THE PINI N
Serving the Tiger community since 1920
Student-edited paper of McKinley High School Vol. 96 No.4
Honolulu, Hawaii
May 2018
‘Friday Night Lights’ gives students new opportunities
Photo by Jodi Tanabe-Hanzawa.
by Alexandria Buchanan, assistant editor From bowling to football and everything in between, most students have different options to play a team sport and represent McKinley High School against other island schools. However, “most” does not mean all and some students don’t get the same opportunities their peers have due to disadvantages they are unable to control or prevent. The “Friday Night Lights” project gives these students the opportunity to represent their school on a sports team and get the student athlete experience. This program allows special needs students to play basketball head to head with others around the island. They have the opportunity to play a competitive game and learn what it’s like to be on a team. “Friday Night Lights” was started in 2015 by The University of Hawaii Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science program. When it first started, Roosevelt and Kalani were
the only schools that participated, but this year Moanalua and McKinley students were invited. “This league was definitely positive and impactful for the students and adults involved,” said Jodi Tanabe-Hanzawa, coach of the MHS team. “Every athlete definitely showed growth from the beginning to the end of the league... The students have gotten closer and respect each other more.” Many of these students involved were unable to play on the school’s official athletic teams, which made this program an opportunity for them and their families. These players were supported by their coaches, peer mentors, parents and their classmates, who came to games, made signs and cheered. The students who participated and played on the teams were in high spirits as they were praised and encouraged by the supportive audience. (Continued on Page 2) RS 18-1228, May 2018
2 THE PINION
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The Pinion Staff Editor-in-Chief Anela Chavez
Assistant Editor
Alexandria Buchanan
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.
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The Tigers played their first game against Roosevelt at Roosevelt High School on April 20. Photo by Alexandria Buchanan.
(Continued from Page 1) The peer mentors on each team were able to play with and assist the players. Many of them were members of the basketball team that plays in the OIA league. Thanks to Friday Night Lights, these athletes were able to coach and befriend the students they don’t usually get a chance to know. Senior Stephen Martin was a peer mentor for the Tigers and attended practices and games to aid the team. “I think this program was good for them because it gives them a chance to shine and actually lets them shine,” said Martin. “I saw a lot of growth in all the teams. I just hope that there are other people that can give their time for the community. I’ve also learned so much from this program and I bet they did as well.” The students who were involved showed their school pride by carrying themselves respectfully on and off the court towards each other and their opponents. They played hard. Win or lose, they shook the other team’s hands, showing true sportsmanship. Junior Kahealani Gumataotao was one of the players representing MHS this year. This was her first time participating on an athletic team. “I enjoyed it because I got to play against other teams and plus, I got to learn how to work with my teammates,” Gumataotao said. “We need more time together, it’s really fun.” It is not certain whether MHS will be involved in the next Friday Night Lights. It is clear that players, student mentors, and coaches agree that it is a great opportunity for these students. “Every school should have teams for these students to give them the opportunity they would’ve never had,” Tanabe-Hanzawa said. “The athletes will never forget their experience and will cherish their memories. My team members are talking about next year and the students exiting school told me they wished we had this in the previous years.”
“I enjoyed it because I got to play against other teams, and plus I got to learn how to play with my teammates.”
- Kahealani Guamataotao
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THE PINION 3 News
McKinley Dance Club holds ‘Last Chance To Dance’ by Marietta Teramoto, reporter McKinley’s Dance Club presented Finesse: Last Chance To Dance in the evening of Apr. 27 at the cafeteria with DJ entertainment, a photo booth, paperpit, glow-sticks, food and fun. This year’s theme is based off of Bruno Mars’ hit song “Finesse” featuring Cardi B. It is a funk, new jack swing and pop song that became very popular. Edward Sariol, the business manager for MHS, is the Dance Club’s adviser and dance teacher. “It’s our annual fundraiser. We are the Dance Club and we like to dance. So we thought that it’s a good way to get everybody together while raising funds,” Sariol said. This dance was open to all high schoolers who bought the pre-sale ticket price of $7 or paid $10 at the door. “We called it ‘The Last Chance to Dance’ because... if you’re a senior and you can’t go to senior prom, if you’re a junior and you can’t go to junior prom, or you’re an underclassman and you’re still wanting to go to that dance or dance with that somebody special then it could be your last chance to dance,” Sariol said. The school dance was planned with other clubs in mind. “We’re not selfish with the event. We invited the Photography Club to do their own photobooth, we invited the Art Club to do their own face painting and
body painting booth, we asked the Bake for Friends Club to see if they wanted to sell their concession stuff,” Sariol said. Junior Kylah Sagucio, vice president of the Dance Club, said the funds that the club raises will be used for mirrors. “We dance without mirrors and buying mirrors would help us see how we dance and improve us when we compete and perform,” Sagucio said.
“We are the Dance Club and we like to dance,” - Edward Sariol Sariol said he hopes the whole school will be able to use the mirrors. “We’re not selfish and if anyone else on campus needs the mirrors, like if the cheerleaders need the mirrors or if there’s a class competition, and the school could have access to that,” Sariol said. Senior Deijahlynn Bernard, president of the Dance Club, said there were some struggles when planning this event. “The hardest part about planning it was finding a DJ. We wanted a student DJ so it won’t be like some older dude taking over,” Bernard said. Sagucio also pointed out how hard planning was. “Not gonna lie. It was pretty hard
especially because we were so busy with other things, you know, performances, Tigers Got Talent. I think for the most part it was advertising especially with the deadlines we had to meet, other external sources getting in the way,” Sagucio said. Sariol agreed the event was hard to plan with all the conflicting events. “I mean it’s always hard to plan an event. This year is a bit more difficult because we’ve got back-to-back events. We also have the talent show which is happening the following Friday but that one is actually replacing what Ms. StenderJenkins, she used to do the variety show Weed and Seed,” Sariol said. This year, Stender-Jenkins won’t be hosting the show and the dance club will representing it now. Sariol said they wanted to honor her and thank her for giving them the opportunity to host the talent show. “She is kind of passing the torch over with her blessing,” Sariol said. Although they won’t be competing in this year’s show they want other students to show off their talents. “It’s all for the kids, of course,” Sariol said. Vice-president Sagucio hopes that students will enjoy the dance. “I think they will since the theme is different, unique and it’s more on the colorful side. Also I mean who doesn’t wanna have fun just for a minute, just forget all the school stuff and have fun with your friends,” Sagucio said.
The theme for this year’s dance was inspired by the song “Finesse by Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B. Photo by Marietta Teramoto.
4 THE PINION News
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McKinley holds first
Freshman Prince Jesse Kaneakua-Kai guides Princess Ciana Meafou to their seats as they met in the middle of the gym. Photo by Kanani Orta.
May Day King Jeff Faoa and Queen Tyan Tom-Kekuewa walk hand in hand to their seats. Photo by Marietta Teramoto.
Parents of Seniors King Jeff Faoa and Queen Tyan Tom-Kekuewa lei’d their children. Photo By Kanani Orta
THE PINION 5
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May Day in years
Tongan dancers Kirtley Choi (left) and Colin Guttenbeil (right) escorts Senior Tongan Queen Melvina Guttenbeil (middle) to the center of the court before they dance for the May Day Court. Photo by Marietta Teramoto.
Samoan dancers (front left to right) Fletcher Faletoi, Collin Guttenbeil, DePaul Leuta, (back) Matagimeke Kupu perform a traditional Samoan dance. Photo by Marietta Teramoto.
Hawaiian dancers are the first performers and start off this year’s May Day Ceremony. Photo by Kanani Orta. May Day Queen Tyan Tom-Kekuewa dances the traditional last dance at the May Day Ceremony. Photo by Marietta Teramoto.
6 THE PINION
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The new trees will not grow in time for graduation, leaving our campus looking sparse. Photo by Thompson Wong
Commencement is here, but something’s missing by Thompson Wong, reporter
Graduation is drawing near for McKinley High School’s Class of 2018. Unfortunately, something will be missing from this year’s commencement ceremony - the trees. According to the Department of Education, wasp infestations on the banyan trees were discovered in 2006. Since then, attempts were made to fight the wasps, but in the end, the trees couldn’t be saved. The DOE then decided to cut down the trees and replace them with Golden Trumpet trees that are resistant to the wasps. “[Cutting the trees] wasn’t really my decision. It came from the Department,” Principal Ron Okamura said. “Basically, it was becoming a health and safety issues.” Okamura said that the dying trees were a safety hazard from the large falling branches. The school administration tried many ways to save the trees. “Our last ditch effort [in saving the trees] was last year,” Okamura said,
“where UH came up with an experimental treatment.” Unfortunately, some of the trees were too far gone to be saved, resulting in the DOE’s Facilities Branch deciding to cut them down. “Throughout the years, we’ve periodically had huge branches fall off and break because the trees get rotten and weak,” Okamura said. In past commencement ceremonies, the trees held the letters to signal where the graduates were located. With some of the trees gone, some seniors are concerned for this year’s ceremony. “I think the timing was kind of bad,” senior Suzie Park said. “One of the trees that were cut was basically the tree where my letter would’ve been.” Okamura said that the school administration is looking into options as alternatives to the trees that would hold the letters.
“There’s a couple of things we’re looking at right now,” Okamura said. “One of them is that we run a line from the monkeypod trees to the first existing trees, and then hang the letters from there, and then use the other trees and put the letters as usual.” Some seniors also see the trees getting cut down as a loss of history to the school. “The trees have such a rich and long history,” senior Daniel Le said. “It’s not the same without the trees. I wish they were back.” Okamura said that the missing trees shouldn’t take away from the commencement ceremony. “Things happen, and we gotta adjust and adapt,” Okamura said. “It doesn’t stop the ceremony from taking place. It doesn’t take away from any of the grandeur, the pomp and circumstances that happens with graduation. It’s just like everything else in the world; there is change.”
THE PINION 7
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Tigers represent in the FIRST Robotics World Championship by Alexandria Buchanan, assistant editor Kenny Son - Driver Yun Yiu Cheng - Electrical Captain, Driver, Lead Programmer Aulani Eschelbach - Coach Travis Salyphone - Technician Ariel Thepsenavong- Captain, Scouting Captain Jessica Nagasako - Co-Captain, Human Player Photo by Amer Imai-Hong
In late March, the McKinley High School robotics team, Team 368 Kika Mana, competed in the FIRST Robotics Regional Competition at Stan Sheriff Arena. The team made it as finalists and won the Rockwell Innovation in Control Award which qualified them to the FIRST Robotics World Championships in Houston, Texas from April 18-21. This year, more than 91,000 students on 3,660 teams from 27 countries competed. Teams competed against their opponents in an 8-bit video game themed challenge. All teams had to play in autonomous and teleoperated periods to get the highest score and at the end of the match, defeat the game’s “boss,” or villain and win the game. Team 368 became subdivision finalists, ranking 19 out of 68. Robotics mentor Amber Imai-Hong became a student mentor for Team 368, and knows how hard the team works every season. “During build season, we spend countless hours working to build the robot and field elements,” Imai-Hong said. “I am very proud that we had such a great team of students and mentors and we were able to build a good robot.” The team reached the world championship last year as well, and made it to the semifinals. The hours of hard work and
dedication put in during school days and weekends helped them improve. Junior Ariel Thepsenavong is Team 368’s captain, and she confirms that lots of time was spent in creating this robot. “Each of us pour in at least 24 hours a week, and some of us even dedicate 40+ hours. Putting so much time in this organization means that you need to balance other parts of your life too, such as your friends, family, and schoolwork,” Thepsenavong said. “It’s worth it though, since if you’re interested in engineering, you could learn valuable skills that you may need in the future.” Sophomore Jessica Nagasako is co-captain of Team 368. This was her first time at the world championship, and she said it was a great experience. “It felt pretty amazing,” said Nagasako. “Playing on the world stage brought out my Tiger pride and honor.” The team did well, but naturally there was some doubt about competing against so many other teams. However, that didn’t stop them as they pushed through to make it to the finals. “To be honest, I felt pretty afraid, competing against so many teams who have done much better than us yet we still made it to finals in our division,” sophomore Travis Salyphone, the team’s
technician said. “Other than that, I also felt proud, helping our team make it that far into the competition.” Just like any team, the many hours spent together created a bond between the members. The group considers each other a second family. “We spend so much time with each other that we really do become like a family,” senior Kenny Son, Team 368’s driver said, “just a really dysfunctional one.” Junior Aulani Eschelbach is the robotic team’s coach and believes the team has a family like bond as well. If others want to join, they should be able to have fun, but know when work needs to get done. “[You should] be able to commit, meet your weekly hours and exceed them, and just have fun but be able to work when it’s needed,” Eschelbach said. “If you don’t enjoy it, it may seem like a lot of work, but in my opinion it’s really worth the hours that we put in.” If you are interested in joining the robotics team, they are always open to new members. It is recommended for those who have a passion for engineering, and willing to learn about the different aspects from machining to coding. If you have any questions or you want to learn more, go to J5 for more information.
8 THE PINION Features
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McKinley Speech Team heading to Nationals by Thompson Wong, reporter
Seniors Melanie Lau and Winton Young placed second for their piece, qualifying them for the national competition in Florida this summer. Photo by Thompson Wong
On April 14, the McKinley High School Speech Team competed in the Hawaii State Speech and Debate Tournament at Punahou School. For the first time in six years, the speech team will be competing at the National Speech and Debate Tournament. Nine members of the team competed at the state tournament, and four placed in their respective categories. Freshman Aiden Reyes placed third in the Humorous Interpretation category and sophomore Aileen Chang placed third in the Original Oratory category. Seniors Melanie Lau and Winton Young placed second in the Duo Interpretation category, which qualified for the national competition. “When I realized we were going to nationals, I just couldn’t stop smiling,” Lau said. “It’s a feeling of great joy.” The national tournament will be held at Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The tournament starts on June 18 with preliminary rounds, then breaking off to top 60 people of each category. The top 60 will then compete in elimination rounds, resulting in finals. “It feels both very exciting and very terrifying,” Lau said. “Competitors in the mainland just compete at a whole other level. It’s another universe.” Lau and Young competed in Duo Interpretation, a category in which two competitors perform a piece from either a book or a play. The two are not allowed to look or interact with each other, or use props in any way. “Duo [Interpretation] is pretty difficult if you’re not in sync with each other,” Young said. “You have to make sure you always come on time after the other person’s line.” The piece that Lau and Young performed was “Sweet Nothing in my Ear,” a play by Stephen Sachs. The play is about a deaf woman and her hearing husband, with a son that begins to lose his hearing. This starts heated arguments between the wife and
husband on whether deafness is an ability or a defect. “[The piece] shows not only a side of the hearing community, but also a side of the deaf community,” Young said. “It really makes you question your views and stances on what’s right and wrong, what’s ethical or not, especially if it involved your son.” Lau and Young learned sign language for their piece in the span of two weeks, with the help of teammate Pumehana Holmes and her mother Christine Holmes, who was formally an American Sign Language teacher. “Melanie and Winton learning sign language for their piece was worrisome in the beginning, because sign language not only uses hands, but facial expressions as well,” Holmes said. “Seeing them progress each time I saw them was gratifying because that type of progress could only be achieved by hard work and dedication, as well as long hours.” Despite making it to nationals, Lau and Young are still working hard for the competition. Speech Coach Helen Chang has been working with the two in polishing and perfecting their piece. “Mainland speech and debate is a whole different animal,” Chang said. “The Hawaii circuit has a disadvantage of being disconnected from the continental U.S., and therefore rarely gets to compete against larger districts. Together we will review [previous National Speech] videos and incorporate the technical with the emotional.” The national competition will be the last speech and debate tournament for the two seniors. It will be a great opportunity to spend time with their teammates one last time before they move on to college. “It’s a very great way to end off my senior year,” Lau said, “with the highest level of speech you can get to.”
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Loomis teaches students to love history
THE PINION 9 Features
by Kelvin Ku, reporter Jonathan Loomis is a Spanish and history teacher at McKinley High School. He is well liked among students for having fun lessons and an amiable personality. “Mr. Loomis is very interactive with the class and makes class fun enough where you can learn,” senior You Jin Kim said. “He actually checks if students understand the material.” Students enjoy his classes because the way he teaches is fun and interactive. “I like his class a lot and don’t feel bored while he is teaching,” senior Michael Sumaylo said Loomis has been teaching since 2001 and started teaching at MHS in 2010 after he moved to Hawaii to take care of his grandparents. He was interested in learning about history from a young age and later decided to teach it as a career. “I liked history since I was a child and so did my parents, so I would always visit historical sites and read history books,” Loomis said. “Later on I decided I would like to teach history.” Loomis is not only interested in history. He partakes in Okinawan Taiko and is part of the Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko organization in Hawaii. “When me and my wife first moved to Hawaii, we decided to
Photo by Kelvin Ku
take a class to meet people and that was Okinawan Taiko and we loved it,” Loomis said. For some, history may be a boring subject that doesn’t interest them, but Loomis has made students at MHS enjoy learning about the past. “As a student I know history is boring for most, but with Mr. Loomis teaching it can be fun. He teaches history in a way that students will enjoy learning about it. If you get him next year ,you won’t regret it,” senior Raymond Lei said.
Art department showcases student work
Photos by Thompson Wong
by Thompson Wong, reporter On April 6, McKinley High School held its annual Art Festival, showcasing a variety of artworks made by the students of MHS. There were many forms of art featured at the festival. The drawings, paintings and masks that decorated the hallways of D-Building were created by the art students. The artful photo-
graphs that also aligned with the artworks on the walls were captured by the photography students. The festival also featured films from the digital media students, that were created throughout the course of their school year, and also featured a performance from the dance club.
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Welcome, new student government officers by Thompson Wong and Kelvin Ku, reporters On March 9, McKinley High School held annual student government elections during lunch and after school to choose officers for MHS. The officers chosen will be responsible for planning and organizing student events. The student council members each have ambitions and their own reasons to run. “Because it’s freshman year, lots of students are shy,” future Sophomore Class President Tracee Nguyen said. “I want to get a lot more students, especially freshmen, to be more enthusiastic and involved in school events,” Pumehana Holmes is the future Junior Class President. Holmes said she plans to encourage her class to participate in more school activities. “Our class doesn’t have as much spirit as it could,” Holmes said. “I wanted to kind of influence that to change because we have such great potential as a class.” Junior Yongyu Tang is next year’s student body vice president. She wants to know more about students and their ideas for MHS. “I really want to try and get more student voices,” Tang said. “It’s really hard to plan events for the school if we don’t know what the student body wants.” April Nakamura, student activities coordinator for eight years, is the adviser for student council. Nakamura said she believes the student council plays a vital
2019’s student executive council Yongyu Tang (Vice-President), Madison Cristobal (Secretary), Kylah Sagucio (Vice-President), Alexandria Buchanan (Recording Secretary), and Jett Kaler (President). Photo by Thompson Wong
role in students’ lives. “The student government officers are supposed to be the voice or the mouthpiece for their constituents,” Nakamura said. “They should be listening, hearing what the needs are, or the wants are, ideas, and that kind of thing, taking them into consideration, and implementing those activities or events.” As of this article’s publication, there are fifteen members elected for next year’s council, but this may change as they recruit more people to fill in positions. “I understand why people wouldn’t want to join student government,” Tang said. “It’s a lot of work and stress. There’s
always something to do.” This isn’t an uncommon situation though, according to Nakamura. “It’s the same thing every year. It’s not unusual,” Nakamura said. “Sometimes all seats are full, sometimes there’s a few that are still needed to be filled. I wish there would be more participation.” While lack of participation may pose a problem for next year’s student council, this hasn’t affected Nakamura’s positivity towards the council next year. “I’m very optimistic about next year’s student council,” Nakamura said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Congratulations, Darrius Dacquel! Congratulations to senior Darrius Dacquel for winning first in the state in this year’s Doodle 4 Google competition. The theme this year was “What Inspires Me.” He has advanced to the national competition where the public can vote for the five National Finalists. Voting ends May 18 at 12:00am PDT. Help our fellow Tiger to make it the Top 5 by casting your vote today! Photo by Alexandria Buchanan
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End of year thoughts by Kanani Orta, reporter
McKinley drivers ed program prepares students for future by Marietta Teramoto, reporter McKinley High School offers a drivers education program. Students partcipating in the program says that getting your driver’s license during high school is important. Senior Vanessa Khamkhays said she thinks having a driver’s license is a sign of independence. “You don’t have to walk as much. You don’t have to take the bus. You can take your friends out. You can go to far-away places for activities and stuff... You can go to anywhere you want basically,” Khamkhay said. Senior Lovely Finuliar said she wants to learn to drive as a convenience for those around her. “I can go to places on my own. I won’t have to bother my parents to drop me off somewhere,” Finuliar said. Junior Adrian Aguinaldo said he wants a driver’s license because he lives far from school. “I live on the other side of the island and it’s hard going to school in town.
(Driving to school) is way faster than the bus,” he said. “I think it’s a must-have... because you’re gonna eventually have (a license),” he said. MHS has driver education classes and is open to those who qualify. Finuliar and Khamkhay both suggest other students get their driver’s license. “If they can and if it’s convenient for them, it’s a good thing to have because sometimes it’s dangerous and stuff to walk home late, but if you’re in a car it’s kinda more safe,” Khamkhay said. Finuliar added one caveat: “As long as they drive safely and don’t drink and drive.” Getting your driver’s license is hard work, but once you get it, Aguinaldo has a favor to ask: “Don’t take all the parking stalls."
Students have four years in high school before they move on and branch out into the world. During freshman year, students may feel like they have a lot of time. Time flies, just ask the seniors. Before you know it, you’ll be crossing the oval at commencement. Senior Kalani Cheng said she has enjoyed her time at McKinley High School. “The friends made it fun, and the classes were debatable. I don’t regret putting myself out there and doing things. I’m glad I did it in the end,” Cheng said. Many seniors reminisce about their freshman year and think about their first thoughts as a high schooler. Senior Jasmine Kaleiohi said that she thought it was cool her first year because of all of the students’ diversity. “In freshman year, it was completely different than in middle school,” Kaleiohi said. “I don’t regret anything here ‘cause it makes you who you are and I enjoyed meeting new people.” Dave Blanchard is a teacher at MHS. He said he enjoys seeing students mature over their high school career. He encourages them and tells his students not to procrastinate. “I want to try to get them to finish strong, especially the seniors, and realize how fast the fourth quarter goes,” Blanchard said. “Every year, since I’m teaching that age group, I enjoy seeing them growing up and having fun while they still can and starting to realize how serious growing up is.” Kaleiohi and Cheng also have advice to share with the underclassmen. “Don’t take any classes for granted, especially electives, because it could really help you if you’re missing a credit or anything,” Kaleiohi said. “If you pass all three years, then it will make it really easier for your senior year and when you graduate.” Cheng advises students to focus on happiness and making good memories. “Focus on school and aspire to do well, but remember to take time for yourself and make high school enjoyable,” Cheng said. “Grades are important but not as important as being happy and making good memories to look back on.”
12 THE PINION Editorials
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Students want more benches and tables by Egan Medeiros, reporter
McKinley High School should have more tables and benches. The school has around 1,500 students. The amount of tables and chairs we have is not enough for all the students in this school. When I get lunch, I would like to sit at a table and eat but often the benches or tables are all full. I’m not the only one. I always see people sitting down on the floor by T building to eat their lunch. I also see people at tables in front of the cafeteria standing up because there is no space left because there are no tables to eat on. I think it’s bad to sit on the floor and eat because it’s dirty. All the students walk around and their shoes get dirty from the ground. A majorty of the benches and tables can be found outside of the cafeteria, not all students We have so much room on campus, such as can fit in this area. Photo by Alexandria Buchanan. between Hirata Hall and F-Building, to add more benches and tables. We have 64 benches and 31 tables around the school. We still have a lot more space around the school to get tables and benches to sit at. If we don’t have the money to get more tables and benches right now, we should make sure to keep it a priority and start fundraising in order to fund it. We definitely need more tables and benches for the students of MHS.
Art by Mikaela Yasay
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THE PINION 13 Editorials
Students have had #Enough
On March, 14, McKinley High School participated in a Student Walkout to protest school safety and violence, and pay respects to the 17 lives that were lost at South Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Photo by Thompson Wong
I participated in the #WalkOut because for me, it was really important to show our community that we aren’t happy with what is going on in this world. I placed myself in their shoes because you never know what will happen in the future. If this incident happened at our school and I was one of the victims, I would want people to take a stand. People go to school to learn, not to be killed, murdered, etc. They go to school to learn, make friends, and create a career. Everywhere in this world is not safe. Some people might be sitting in class and scared. We might say where we live is safe and nothing will happen, but on the other hand no one knows what will happen to them within one second. I would love if schools were more organized, safe, honorable, and respectful. - Sarah AbuRabi On Feb. 14, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School at Parkland, Florida 17 victims died, and at least 14 victims were hurt from this horrific shooting. It has affected so many people from not only Florida, but around the world. As a student at McKinley High School, it was very hard for me to understand how someone can be so evil, to be able to do such a thing. Today, March 14, I gather with friends and classmates in front of our school courtyard in a time of peace and silence for 17 minutes, and every minute dedicated to each loved one that passed away, with a powerful protest against guns, calling for lawmakers to put a more strict policy on gun control. As we were standing together as one, I felt the love and warmth that every individual brought to this walkout. We might think that this was such a small thing that we did, but it can bring attention to this serious matter. Enough is Enough. It’s time that we take action. - Lesoni Kanongataa
14 THE PINION Editorials
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Marvel delivers another blockbuster
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ leaves fans wanting more by Anela Chavez, editor-in-chief
M
any Marvel fans have been eagerly waiting for the coveted Avengers: Infinity Wars movie. It was announced to release on May 4 but when the release date was pushed up to Apr. 27, many fans including myself were more excited and couldn’t handle the anticipation. Knowing that this movie would feature many of our favorite heroes implied many of them could die. If you read Marvel, you would have an idea of who was on the chopping block but if you are a true Marvel fan then you know well that they don’t always play by the rules. As a Marvel fan I couldn’t help but worry about my childhood heroes, yet I was incredibly excited see them all come together. This movie was huge, it brought The Avengers, Doctor Strange, The Guardians of the Galaxy and many others, including the infamous Thanos together to make the best movie of the year. In previous Marvel movies, there were many hints as to the coming battle and the involvement of the Infinity Stones. At the end of Thor: Ragnarok, Thanos’ ship was seen standing face to face with the Asgardian ship. Thanos was on a mission to collect all six of the Infinity Stones: soul, reality, power, mind, time, and space in order to place them in his gauntlet so that he could “cleanse” the world by wiping out half of the universe. The first of the Avengers to face him were Thor and The Hulk who were unsuccessful. Hulk returned to Earth to warn the rest of the Avengers and that’s when the real battle began. Throughout the movie were a couple of storylines. Between Black Panther, Bruce Banner, Vision, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers fighting on the fronts of Wakanda to the Guardians, Spider-man, Doctor Strange and Iron Man fighting on Thanos’ home planet Titan, I was on the edge of my seat. After watching the movie I can honestly say that it was not a disappointment. The chemistry and banter between the characters really tied the movie together. The visual effects were outstanding. Overall, it was a fantastic film but this movie was about a war and in war, people die. It brought tears to my eyes to see my childhood idols turn to ash and fade away but it wouldn’t be a Marvel movie if there weren’t some emotionally damaging scenes. As much as I enjoyed this movie, it did leave me with quite a few questions but with any Marvel movie you are guaranteed a clue as to what comes next and that’s exactly what they gave me. So, if you’re looking to watch the movie of a lifetime, Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Infinity Wars is the movie for you.
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THE PINION 15 Sports
McKinley Tigers place at Hawaii State Judo Championship
On May 5, the 2018 Atlas Insurance Agency Hawaii State Judo Championship was held at the Stan Sheriff Center. McKinley High School was one of the many schools represented at the tournament. Photo by Anela Chavez.
Senior Ezekiel Samuelu placed 2nd in the 285 weight class. Photo by Anela Chavez.
Senior Laulii Iosefa placed 2nd in the 220 weight class. Photo by Anela Chavez.
Senior Marvin Weilbacher placed 5th in the 198 weight class. Photo by Anela Chavez.
16 THE PINION Online Highlights
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Photo by Cynthia Reves
The Pinion staff attended the Hawaii High School Journalism Awards Luncheon on April 18 and earned various awards for their work throughout the school year. The Pinion placed third in column writing, second in editorial writing, second in blog writing, third in news writing, third in illustration, third in portrait photo and second in editorial cartoon. Sophomore and assistant editor Alexandria Buchanan earned the title of “Most Valuable Staffer� on The Pinion staff. Thank you for supporting The Pinion this year. We hope you enjoyed our paper. For more content, check out our website mhspinion.com for more stories and cast a vote in our Tiger Tally.
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