The Pinion Vol. 97 No. 3

T HE P INI

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Vol. 97 / No. 3 March 2019

The student-run newspaper of McKinley High School

Denise Wardlow, Debra Tangonan and Suzanne Chun Oakland sing the Alma Mater at the Hall of Honor Assembly. Photo by Trent Pham

RS 19-0817, March 2019

Suzanne Chun Oakland Class of 1979 Hawaii State Representative Hawaii State Senator

Dennis Ching Class of 1938 Chairman & CEO of First Interstate Bank Hawaii Community Leader of Various Local Organizations

Lammy Ching Class of 1935 Educator, Hawaii Public Schools Jefferson National Award for

McKinley High School welcomed three new Hall of Honor inductees at the 2019 Hall of Honor ceremony on Feb. 25. Two of these inductees, brothers Lammy and Dennis Ching, made MHS history as the first brothers initiated in the same year. Along with the Ching’s, Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland joined the famous McKinley wall of portraits.

Lammy Ching graduated from McKinley in 1935. During his high school career, he kept busy in the band and Science Club. Inspired by a former science teacher, Ching became a teacher. After teaching vocational agriculture, he continued his career with the Department of Education and took positions as vice principal at Waipahu High School and principal of Kilohana Elementary School and Lana’i High School. Ching showed many leadership abilities and was chosen by the DOE to open and serve as the founding principal for two new schools, Waianae Intermediate and Pearl City High School. In 1992, Ching was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Service at the United State Supreme Court in Washington D.C. for his work as a principal of a citizenship school for Chinese immigrants in Hawaii.

Lammy’s children could not attend but sent remarks which said,”his teacher came out to the house to confront our grandparents, his parents, insisting that their gifted son be given a chance to go to college. They gave in and he did and he worked his way up to his chosen

Outstanding Public Services in Immigrant Education

PHOTOS BY MARI FAUFATA-PEDRINA AND TRENT PHAM

by Alexandria Buchanan, editor-in-chief

profession like his brilliant young brother Dennis. His chosen profession was education out of admiration for this teacher.”

Dennis Ching graduated from McKinley three years after his brother in 1938. During his high school years, he held many officer positions such as homeroom civic services chairman, homeroom treasurer, and homeroom health chairman. After graduating, he started working as a messenger for American Security Bank. In 1975 he became the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the third largest bank in Hawaii at the time. He held positions with the American Bankers Association, as well as carried on the national banking boards and commissions.

Ching also worked on the board of directors for multiple community non-profit organizations.

“You know the Ching family. We’re very much believers in education,” Denise Wardlow, daughter of Dennis Ching, said. “...education is power [that] can transform you into anything you want, It really gives you a life of greater opportunity.”

Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland is a McKinley graduate from the class of 1979. In high school, she spent her time in the Science Club, Friends of Animals Club, Guitar Club, Student Government, and participated in the May Day Program. Senator Chun Oakland was elected to serve as a representative for six years and a senator for 20 years, a total of 26

years in the Hawaii State Legislature.

Currently, she is the program coordinator of Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center, and volunteers with over 100 groups and community service organization boards. Senator Chun Oakland has made multiple contributions to MHS, including aiding in funding renovations for the Administration building and forming the McKinley Foundation.

“Life offers so many opportunities and so many possibilities from the day you’re born,” Senator Chun Oakland said. “It is up to each of us to take those opportunities and do something positive. Something that will do good for many people, and I’m very proud to be a part of this school.

I’m very proud of all of you for being a part of our family.”

“I believe the Hall of Honor is special because it recognizes people who have accomplished great things,” junior Shayla Le said.” Knowing that they are McKinley alumni inspires students to do great things as well.”

Black and Gold Week is the week leading up to the ceremony. This year’s theme was “Back to the Future” and included Future Career Dress-Up, College Swag, and Dress for Success days. Students showed their competitiveness during various lunch activities such as Musical Chairs, Gimme Gimme, Water Balloon Toss, and Capture the Flag.

“Students really enjoyed the exciting lunchtime activities,” Student Body President Jett Kaler said.

“Each class council organized a

lunchtime event [for] students to play.”

During the assembly, students wore black to show unity and pride on the final spirit day of Black and Gold week. Presentations and speeches were given about each of the inductees, telling the inspiring stories and achievements. The McKinley’s Chamber Singers and the McKinley Band performed to honor the late Ching brothers, and a special performance from the Royal Elementary School’s Bell Choir honored Senator Chun Oakland.”

I think the majority of the students enjoyed the assembly the most during this year’s Black and Gold week,” Le said. “We got to learn more about the three McKinley alumni and their great achievements that got them into the Hall of Honor.”

The purpose of the Hall of Honor is to recognize the McKinley alumni who have made differences in the community after graduating. The photos lining the wall show the faces of many graduates who have changed the world for the better. Students may not know all of the stories of these past students, but they can be inspired to achieve big things and join the historic wall some day.

“My favorite part of Black and Gold Week was witnessing students of McKinley High School get inspiration through the stories of this year’s Hall of Honor inductees,” Kaler said. “I see the potential for so many students to one day become a part of the Hall of Honor themselves.”

THE PINION / 3

DECLINING INTEREST

IN VOTING? Photo from Tom Arthur at Creative Commons

by Kelvin Ku, assistant editor A lot of media outlets have focused on the declining voter numbers of millennials but not everyone seems worried that Generation Z may face the same problem.

“I think as you get older you’ll care more, you’ll have more to lose, you’ll have jobs, and you’ll have families, and you’ll realize voting matters so you’ll start caring,” said McKinley High School history teacher Jonathan Loomis.

According to a study on Generation Z by The Center For Generational Kinetics 47% responded that they planned on voting when eligible. The center also commented that they viewed this statistic as hopeful leading one to believe that Millenials have truly lowered the standards.

“I think people believe this number will increase but honestly it might decrease,” senior Eric Song said.

After asking students on campus about voting, a majority responded that the that they felt that their vote didn’t matter. Some specifically designated the reason THE PINION / 4

being that the popular vote was irrelevant towards the overall election and others weren’t sure of why but felt that way.

“I’m not really sure but I just don’t care enough, I guess,” said junior John Zhong.

According to a study by Business Insider, only 58.1 percent of eligible voters in the U.S. cast ballots in 2016 presidential election, which is around 138 million people out of a potential 252 million eligible voters taking part in the election.

“I think people aren’t voting because there isn’t anyone they want to vote for. Forty-four point three percent of voters (102,731,399) didn’t vote in the 2016 presidential election, that shows something,” said junior Weishun He. While it’s important to vote it’s also important to vote aware of who your voting for and why you believe they would be good for their position.

“I’m not against voting but one thing I hate is people that say that not voting is irresponsible.

There are literally people that vote with no concrete knowledge of policies or superficial knowledge about candidates. Which is a lot more irresponsible than not voting when you can’t even be bothered to do research on the candidates and don’t pay attention to politics,” senior Duy Nguyen said.

Most people call the far-right crazy but would you believe if somebody sitting next to you was a communist advocate.

“As usual I’m boycotting the presidential election in 2020. The U.S elected a right-wing dictator but more importantly I won’t participate in something I can’t trust,” MHS junior

Ming Lam said.

In the past voting was a luxury that many dreamed of obtaining. Now through countless years of effort for reform, any citizen above the age of 18 is given such an opportunity. Despite such a history, many citizens in the U.S. disregard it.

“I think a lot of people take it for granted when someone says you can’t do something you want to do it more but now that everyone wants you to do it you don’t feel like it anymore. It’s a twisted mentality but it may prove true for some people,” said sophomore Bryant Bu

“I think as you get older you’ll care more, you’ll have more to lose, you’ll have jobs, and you’ll have families, and you’ll realize voting matters so you’ll start caring,” -Teacher Jonathan Loomis NEWS

FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA CULTIVATES YOUTH

Photo by Dalena Le

by Amoreena Godoy, staff reporter McKinley High School’s Future Farmers of America chapter have just completed their first competition of the school year.

The focus of FFA is to create positive differences in the lives of students by developing the potential of outstanding leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.

MHS offers FFA for students interested in agriculture, as well as the medical or science field, to develop new skills. FFA remains committed to each individual student, providing them with opportunities to grow.

Members of this club volunteer to do community service, interact with other FFA chapters, and compete.

Competitions have multiple categories including Plant Identification, Corsage making, Extemp, Parliamentary procedure, Job Interview, and more career development competitions. McKinley’s FFA adviser Shaun Kamida said the club prepares for future careers. “One of our competitions that we do with different schools is a Job Interview where they go ahead and create a resume, cover letter, and get interviewed by HR (human resources) folks in the ag. (agriculture) field. They fill out an application to get the real experience.” This makes individuals depend on themselves and FEATURES

discover personal skills. Participating in these leadership events helps them to recognize the value of ethical competition and individual achievement.

Aside from personal development, FFA chapters focus on community service. Volunteer opportunities give members a chance to view the larger picture of how agriculture is important to individuals as well as our state. Senior and four-year member of FFA, Earl Ravelo said that he has participated in many community service projects, including building picnic tables and plant beds at the Kahauiki Homeless Village.

Ravelo said,”I have learned to be a good role model to people as well as taking responsibility of my actions and helping the agriculture environment and giving back to the community.”

FFA influences members to think more of others, as well as our state’s well-being. Members are reminded to focus on how to become more self-sustainable and how to treat our environment which is a positive thing for our future. Activities provide an entertaining way to give back and bond with other members of the organization.

Future Farmers of America teaches students across the nation responsibility and helps them experience new

things. Leadership conferences and conventions give students the chance to mingle with each other in an encouraging setting. Ravelo says that when he attended FFA conventions he enjoyed learning about other students from different islands and how they provide service acts to their community. Kamida says that a state convention was his own favorite event, “it’s a three-day thing where we get to meet all the other state chapters, the students go out to do a combined community service project, especially the one we did in Hilo, we went to the Hilo zoo.” The club has traveled to Kauai, Hilo, and Washington D.C. for events and continues to participate in competitions and conferences on the island.

The emphasis of these values on students creates a positive impact that Tigers will exert in their homes, school and community. It provides a group for students to bond with peers and expand their education with hands-on experience. Future Farmers of America benefits the members and coordinators involved by strengthening personal skills and the agricultural developments of our nation.

McKinley high schools FFA chapter is an inviting club that teaches students to embrace community and the wellbeing of the environment.

THE PINION / 5

SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACTS TEENS

by Kelvin Ku, assistant editor Social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter are widely popular with users all over the world and used on a daily basis. It would be extremely rare to find a person unaware of these platforms today and they have become a core part of a majority of people's daily lives.

Although people all over the world use social media, the ones that are most affected by it are teens. According to a survey by Pew Research Center, fully 95 percent of teens in America have access to a smartphone and 45 percent say they are online almost constantly.

With social media so widespread, the real question is whether its impact is positive or negative and to what extent.

Pew Research Center has also THE PINION / 6

found in a survey that “A plurality of teens (45 percent) believe social media has neither positive nor negative effect on people their age.

Meanwhile, roughly three-in-ten teens (31 percent) say social media has had a mostly positive impact, while 24 percent describe its effect as mostly negative.”

There are diverse views on what type of impact social media has on teens but it is undeniable that some sort of impact on teens exists.

“Teenagers don’t often get the experience to travel and see the world, so when it comes to living alone or going away to college without your parents the idea might seem a bit scary. I believe social media helps teenagers see the vaster world and keep their perspective wider, benefiting them,” said senior

Art by Qianman Wan

Qianman Wan. Controversy on social media still exists, but it’s not going away so people should look towards how to overcome its negatives. According to a survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health, social media platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram led to increased feelings of depression, etc…

“I think that the only reason social media holds a negative impact on teenagers is that of the emotional insecurity they possess.

Some teens are sensitive about their appearances or are overly obsessed with social media to the point where it dictates whether they are happy or not that day based on how many compliments or likes they got,” said junior Daniel Lee. FEATURES

THE FATE OF

Art from Sergey Galyonkin, BagoGames, Lance Pillay at Creative Commons

FORTNITE

by Ryan Vanairsdale, head reporter

Fortnite is a free to play battle royale game that experienced a massive growth in players around late 2017 to now, and it continues to grow. In August of 2018, Fortnite was recorded as having nearly 80 million players. The growth and demographic can be compared to that of Minecraft, which experienced a similar expansion around 2012.

They both offered something special, with Minecraft having an open world and Fortnite being accessible to everyone. If Fortnite follows the same trend as Minecraft did, that could mean bad news in a few years.

Freshman Anna Huang thinks it will experience a decline in growth

FEATURES

due to the oversaturation of content.

“Most games tend to die, like Minecraft for example,” Huang said.

“People play so much that they’re gonna start getting bored of it because of the amount of content there is.”

Freshman Ryan Tran also thinks that Fortnite will experience a shrink in its player base within the next few years. He said that he thinks a new game might replace its role. Given the fast advancement of games in terms of what’s available and what’s possible, this outcome is possible.

“In a few years, I think it’s going to die… maybe a new game will take its place,” Tran said.

Rendall Choy, the adviser of the eSports Club, also thought Fortnite would experience a decline in its player growth. He explained that Fortnite was repetitive and the only thing that would change were the skins. He said that Fortnite would need to find a way to make the game more competitive if they wanted to retain their players within the next few years.

“It’s like the same old thing except for different skins… they’re going to keep generating new skins; the newest skins are the NFL skins. But they’re going to have to find a way to make it more competitive,” Choy said.

THE PINION / 7

CALL OUR NAMES

by Alexandria Buchanan, editor-in-chief McKinley High School administrators seem to pride themselves in potentially being the only school on the island that does not call names during the commencement ceremony.

This has caused controversy on campus for years between the students and administration.

Four years ago, student Netty Leviticus created a petition to have a name called graduation. Last year, the senior class held meetings trying to persuade administration for the same thing. Both attempts took a different approach to fight this McKinley tradition, but they have one thing in common: they were both ignored.

Administration claims we graduate as a class, rather than as individuals.

This is overly simplistic.

Since we started school, we have worked individually to get our diploma. Sure we have the occasional tutoring session with a friend, or a group project where we have to collaborate with others, but this does not mean our class worked together for this milestone. In movies, these four years would bring us together as one big family, and I can understand why this appeals to administration.

Realistically, however, that is not possible. We are all different individuEDITORIALS

als. Many of us may not talk, let alone know each other, by the time we graduate. The classes we graduate in resemble the year we finished high school, and it should not prevent us from getting the individual recognition we deserve.

Our commencement ceremony lasts less than an hour long, which is short compared to others. It is true name calling would lengthen graduation.

However, that seems like a price many are willing to pay for the acknowledgement we worked years for.

There are around 300 students in this year’s senior class. This seems like a lot, but since we are only calling names and not retelling their life stories, the process should be over quickly. It was previously claimed that name calling would add two hours to the ceremony. I find that hard to believe.

During University of Hawaii Hilo’s commencement, it took them 1 minute 47 seconds to call twenty graduates, and they called not only names but their degrees as well. This is about 5.35 seconds per graduate, meaning calling names would only add about thirty minutes to our program.

I find it odd that our annual Awards

Night lasts hours, yet we can not spare any more time for our seniors on their graduation day.

Awards Night mainly features seniors who have received scholarships, with various underclassmen scattered throughout the ceremony.

The ceremony has a much smaller amount of students than commencement, yet we are not okay with taking time to recognize all students who have received the ultimate goal, a diploma.

The problem is the administration has the power to ignore everything the students have done to fight what we believe is wrong. They do not give us a chance to fairly decide what our commencement ceremony should consist of. There were many studentled efforts to convince administration to ditch the tradition, but none of them were listened to. If the school wants to make the most fair decision, we could take a poll to figure out how many students want to be recognized.

Admin has claimed we will be happy we did not have name calling once we have graduated, but that is not a call they should be able to make. We want our names called, and I believe our students will continue to push until we get that right.

THE PINION / 8

tHank u, nEXt

by Thompson Wong, assistant editor It seems like only yesterday that people were waiting with bated breath for Ariana Grande’s “Sweetener” album after her twoyear break. Now six months later, “thank u, next” comes along just to prove that Grande is not one to stick to the norm.

Typically, most artists take the time to relax and recuperate from album releases and promotions before starting on a new project.

Instead, Grande jumped back to the studio immediately and cranked out a new album.

While Grande’s “Sweetener” album was all about finding light in the darkness and happiness through love, “thank u, next” exposes the dark side of her newfound “happiness,” to show that things aren’t perfect.

I’ve been an avid fan of Grande for years, but I wasn’t happy with her “Sweetener” album. Noticeably, the majority of the album that I didn’t like happened to be produced by Pharrell Williams. So when I heard that Williams wouldn’t be touching the upcoming album, I felt optimistic. And I wasn’t disappointed.

This album is what I would consider Grande’s most personal album yet. For the first time in her discography, there are no collaborations on the album, only Grande to tell her stories. She takes off the mask and reveals her deep thoughts and emotions while also giving her audience insight on her past relationships, tragic events, and herself.

Songs like “imagine” and “ghostin” reveal how she felt about the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, and how it affected her engagement to Pete THE PINION / 9

Davidson. “needy” and “fake smile” are songs of self-reflection and understanding her faults. “7 rings” and “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” aren’t just party anthems, but also songs to empower herself. Of course, we have to acknowledge the popular title track of the album, “thank u, next,” and how she admits to learning from her past relationships and growing as a person.

Grande’s previous albums were kind of a mess when it came to how the tracks were organized. I remembered listening to the “Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart” ballad from her “My Everything” album, and then hearing the “Hands On Me” dance track right afterward, then back to another ballad. So I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this album was very cohesive, where the tracklist flowed naturally, and songs matched each other in subtle ways.

As much as I enjoyed listening to this album, I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed with Grande’s vocal prowess on the project. When I listened to the first track, “imagine,” with her doo-wop vocals and whistle notes, I was ecstatic that she was going to fully use her vocal skills again. By the end, I didn’t hear any whistle notes return, and only a few tracks with the sky-high notes she is

Art from Republic Records

known for.

However, this disappointment was made up for by the fact that her lyricism has grown since her first album. Even with her beautiful vocals, her past music was skin-deep.

There weren’t any songs that dug into deep stories or emotions, before the “Sweetener” album at least. But “thank u, next” is definitely her most personal one yet, where she finally digs into the issue of things and connects with listeners on a much deeper level.

I can say with confidence that “thank u, next” is Ariana Grande’s best album yet, which is crazy to think about with the short amount of time she used. In spite of the trauma and pain she has endured the past few years, she found the ability to learn, and to grow as a human being.

This is an album you should not miss.

THEEDITORIALS PINION / 9

“IN SIGHT OF STARS”

by Thompson Wong, assistant editor

On my quest to find a book that did not depict mental illness unrealistically, I came across Gae Polisner’s “In Sight of Stars.” Reviewers raved about the book’s powerful story, realistic depictions and great characters. So I had to get the book to find out if it was all true. I was not disappointed.

The story centers around a character named Klee (pronounced Clay) who ends up in a psychiatric hospital due to a mental breakdown.

There, he undergoes intensive therapy where he, along with the audience, look back into his past to understand why he ended up where he is.

Klee is an artist, sharing the same passion as his late father. The two worshipped many artists, but particularly Van Gogh. In many ways, Klee, his father, and Van Gogh’s lives parallel each other. Klee’s father killed himself, like Van Gogh, and Klee ended up in a psychiatric hospital, like Van Gogh.

Klee had never really healed from his father’s death. Through his time in the psychiatric hospital, Klee is finally given a chance to.

Talking to his therapist, Dr. Alvarez, he bares his soul and uncov-

ers the pain he tried to stuff down. His story of suffering and trying to move on from the death of a loved one is something that will captivate readers, as some might understand what Klee is going through.

The book is categorized as a Young Adult novel, which I was a bit apprehensive of. I personally haven’t had good experiences with YA novels. They tend to be too skindeep or rely on typical stereotypes that I hate. Thankfully, this book had none of that.

Klee is a unique character I can relate to. He’s not exactly a happy person, but he isn’t depressing either. He sees everything differently through art, from what was taught to him by his father. He relates everything to Van Gogh, who was a very complicated man himself.

What made me love Klee even more was the vulnerable moments where he questions whether he is insane or not. Moments where I can imagine myself in his place, where, if I had done the same things he did, I would be asking myself the

Art from Wednesday Books

same thing.

Dr. Alvarez helps Klee break down what happened to him, helping him understand that it was a human mistake. The people Klee meets at the hospital help change his perspective on what “mentally ill” means. By the end of the book, Klee, along with the audience, has developed a more mature perspective.

I highly recommend everyone read this book as a way of challenging your current perspectives. Klee has a beautiful journey throughout the story, of understanding himself, accepting his flaws and gaining a new perspective on life. With this story, you will go through that same journey, and become a better person because of it.

For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.

-Vincent Van Gogh

EDITORIALS

THE PINION / 10

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THE PINION / 11

THE PINION STAFF Editor-in-Chief Alexandria Buchanan

Assistant Editors Kelvin Ku Thompson Wong

Reporters Ashanti Brown Mari Faufata-Pedrina Amoreena Godoy Kevin Lee 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.

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