THE PINI N
Student-edited paper of McKinley High School Vol. 92 No. 7
Honolulu, Hawaii
May 2014
New academies emerge, career preparation begins Business, Arts & Commnication
Health, Human & Public Services
Industrial, Engineering & Natural Resources Technology
Main Career Houses by Lin Song, reporter Next year, students can learn more about their future career from 12 new academies. The academies will live within three career houses. Each house will have four, three and five academies. The Math, Language Arts and PE & Health departments are in charge of these academies. Students can join the academies by taking required courses. For instance, students who want to join the Engineering & Technology Academy should take Design Tech and Engineering Tech classes. Students interested in the Academy of Finance are supposed to take Management and Business Core classes in sophomore year, Accounting in junior year and Directed Studies in senior year. Sophomore Yongyi Zheng, is going to join the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism next year.
“Hawaii is a place where people from all over the world come. I want to learn about tourism and AOHT can help me learn a lot,” she said. Even if students have no clear ideas of interested academies or jobs, teacher
“What we hope to bring students is the relevance between school life and future career. --- Kyle Hiranaga
Cami Yoshioka said, “Go to try out these academies. If you don’t like it, we have career assessments and other things to help you figure out what you need exactly.” Specific information about career
courses is in the yellow booklet “Career Technical Education & Career Pathways 2014-2015,” which was given during Advisory. Students can ask counselors about planning schedules next year and get more career information from Yoshioka in the College & Career Center. Schedules for next school year can still be changed at the Registration Office. “What we hope to bring students is the relevance between the school life and future career,” Kyle Hiranaga, the teacher responsible for new academies, said. “These classes provide context about various jobs. Through deep learning about the career, students can draw out a big picture of what they will confront and deal with.” The school will also provide support such as community opportunities and alumni speeches.
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‘Divergent’ filled with power, revenge, love
To the editor of The Pinion,
image from www.hdwallpapersimages.com
by Jane Lavea, reporter My stomach was filled with butterflies when I received my ticket. I was really excited to finally watch “Divergent.” Their world is divided into five different factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), and Dauntless (the brave) based on their human virtues. Beatrice, who changes her name to Tris when she chooses Dauntless to be her faction, is told that she is a di-
The Pinion Staff Adviser: Cynthia Reves Editors: Silvana Bautista and Sean Gleason Reporters: Isaiah Blanko-Rettig, Jane Lavea, Daniel Le, Lin Song, Keisha Togores, Austin Watkins
Publication Information
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 pinion@mckinleyhs.k12.hi.us
Letter to the editor
vergent and will never fit in. However, on the day that all 16-year-olds choose their faction, Tris chooses to leave Candor to be Dauntless. On her first day as a Dauntless, she is attracted to her instructor Tobias (known as Four). Although she is the weakest of the crew, she fights her way to the top of the list and fights for the freedom of all divergents. This movie is filled with power, potential, fear, revenge and love.
As a junior of McKinley High School, I must take issue with one of your articles, “GPA should be given more attention” Vol. 92 No. 6. The first sentence of this article concisely lists three simple steps to take in order to achieve an “A.” Coming to class is definitely one factor that leads to a higher grade in a class. Finishing homework on time? Of course! Passing tests is also a great way to deter a failing grade. But do these three actions truly guarantee an ‘A’ is coming? No. It does not. While the article states that “the more work students do, the higher scores they get,” I know from personal experience that this statement is incorrect. It is not about quantity; it’s about quality. The same goes for tests. Merely passing each test and doing all the work with an indifferent attitude will not immediately grant the student an “A.” Doing all the work half-heartedly is not enough to increase students’ test scores, which, for the majority of classes, is the bulk of the entire grade. Quality is earned, just like a GPA that is higher than 3.0.
Lise-Michelle Childers
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What will seniors do after high school? mhspinion.com
by Jane Lavea, reporter and Daniel Le, reporter High school for the seniors is coming to an end. This is when their teenage lives end and their lives as adults start. What life do they hold for themselves? McKinley seniors were polled about their plans after high school. Thirty-six percent said that they were going off to college on the mainland. “I don’t want to stay here. I’ve been here all my life so I want to get out of
here,” said Christian Martin. Eight percent of the students said that they are going straight into basic training after they are done with school. “I’m leaving for basic training in June. It’s what I always wanted for myself. It’s my goal,” said senior Rachel Amor. Twenty percent said that they are going to work. “I want to go to work after high school
to make money,” said Tinh Tran. The teachers’ job throughout the students high school year is to teach them what the real world have to offer. “Make sure that they have a good education. It’s the main foundation for them for the rest of their life. The main thing is if they are going to carry it out to the community,” vice-principal Ricky Price said.
Rick Riordan engages the reluctant reader by Cui Ying Chen, guest writer I never enjoyed reading until I read books by Rick Riordan. I realized that I liked reading about fantasy, myths, legends and adventures. The vocabulary he uses in his books gives you
a great imagination about the scenes in the book and as you read more and more, you will feel like you’re in the book. Sometimes I find myself looking forward to go home to read his books, which
is very surprising and weird because I was once one of those kids who thought that I would never enjoy reading books, no matter what.
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If society were reversed, ...
Micronesian students refuse judgement based on stereotypes by Jane Lavea, reporter and Austin Watkins, reporter Around school, or anywhere to be honest, hearing slurs, comments, and flat-out insults against one particular cultural group has become a regular occurrence. The reason for this article is to address the stereotypes and racial slurs against Micronesians and bring this growing problem to the surface. Unless we shine a light on the situation and address it, we simply allow it to go on and become worse. First let’s address the reason Micronesians are here from a political standpoint. The Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1982. This allowed a visa-free entry into the U.S. for Micronesians, and Micronesians started to slowly make their way into the U.S. Micronesian students were interviewed about how they felt being around different ethnicities. They also expressed how they felt about the stereotypes said about them. Senior Rachel Amor said, “They kind of base it on what happened, like how people think that all Micronesians shank people. They automatically think that if you’re Micronesian you’re violent.” She also said, “The way we are treated is not fair because we’re not the only ones that do what we are pinned down for. There are other races out there that have the same issues too, but I don’t know why they only pinpoint it on Micronesians.” Sophomore Ekalani Sigrah said that there are a lot of stereotypes that are really mean and harsh. “They talk about the way we look and act,” Sigrah said. “Once they find out you’re Micronesian, they assume you do the same things that they hear so they treat you differently.” “It hurts hearing what other people have to say about us because it’s my culture too, but there are some Micronesians out there that like put the name out there that we’re bad people,” Amor said. “It’s not fair how we are treated but it all goes towards how other people act so that’s what other people use towards us.
by Thanh Vo, guest writer
cartoon by Austin Watkins
A little while ago, I came across a video on Tumblr. I had no idea what it was due to an unusual title. As the video progressed, I realised that the video was about homosexuality. The video started off with an elementary girl being dropped off by homosexual parents. In the school, guys were supposed to like guys and girls were supposed to like girls. By then, I knew what the video was... a reversed world of our society and our sexuality. That girl was unique because she liked a boy. She then started to be bullied and decided to commit suicide. I believe no matter how hard society tries to change, there will always be flaws, which means there will always be prejudice. Love should not be affected by other people besides you and your partner. Although there will be flaws and hardships in everything, decisions and choices make routes and doors. Choose what’s best for you.
It’s not fair because they should meet every single one of us and know that we’re not all the same,” Sigrah said. Why have Micronesians received this stigma? What have they done to deserve this treatment and why do we participate it? Or, even worse, simply let it happen? We can’t say, “It’s in their nature,” or “It’s the way they’re raised.” After all, people said the same thing about African-Americans and look at them today. Barack Obama, Michael Jordan, Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey. They are successful and well-respected. The real question now is, what’s preventing the same from happening to Micronesians? Senior Mauro Tommy talked about how everyone gives him funny looks everywhere. He assumes that once people see that he is Micronesian, they get scared because they think that he might hurt them. Tommy said that
Micronesians are not here to harm others. “People shouldn’t be afraid of Micronesians,” he said. He said that Micronesians are slowly getting used to the people around them and that Micronesian families live together for support. “We’re all humans and we all make mistakes but for some reason people blow it up when they see a Micronesian. When we make a mistake, we are insulted or criticized but people still hate us even if we try to fix it,” Tommy said. It is important for everyone to feel comfortable around each other. The way Micronesians are treated by others affects them. It is important to treat others the way you want to be treated. Hurtful remarks about Micronesians on Twitter
Upcoming movies image from amaeguerrero.wordpress.com
Student finds it all in ‘Message in a Bottle’ by Maura Van Antwerp, guest writer The book “Message In a Bottle” by Nicholas Sparks was amazing. It had it all: love, romance, sadness, madness and mixed emotions. This book never left me uninterested. Actually, after I read the book I was a little depressed because I never wanted the book to end. The thing that I loved about the book is how the book ended. It was like a life lesson that made me realize the true meaning of love. Overall this book is great. I’ve grown a lot from reading this book and I recommend it to any teenage boy or girl.
image from rotten tomatoes
An automobile mechanic and his daughter make a discovery that brings down on them the Autobots and Decepticons and a government official.
image from rotten tomatoes
It’s been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk
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Tips for beginning exercisers by Sean Gleason, co-editor
Beginning your journey toward a healthier you can be tough. However, knowing the importance of motivation, different fitness programs and what equipment to wear can start you down the right path. Motivation is important when exercising. It can push you past your physical limits and give an extra boost to your morale. Motivation to exercise can be found by knowing why you want to exercise. Take the time to really think about why you want to exercise and what you want to accomplish. Choosing and following a fitness program can be very beneficial. It can organize things for you. However, there are millions of programs online, so doing some research to find which program suits you is recommended. On the flip side, though, who knows you best… yourself, of course. Maybe consider creating your own fitness program, if research isn’t your thing. Let’s be honest; you can exercise in anything… well, maybe not anything. Though wearing a tuxedo and running around James Bond-style sounds fun, you’re probably not going to find it as enjoyable. You’ll want to wear a comfortable t-shirt, shorts and shoes. Being comfortable is important to the exercising experience, especially if you’re just starting out. If you have the money, but really who does, purchasing special clothes suited for your particular exercise can be beneficial, but definitely isn’t necessary. Dry-tech tank-tops and genuine light-weight material short shorts should be left to those looking to increase their speed. As a beginner, simply completing your workout should be your focus. In conclusion, be patient. It’ll be worth it. If you stick to exercising, before you know it, you’re going to start seeing results.
Mckinley Tigers paddling in after a race. Photo by Sean Gleaosn,
Photo by Sean Gleason
Junior Kyle Mitsui receives a ribbon in cross country. Photo by Sean Gleaosn
Sports plays important role in a high schooler’s journey by Jave Lavea, reporter Student athletes believe that sports is important in their high school lives because it influences them to do better on their academics, critics ask, “should the department of education (DOE) spend money on sports?” Bob Morikuni (athletic director) said that the idea of sports not being a part of a student’s high school life is crazy because it teaches life lessons that students don’t learn in class. “Sports teaches students how to set goals, how to handle defeat and be a better person. It encourages them to study hard. Sports also help them get scholarships and be a well-rounded person,” said Morikuni. Lanai’s high school and elementary athletic director, Roderick Sumagit, visited McKinley last month. The Pinion was given the chance to interview him and he had much to say about sports. He said that growing up he faced a lot of challenges, but sports brought him to who he is today. Sports gave him the perseverance to keep
trying, to be better, and to never give up. “The value of sports in high school is to teach our student athletes to be successful in life. Sports belong in high school because it builds character, dedication, and teaches life values.” said Sumagit. Sophomore Greison Silva has been
“Sports teaches you a lot of life lessons you can’t get out of books.” --- Ron Okamura playing football for two years. Football changed his life so now he is encouraged to do well on his education. “Football straightened me out from the bad things I did back in middle school. Sports belong in high school because it helps kids get into college when they don’t have money for it. Sports doesn’t teach
character; it reveals it,” said Silva. Not only do the athletic directors or a student believe that sports benefit one’s education, but so does Principal Ron Okamura. Okamura himself was an athlete his whole life. He played football and said that if it wasn’t for that experience, he wouldn’t be where he is today. “The value of sports in high school is very high. It’s almost as high as academics. Sports teaches you a lot of life lessons that you can’t get out of books like overcoming barriers, setting goals, and all that positive stuff,” he said. Although you want to play sports, he said to remember academics come first. “If you cannot perform in a classroom, then you can’t perform on a field,” said Okamura. He also said ,“always work hard, never give up, keep up with your academics, and always finish off just as strong as you started.”
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As the school year comes to a close, we would like to thank those who’ve taken the time to read The Pinion, the voice of Mckinley High School. <3 The Pinion would also love to thank all our guest writers, and remind the students of Mckinley that were always open to accept your writing masterpieces, pictures, cartoons, or whatever you think belongs in the newspaper. If you’ve ever thought of taking it a step further, then conisder joining the Pinion and helping in producing our fantastic newspaper. In addition, The Pinion thanks its wonderful staff for all the hardwork and effort they’ve put into creating the highest quality content. :)
Finally, the Pinion says farewell to all seniors and wish all a happy summer. With that, we leave you with some philospical knowledge. Do you know what type of ship is stronger than a ship made out of steel, titanium or the toughest material in the world? Friendship
-Sean Gleason, swag-editor