THE PINI N
Serving the Tiger community since 1920
Student-edited paper of McKinley High School Vol. 96 No.3
Honolulu, Hawaii
March 2018
Boys soccer team claims Division II Championship MHS tops Kalaheo for first title win since 1977 by Alexandria Buchanan, assistant editor
1977 was the last year the McKinley High School boys soccer team held the title of OIA champions. On Feb. 3, the Tigers challenged the Kalaheo Mustangs and took home the Divison II Championship title with their 3-2 win, ending the 41-year dry spell. “This season was just special. Even though we had a losing streak, we never gave up, stayed positive, and played our hearts out,” senior Hieu Huynh said. Earlier this season, McKinley lost to Kalaheo 5-2. By halftime of the championship game, they were down to the Mustangs once again, 2-0. This time around, the Tigers weren’t going to let history repeat itself. “They beat us the first time and we wanted to change it this time. People doubted us. We never had the numbers… but we overcame that and enjoyed the game,” senior Jonathan Mancia said. The Tigers faced many challenges like lack of players and eight consecutive losses at the beginning of the season, but they were able to beat the odds to take the title. “It feels good to be a DII champ. There’s no words to describe it,” Huynh said. “Being part of a team that’s making history for McKinley is just an honor. I want to walk into the gym and point at the banner and say I’m proud to be a Tiger.” RS 18-0826, March 2018
2 THE PINION
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News
The Pinion Staff Editor-in-Chief Anela Chavez
Assistant Editor
Alexandria Buchanan
First-ever Tiger Fest motivates students by Alexandria Buchanan, assistant editor
Reporters
Kelvin Ku Kanani Orta Marietta Teramoto Thompson Wong
Adviser Cynthia Reves Mission
The Pinion staff strives to provide and maintain accurate, entertaining and informative news for the students, staff and alumni of McKinley High School. We strive to be diligent in creating our content in order to make positive contributions to the public.
Publication Information The Pinion is published by the Newswriting class and printed by Reprographics Learning Center.
To kick off the first Tiger Fest at McKinley High School, there were mini games held at F-Building courtyard from Feb. 20 to the 22 at lunch. “We wanted to be creative with what we put on for the students,” Student Body President Melanie Lau said. “I feel like it was an exciting event, one that allowed for more interaction than a dress-up week.”s
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Sophomore Juni Phillip sang “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran at the Tiger Rally on February 23. His talents were enjoyed by the whole school who cheered and danced during the entire performance. Philip’s performance, along with several motivational speakers, inspired the students and staff to overcome obstacles.
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THE PINION 3 News
MHS inducts Miyagi into Hall of Honor by Pinion staff
Since 1986, McKinley High School has acknowledged alumni who have made a difference in the community. On Jan. 26, Major General Vern Miyagi was inducted into this distinguished group. Introducing him, student activities coordinator April Nakamura said, “Mr. Miyagi, you’ve always put people ahead of yourself. ... And the only time you’ve ever stepped in front of somebody else was to take that hit for them. But not today. Today, we put you in front. Today, we honor you.” During his high school career, Miyagi participated in JROTC and won a state title in judo. He graduated from MHS in 1966, then attended the University of Manoa and got his Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and a Masters of Business Administration degree. He worked full time for over 37 years in the United States Army, and was a certified Public Accountant for 11 years. Major General Miyagi was administrator for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. HEMA is responsible for providing relief and support during major disasters and emergencies. Miyagi also held a primary leadership position in the Hawaii State Civil Defense. Former Governor of Hawaii Linda Lingle was present at
the assembly and had a few words about Miyagi. “You live (life) with respect for others. You live it with integrity and you live it the way he showed recently in front of a million people. And that is, you take responsibility. You step up when it requires you to step up. And he’s a role model for every student and faculty member in this school and he’s a role model for the people of Hawaii for the way he conducted himself these past two weeks.” During the Hall of Honor assembly, Miyagi encouraged students to aspire to do great things. “All of you have the same opportunities that we had then. Make the most of what you learn and experience,” Miyagi said. “Achieve your goals. You have so much to look forward to. You are our hope and future. Go for it.”
“All of you have the same opportunities that we had...” - Vern Miyagi
4 THE PINION Feature
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MHS welcomes back Waterman by Anela Chavez, editor-in-chief
Santos lends helping hand by Tue Le and Egan Medeiros, reporters
Waterman enjoys swimming, surfing and all things ocean related. Photo by Anela Chavez.
English teacher Jude Waterman recently returned to McKinley High School after a semester. He returned to his hometown in California because his mother is battling cancer and he felt it was important for him to be there for her. He said he loves her very much, and she made him the person he is today. Since his return, Waterman has felt very welcomed and is appreciative of the support he has received from students and faculty. He is especially grateful for the support Principal Ron Okamura has given him. “Although I was gone McKinley High School and my students were always in my heart,” Waterman said. Waterman has been teaching at MHS for many years and said he enjoys working at what he describes as the best high school in America. When he was a freshman in high school Waterman knew he wanted to be a teacher due to the inspiring teachers he had. He received his English degree from California State University in Long Beach and his master’s in Education from Hawaii Pacific University. After graduating from college he put down roots in Hawaii and so did his twin brother. His brother is an English teacher at Kawananakoa Middle.
Waterman said it’s been a great experience teaching alongside his brother As a teacher, he hopes his students find success and participate in MHS traditions, such as walking across the oval during commencement. “The pride and tradition at McKinley High School is truly unique and magical,” Waterman said. Much like his favorite author Ernest Hemingway, he himself, found literary success when he had his article published in the March 2007 issue of HawaiiHome. His piece was on an appliance store located in Honolulu known as Lighting Concepts. Waterman is proud of this accomplishment and his students think it’s impressive. “I think its cool that he’s been published,” junior Evelyn Ramos said. After being back in the classroom for a few months now, Waterman is looking forward to finishing the school year strong. He hopes his students will find his class fun and enjoyable. “He teaches us with so much passion and he cares a lot about us and our education,” junior Sabrina Williams said. “I’m thrilled to be back,” Waterman said.
Dusty Santos is a teacher at McKinley High School that helps special education students and students that have a hard time hearing. “The best part of my job is teaching students,” Santos said. “I like to see that I change lives but it doesn’t happen right away. It’s a long process but it makes me feel good.” When he’s not teaching students at MHS, Santos advises the American Sign Language (ASL) club, and Micronesian club. He likes to do community service with his Micronesian club. ”The activity that I really like to do with the club are out doors community services, we help clean up the park, beach, and a hiking spot or something like that,” Santos said. Santos is originally from Pohnpei, and started his teaching career at an elementary school. Then coming to Hawaii changed his eld when administration started putting special education students into the regular education classrooms. Administration put one deaf boy in his classroom. ”I didn’t know sign language at that time. Nobody taught me or nobody came with him to sign for him in my class and that’s when I started to thinking about how can I help this one boy among 25 students,” Santos said.
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Cyber Patriots teach students to be tech savvy
THE PINION 5 Features
by Kelvin Ku, reporter
Cyber Patriots is a global group that work on programming. McKinley offers it as an after school program for students. There are seven members in Cyber Patriots and they are divided into two teams. One with all of the members who are also in JROTC and members who aren’t. “In Cyber Patriots we learn how to script and find address and terminal. For those that don’t know these terms, think of it like programming,” member Christian Troung said. The organization meets in room J4 after school, every Friday. “The program entails protection for computers against hacking and learning how to be safe while on the net,” Troung said. Cyber Patriots also have competitions against other schools to test knowledge and skills they have learned. Unlike most competitions, it is not tournament based but
on a point system. The team with higher points would win. “We get points for how well we do in completing a certain mission or assignment we are given and depending on how well or fast we complete the assignment or if we do,” member Aaron Park said. The Cyber Patriots program is not only a way for students with similar interests to interact with each other, but a way for students to prepare for the future. “My goal is to allow students to gain experience that they can use later in their life,” said Cyber Patriot’s advisor, Mark Munar.
McKinley wins medals at the OBDA Solo & Ensemble by Thompson Wong, reporter
Senior Jungwoo Park plays the trombone. Photo by Thompson Wong.
All McKinley High School band participants in the Oahu Band Directors Association’s Solo and Ensemble Festival were awarded medals for their outstanding performance on Jan. 21. The islandwide festival is held annually for all high school students to perform a selected solo or group piece in front of judges. Hundreds of high school students participate in this festival. “It prepares you for the pressure when you actually have to play in front of a bigger audience,” flute player Kiana Ogawa said. Ogawa has been participating in this festival since her freshman year. Her skills have greatly improved as she participated in each festival.
“I can play harder music now,” Ogawa said, “I know how to make my playing better.” Clarinet player Luna Umezawa, has also participated in the festival before, and compares her experience from her first year taking part in the festival. “My first time, I did it with an ensemble,” Umezawa said, “my second and third year was a solo. So I would say it’s a lot different, because I had people next to me [my first year].” Despite the challenge, Umezawa continued to participate in the festival. “Overall, my technique got better,” Umezawa said, “especially because I did more difficult songs.” Among the veteran participants, there were also new people trying for their new experience, one of them being trombone player Jungwoo Park. “I thought [Solo and Ensemble] was actually fun,” Park said, “I think I should’ve done it in the previous years.” Along with Ogawa, Umezawa, and Park, there were also 6 other participants in the festival from MHS; Alyssa Kondo, Paula Hynh, Kenso Kume, and Lynn Nguyen, and Jewel Racasa. “[Solo and Ensemble] builds your confidence levels as well as your ability to play music,” Ogawa said, “because you get to explore more things about yourself and how to play well.”
6 THE PINION Editorials
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Honolulu Museum of Art is must-see by Kanani Orta, reporter
I used to visit the Honolulu Museum of Art a lot when I was younger, but I have not been recently. I walk past the museum on my way home and on most days, I see lots of people going in and out of the museum. I was very glad I got the chance to visit with The Pinion staff because I love art and hadn’t found the time to go on my own lately. We visited four different galleries: The Pacific Islands, Medieval + Renaissance, Arts of Hawai’i and Arts of the Islamic World. The first gallery, The Pacific Islands, had a piece that really stood out. When I first walked in, I saw something called a ‘Standing Slit Gong” (atingting kon) which was made in the 20th century out of carved wood. It’s a tall gong with a long slit going down its stomach and its face looks like one of those cool tapu masks from a Crash Bandicoot video game. When I looked through the Medieval + Renaissance gallery, there was a statue that dated back to the 14th century of a Madonna holding a child and a scepter that caught my eye. I’ve seen pictures of that statue before so I guess seeing something familiar is why I was so interested in it. The Arts of Hawai’i gallery had a painting titled ‘The Torchlight Fishermen’ that I found eye catching. The painting had many fishing boats in the waters off Waikiki with torches lighting the boats. The background was dark which probably means that it was set at night. It was a really beautiful piece of artwork. Overall, I think the museum is a really exciting place. When you do get the chance to visit, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. The musuem is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10-4:30, and is free for those under 18. Admission is free for everyone the first Wednesday and third Sunday of every month. It is located at 900 S. Beretania Street, a few blocks from MHS.
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One Museum, Many Cultures by Kelvin Ku and Thompson Wong , reporters
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THE PINION 7 Editorials
On a recent visit to the Honolulu Museum of Art, two photojournalists searched for and found a story to tell through art that spoke to them. This photo essay tells a story from the start of life to the present. As time passes, life and existence on earth changes. It goes from the formation of land to the creation of life, then to the formation of civilization into the modern civilization we have now.
“Volcano” The fiery red volcano flows throughout its body and seeps through the rock. This picture captures the natural phenomenon or disaster to some. Smoke blows from its surface of the scene almost as if it is expressing its anger. It really is a miracle of nature and destruction to the ancients. Its eruption may have just been perceived as the anger of the gods. Though the scene may entail danger and scream destruction, it embodies the beauty of nature and its cruelty. It captures the formation of land and the start of life. Photo by Thompson Wong.
“Amherst Parking Lot #1” The colors combine to give an image that is not meant to be praised for reality but the imagery of creativity and art in the world. The autumn colors portray the season and environment. This art style is very prominent in other forms of art as well. This is in order to better portray autumn and urban areas. It simplifies reality itself while also giving a feeling that life is really just that simple. This connects to the theme we are aiming for, which is modern civilization and as time goes more timelines continue. Photo by Thompson Wong.
“snitch” This statue of the iconic and adorable character Stitch actually has a darker and deeper meaning with the art. The Maori artist Brett Graham renamed the character “snitch” for his artwork. With Stitch’s careless and “clueless destruction,” Graham makes him a metaphor for a bigger issue, foreigners’ impact on indigenous cultures. Also showing the character in tar and feather, Graham applied an 18th century American stereotype of symbolic criticism to the character, where Stitch’s typical behavior would’ve gotten him tarred and feathered. Here is the creation of life and the start of something bigger. Photo by Anela Chavez.
Good art does not only come in sculptures or paintings. It can come in things we see and experience every day. This plate that may only be seen as a means to serve food can also portray exquisite art. It has an an air of elegance and pride that wouldn’t seem out of place as the dishware of royalty.
8 THE PINION Sports
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Laulii Iosefa and Ezekiel Samuelu with their coach Brian Payanal and teammate Marvin Weilbacher. Photo by Brison Payanal.
Wrestlers take first in states
First time in 21 years MHS gets multiple state titles by Alexandria Buchanan, assistant editor
One year ago, wrestlers Laulii Iosefa and Ezekiel Samuelu both placed third in states, but they weren’t satisfied. This season, the duo both brought home first place state titles in their weight classes. “I had to stay positive and work harder,” Samuelu said. “I feel happy knowing how hard we worked this season.” McKinley hasn’t held multiple state wrestling titles in 21 years, making these seniors not only state champions, but history makers. “I worked way harder and practiced more on what I was junk on,” Iosefa said. “I just worked hard and put God first in everything I did.” These improvements from last season didn’t come easy. Iosefa and Samuelu both worked extremely hard, and had a lot of support from coaches, teammates, and family. “I think he [Iosefa] did really good this wrestling season,” Iosefa’s mother, Danielle Iosefa, said. “Just staying focused, working hard, and staying humble.” The two wrestlers had to work extremely hard this season to get the results they did. It took a lot of commitment and time to condition and working on moves at practice, watching what they ate, and working out on their own. Iosefa and Samuelu wanted to make sure their senior was a success.
Samuelu’s mother, Shanel Samuelu said, “[Ezekiel] pushes his skills to the limits and he knows he can always get better. On the mats we saw more focus and alertness compared to previous seasons.” These two student athletes have worked hard all season to make family, coaches, and teammates proud. Their improvement from last season not only brought home two state titles, but can be used as a lesson to all. “This is a beginning of a new era at McKinley. We know that there are kids out there who can achieve anything if they strive and aim high,” said Shanel Samuelu. “Never doubt yourself, and when you fall pick yourself up again.”
“I just worked hard and put God first in everything I did.” - Laulii Iosefa, senior
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‘The Post’ represents women, media well
THE PINION 9 Editorials
Oscar-nominated film stars Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks by Alexandria Buchanan, assistant editor In the newly released drama thriller, “The Post,” we watch the story of a national cover-up and a woman working and thriving in a man’s world. The Washington Post’s owner Katharine Graham, faces many challenges as a female in a 1970’s office, but when this cover-up comes to light, she must overcome her differences with editor Ben Bradlee in hopes to save not only their jobs, but the whole newspaper. The New York Times is running a series on the government’s deception of the American public. However, it was halted by the court who ruled against any further publications from the Times. Graham decided to publish The Post’s piece about the same leaked copies, despite what consequences may follow. The White House retaliated, leading the Post and Times together before the Supreme Court to fight over their right to
Other 2018 Oscar Nominees:
publish the documents. “The Post’s’ plot not only tells the story of newspapers exposing government secrets, but the struggles Graham had to face as a woman in a dominantly male profession. In 2018, this story is very empowering to females everywhere who are struggling with stereotypes and unfairness in not only work settings, but everyday life. I believe “The Post” does an excellent job in retelling the story of not only The Washington Post, but of Katharine Graham, who is an excellent role model for young girls and women everywhere. I recommend this movie to everyone, boys and girls, because it has an interesting plot that teaches you history. This story may be more suitable and entertaining for older audiences, but overall “The Post” is a great movie that represents journalism and women well.
10 THE PINION Editorials
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Art by Anna Baker. Concept by Kanoe Costorio-Meyer. The term ‘fake news’ was first made popular by President Donald Trump. He used the phrase to try and discredit nationally recognized newspapers and news channels. It is important for journalists to keep an unbiased opinion unless they are writing editorial pieces. It is a journalist’s duty to share accurate information and stay objective. It is a viewer’s job to make sure what they are reading is legitimate. That means they should vet their sources to make sure what they are reading is honest.
THE PINION 11
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Editorials
Art by Anthony Hoang. Concept by Kelvin Ku.
Art by Thompson Wong.
12 THE PINION Online Highlights
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What are your plans for Spring Break? Take our poll online @ mhspinion.com
Health and Nutrition/Natural Resources teacher Clifton Lum.
Resource History teacher Imialoa’a Richardson.
SPED Workplace Readiness teacher Jodi Tanabe-Hanzawa.
Economics and Civics/History teacher David Blanchard.
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