummings said his wife and daughter like to collect cancellation stamps from national parks. ?So whenever we go, we look for national parks that allow these,? he said He also enjoys a little ?me time? watching movies. ?After spending a whole day with my family, if there's some time that I get to myself. I enjoy movies? he said. Any kind of movie except? . HORROR! When Lieutenant Colonel Pulido interviewed Cummings, Cummings knew that McKinley was the school he wanted to teach at. ?I enjoy what I do. I enjoy teaching ROTC because it
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gives me the opportunity to connect with students,'' Cummings said, ? It is not based on English, science or math, but what you can learn from life experiences.?
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Brian Govier assists Junior Lyu Wei Chen with Pangaea worksheet in Marine Science class. Photo by Ganesa Kaira-Souza.
GOVIER TRIES NEW THINGS by Ganesa Kaira-Souza Brian Govier is combining his passion for teaching and science as he starts a new chapter in Hawaii as a science teacher. Coming to McKinley High School, Govier worked at many interesting jobs, in many interesting places. Govier picked peppers in Australia as a farm worker. It was difficult but he met a lot of people in the field. Although he said that this sort of job did not really suit him, he still tried his best in this field of work. ?It was really hard, bending over all day, picking peppers in the hot sun,? Govier said. ?I met some cool people. It was kind of a nice experience but the work was hard.? Govier tries to go out often to learn and discover new
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things. ?I try to go outside to hike, or be in the water, mostly surfing,? Govier said. He considers himself a beginner in surfing, but he still enjoys the sport. One of Govier?s defining experiences was his first job as a physics teacher at a college in New York. It was a scary experience but it was one of the most memorable experiences he had. ?They put me in charge of like 100 kids, and I still felt like I was a kid myself,? Govier said. One thing he hopes to do for his students is to have them appreciate the water and where they live. ?I want to give them an appreciation for the fact that we live on an island in the North Pacific,? Govier said. ?Try to get them in the water, too.?
OCTOBER 2021
FEATURES
"What I am planning to do during fall break is probably go play basketball with my friends or just go cruise around the island" Junior Dennis Keola
"I am just planning to talk with my friends, play video games, sleep, relax, and hangout" - Freshman Aaron lam
"I plan to work on my dance and tennis skills" - Sophomore Christyna Nguyen
"I plan to do some extra homework and maybe since I am in math team, I am going to try to prepare more workshop and play games. It is senior year and I do want to chill but I also got to look out for college related things and thinking about writing my college scholarship essays and such" -Senior William Lin
"Probably sleep and play video games, it is pretty much the normal thing to do in 2021 during the pandemic Sophomore Nick Pham
"Go surfing, playing video games and sleep" - Freshman Apake Iriarte
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OCTOBER 2021
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by Yu Ying Yu, guest writer Another school year has started and students are back into the swing of things with classes and homework. The transition from online back to physical school has brought upon a wave of chaos to schedules and productivity. Personally, I have experienced and heard my peers? experiences when it comes to work ethic this year, and a majority agree that it has been a difficult start to the year so far. This brought the conclusion that others likely share the same struggles, which is why a good recommendation to attempt to improve work habits is to use something called the Pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro technique is a strategy for time management, and it involves breaking work time into sections. You take a task you want to do and begin a cycle, which is 30 minutes of work with 5 minute breaks in-between. After 4 cycles, you can take a longer 15-30 minute break and repeat until the work is finished. It is also completely adjustable so individuals can find what works best for them. One of the reasons why the Pomodoro method is effective is because it utilizes short 5 minute breaks. When people sit for long hours, it leads to the brain
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wandering and focus being distorted due to the cognitive boredom from not being stimulated. The breaks allow for a short moment to break the chain of boredom and maintain a smooth line of concentration. Another reason why Pomodoro is effective is that it reduces the stress of having to manage time yourself. Perception of time is important when managing projects and deadlines because seeing a due date as something that is inevitably ticking down toward you would cause a great deal of stress. Instead, it?s easier to think about time in a sequence, and all the things that would lead up to the deadline. It sets up a schedule to follow and to adjust as you please. In addition to that, it can be easy to be overwhelmed when looking at all the time needed to finish, but the cycles allow for it to be sectioned into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Pomodoro is an effective technique of time management that may prove to be useful this school year to adjust back to work from digital to physical. It prevents cognitive boredom and encourages better time management. Give it a try and unlock your inner focus!"
OCTOBER 2021
EDITORIALS
TAKE BACK YOUR DIGITAL PRIVACY
(AND SAVE DEMOCRACY, TOO) by Lian Fouse, guest writer Do you feel uncomfortable seeing ads for things you have looked at online when they show up in a completely unrelated search? Does it bother you that your search data is recorded, compiled into a profile, and sold to the highest bidder? You should be aware that your online data is part of a growing surveillance economy that challenges more than just your privacy. Surveillance-based advertising that tracks and profiles consumers is the dominant business model online today. A November 2019 poll by the Pew Research Center found that 72% of people surveyed felt that almost everything they do online is tracked by advertisers, technology firms, or others. More importantly, 81% said that the potential risks from this type of tracking outweigh the benefits. Some advocacy groups have proposed a ban on surveillance-based advertising. A recent report by the Norwegian Consumer Council argues that the damage done by surveillance-based advertising goes well beyond the clear privacy violations involved. The report contends that surveillance-based advertising facilitates systemic manipulation and discrimination, poses serious national security risks, and raises many other serious concerns. Cambridge Analytica?s manipulation of personal Facebook data in the 2016 U.S. presidential election demonstrated the potential threat to democracy that mass data profiling holds. Fortunately, new companies have emerged to challenge the
EDITORIALS
stranglehold that search behemoth Google has over the internet. Earlier this year Wired magazine profiled DuckDuckGo, an internet company taking advantage of the growing anger toward Google?s business model. DuckDuckGo also makes money by selling ads related to your search results, but the ads are based only on the azcontext of the individual search you have entered. The DuckDuckGo search engine does not assign you an identifier or track your search history. DuckDuckGo also offers a browser extension that provides tracker prevention superior to the Safari and Firefox browsers. Both of those browsers allow websites to load trackers before restricting the data that those trackers can collect. This allows the trackers to continue to gather specific data about the user, such as their IP address. Like many people, initially I found it hard to believe that there are real
OCTOBER 2021
options to having my private data harvested. I have been using the DuckDuckGo search engine and extension for Google Chrome for about a year. I have conducted a number of side-by-side search comparisons between Google and DuckDuckGo. While the search results are not exactly the same, nothing I consider important is ever missing in the DuckDuckGo results. I have also experimented with Brave, another excellent option for protecting your online privacy. Brave?s browser is much fancier and blocks ads, trackers, cookies, and fingerprinting, all by default. Both DuckDuckGo and Brave provide privacy browser options for mobile devices. Give these Google alternatives a try before surrendering your digital diary. I feel better knowing that Google is not able to track my online searches and hope others will support alternatives to the surveillance economy.
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BE A PART OF MCKINLEY'S
LITERARY M AGAZINE Submit poems, short stories, essays, photos, artwork, etc. via bit.ly/kahanakaulana or by scanning the QR code below.
Join the staff. Select content and design the magazine. The first meeting will be Oct. 21 after school in W123.
KHK K a H an a K au l an a
Like poetry? Enter our school-level recitation contest and earn a chance to represent McKinley in the state and national competitions. For rules, prizes, and eligible poems, scan the QR code, visit bit.ly/MHSPOL, or see Ms. Reves in W123.
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OCTOBER 2021
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