THE PINI N
150 YEARS of PRIDE and TRADITION
Student-edited paper of McKinley High School Vol. 94 No. 3
Honolulu, Hawaii
March 2016
Honolulu, Hawaii
Photos by James Deguinon, Kayla Rasavanh and Sarah Kim. RS 16-0887, March 2016
2 THE PINION -
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News
Solar panels save money at McKinley High School Panels will provide 13% of school energy by Hoang Nguyen, reporter
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cKinley High School got new solar panels in December to save money on electricity.
The solars panels were made by a company called OpTerra. They called this project the Ka Hei program. The project began on Nov. 10 and ended on Dec. 31. The benefit of the solar panels is that it cut down the electrical bill every month. Principal Ron Okamura said the solar panels should give us about 13 percent of the total power. According to Okamura, the electric bill without
solar panels is about $20,000 a month. With the solar panels, it will decrease to $17,400. That means the solar panels will cut down $2,600 on the electrical bill. It will help MHS save a lot of money. Okamura said, “It’s very expensive. They want to cut down the cost so somebody gave money to the Department of Education to put up the solar panels so that they can cut down the cost of electricity.” Freshman Huy Tran said, “The solar panels are necessary because if we use it for a long time, it will cut down a large amount of money.” Social study teacher Eric Bott said, “I think it’s a great idea. McKinley has spent a lot of money on electricity, but we also have access to a lot of sunshine, so hopefully this solar panel array will offset the cost of the school’s electricity.” If MHS uses it for a long time, these solar panels can help McKinley High Shcool save a lot of money. Photo by Sarah Kim
Listening to music while working, good or bad?
Studies show different results by Hoang Nguyen, reporter
Music is something everyone shares and has an opinion about, but is it good or bad to listen to music while you are working? Many people think listening to music is positive. Studies have shown that listening to music while studying or performing a task helps people pay more attention in their work than not listening to music. From that, they can do their work better and get a good result. It can also help an individual relax or get a better sleep after a long workday. However, according to seattle pi, music with lyrics activates the language-processing centers of the brain and the University of Phoenix believes that listening to music while working can be distracting. Freshman Oliver Martin agrees. He said, “Music is not good for me while I’m studying because it’s distracting for me.” Senior Jessica Park said, “Listening to music while studying is good, Physical science teacher Rendall Choy said, “Yes, it’s good, because it helps my brain relax.” Photo by Hoang Nguyen. because it calms me down and helps me relax.”
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- THE PINION 3
Some books that parents want to ban Should they ban these books?
by Hoang Nguyen, reporter Parents sometimes try to ban books. American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom records books that are challenged. Two last year were: “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (1990), by Stephen Chbosky and “Drama” (2012), by Raina Telgemeier. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (1990) was about an introverted high schooler that befriended two seniors and learned about sex, drugs and mental health. The reason the book was challenged was because it contained drugs, alcohol, smoking, homosexuality, date rape and masturbation. “Drama” (2012), by Raina Telgemeier was a graphic novel about a middle school theater stage crew and their various crushes and relationship drama. The reason the book was challenged was
because it was sexually explicit and it contained homosexuality. “Huckleberry Finn” (1884) by Mark Twain was about a white boy who was friends with and went on a journey with an African American slave. The reason the book was challenged was because it had the N-Word. According to writer Robin Beery, the reason for wanting to ban books is because they have racial themes, alternative lifestyles, profanity, sex, violence, negativity, witchcraft, unpopular religious views, unpopular political views or any theme judged unsuitable for a particular age group. Opponents to book banning wanted intellectual freedom. Intellectual freedom means people can think about what they want. English teacher Erin Lynn taught 9th grade at a private school. She was teaching “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. She said the book was depressing and her students were too immature for the novel.
News
She said, “I didn’t feel as though the content or subject matter would have enough relevance vis a vis the emotional status of the students.” Librarian Jennifer Agena said she has never not bought a book because a parent might complain. She said every book the school buys was reviewed by a magazine and is encouraged to have in the library.
Sophomore Kanji Yamamoto reads “Things Fall Apart.” Some people want to ban this book. Photo by Hoang Nguyen.
‘Emoji’ chosen as word of the year
Oxford Dictionaries chose a pictograph in 2015 by Hoang Nguyen, reporter “Emoji” was chosen as Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionaries last year. The chosen emoji is the face with tears of joy. According to Oxford Dictionaries, they chose this emoji because it was the most used emoji globally in 2015. SwiftKey identified that the “Face with Tears of Joy” emoji made up 20 percent of all the emojis used in the UK in 2015, and 17% of those in the US. Emojis have been found in English since 1997 but in 2015, people used emojis more than 1997 by three times. They also chose “vape” as word of the year in 2014, “selfie” as word of the year in 2013 and “omnishambles” as word of the year in 2012. Social studies teacher Robi Nitake said, “Emojis are a fun way to communicate with others and to better express your
feelings. I use them to get my point across and make the conversation more interesting. Emoji is a word because people today use it on a daily basis. My favorite emojis are the dancing girl, taco, burrito and all other foods, of course.” Science physical teacher Rendall Choy said, “I use emojis so that the person I am communicating with will have a better idea of the tone of my message. I like the option of adding an emoji to my texts. Creating a word or term for this was needed. My favorite emoji is the smiling face.” Math teacher Sherry Takao said, “I use emojis when I don’t have time to write a long text message. I think emojis should not be used as often to replace words. People should speak to people in person or over the phone. Text messages and emojis should not replace people communication.”
An emoji called “Face with Tears of Joy” was chosen as the word of the year in 2015 by Oxford Dictionaries. Photo by Hoang Nguyen.
Buried deep in depr and thoughts of suic 4 THE PINION -
Feature
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by: Karl Selga, section editor
cars, tears, pain, regret and in some cases, thoughts of suicide. These are just some of the things a person can inflict on themselves while going through depression.
April, March and September all share a common event. They all take part in suicide awareness, so this article will go through some stories of individuals who have themselves suffered depression or witnessed someone close to them go through depression. Depression is a topic that isn’t discussed easily. Try talking about it at the dinner table and you will know why. People usually will not talk about it because it makes them feel uneasy, but sometimes it’s necessary to talk about difficult topics. Depression and suicidal thoughts can affect anyone at anytime, and it usually isn’t helped immediately because they don’t look for help. Read about those statistics at https://www.healthychildren. org/English/health-issues/conditions/ emotional-problems/Pages/Teen-SuicideStatistics.aspx A few McKinley students have been interviewed and have told their experience with depression and thoughts of suicide. Sophomore Sara Vu witnessed someone close to her contemplate suicide. Vu would go to events and talk with that colleague. As the two conversed, Vu would notice that her colleague would be touchy, but very introverted because she would be bullied by people because she was different. At one point, Vu’s colleague would tell her that she thought about taking pills to ultimately end her suffering. This statement shook Vu. “When she told me that, I was really
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scared and I would think about her three times every day,” Vu said. Vu has learned many things from that experience. Vu’s colleague went through therapy and is recovered now. Vu and her colleague are still close. Senior Clare Ronquillo has also witnessed those close to her go through depression and contemplate suicide. Ronquillo said she felt she had to be the voice of reason. It was somewhat hard for her because each was going through something different. “One of them was going through a family issue and the other was going through a relationship issue,” Ronquillo said.
“Never make a permanent decision from a temporary situation,”
-senior Kyle Ginoza
Ronquillo had a hard time trying to keep up and in result, her education was at jeopardy. She couldn’t concentrate on school work or extracurricular activities because in the back of her mind she was always thinking about them and what she could do to help them. In a way she felt helpless and that every piece of advice she gave was wasted breathe. “I would offer them advice, but they wouldn’t see it as much,” Ronquillo said. Ronquillo tried to give them alternatives like therapy, but the two never went for it. The two took pills and resorted to cutting their wrists. Throughout this whole situation, Ronquillo found herself slowly moving to depression as well. To
counteract that, she talked to close teachers and others for advice. She also went online to search for articles published by psychiatrists to help understand her situation. At one point, Ronquillo faked her personality when talking to teachers. “I faked that I was the one going through depression to get information from people and I can then give that information to them,” Ronquillo said. In the end, Ronquillo helped those close to her and herself. All three of them are in a better condition than before and are still close. Senior Kyle Ginoza is someone who has gone through depression and has seen people close to him go through depression and suicidal episodes as well. Ginoza said he considers himself an introvert. He said he is an introvert because he doesn’t like to bother people with his problems so he keeps them to himself. He loves seeing people being happy, but he said he never felt genuinely loved by his parents. “My parents never showed me love. They acted like it because they were taking care of me because I’m their child.” Ginoza said. Ginoza had his peak of depression while in middle school. This happened due to the things Ginoza would say while with those friends. The end result was Ginoza being left alone with no friends during his middle school life. “I say a lot of dumb and stupid stuff which kind of annoys people and the people who I thought were my friends ended up leaving because they couldn’t take it,” Ginoza said. At the same time, when Ginoza lost his friends he thought of ending his life. “Maybe if I ended my life, it wouldn’t impact or bother anyone,” Ginoza said.
ression cide
As of today, Ginoza is better and is more stable. He has managed to make many friends who always wish him the best. He wishes that everyone in the world would be happy. “When you are depressed, you want to shut people out, but do not do that. It does not help your situation ... You may think that no one cares and no one will be affected, but believe me people care for you and do not want to see you like that,” Ginoza said. “Never make a permanent decision from a temporary situation, “ said Ginoza. If you or someone close to you is depressed or considering suicide, there are many sources of help. You could recommend a therapist or you can just talk to them yourself. Just make sure they know that someone is there for them. The last thing that the person wants to think is that they are completely alone. Some things that you should look for would be if someone shows that they seem not to care about anyone or anything. Avoid saying things like, “it’s all in your head” or “we all go through stuff like this,” “you have so much to live for,” or “why do you want to die?” Next month is suicide awareness month. Depression and thoughts of suicide is a serious subject with very serious consequences. It can hit any individual at any given moment and age. When someone openly tells you that they are depressed please do not take it lightly. It could be very serious and instead of just saying hollow remarks and giving them airy advice point them into the direction of a counselor or a therapist.
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- THE PINION 5 Feature
Three brave souls meet for the first time. Left: Sara Vu Middle: Kyle Ginoza Right: Clare Ronquillo Photo by: Karl Selga
National Suicide Prevention lifeline: 1 (800) 273 8255 Military Veterans suicide hotline:
1 (800) 273 TALK
LGBT Youth Suicide Hotline:
1 (866) 4 U TREVOR
Suicide Hotline Phone Texting:
1 (800) 799 4889
National Sexual Assault Hotline:
1 (800) 656 HOPE
Hawaii Suicide Support Group: Location: 2100 N Nimitz Hwy. Honolulu HI 96819-2218 Contact Person: Jane Maxwell, RN or Stanley Luke, Ph.D (808) 440 3861 No Fee
6 THE PINION Feature
Living S
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Hall of Honor Inductees return
by Josephine Muniz, section editor
Lau Daniel 1937 Fujitani Rev. Yoshiaki 1940 Minn Herbert 1941 Koide Dr. Samuel 1941 Matsuda Dr. Fujio 1942 Lum Richard 1944 Knaefler Tomi 1947 Young Patsy 1947 Sakamoto Dr. Clarence 1949 Sakamoto Richard 1952 Yuen Jann 1952 Iwai Lt. Col. Robert H. 1954 Nakatani Alexander 1954 Woolsey William 1954 Natsuyama Dr. Harriet 1955 Miyamura Henry 1956 Fujimori Odetta 1957 Kawaguchi Stanley 1957 Miyashiro Ronald 1959 Donahue Lee 1960 Higa Marion 1960 Kai Carole 1962 Okami Alvin 1962 Takamori Neal 1964 Lee Maj. Gen. Robert 1966 Tom Terrance 1966 Muranaka Glenn 1967 Chang Judge Gary 1972 Ma’afala Tenari 1980
The Speech and Debate team dance in a skit performance. Photo by James Deguinon.
tudents filled the bleachers of the gym. Chattering came from all ends. It was the Hall of Honor assembly. And not just any Hall of Honor assembly,but the one during McKinley High School’s 150th anniversary year.
To celebrate, twenty- nine of the 170 former Hall of Honor inductees attended the assembly. One of them even traveled all the way from New York to attend this event. The action started with the band playing songs from the 40’s, 50’, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s conducted by band director Donna Hesch. The eldest honoree graduated in 1937 and the most recent in 1980. Throughout the assembly, music brought everyone back in time. Kirk Cardwell, mayor of the city and county of Honolulu, said MHS has impacted the community faster than any other high school. He described the Hall of Honor graduates as people who go out and make a difference in the community. “They represent what you could become someday,” Cardwell told the assembled students. A short slideshow created by Tiger Media Production told the story of how the Hall of Honor was created. Prior to 1986, photos of successful MHS graduates were hung in the Administration building. There was so ceremony or recognition for these people. Through the funding of Tin Yuke Char (‘24), Wilson Mau (‘32), and Wally Yee (‘37), the Hall of Honor was established in 1983. The Hall of Honor reminds people that MHS has and does produce many great leaders and successful people. Some students put together small skits to show what the Hall of Honor was and how McKinley graduates ended up there. The characters included a janitor, a teacher, and some students.
Counselor Lisa Panquites dances with English teacher Matthew Johnson. Photo by Hoang Nguyen.
History
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There was some humor, like how ice cream was only five cents, and some serious points, like how the students made gas masks during World War II. They brought back how things were when the inductees were going to school. The dance club put on a floor show with old hits such as “Dancing Queen,” by Abba and “We go Together,” from the movie Grease. These were all popular when the inductees were in high school. There were switches between the floor shows, introducing inductees, slide shows and skits. After the assembly, the honorees had a luncheon in the library. The Pinion had the opportunity to get some interviews. The Hall of Honor inductees had many words of wisdom to share and even some memories from when they were students at MHS. Neal Takamori, class of 1964 and former athletic director of MHS, talked about his high school memories, and how he remembered his teachers to be caring and nice. “I remember school lunches were the best,” Takamori said. The dessert was great.”
- THE PINION 7 Feature
Check out a Hall of Honor video and more pictures at mhspinion.com Recording artist and entertainer Carole Shimizu Kai, class of 62, said that she remembered playing in the band with Richard Lum, another honoree from the class of ‘44, and they were in a old beat up building, where the baseball field is now. “We had the best band, even though we were in the junkiest building in all of Oahu,” Kai said. Dr. Samuel Koide, class of 1941, said that his science career started at MHS. He was inducted into the Hall of Honor because he discovered the YWK- II gene. He said everyone talked about the same thing when he was a student. They talked about the war. He wanted to talk about something else, something different, so he talked about science. He said his teacher told him she had never had a student so focused on a subject “You will do all right if you have interest and keep focus on a subject. My start was here at McKinley, to become a scientist,” Koide said.
Hall of Honor inductees sing “Black and Gold” at the end of the Hall of Honor assembly. Photo by James Deguinon.
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Social media displays misleading exterior Feature
by Sarah Kim, editor-in-chief
How is it possible that many Instagram accounts have a lot of followers with few likes or vice versa. Are people using social media for the wrong reasons? An Australian teenager named Essena O’Neill with more than a half a million followers posted a video on YouTube. In her video, she said she had deleted nearly 2,000 photos off her Instagram because they were paid self-promotions. In her video she described her life as miserable because people perceived that she had a perfect life, yet these photos were edited, contrived and solely for the number of views, likes and followers. O’Neill said social media is a “business.” In her video she said, “When you’re following someone and they have a lot of followers and they’re promoting products, they are paid. Companies will email you about…what you should say with times of the day to post and what you should do in the photo. Companies know the power of social media and they are exploiting it.” Are individuals like O’Neill affecting teens who use social media regularly? I’ve noticed that there are around 25 people that I saw, including students at McKinley, who clearly purchase their followers. The amount of fake followers may not be apparent to all users and that may be the reason many users believe that the individual’s followers are legitimate. Yet, the reason behind buying followers and likes varies among different individuals. “Some people buy their followers because it makes them feel happy about it. If you feel happy about it then why not do it? If I had money, I think I would do it,” senior Robyn Keith said. Being a part of social media can either build self-esteem or depress it depending on the manner in which the user applies it to their life.
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“I believe it builds self-esteem, but with everything there’s a thin line to it. There’s a boundary that sets it from self-esteem to desire and lust. Lust in a sense of wanting to fit in and conforming to modern society’s manipulated representation of normal. It creates ridiculous social standards. There’s a limit to everything and once posting a picture about continuous bikini shots about those new clothes or whatsoever starts becoming a norm, it turns from Essena O’neill stands against the idealized version of Instagram. a self-esteem booster Photo by Sarah Kim. into insecurities. The cycle of conforming to social standards interest,” Kong said. reanimates, ” said senior Brandon Kong. “I use social media to contact people According to degreed.com, social that don’t live here like my friends or media forces individuals to compare lives family members in Japan,” Keith said. with others. Social media is an idealized Many users try to gain popularity version of what others desire to see. In through social media by displaying an 2012, a team of researchers in the UK exterior that is only positive. O’Neill’s surveyed social media users and 51 perpictures were nearly flawless and in alcent claimed that social media made their most all of them she seemed content with confidence decrease. her life. O’Neill’s story proves that social When I first used social media, I media is a place where individuals can be thought it was solely to see your friends’ fake without the viewers’ knowledge. updates and to allow your friends to Five ways social media see your updates. Throughout time, the affects mental health purpose of social media has drastically It can be addictive. changed and many people are using soIt can make people feel restless. cial media for the wrong reasons. It can make us feel exhausted. Several students at McKinley use social It can increase cyberbullying. media for different purposes. It can make individuals compare “I 99 percent of the time use Instagram their lives with others. to share my film photography with my blog.degreed.com friends and people who share the same
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- THE PINION 9 Editorial
Breakout Waikiki cluetastic experience
Action escape game brings The Pinion staff together by Sarah Kim, editor-in-chief
by Josephine Muniz, section editor
The Pinion staff visited a new business in Oahu known as Breakout Waikiki. On the door were questions such as, “Can you solve the puzzle?” “Can you crack the code?” and “Can you breakout?” It reminds you that you’re entering a place that can only be left successfully if you solve all the clues. Breakout Waikiki is the first and only action escape game in Hawaii. The place is profoundly clean, but it’s the type of cleanliness that makes you wonder what you got yourself into. The inside of the place is plain with baby blue paint and puzzle-piece decor. On the wall a TV displays pictures of previous players, successful and not. The overall build up to the game is exhilarating. The game requires two to eight players and every room has a time limit of 60 minutes. There are four rooms to choose from and The Pinion staff endured Room 13, which has a 28 percent success rate. The room looks like an old hotel room that came from another era. In the game, all team members had to step out of their comfort zone and find clues that would help us escape, including scrambling random objects, using familiar tools in different ways, and paying close attention to certain instructions. The only negative about Room 13 is the narrative. More elaboration would have been more engaging. Breakout Waikiki is an ideal location for people looking for a game that requires teamwork, patience and determination. A team building activity is satisfactory when every participant is included and not working independently. The Pinion staff experienced this sense of teamwork and, even though we were not able to complete the task in less than an hour, our efforts and the amusing time made the game a worthwhile experience.
You’re trapped in a room and you have an hour to escape using only riddles and your senses. Can you make it? Why not test your skills at Breakout Waikiki. It was an exciting experience for me. It is conveniently located in King’s Village, Waikiki. When I first walked in the business, I got a warm greeting from one of the workers at the front desk. All of the workers were nice and easy going. They always had a smile on their faces and answered any questions I had. My class and I did “Room 13,” which was supposedly the easiest because on the website it shows the success rates of each room. The room looked like a normal hotel room, but we found out it was much more complex than that. The tricks, clues and steps were well- thought-out. At first I thought one hour was plenty of time to crack the code needed to unlock the door. As the minutes ticked away on the large digital clock, I realized we needed to move faster. There was something thrilling about that. I felt like I was in a movie trying to escape a room, and I really needed to think to escape. The workers gave us free hints when we were lost at times. It was delightful for me to find the hidden answers and locks. I felt like a detective. The experience was exactly how I wanted it to be. It was thrilling and I had a great time overall. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. Breakout Waikiki is like a candy store for gamers.
The clock ticks down, limiting the amount of time it takes to win the game. Photo by adviser Cindy Reves.
Sarah Kim, Josephine Muniz, and Kanoe Costorio-Meyer study a riddle. Photo by adviser Cindy Reves.
Karl Selga attempts to escape the hotel room. Photo by adviser Cindy Reves.
The Pinion staff tickets were comped by Breakout Waikiki.
10 THE PINION Editorial
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Compulsive texting affects academics by James Deguinon, reporter Texting is the most common use of communication in the teenage and youth realm. A study showed the correlations between compulsive texting and problems in school. Today, texting is the most dominant way people communicate with each other. Effects on this is a lack of sleep and snapping at people when interrupted. Texting is more than a distraction according to teenage girls. It lowers their performance in their academics. McKinley male students Texting can harm a student’s academics according to research. Photo by James Deguinon. “Psychology of state their thoughts on comPopular Media pulsive texting. “It depends,” freshman Benny Trieu said. “If you have free Culture,” out of 403 participants in the study, 47 states that they time in class, it’s okay. Compulsive texting during lectures, howwere “non-texters” leaving the remaining 356 students. The ever, are bad,” Trieu said. study showed that about 12 percent of compulsive texters were “It doesn’t really matter,” freshman Darius Nakao said. “Texgirls and three percent were boys. ting is only bad if you’re doing it during class,” Nakao said. “It may not be much of a problem for us, but for the girls it may be,” freshman Alazay Miller said. According to the study, published online on Oct. 5 in the
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- THE PINION 11 Editorial
Editor’s Pick: GoPro worth $$$$ by Sarah Kim, editor-in-chief From every point of view, a GoPro can capture almost any photo. If you enjoy being outdoors, then the GoPro will be your most prized possession. The camera is meant for people that are always active. The best feature to me is that it can take photos and videos underwater. According to shop.gopro.com, the different models can range from about $200-$400, yet you may be able to find used cameras on websites such Ebay that are in decent condition for less than half the price. The GoPro, however, is a worthwhile purchase as it does not take pictures like an iPhone or a digital camera with its wide angle view, protection and quality.
The First Amendment celebrates 225th year Freedom of speech is a right that has been taken away from many journalism classes in the United States. The Pinion staff is grateful that McKinley High allows First Amendment rights to its scholastic journalists.
The Waikiki Aquarium is one of the many places you can take your GoPro. Photo taken by Sarah Kim.
Art by Kanoe Costorio and Katie Jones.
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
Art by Hoang Nguyen and James Deguinon.
Art by Josephine Muniz and Sarah Kim.
12 THE PINION -
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Social media hate pages build negative thoughts
Editorial
Being the bigger person eliminates hate
by Josephine Muniz, section editor “Fugly.” “Slut.” “Gay.” These are all just a small portion of the derogatory terms that teens come home to everyday on almost any device that allows internet access. Social media is supposed to be a place to connect and have fun. It is not used to create war and spread hate. Posts are not only hurtful, but they can be untrue. In the case of “blank is gay,” homosexuality can be portrayed as something that is negative. People who try to make others feel bad are unhappy and go for the weaker victim. I came across many hate pages, especially on Instagram. What I find interesting is that some of the victims follow their own hate pages and like the posts made about them. They’re trying to show that they are strong toward the subject. On Instagram, you can see the locations of where people post if they allow it. I remember coming across a hate page about a girl. The location of the post on the hate page was the same exact location seen on her main account. People came to the conclusion that she created the hate page for attention, and she received negative feedback for creating it. Students have different views on this topic. Some aren’t connected to social media. On the other hand, students have seen many hate pages or even had one made about themselves. Freshman
Teens are subjected to verbal abuse on the internet. Cartoon by Josephine Muniz
Ricardo Soloranzo said that he had come across these hate pages multiple times, especially in middle school. He said it makes him mad because there is no point. ““I think it’s stupid, and I would just ignore it,” freshman Suejin Yi said. I use social media a lot. Over the last two years, about five to ten of my friends or people I know have had a hate page made about them on Instagram. One of them even accused me and others of making it. People who are behind these pages have a lot of bad energy and are probably unhappy about something in their lives. People who see the hate pages comment back mean insults. This is not the right solution. A bully has so much negativity in them; they want to pass their pain on to other people. When the other person starts adding fire to the fuel, it makes ev-
erything worse. I understand that people may get mad or are just trying to back their friends up, but adding hate to hate is never going to have a positive outcome. Making peace is right. It confuses me when people say that they’re happy and they only want good vibes. Yet, as soon as someone brings hate into their day they can be completely different. Hate pages on social media is a big factor to all the hate in teens’ lives. If you’re reading this and ever come across these pages, pause, think and calm yourself down. Being strong isn’t insulting people, making up rumors or raging. Being strong is taking a stand and making a difference. Adding more to the problem might make people think you want attention, you’re insecure or you’re crazy. Stopping all this unnecessary drama starts with you.
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- THE PINION 13 Editorial
Sports can be dangerous
JV football plays in the homecoming game. Football is one of the most dangerous sports kids play. Photo by Sarah Kim.
Is the risk worth the reward? by Katie Jones, reporter From a young age, children are urged to play sports but some sports have a high risk rate for injuries. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1.6 - 3.8 million sports related concussions occur in the United States each year. According to stanfordchildrens.org, sports and recreational activities contribute to approximately 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among American children. Freshman Stella Martinez said, “It’s (sports) not safe, but if it’s a sport someone loves I feel that they should still play it.” In a recent study done by Frontline, 87 out of 91 deceased NFL players tested positive for brain disease. A bad hit playing a sport may cause brain swelling and concussion. In the long run, retired athletes can at least acquire tissue scar-
ring in the brain. Is it safe for children to aspire to become an athlete if they are going to spend their retirement in a hospital bed. “I started playing sports because I made friends. I like being apart of a team. Last year I broke my fibula. I still play because I love football. It’s just people’s choices on what they want to do with their lives,” senior Eteuati Faauli said. There are benefits too. Children can stay fit and healthy. Sports brings the community together. According to atheleticscholarships.net, students who are in sports activities are less likely to suffer from stress and depression. It’s up to the adult to step in if things get too dangerous for children. Senior and football player Greison Rodrigues-Silva said, “You have to have somebody professional observe children playing sports to warn parents if the children are pushing themselves too hard.”
Emergency room visits in 2012 by sport
1. Football 2. Bicycles 3. Basektball 4. Baseball/Softball 5. Soccer 6. Swimming 7. Trampoline 8. Roller/Ice Skating 9. Skateboard 10. Hockey 11. Volleyball nerdwallet.com
14 THE PINION -
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Team manager show Sports
Student shares with varsity boys by James Deguinon, reporter
B
asketball. A game of competition, passion and spirit. The ultimate feeling of dribbling a basketball from left to right in many combinations and free throwing the ball in the basket defines the game.
With teamwork, technique and dedication, a team can win a game and be successful in the future. Today we look at the sidelines of a successful team. Junior Emmanuel Pichay, whom the students refer to as “Manny,” is a junior. Pichay is the team manager of the McKinley varsity boys basketball team. He said being team manager of the basketball team is like taking care of everyone in the team. He helps the players prepare for games before they start. The players practice their lay ups, offense and defense. In action, he keeps the players on the bench refreshed as the water boy. He sits with the players on the bench and watches them play as he makes sure everyone on the team is content. “Manny is a very hard worker,” said senior Ray Jay John. “He comes out to the basketball team and helps us out.” Team manger Manny Pichay helping out his team. Photo by Kayla Rasavanh
- THE PINION 15
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close bond s basketball
“Manny is a good guy,” senior Nikko Venzon said. “He does a lot of things for us during basketball season.” Not only does Manny help the team in practice sessions, he brings fun to it. Both John and Venzon said that after practice they would mess around with him and the team in the gym. “Lets just say, this is a fun and cool experience,” Pichay said. “I just wanna be there even if I didn’t make it on the team,” Pichay said. The coach asked him if he wanted to be team man“Without him, we probably might not be that much fun or motivational,”Ray Jay John said. Photo ager after tryouts for the by James Deguinon team. Manny showed his good sportsmanship and to The basketball players like John and something and shake everybody’s hand became the team’s manager. Venzon think of Pichay as a brother to and motivate us,” John said. He showed his dedication by them. Pichay said the basketball team “I was surprised because we already going to meetings early and was like family to him. have a team manager,” Venzon said. always being on time. “Without him, it probably might not “Having two was even better because Pichay became passionate about be that much fun or motivational,” John there was two people doing a lot of things basketball when he was on the basketball said. for us,” Venzon said. “I think the team team at Central Middle School during “Just from him being an individual to would stay the same, but it won’t be that 7th and 8th grade. Before basketball all of us, he’s like a brother to us so he much fun because we don’t get to joke games, Pichay usually shoots around helps us. If he wasn’t there, then things around with someone like him,”Venzon with the other team manager. would be different after practice because said. “It’s kinda fun,” Pichay said. “It actuevery time we huddle up, we say some“I have a nice personality and that’s ally felt like playing basketball with my thing. He would be the last one to say what says a lot about me,” Pichay said. friends at the park.”
“I just wanna be there even if I didn’t make it on the team.” — junior Emmanuel Pichay
16 THE PINION -
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