The Pinion Vol. 97 No. 2

T HE P INI

N

Vol. 97 / No. 2 December 2018

The student-run newspaper of McKinley High School

RS 19-0494, December 2018

BLEACHER REPORT ADVISES

THE PINION STAFF

The Bleacher Report journalist David Gardner and producer Rachel Roderman were interviewed by The Pinion staff.

by Hannah Rouillard and Ryan Vanairsdale, staff reporters Two Bleacher Report journalists made a detour while pursuing a story about varsity quarterback Alexandria Buchanan to have a short press conference with The Pinion staff in room F151. In the press conference, they were interviewed about journalism.

We asked them how they realized that Buchanan’s story was newsworthy, and they responded by saying that it was an unusual story to have a female play in a male-dominated sport.

“The most prominent position in high school football is the quarterback, so for a woman not just to play the game football but to play the main position is inherently interesting,” Bleacher Report journalist David Garner said.

After hearing Alex’s story they decided this was an important story to write. They had to do background research in order to find out what to write and what has already been written.

“I like to see what prior reporting has been about because most of the

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people that I write about have been written about at least once before …

I want to make sure that I’m giving somebody something new because that is what news is,” Gardner said.

Interviews were a vital aspect of writing the story about Buchanan.

Gardner explained that if you know the story better, you will have more information. It also helps you understand the story, and understanding the story means you can better deliver it to your readers.

“We talked to five players on the team, we talked to Alex… we also talked to two coaches from the football team, Alex’s father and her little brother… The better you know the story the better you can convey it to your readers. The more information you have and understand, the better your readers will be served by it.”

Bleacher Report producer Rachel Roderman gave this advice to the question on how to tailor work to the mission statement “I think you shouldn’t tailor it a hundred percent to their audience but kind of put it in that realm,”

Roderman said.

She elaborated on her statement by saying, “I like to see what the main audience wants and then try and get as far away from it within reason as possible, to expand the content that they’re looking at.”

The tables turned as The Pinion staffers posed a question to Buchanan, The Pinion’s editor-in-chief.

She was asked if being interviewed helped her in journalism. She said that being on both sides of the interview has given her knowledge about what it feels like for the person being interviewed and helped her conduct better interviews.

“Being able to be on both sides really helped because when I’m getting interviewed then I know what kind of responses I would like to hear to make it easier for me to write something on what I’m doing,” she said. “On the flip side, it helps me as a reporter because now I know how uncomfortable it can be when you’re being interviewed, because it’s not always easy.”

FEATURE

LOKAHI FIGHTS LONELINESS

IN SENIOR HOMES

by Alexandria Buchanan, editor-in-chief The holiday season is the time of year when families and friends get together to celebrate. For many, it is a time of happiness, but for those without anybody to spend the holidays with, it can get lonely. Especially for the senior citizens who are alone in their elderly homes, unable to see their loved ones.

34 million Americans aged 65 and older suffer from some sort of depression. Most cases are caused by separation from their family and friends and can lead to suicide. Although it may seem unrealistic to stop all seniors’ loneliness, one group of students at McKinley High School made the first step to tackle this issue, one Wednesday visit to Kulana Hale at a time.

The Lokahi Project started four years ago at McKinley by students in the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders program. The group has made changes to the project, but has kept the same vision to make seniors feel welcomed, loved, included, and important to today’s society.

Senior Mayele Bautista, this year’s project lead, cares deeply about this project and has put in lots of time with

FEATURE

her team to make it better. Depression impacts many of Hawaii’s senior citizens, and Bautista believes people should be more aware of this issue.

“Considering how most people have elderly relatives and grow old themselves, people should be more aware of what may affect the older population,” Bautista said. “My goals for this project is to expand Lokahi and spread what we do to many more people.”

To some, it may sound boring to hang out with the elderly for a couple hours every week. Many would think the age gap would create awkwardness during the visits. However, junior Hanseong Kim, another member of Lokahi, enjoys the project and has built many friendships with the seniors he visits.

“Once you get to know them, it just feels like you’re hanging out with your friends,” Kim said. “It makes me feel important because you are what they look forward to every week, and I feel that’s a step in helping senior citizens end loneliness and depression.”

The group visits Kulana Hale every Wednesday to participate in fun activities and crafts to bond with the seniors.

Over summer, Lokahi plans a “Senior Prom,” a free event for the seniors to mingle, eat, and enjoy themselves.

“I am most excited about organizing the senior prom this year. We plan to make it bigger than ever,” Bautista said.

Last year, Lokahi introduced a new addition to the project, “The Grand Wish,” which follows the same concept as “Make a Wish.” Seniors have the opportunity to make a wish list, and Lokahi tries to grant their wish. They have successfully granted multiple wishes, including going horseback riding and a trip to the pumpkin patch in the fall. They hope to be able to fulfill more wishes by the end of the year.

“These are real-life situations in our society and for those reasons, we feel this is significant,” Kim said. “...Don’t wait, participate!”

If you are interested in helping, all students are welcome to participate.

Lokahi welcomes anybody interested to come on the Wednesday visits to Kulana Hale, or volunteer for the Senior Prom. For more information, email thelokahiproject@gmail.com, or go to the Students Activity Center.

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MCKINLEY’S NEW MATH TEACHER PLAYS GAMES Jason Yadao, the adviser for LEO Club, supervised his students at a beach clean up at Ala Moana Beach Park. Photo by Olivia Au.

by Kelvin Ku, assistant editor One of this year’s new math teachers, Jason Yadao is only 24 years old. He is known by his students to be relatable, friendly and is well-liked by many of his students.

“He’s very friendly. Mr. Yadao is particularly more easy to talk to than other teachers. He’s more open.

Also, he’s closer of an age to us, making him more relatable,” said one of Yadao’s Students and Junior Hanseong Kim. After Yadao decided to teach math as a career, he got a bachelor’s in math at Hawaii Pacific University and got his masters in teaching at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. This is his first year officially teaching at McKinley High School and is currently teaching pre-calculus in A203. He was, however, a long time substitute teacher last year for a semester.

“I enjoy math and I enjoy working with people,” Yadao said.

Yadao has a hobby you would not normally think a teacher would have.

“My current hobbies are a lot of video games. I like to go to DNB

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(Dave and Busters) to play DDR (Dance Dance Revolution),” Yadao said.

A lot of students at McKinley tend to underestimate its reputation, but according to Yadao, the school’s reputation is relatively good.

“I have a hard time meeting with new classes,” Yadao said.

The reason he struggles with meeting new classes is that he is a bit introverted.

“He’s somewhat shy,” said AP Calculus teacher Valerie Dao.

“I chose McKinley because it seemed like a really good community and I’ve heard good things about the math program here.”

- Jason Yadao

Now, after officially becoming a teacher at MHS, he continues to hold a good opinion about the school and its students.

“The students are really great people. Every class is really good,” Yadao said.

Yadao really likes MHS and its students, but he occasionally struggles.

Although, his students say mostly good things about him he pushes students.

“A teacher is meant to make the room feel safe and challenge them (the students) to grow. I do believe I push my students and that comes with the definition of being in an upper-level math class,” Yadao said.

FEATURE

COLLEGE PROCESS

STARTING THE FEATURE

by Alexandria Buchanan, editor-in-chief As many students are realizing, the four years of high school go by extremely quickly. Before you know it you’ll be graduating and going out to the real world, but before that comes a lot of preparing. Especially if you plan to further your education by enrolling in college.

Junior Ngoc Nguyen is planning to get her medical degree and has started the preparation needed to get accepted into the college of her choice by taking practice tests and asking her family to advise her. Still, Nguyen still has some worries about her future and where her life is headed after high school.

“I wish I knew exactly what I need for college and what choices I have,” Nguyen said. “I feel students believe they are limited because they can’t pay tuition costs or their grades aren’t there... students may be too busy to research colleges, or may not know where to start.”

McKinley High School’s college and career counselor Colleen Inaba helps students with their college journey by giving advice and guidance throughout the process. She advises students to start researching colleges, majors, and other related information early so you know what you want in a school, making applying a lot easier when it is time.

“It’s really simple these days, you can just Google a whole sentence,” Inaba said. “You can get information. Students need to take time to do those kinds of things.”

Junior year is when students start their college preparation, but senior year is when the pressure is on to apply, find scholarships and finalize everything else.

Senior Ko’olau Anderson is planning to get a degree in a sports major. He suggests keeping a steady schedule, and starting early. Anderson has a lot of advice to offer for those who may be lost or confused during the application process.

“Know when your application fees are due, how much the fees are, and have your forms and make sure you have your letters of recommendation as well,” Anderson said. “Make sure you also have a resume as well. It’s good to be prepared.”

For many, the planning starts during junior year. However, it’s common for underclassmen to start worrying about their plans early in their high school careers. Many assemblies aimed towards informing students about college are only open to juniors, leaving freshmen and sophomores confused and lost about where to start.

“Don’t wait until the last moment to start,” Anderson said.

“Don’t stress, school is tough and it will feel like you have a lot on your plate, but just make a plan and follow it closely and you’ll be fine.”

Most importantly though, upperclassmen urge students to enjoy themselves during high school. If you spend too much time worrying about the future, you won’t be able to make any great memories with the time you have.

“My advice to freshmen and sophomores is to have fun,” Nguyen said. “Try out all the sports and clubs you’re interested in. Make connections with your peers, teachers, and staff.

Keep your grades up and... push yourself out of your comfort zone and take on new opportunities... you only live once so take a chance and together, we can all get this bread.”

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MCKINLEY TIGER WINS IN HAWAII INTERNATIONAL

FILM FESTIVAL

From left to right: Actor Harry Shum Jr., HIFF Executive Director Beckie Stocchetti, junior Magnolia Basoc, late Senator Daniel Inouye’s wife Irene Hirano, Magnolia Basoc’s parents Adelfa Basoc and Nicomedes Basoc

by Hannah Rouillard, staff reporter The 38th annual Hawaii International Film Festival took place from November 8-18. Many different creators entered for a chance to win and this year, junior Magnolia Basoc won the Daniel K. Inouye Student Film Initiative. Contestants had to make a 3 minute video about a theme from the late Senator’s speech from the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

“What I did in my video was I compiled small clips from different crisis’ or like important events throughout our history from [around] the 1960s, to today,” said Basoc.

In some ways, her film was like a story, with a beginning, middle and end. At first, it was negative and dark featuring clips of crisis. The middle of the video she called the turning point. This part showed change. She concluded the video in a positive light way.

“First I put the negative stuff to say that there’s a problem in our society.

And then there is a turning point in the middle of the video where Daniel

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K. said something about change. And then I put the positive stuff where people did something to push for change in the society.”

Her inspiration to enter this contest was a combination of two different things that rarely go together. Firstly, she saw it as her chance to contribute to the community. She said that she doesn’t really make good use of her free time. This was her chance to not only fill time but also do something that will hopefully benefit the community. The second reason she decided to enter this contest is very relatable in the teen world. She had nothing to do during spring break.

Making a video and entering it into a contest seemed fun and exciting in her eyes.

“Fall break was coming up and I didn’t have anything to do. So like, why not do something fun? It was really just for fun.”

Basoc admitted that she waited last minute. Let it be noted, she did do some work every day but wrapped it

all up at the end.

She honestly didn’t want to go to the award ceremony because she was sure she would lose. She only really went for the free food.

“I was preparing right before leaving the house for the awarding ceremony. I thought to myself ‘You know, there’s probably gonna be students that are taking film classes there. And I have no background in filmmaking at all. So I probably won’t win’... I was there for the Luncheon because there was free food.”

Most other videos, were in the category of Aloha, while she did hers on Action. Her video was presented last, which she liked because she felt it had a lot more impact that way. Also, her video was very dark at the begin while others were very bright. In these ways, her video was very unique and stood out to many.

“Mine was the last one. And mine was very dark and sad at first. So that was beneficial to me because it left an impression”.

FEATURE

PRIDE IN BEING A MCKINLEY TIGER

by Aileen Chang, guest writer The most beautiful feeling in the world has to be in that million degree heat, losing your voice in the crowd.

Sweat dripping down every inch of your body while the lights blind you. Seeing the band passionately moving to the beat and following along. You feel the football players behind you working their magic. I’ve cheered at two homecoming games so far and both felt like a dream. I can confidently say McKinley High School is the best school to be a part of, although I may be a little biased. To be a Tiger at MHS means to seek change, stay committed, and exhibit pride.

Now don’t get me wrong, MHS students are very respectful to their peers, teachers, and authorities. However, if Tigers don’t agree with something, they will stand up and use their voice. For instance, the Class of 2018 disagreed with the “no name” policy for their graduation. The class believed that they deserved to have each individual’s name called for their four years of hard work. As a result, the class met up for a week after school debating and discussing how to implement this change. They decided to gather as many people as possible into the student council room and voice their concerns. Although the “no name” policy was still active during their graduation, the fact of the matter is that the Tigers didn’t just sit and watch. They tried their best and did what they could and for that they represent the spirit of a McKinley Tiger.

In addition, Tigers never give up something they are passionate about. When a Tiger finds love in an activity, THE PINION / 7

they will give the activity their all and fully commit.

This can be demonstrated through the amount of individuals who do clubs/sports for all four years of high school. Many of my fellow Tigers have dedicated their high school careers to various activities such as math team, basketball, tennis, and LEO Club. Personally, I plan to continue speech and cheer for all four years and follow this legacy.

On the other hand, some may say that MHS lacks school spirit. This could not be further from the truth.

MHS students overflow with pride. When outsiders ask about our school, we never fail to grin and mention our school name ever so confidently. The energy of Tigers can be felt at every game whether it be football, basketball, track, tennis, etc. We are the students that scream for our team. The ones who show respect and sportsmanship to others and create the great reputation that we have. Tigers are the supportive mothers who will cheer you on whether you win or lose. To be a Tiger means pride in amounts greater than gold.

All in all, to be a part of the Tiger culture is an enormous honor. MHS students know this and continue to maintain a great reputation. As Tigers, we change for the better, are dedicated, and love our school. I can confidently claim that no other school has the mindset and drive we do. For this, McKinley High School has a positive relation with the public. I hope that future generations of Tigers continue to follow our path.

HOMECOMING ASSEMBLY PHOTOS BY HANNAH ROUILLARD

BIKINI DEBATE THE PINION / 8

by Alexandria Buchanan, editor-in-chief As the holiday season approaches, many people expect the cold and cozy weather winter brings. However, the islands can expect the perfect beach weather and social media photo ops Hawaii is known for.

Social media has become a big part of our lives. In 2017, 81% of Americans owned a social media profile of some kind, giving people ample opportunities to post and share to the world.

Such posts teenagers make are controversial, especially for girls who are always scrutinized from what they are wearing to how they look. Even in school, teachers talk about what teenagers post and always seem to mention how those bikini pictures girls take are “unprofessional.”

A beach photo should not immediately determine the amount of respect you deserve. If a social media post causes these professionals to make snarky remarks to shame teenagers, it seems ironically more unprofessional than actually posting the picture.

As residents of Hawaii, many people frequent the beaches in this paradise, so it should not be considered shameful to be posting about it. It may seem small to post a picture, but for some, this simple action can be very impactful. These images can help with self-confidence and teach girls to accept how they look.

I understand that posting photos that show more skin, especially for girls, could be improper. For example, a shot in lingerie posted by a teen would definitely be considered inappropriate.

While both may be showing the same amount of skin, the context between a bathing suit picture compared to an undergarment photo is very different. One shows a good time at the beach while the other implies raunchier behavior.

People bash teens who post bikini pictures for thinking they are “bikini models,” when a more positive and useful comment would be teaching the consequences that a suggestive pose offers, or what others may be paying attention to when you post these images. Most of us already know our intentions may be innocent, but others may not take it that way.

Many people worry about comments that others may leave on these types of posts, which may be more raunchy or negative.

However, comments are usually left from friends who are being supportive and hype each other up. Rarely do strangers comment anything lewd. Comment sections are generally full of positivity and far from the stories of intense cyberbullying.

The age difference between these two generations most likely adds to this conflict. We are unable to see eye to eye because we grew up in different times, with completely different standards of what is “normal” and “acceptable.” The platform that social media brings is newer, and it can be scary that everything you post is permanent. However, our generation has grown up with this modern way to communicate with people and are aware of the consequences it may bring after frequent assemblies and announcements talking about the dangers of the internet.

Social media provides us with a platform that can be dangerous if used incorrectly, and adults are concerned about these teenagers being too immature about what they post. In order to make a positive change, we need to stop acting like these young women don’t deserve respect because of a post at the beach. Teach them what could be taken out of context, but do not make it your goal to humiliate them in order to stop this “unprofessional behavior.”

INTERNET

CORE CLASSES

by Ryan Vanaisdale, staff reporter

It’s hard not to be able to find a computer in a moment’s notice in today’s society. There are so many uses for computers and the internet, such as work, communication, gaming, research, and fun. The internet is special because it’s not owned by anyone and people can remain somewhat anonymous if they want to. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and I believe that it at a young age, kids should be taught the fundamentals of the internet and how to use it safely and responsibly and to avoid malware and scams.

Here’s why I believe this.

First of all, computers are widespread and common. As noted in my introduction, there are hardly any places without access to a computer of some sort.

With the abundance of machines, we should be teaching kids to use them responsibly and safely. Also, we do a lot of work on these machines. Techcrunch, a publisher of technology industry news, estimates that there will be 6.1 billion smartphone users by 2020, with total connected internet devices reaching 26 billion. With these numbers, it makes sense to teach computer classes in every school.

However, what should be taught in these classes? Well, let’s start with the most common thing one encounters

EDITORIAL

on the internet: websites. Beginner classes should teach about malware and how to look out for it. Things such as clicking the actual download button, how to tell if something is wrong, and what steps to take to fix it. This would help ensure that students are safe on the internet.

Not only that, but connections and networks should also be covered. I would suggest putting these classes around the 3rd grade level because students are old enough to understand but young enough that it will be new information.

My second argument for teaching computer classes is that people fall for scams too often. When you hear scam, you probably think of the Nigerian Prince who wants to share his money with you. While phishing is a major online scam, there are many other types of scams that cost people tons of money. The FBI reports that in 2017, internet financial crime losses surpassed 1.4 billion dollars. Personal data breaches totaled 77 million dollars, and identity theft reached 66 million dollars.

Knowing the signs of an attack on your data and information should be a crucial life skill that is taught to people so they can be prepared if it happens to them.

Someone who opposes this idea might say that it would be hard to fill classes with information because the “basics” seem like not very much. I’d say that you don’t need them as often as you have your core classes.

Keep in mind that this is in elementary school, and schedules are more malleable than in middle or high school. I would suggest a minimum of once a week to maximize comprehension and minimize unnecessary repetition.

In conclusion, we need computer/internet classes because of the widespread use of computers, and the risks of not knowing what to do.

These classes should be taught at an age where kids can understand the concepts, but at a young enough age so that they learn it before doing too much on the internet. Malware is something to be very careful of, and the potentially devastating effects of having a virus on your computer should be enough to consider these classes. They don’t have to be implemented in the same way as core classes, but I think that at least once a week should be informative enough to make progress.

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THE

STIGMA OF

MENTAL ILLNESS

by Thompson Wong, assistant editor Our society has progressed as more people became aware of the minorities in the world, fighting for equality amongst all. But there’s still a minority group struggling with discrimination. People with mental illnesses.

My uncle, a man I only met once, suffered from bipolar disorder. I was seven years old when I met him, and he was kind and humorous. But my family members shunned him. I didn’t understand why, but that was the last time I saw him.

The problem lies with the culture we have. We instinctively distance ourselves from people with mental illness.

We fall for the stereotypes of mentally ill people. Then we spread the idea of these stereotypes ourselves.

Jagannath Lamichhane, a mental health advocate, silently battled depression for two decades before he wrote an article for the Nepal Times that affected how he was seen.

“I lost more than 80 percent of my university friends,” Lamichane said to National Public Radio.

The National Alliance On Mental Illnesses reports that even though approximately 43.8 million adults in the U.S. experienced mental illness, a vast majority of them do not seek treatment.

Dr. Graham Thornicroft, a senior author of a research paper comprised of 144 studies and more than 90,000 participants around the world on the issue, said in a statement that stigma became a toxic effect in preventing people with mental issues from seeking help.

“The profound reluctance to be ‘a mental health patient’ means people will put off seeing a doctor for months, years, or even at all, which in turn delays their recovery,” Thornicroft said.

Some people claim that mentally ill people are a danger to society. In reality, these instances of dangerous mentally ill people are rare.

In a study of 400 random samples of news stories, conducted by Johns Hopkins University, they

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Photo by: 52Hertz

found that although more than a third of all news stories were linked to violence, only 3 to 5 percent of the incidents were because of serious mental illnesses.

“We have good research evidence that news media portrayals like this do create a stigma toward individuals with mental illness,” author Emma McGinty said to Huffington Post. “But in reality, most violence is not caused by people with mental illness.”

The news was not the only type of media that portrayed mental illness wrong. Books like “The Perfectionists”, TV shows like “Wonderland” and films like “Split” are notorious for its inaccuracies and often add to the stigma of mental illness. They spread false perceptions and the audience are completely unaware of it.

In order to combat this discrimination against mental illnesses, we have to tackle this issue the same way we fight racism, sexism and homophobia.

We first need to educate ourselves and understand what people with mental illness truly are. You know you’ve successfully understood when you encounter an inaccurate portrayal of mental illnesses and know that it is wrong.

Then, we need to talk about the issue with the people around us. Instead of spreading falsehoods about the issue, share with people your new perspective. Finally, be open. It might be hard to find someone who’s battling a mental illness, like depression, but you can still be the person to offer support to anyone struggling. Not only do you combat the discrimination, but you might help someone get better.

As we continue to grow as a society, we need to be aware of other people struggling to find equality as human beings. Embracing everyone into our society is just one step closer to a happier life for everyone. We are one step closer to a better world where we connect with each other without boundaries and limits. One step closer to a brighter future that we can all look forward to. It starts with you.

EDITORIAL

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THE PINION / 11

THE PINION STAFF Editor-in-Chief Alexandria Buchanan

Assistant Editors Kelvin Ku Thompson Wong

Reporters Amoreena Godoy Trent Pham Hannah Rouillard Ryan Vanairsdale

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 show diligence in creating all our content so that we can make a positive contribution to the public.

Publication Information The Pinion is published by the Newswriting class and printed by Reprographics Learning Center.

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