Issue 7 by Trojan Times

MIlilani High school newspaper

From Farm to School Chef Greg Christian, founder and CEO of Beyond Green Sustainable Food Partners, is the chef leading the DOEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aina Pono food program. A program in which prepares and serves local produce in school lunches to increase nutritious and delicious meals and reduce food waste. First implemented in the Kohala complex on the Big Island, its success is now being test piloted at Mililani High School.

Co mmunity Issue | April 2018

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

Your Community, Your Newspaper by Camille Nevarez-Hernandez

2018nevarezhernandezc@mililanihs.k12.hi.us

n your hands, you hold the first community publication of Mililani Times, created by Mililani High School students. It is Mililani High’s first venture into providing Mililani with features about our neighborhoods, our neighbors and our community. Originally we were to be called Mililani Magazine with the same community focus, and our school newspaper Trojan Times would still publish news concerning the school. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, the two programs were merged and hence, Mililani Times was formed. At first, some of the staff, including myself, were hesitant to go on with this new publication; fearing our creativity would be limited by the standards and look of a newspaper. But this was not the case. We were able to

incorporate more design elements and creative photoshoots than we realized and the new look of the paper was met with many compliments and support. In content, we focused more on features and stories of interest while our online publication printed the news. Although our idea of printing and content was different from our initial plan, our end goal remained the same: to be the first community newspaper written and created by high school students. Our mission is to include different aspects of our community into the paper; we want to bring to light the many stories of the people and families that live here and the happenings of the community. The ultimate goal is to one day be a monthly community distribution. But as you can imagine, that is a costly endeavor. As of now, we can only publish for our high school audience on a

monthly basis. But with the work of our sales team, the support of our principal Fred Murphy, and the support of businesses and Senator Michelle Kidani, we were able to publish this community issue. Alongside you, 20,056 other households are reading this. We are proud to bring this service to you and the sense of accomplishment makes up for the long hours and constant problemsolving that this work entails. We couldn’t have done all of this without the support of those that made this happen and we thank each and every one of you. We send you our best and hope you enjoy Mililani Times. Correction: In issue 6, “Kaapana Takes on DCI Casper Troopers,” we stated that the color guard captain is Kayla Tamayo, when it’s actually Kaili Garland. We apologize for our error.

Mililani Times’ mission is to inform the community of news, people, and issues of concern. Community. Responsibility. Dependability. Editor-in-Chief Camille Nevarez-Hernandez Community Editor Maiya Ezawa

Copy Editor Caitlin Barbour

Community Editor Marisa Hayase

Vlog Editor Elgin Reese

School Editor Taylor Ann Ono

Social Media Editor Erisa Castillo

Online Editor Connor Tribble

Director of Sales Jacie Higuchi

Design Editor Gavril Ibaan

Photo Stylist Kamaile Fitzgerald

Associate Designer Chaeley Winkler

Head Proofer Nick Malae

Head Photographer Adviser Timothy Won Mr. Christopher Sato Staff Aidyn Aradanas Tyler Birchard Chanelle Camero Jasmine Casana Christina Casanova Sakura Emmer Chloe Fong Coby Foreman Alicia Getty Kaitlin Hirasa

Jaden Ige Alexander Ink Kylie Jones Chloe Kitsu Jenna Nakanishi Mia Nava Emily Padello Carlos Prado Megan Schendel

Produced at 95-1200 Meheula Pkwy., Mililani HI 96789 To voice an opinion or concern, feel free to send a letter to L205 or to 2018nevarezhernandezc@ mililanihs.k12.hi.us.

Entertainer Alumna Jelayne Shelton Gifts Lasting Memories to Audience BY Jasmine Casa Ña | Designed by Christina Casanova

or over 10 years, Class of become a lawyer or psychiatrist. ‘06 Mililani High School “I mean I would love to say that I alumna Jelayne Shelton has had a set plan but I really didn’t,” specialized in the entertainment said Shelton. “The only thing business as an emcee and singer that has been a constant is my at weddings, first birthday parties, entertainment career and I think employee appreciation events, it’s because I truly enjoy it and it divorce parties and funerals. At makes me happy.” these events, Shelton puts on a For each event, Shelton adjusts routine that she hopes will leave her routine based on the crowd the audience with long-lasting, and what she is assigned, working happy memories. towards putting on a memorable “There are going to be people event. “If it’s for emcee and in your life that believe they know singing, I usually emcee in what’s best for your life, but take between songs and then what the it with a grain of salt,” said Shelton. music set is through I go straight “Remember, if into emcee mode,” “Try everything, said Shelton. “If you find a career that truly makes there is no singing don’t keep you happy then requested, I focus yourself in a stick with it. If on the events you wake up bubble because program and every morning make it suit the that’s what you looking forward environment as think is expected much as possible.” to the day because of what Shelton feels of you.” you do, then my personal joy when friend, you should stick with it.” she puts on her performances and Shelton emceed her first event sees the excitement on the faces at 15 years old and has continued of her audience members. “That to emcee and entertain at events is what makes me absolutely all around the island as her full love what I do,” said Shelton. “I time career. “My family was in a always feel honored when asked band growing up so you could say to emcee a wedding or a first that I was in this business since birthday party because I know birth,” said Shelton. “I remember I will be a part of that special watching my mother emcee memory forever. That is the events when I was four years biggest pay off.” old. Her charisma and attention Through her experience, grabbing humor is what made me Shelton has learned that not all want to pursue it for myself.” members of the audience can Although Shelton has stabilized be pleased and she has worked in the entertainment business, she to accept and improve upon has still faced uncertainty with criticism. “No matter how much her career; many of her friends you try to fit their needs some had suggested to her that she times it just doesn’t work and you

Photo Courtesy of Jelayne Shelton Shelton is also a social media influencer and has had one of her beauty care videos featured on “The Ellen Degeneres Show.” For more information, follow her instagram account @jshelton19. take whatever positive you can find from that situation and utilize for the next event,” said Shelton. Shelton has worked towards showing her true self to possible customers, both online and in person. “People are hiring me based off what they see in videos or hear by word of mouth and to be quite honest that is me 24/7,” said Shelton. “People always wonder if I am the same person when I am not doing a live video or review and the truth is I am. So, by being myself it has made it easier to avoid the challenges of having displeased customers.” With her stable career,

Shelton continues to work on self improvement. “Try everything, don’t keep yourself in a bubble because that’s what you think is expected of you,” said Shelton. “It has been 11 years since I’ve graduated from high school and only now am I figuring out exactly what I want to do. Don’t put a timestamp on your life; enjoy every minute. Take the good with the bad and always find the bad in the good.” Shelton can be booked to emcee or sing at events by contacting her at jsheltonmanagement@gmail.com.

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

SKINNY PIG JEWELRY INFLUENCED BY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES By Jasmine CasaÑa | Designed by Jacie Higuchi

Nazareno continues to work full time as an eighth kinny Pig Designs is a jewelry business that grade teacher at Kalakaua Middle School. “Both sells original handmade jewelry at events jobs are equally demanding, but I absolutely love all around the island. Class of ‘02 alumna both of them, so I can’t imagine giving either and owner Moana-Marie Nazareno focuses on of them up,” said Nazareno. “I’ve learned that designing unique jewelry with materials that tells a when you are passionate about what you do, you story for its purchasers. somehow manage to find the time and energy to “I truly love telling a story through my creations, do it.” so I’m constantly making new designs almost daily,” By using uncommon materials, Nazareno is able said Nazareno. “I appreciate those who are always to embed her own unique style into her jewelry. “I looking for my newest items and then tell me what could find these things anywhere from shopping they think because it pushes me to learn more and in jewelry supply stores to even when I am just continuously develop my creativity.” walking around at the beach. I’ve even made At a young age, Nazareno developed a love for jewelry out of unconventional materials creating her own jewelry. “It all started such as things that I found at hardware when my parents gave me a box of stores,” said Nazareno. “I often joke cheap plastic beads and some that it’s my ‘diamond in the rough’ stretch cord to make bracelets,” technique. I try to find things that said Nazareno. “I loved jewelry seem rough at first and then I making so much, that I transform them into diamonds.” borrowed all of the jewelry Skinny Pig Designs’ jewelry books that I could find at reflects Nazareno’s taste in the library and eventually accessories and her attraction graduated to making the kind towards items that carry a story. of jewelry that I make now.” “I think my style of jewelry can be With the growing popularity described as dainty and whimsical,” of her jewelry among her friend Timothy Won | Mililani Times said Nazareno. “I like to have fun and group, Nazareno was able to begin be creative with the jewelry that I make, sharing the results of her hobby with so I don’t stick with what is simply trendy or others. “I didn’t even care if anybody else popular. I enjoy telling a story with each piece, so I wore them. I just really enjoyed making jewelry,” put a lot of thought into every detail.” said Nazareno. “In high school, several of my Skinny Pig Designs’ bestseller is Nazareno’s friends noticed me wearing some of the bracelets Signature Collection Charm Bracelet. “It’s made that I made. They thought they were so cute, so with a chain bracelet with several charms of coral, they paid me to custom make a few for them.” sea shells, freshwater pearls, crystals and glass. It After graduating from college, Nazareno has a very ‘beachy’ vibe and the different colors returned from the break she took from her crafting and textures of the charms make it fun to wear,” hobby and decided to establish an online business said Nazareno. “My Signature Collection always showcasing her handmade products. “I took a attracts customers’ eyes right away and the few pictures of my jewelry with my phone and Signature bracelet is my best seller out of all of my posted them online. A few months went by and jewelry. I think this piece is a good representation nothing happened, so I kind of forgot about it. But of my fun and whimsical style.” to my delight, I eventually received my first sale,” Jewelry from Skinny Pig Designs can be said Nazareno. “I’ll never forget the excitement purchased at a Ben Franklin locker in Market City that I felt that somebody actually wanted to buy and on the Skinny Pig Designs website something that I made.” www.skinnypigdesigns.com. Along with her making and selling her jewelry,

Milky Aqua Glass and Starfish Necklace

Camille Nevarez-Hernandez | Mililani Times

Milky Aqua Glass and Starfish Earrings Monstera Leaf Freshwater Pearl Assymetrical Earrings Skinny Pig Signature Charm Bracelet

Mother of Pearl Pig Earrings Skinny Pig Signature Collection Starfish Earrings

]

Gold Pearl Pig Charm Bracelet

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Nazareno also receives help from her mother Clara Nazareno , who creates many of the keychains and charms used on her pieces. Her collections of jewelry can be purchased from her website www.skinnypigdesigns.com

Gold Topaz Pineapple Necklace

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

Kamaile Fitzgerald | Mililani Times

By Alicia Getty | Designed by JAcie Higuchi

enior Ja’Nae Richie put her poise to the test on established with other contestants. “We did a girls Oct. 22, 2017 when she competed in the Miss night; we went to Dave & Buster’s. We had a limo and Paradise Hawaii, Miss Oahu and Miss Waikiki dinner and all that. I made really good friends that I still Scholarship Pageant 2018, ultimately winning the title talk to now,” said Richie. of Miss Oahu 2018. The competitors represented a Leilehua Senior Glynnis Brasher, one of Richie’s wide range of personalities, but the opportunities for friends, took the contest as an opportunity to better learning and growth were universal. herself. “I’ve gained a lot of confidence from this “It’s definitely something that I think you want to experience but also a lot of new friendships with experience because it opens your eyes to connections wonderful ladies who all have good intentions. Everyone to many new people who are different than you are, it was very friendly to each other and all rooting for one helps you develop skills for your success in the future, another. Even though we were all going for the crown, as well as letting you experience many new different we all wanted someone other than ourselves to win. My things,” said Richie. money was on Katrina and Ja’Nae,” said Brasher. The pageant was a preliminary to the Miss Hawaii, Miss Waikiki 2018 Katrina Ildefonso had a similar Miss America and eventually Miss Universe pageants. perspective on the pageant’s benefits. “This experience Richie put a lot of time and hard work into earning really abled me to build my self confidence, widen my her crown. “Different steps we went through were social horizons and bring awareness to social issues preparation, a lot of practice, long hours, the driving such as bullying, which is my platform,” said Ildefonso. downtown; I had school, practice and work at one point, Richie plans to continue on with the pageant so it was kind of difficult,” said Richie. procession until she cannot advance The girls underwent three sections any further. “Because it is a preliminary “I was very of judging: walking, talent and a private pageant I do still want to strive to do interview, with contestants advocating my best and hopefully place or win blessed to for an issue of their choosing. Richie’s Miss Hawaii as well,” said Richie. She have those platform was strengthening early has already begun seeking out financial childhood education. “I do believe that supporters. “I’m definitely finding people experiences” we should have more early childhood from the last pageant that I have made programs such as ‘Headstart’ and things connections with that are willing to like that because they need to tailor to all children— sponsor me, that are willing to support me, like people in like people who can’t afford it. A lot of kids, they can’t my church as well as different businesses,” said Richie. go to preschool because their parents can’t afford The Miss Hawaii competition will take place in June it. They shouldn’t be punished, necessarily, for their 2018. Regional title holders from around the state circumstances,” said Richie. will compete to claim the title of Miss Hawaii. In the Despite common misconceptions regarding the meantime, Richie has been putting her crown to good pageanting industry, Richie was surprised to see how use. “I am doing multiple events with the Miss Hawaii much she enjoyed the experience. “The different Organization, including volunteering in the community perceptions of how it’s stereotyped, like world peace and making guest appearances. I’ve done food banks, and little stuff like that, it’s not really true,” said Richie. a fashion show fundraiser for The Kidney Foundation, “All the experiences that went along with it, I was very fundraising for our local Children’s Miracle Network blessed to have those experiences.” Hospital for Kapiolani, and many more fun events,” Beauty, while playing a part in the pageant, was far said Richie. “Being a title holder is a huge responsibility from being the deciding factor. “We all looked different; because I have to be a role model to my peers as well as there was different body types. I think that it was those that look up to me.” more stress the way you present yourself, and your Regardless of the outcome of future pageants, Richie personality and how smart you were, because like I said plans to put her Miss Oahu 2018 scholarship winnings it’s very hard work,” said Richie. towards a college degree in hospitality and hotel Richie’s hard work paid off in more ways than one. administration. She has enrolled in University of Nevada She was particularly grateful for the relationships she Las Vegas and will be attending in the fall.

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Miss Oahu 2018 Ja’Nae Richie prepares for the Miss Hawaii competition by training in areas of walking, talent and interview. She makes the most of her experiences using her title to improve herself and her community.

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

by Chloe Kitsu | Designed by Tyler Birchard

n November 2017, the Mililani trial. Now we have four beautiful, Town Association (MTA) built permanent pickleball courts.” the first pickleball court at The overall popularity of Recreation Center 3, allowing the pickleball stems from the friendly community to play the sport—a demeanor of the doubles or combination of ping pong, singles game. “Pickleball usually badminton and tennis. Pickleball sells itself as once somebody can be played both indoors and has the opportunity to try it they outdoors on a badminton sized usually have a lot of fun—the court and a slightly lower tennis game supports all skill levels net. The newly opened courts and ages. People can play gives the pickleball players of recreationally or competitively,” Mililani an opportunity to play at a said Fujinaka. newer and closer court. Some of the challenges that “Talking to a few of the original come with having the pickleball Mililani players, I understand it court range from obtaining started about three years ago equipment to getting people to at Diamond play the sport. “It’s fun and easy to “I started Head Tennis Center. Due to learn and keeps you a business the drive, they allowing players active without it started playing to try and buy at Central being too taxing.” equipment, Oahu Regional pickleball nets— Park. Initially using chalk for unlike tennis, pickleball courts lines, then string—where we now often do not have nets so you have budgeted funds to begin either need to purchase and bring planning and designing pickleball one, or come when someone else courts, but money has not been brings a net,” said Fujinaka. released,” said United States of As the sport is new, one of the America Pickleball Association goals is to see pickleball courts (USAPA) Pickleball Ambassador be implemented into district Jason Fujinaka. “It was difficult parks. “(There is) no pickleball in to get courts there for many Mililani District Park. Morning reasons. Waipahu District Park (time) would be excellent, but had a volleyball court with lines, they would need to support so that became the next spot pickleball and probably provide an where they played Thursday and attendant,” said Fujinaka. Friday mornings. Soon after, the Pickleball is mostly common Mililani Town Association offered among the older players, but kids a tennis court converted to two are also known to participate. pickleball courts as a temporary Pickleball helps work all areas

of the body, from hand-eye coordination, balance, reflexes, and agility without putting excessive strain on the body. “It is an enjoyable game, and as it is popular with a lot of Mililani’s older residents, it keeps them healthy and active,” said Freshman Alina Fujinaka. “It’s fun and easy to learn and keeps you active without it being too taxing. This is good for me because I can play after pole vault practice without getting too worn out.” In the future, many hope to see pickleball rise in popularity and become a school sport. “(It’s) a popular sport for kids and adults leading to a healthy active lifestyle—getting people off their sofa and active in this fun and social sport. (In the school) it hasn’t been adopted yet, like on the mainland,” said Jason Fujinaka. There will be an informational booth on pickleball at the Senior Hobby and Health Fair in May at Recreation Center 3.

More Information Open play is from 9-11:30 a.m. daily and 5-9 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Beginners’ Clinics are hosted on Mondays from 6-7 p.m. and Wednesdays from 8-9 a.m.

Kamaile Fitzgerald | Mililani Times Pickleball started in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, and has recently started gaining popularity across the country and Mililani. People can play competitively and recreationally. All that is needed is a paddle to play, making the game popular with all ages.

Register with Jason at JasonFujinaka@gmail.com or at 808-542-8139 for beginners’ lessons. Advanced play is on Tuesday and Friday from 5-9 p.m. for more competitive players.

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

Carlos Prado | Mililani Times

By Jenna Nakanishi | Designed by chaeley Winkler

hough now retired, current environmental engineer and MHS ‘82 alumnus Carl Ibaan was previously an accomplished powerlifter in his youth. Powerlifting is a physically intense sport that tests strength, and consists of attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press and deadlift. “As I started lifting weights, I became relatively strong for my weight. I was fascinated with being strong and I wanted to see my potential,” said Ibaan. His brother Ross Ibaan initially inspired him to start powerlifting. “He was really strong physically with a strong mind. He was set to compete and shatter a state record at the time,” said Carl Ibaan. “He got pneumonia after a trip to Maui and was hospitalized. He never got the chance to compete and family obligations later sidetracked his training. So skinny, scrawny me competed to hopefully get him back into competing. Even then, he never did compete to this day.” Despite his initial reasons behind becoming a powerlifter, Carl Ibaan grew to enjoy the sport. “I enjoyed being around other powerlifters and the competition as a powerlifter. I also enjoyed the compliments. After a heavy lift, I’ve been asked, ‘Brah, how much you weigh?’ One time I was benching 105 pound dumbbells each hand for two reps and the spotter asked me if I was taking steroids. I just took that as a compliment,” said Carl Ibaan. As a physically demanding sport, powerlifting requires intense training in order to be a contender. “The hardest aspect to achieving my goal in the sport is getting into the gym to train. I worked a desk job and I have to motivate myself to train because I can get lazy. Sometimes, there are other activities that I have to give up in order to train,” said Carl Ibaan. “For me, eating a healthy diet is probably the second hardest aspect of the sport because I need to stay within my desired weight class. I can’t just eat all the cake and ice cream that I

wanted. Also, I need to eat the right foods to fuel my training regiment.” Through the hard training, Carl Ibaan had his brother to help him through it. “The kinds of support that I had given my brother as he trained and competed were going to the gym to train, spotting him on the squat and bench press and providing lifting technique advice,” said Ross Ibaan. Though the training was difficult, Carl Ibaan persevered through it due to his drive to accomplish his goals. “Although working out has health benefits, I realized my goal to be the best that I can be as a powerlifter. I’m a pianist as well, and I wanted to be the strongest pianist in Hawaii. In retrospect, I looked at the hard work, sacrifice, and dedication to the sport and I know any reasonable endeavor that I want to achieve will require the same, if not, more effort,” said Carl Ibaan. “The lesson for me is that achieving a personal goal requires hard work. There’s always someone better than me, but if I put in my utmost effort and attain my personal goals, which is most important, then I consider myself successful and a winner in my eyes.” Ross Ibaan added, “I was proud of my brother because he set a goal to compete and he accomplished it by entering in the Aloha State Games and the Hawaii Powerlifting Championship. I would say that he had a great career in powerlifting. The experiences he gained through powerlifting are things he is applying to everyday life. For example, hard work, dedication and perseverance.” Carl Ibaan retired from competing after tearing his bicep while training for a meet. Yet, the sport is a significant part of his past that is still influential in his life. “I’m not as strong today as I was during my competing years, but I still enjoy lifting weights,” said Carl Ibaan. During his career as a powerlifter, Carl Ibaan won first place in the novice division at the 1993 Aloha State Games and in the 1994 Hawaii State Powerlifting Championships.

Despite being at an initial disadvantage in his weight class due to his long limbs that are more like that of a runner’s, Carl Ibaan placed first in several competitions during his career as a powerlifter.

View this issue and other issues: mililanitimes.com

FFA Brings Home Seven Awards in 2018 Hawaii State Competition in Hilo By Chloe Kitsu | D esigned by emily pade llo

rom March 27 to 29, in Hilo, Hawaii, the MHS Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter took home numerous awards in different agriculture based competitions, from corsage making, to plant identification, to prepared speech in the Hawaii FFA State Competition. A total of seven awards were won by the MHS FFA chapter in their respective competitions. Junior Chynna Chun and Senior Spencer Jenkins placed first in agricultural demonstration. Juniors Caralyn Yamasaki and Chloe Oshiro placed first in ornamental plant identification. Senior Sierra Grucella and Spencer Jenkins placed first in commodity display. Sophomore Kamryn Shimizu and Spencer Jenkins placed second in corsage making. Sierra Grucella placed second in extemporaneous public speaking. Seniors Kaileen Lardizabal and Josh Watase placed second in ornamental plant identification. Kaitlyn Shimizu placed second in prepared public speaking. “It’s really rewarding after all the hard work I put into my speech. It’s also rewarding to see my other fellow chapter members place as well because I know they put in a lot of hard work too,” said President Senior Kaitlyn Shimizu. The MHS chapter is known to place well in certain competitions. “I think Mililani FFA, amongst all the different chapters across the state of FFA, we are known for the agricultural demonstration (and) plant identification because those are the ones we always do well in,”

said adviser Jeffrey Yamaguchi. Prior, FFA worked to prepare for their particular competitions. “So the competitions I did was agriculture demonstration and corsage making. So for agriculture demonstration we reviewed our speech and the process or procedure we were going to perform during the demonstration. And for corsage, we just practiced making a lot of corsages,” said Secretary Jenkins. Some members had to overcome many personal challenges in order to prepare and practice for the competition. “For mines, I’m really shy so when I did prepare, it was kind of nerve-racking because my first competition to get in, it was in front of only three judges; and then the next day it was in front of 177 people,” said Shimizu. For many of the students, the competition gave them the opportunity to meet and connect with other students that share the same interests as them from numerous schools across the state. “I think just meeting other chapters and seeing that there’s more people with a passion for agriculture because today there’s a lack of it, so just seeing those other chapters was rewarding,” said Shimizu. It also gave Yamaguchi time to bond with the students one last time this year, “Just hanging around with these guys, being able to be with them outside of class, it’s more than strictly a teacherstudent relationship. It’s more of a mentor type of relationship, more of a fatherly type of

Photo Courtesy of Jeffrey Yamaguchi Mililani High School’s FFA has been advised by Jeffrey Yamaguchi (far right) with wife, Monica Yamaguchi, for 27 years. This state competition is Yamaguchi’s last as he will retire at the end of this school year. relationship, more of a family type of atmosphere we have.” When it came to facing challenges, the students proved they could be adaptable. “One of the challenges that we faced is that during the competition— during corsage making—we usually use thin wires, but then at states they used thick wires, so that’s harder to bend so it makes it more difficult to make corsages,” said Jenkins. Although the FFA did well, they are still looking at what could be improved in the future. “There’s a number of contests that students can participate in and we participate in half of them. And honestly it’s more because of me, I’m not very well versed in parliamentary procedure or agriculture issues. Everybody has

their strengths and weaknesses so I kind of push the kids into my strengths so I can coach them. So I guess the areas for improvements would lie with me more than the students,” said Yamaguchi. One of the objectives for years to come is to sustain the program. “The biggest future goal right now is the continuation of FFA at Mililani because I’m retiring; we have a new teacher coming in next year. With all changes there’s apprehension, not the fear but just the unknown of what’s coming up with the new teacher. So these guys, I think the underclassmen, there’s a little apprehension of what to expect next year. So I think the continuation of the program is the biggest emphasis I can give right now,” said Yamaguchi.

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

Camille Nevarez-Hernandez | Mililani Times *This story was originally published in issue two, 2017-2018, of Mililani Times.

G i f t e d wNi t h F i t t e d Ta z S t eve n s o n

(L-R) Bryce Yonemori (12), Taz Stevenson and Ryan Ancheta (12) go through different training exercises from Gifted N Fitted with the rest of the baseball team.

by taylor ann ono designed by chloe fong

ost high school athletes have hopes to continue their sports career after graduating, and for some, like MHS alumnus Taz Stevenson, those hopes came

true. Stevenson graduated in 2010, playing wide receiver, running back and safety for the football team. He participated in the 2010 Polynesian Bowl, and was listed as the No. 47 safety recruit in the nation. He also earned ﬁrst-team all-state honors as an all-purpose player from The onolulu tar- ulletin and The Honolulu Advertiser. “It got me to where I needed to go which was get through college. It set up opportunities for me moving forward, so high school athletics was a big thing for me; also academically, and me just growing and maturing as an individual,” said Stevenson. As of June 2017, Stevenson started his own training program known as Gifted N Fitted, which focuses on physically and mentally training the body in order to help people become strong leaders and athletes. He is a personal coach but also trains other non-athletes. long with his business, Stevenson began training the MHS JV and Varsity Boys Baseball team at the beginning of the school year. is goal is to expose the community to his strategies of working out and overcoming challenges. “I want to change the culture of this program. But in order to do that, I have to set a foundation and raising our standards to a high level of discipline, of paying attention to detail, hard work, pushing these kids past their limit. I want everybody to have the opportunity to experience being pushed past their potential. I’m big on injury prevention, so I always want guys to get the right type of training so they can last long. I’m all about longevity, being able to play as hard as you can, for a long period of time,” said Stevenson. Stevenson’s training with the baseball teams received supportive feedback. Stevenson has also been granted many other opportunities in regards to his business. “First and foremost I’m a strong believer in my faith, so I thank God for this business, my athletes, and every opportunity that He has blessed me with. All credit goes to Him. I’ve been able to travel across the country to work with people and I’m constantly learning and picking people’s brain. I encourage everyone to seize the day—make the most of every opportunity you are blessed with— because that may be your only shot to accomplish things that we want to or things we are called to,” said Stevenson. “The feedback I received

from coaches was nothing but positive. Certain players had noticeable growth in not only their physical play, but their mentality as well. Collectively (the baseball team) had a good season and has expectations of only raising the bar to a higher level. I’m proud of how the kids are slowly understanding what being a part of this program means. I’ve also worked with some of the football players doing individual work to prepare them for their upcoming season.” For Stevenson, things have changed since the start of his training with the baseball team: his business has grown and he’s started new projects. “I’ve been working with athletes of a wide variety of sports and fitness unkies prior to working with the Mililani baseball program. I have teams and individual athletes from all over inquiring for services. So I’m blessed and grateful for all the love and support,” said Stevenson. “There are different projects that’s in the work right now, one which we just started called Gifted Island DB Academy. It’s an academy for football defensive backs —cornerbacks, safeties, hybrid linebackers— that want to learn proper coverage techniques and elevate their level of play on the field.” Stevenson’s training program has become a success, but when he first returned to with Gifted N Fitted, his training was a new experience for the baseball team. “He’s all about having focus, being there for everyone and he has this high energy. He wants us to win and he pushes us to do our best every practice,” said Second Baseman Sophomore John Richard “JR” Suehisa. “I feel blessed and lucky because not too many people get (this) experience.” Assistant Coach and alumnus Kacey Miyasato added, “When Taz started coaching, they started to realize, ‘We’re going to have to put in this work because everyone has to put in this work.’” After high school, Stevenson played football at the University of Washington, then transferred to the University of Hawaii. Playing at multiple colleges has given Stevenson insight on things that other athletes don’t get to see. “There’s a lot of good athletes that come out of your sport in years, and for him to make the all-decade team was pretty crazy. He didn’t even need to physically work with the kids, he could just talk to them about his journey and what

it took, the sacrifice, being accountable for himself and all that stuff, that would help them hundreds and hundreds of times,” said Miyasato. This insight that Stevenson passed down to the baseball team, and other athletes, has changed them entirely. “I have a passion for what I do. I always bring the enthusiasm and energy to my sessions and my athletes feed off of it. So we make sure we do what we can to maximize every opportunity we have,” said Stevenson. Suehisa added, “I will never give up, like the work is hard but he encourages us to push, so when we’re down in the last inning and we go extra innings, we got to push through our fatigue and finish.” Along with exercising techniques, everyone has learned something personal about themselves. “He taught us words like ‘accountability,’ and it’s important for us to be there for our brothers, like our teammates, so when one is down, we got to push them,” said Suehisa. “I’ll remember his energy. The baseball team, they’re mostly shy, and then just him coming, it opens us up more.” Miyasato added, “This has helped me get retouched with being a Trojan and that’s something that you take for granted when you’re in high school. You don’t really realize how important it is to be proud of where you come from. I’m proud to be a Trojan and you can’t just be proud by being proud, there’s got to be a reason. Putting in the work, sacrificing something greater than yourself is something to be proud of.” Stevenson’s Trojan pride and wanting to give back to the community was a driving force to return to MHS. “I was eager to train, eager to work with a group of kids,” said Stevenson. “It almost feels like I never left. I have this sense of pride and passion for our school, so it feels good to come back and be able to share my experiences moving on through college and training. Being able to share that with our young student athletes here, that’s a big thing. I’m blessed for the opportunity to be able to do so.” Stevenson hopes to continue training athletes at MHS, no matter the sport. He is willing to give back to the school whenever he can. He also plans to continue training people through Gifted N Fitted, and build upon his upcoming projects. The program can be found on his Instagram page @giftednfitted.

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

REYn aU

By Connor Tribble | Designe

Aubrey is attracted to the level playing ﬁeld business provides, ﬁnding enjoyment in proving those that doubt him wrong. His favorite quote, “watch me,” shows his drive to challenge himself and accomplish things no one ever thought he could do.

ith more tragedies seemin the world everyday, people the globe rely on charities get through rough times. However w charity organizations, finding the righ a challenging task. MHS ‘16 alumnus realized this problem and decided to solution was to create a micro donat that could make charity easy for ever PocketChange, which he is now CEO “PocketChange’s purpose is to ma we want to empower everyone to tak causes that they care about, when an care about it most. And we want to h the most impact possible on those ca Aubrey. Essentially, the idea involves linkin and videos on Facebook directly to a that can do something about it. “As so scrolling through their newsfeed, the that’s talking about a cause. Our AI t analyzes the post and determines the post is talking about; it matches that most impactful charity. Then our use micro give $0.25 to $2.00 with two c that cause,” said Aubrey. From a young age, Aubrey had an i making money. At the age of six he st lemonade stand, hiring his friends to promoted his beverage around a loca center in a flash outfit. Later on, reali the potential to make something out took business classes in high school a joined a venture acceleration called, to help jumpstart his career. From th a business involving selling bracelets out of recycled soda tabs. “The entre marketing class started PopItHawaii about) that business was being voted five products in Hawaii that year,” sai Shortly after this business venture made $10,000, Aubrey started sellin creating the company HoverboardH 17 and making $100,000. “I started H because I saw a bunch of online influ

UBREY: college student, ceo

ed by Gavril Ibaan

ngly hitting e all around s to help them with so many ht one can be s Reyn Aubrey o act on it. His tion service ryone called O of. ake change easy, ke action on nd where they help them make auses,” said

ng tragic events an organization omeone is ey see a post technology e cause that that cause with the ers can instantly clicks to support

inkling for tarted a o run it while he al recreational izing that he had t of his skill, he and and even ”Blue Startups,” here, he started s that he made epreneurship and i, the big (deal d one of the top id Aubrey. e, in which he ng hoverboards, Hi at the age of HowerboardHi uencers with

them, and realized no one had them and just filled the gap,” said Aubrey. Although Aubrey enjoyed his smaller businesses, he knew he wanted to make an impact on the world with his talents. “I knew I loved business, the entity, the process, but not with the end goal of having money to buy useless things I didn’t need. So I decided the next company was going to be focused on helping the world. An organization that helps raise funds for the causes that matter most, and actually puts them towards solutions to monumental problems,” said Aubrey. “The idea started in a very cliché location—the shower. I’d been thinking about how to make a difference in the world, and many of the original ideas just popped into place. Best shower I’ve ever had.” With this in mind, Aubrey created PocketChange, and quickly found a place for himself at the University of Denver, Colorado, after graduating from MHS. He gathered a team of like-minded entrepreneurs to help him with his new mission. “Our founding team is currently myself, CEO, Christian Dooley, Head of Marketing, Apoorva Bapat, Head of Natural Language Processing, and Jon Duvarney, Head of Design,” said Aubrey. “Christian—he’s my cofounder, the dude who keeps me sane in the insanity of this business. He’s the one who really helps cut to the middle of what matters most. Everything would fall apart without Christian. He also calls me out when it needs to happen and keeps me on track if I’m dreaming a little too much.” Finding the right charities to donate to is essential for PocketChange, so that anyone can be easily directed to the best organization for their cause. “In terms of charities we work with, that’s the most important part. We have a team of charity researches that look through every public charity out there to determine which charity is actually able to ‘solve’ an issue, and who can do it the most efficiently. I say solve in quotes because the problems we’re tackling are wicked problems that can never truly be ‘solved,’ you can’t solve racism or poverty or climate change, but you can nearly eradicate them—make it such a non-issue that it’s not something that needs to be focused on,” said Aubrey.

As the team continues working on and developing PocketChange, they want to extend it beyond Facebook, so it can be reached by even more people. “Imagine if everywhere you interacted with something inspiring, from all your social media to email, on YouTube, blog posts, news articles or when listening to Spotify, PocketChange was there to help you take action,” said Aubrey. “An organization that empowers people to take action all over the world. An organization that helps raise funds for the causes that matter most, and actually puts them towards solutions to monumental problems. I want people to trust us, to know that they can do something and we’re there to help them. If we go really down the road, PocketChange becomes the action platform for everyone everywhere.” Aubrey hopes not only to help the world by supporting causes with PocketChange, but also to bring young entrepreneurs into the world of business and give them a fighting chance. “I just love it. Absolutely, down to my core. I think if you find something you love, there is no reason not to do it. It’s important to me because the playing field is even. No one can tell you anything, because the only thing that matters is the market. Business makes me happy. We’re living in the greatest time of entrepreneurship ever, and because I love it so much I would be an idiot if I did anything but spend every ounce of energy in me pursuing that,” said Aubrey. In mid-March, Aubrey and his team launched a beta of PocketChange with a small group of 200 users working to find and fix any bugs in the program in preparation for a public launch later on in the year. With a team now consisting of 23 people and over 700,000 charities analyzed in 2018 alone, they are consistently growing and working to bring the world’s needs into focus. By the end of this year they aim to get 250,000 regular users on PocketChange, while also branching out from Facebook to use PocketChange on other platforms like Twitter and different news sites in the future. They will be posting about their team and product on their website www. pocketchange.social and will regularly be updating their PocketChange Facebook page with new information and details. Camille Nevarez-Hernandez | Mililani Times

*This story was originally published in issue six, 2017-2018, of Mililani Times.

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

'Aina Pono brings local food to Mililani High By Chanelle Camero | Designed by Gavril Ibaan

his school year, ‘Aina Pono: Hawaii’s Farm to School initiative that aims to bring fresh, local food to schools statewide, was introduced to MHS. Looking to increase the purchasing of local and healthy food for school lunch programs and the number of students that eat school meals, MHS became the first large scale school to test if the program could be expanded to the rest of the state. “What we can expect in the future is more local food (and) more scratch cooking. We’re doing two breakfasts and two lunches about a week (in March) and then in April it should be four and four. So we’re heading towards 100 percent scratch cooking,” said ‘Aina Pono Chef Guide Greg Christian. Christian’s role in the program is to guide the cafeteria staff and teach them about the initiative’s vision and what they aim for. “I’m kind of like this redesigner. And in redesigning the system, or moving the system, there’s a little bit of an art to that, so I have studied systems thinking and read a lot of books and studied with one of the masters in the world. Another most important part of my job is to never forget that this is about people,” said Christian. Christian, a traveling chef, worked closely with the cafeteria staff when designing and implementing the program. “I want the cafeteria staff to have a voice in what they do. They haven’t really had much of a voice in their jobs so I want them to feel empowered to do even better for the customers,” said Christian. DOE Food Service Manager Debora Kam added, “We’re still working on this program so we’ll get better at it. But we’re giving my staff more knowledge on this and continue working with this program. I think it’ll be great for them and the students will love the food.” A lot of consideration went into designing a process that would be the most effective. “I’ve been in classrooms and they fill out surveys.

I start there, ‘What do you want to eat?’ And then I go to the cafeteria staff and say, ‘What do you want to make?’ And they look at kitchen equipment, ‘What can we handle?’ And then I converge those three and we make what we think the customer wants and what the staff wants to make with the food that the farmers have. And we sample it to the customers and say, ‘Is this what you meant?’ and if the customers say, ‘Yes,” then we have something; and if the customers say ‘No,’ then we ask them why and then we make it again,” said Christian. The process of putting the program into effect included a focus on menu development, in which new recipes that incorporated fresh, local produce were created. “If we can get local foods into cafeterias, we could help the farmers more,” said Christian. “This could be a model for the states on the mainland. Because you have one school district here so it’s an entire state. So if an entire state can transform to serving more local, more fresh food, other states might take notice.” The next step was to prepare the cafeteria staff for the new changes. Christian helped to train them in three main areas: teamwork, cooking and buying local. “I think that with this new program the staff is working more as a team. They enjoy talking to each other because they’re all together. Whereas when they used to work before, they used to work separately,” said Kam. To keep order in the kitchen when it came to training, there was a set schedule made. “Well actually, I made a production schedule where they tell me what they have to do for the day and then I’ll put it on the schedule and what the team would do is, they would all go to one set of position where they would help out with all salad bar,” said Kam. After a few weeks of starting the initiative, surveys went out to the students, allowing them to share their thoughts on the food. “It’s been great. Everyone seems to be loving it and

Through his foundation, Beyond Green Sustainable Food Partners, Chef Greg Christian has traveled throughout the U.S. helping school lunch programs.

Camille Nevarez-Hernandez | Mililani Times

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

Chef Greg Christian trained cafeteria worker Son Shiira and the cafeteria staff with the menu development and scratch cooking.

enjoying it. In my experience personally, I can see more of my friends eating school lunch and enjoying it more,” said Student Senator Freshman Jannai Oganeku. Christian added, “The most important voices are the customers and the staff in the kitchen. And I want that to expand because if it does, then the program is solid. If it doesn’t, then the customers get quiet. I also want to see expanding is the number of people that come and eat because if the food is fabulous, why shouldn’t people come and eat?”

To further allow students to offer their voice and opinions, student senators were asked to give their input on the program. “We focus on trying to get the DOE on board with this program and just spread the word about it. We also provide feedback on the foods and try them out. We tell them what tastes good and what doesn’t and what we would like to change or add,” said Oganeku. “We improve the new lunches by providing ideas for future lunches and just helping the staff out in what the kids

want to eat.” With the many different aspects of the initiative working together, ‘Aina Pono’s goals were slowly being understood. “If young people can learn how to make healthy food choices, they might have a little bit of an easier time in life, and everyone’s homes are doing the best they can to teach healthy food choices. But sometimes at home, sometimes the home people need a little help. If people in Hawaii can be a little healthier and a little

Camille Nevarez-Hernandez | Mililani Times

stronger and maybe have a bit of a clearer mind, they can then help more; the community, their families and the world,” said Christian. Oganeku added, “It helps more students to eat healthier. It also opens more opportunities to have fresh fruit and vegetables and helps our local farmers. I feel like it also helps our community in sustainability and educating us about all the local farms we have access to and it just makes sense.” Two months have passed since ‘Aina Pono’s

implementation and Kam has stated that the cafeteria staff has gotten used to the new schedule and enjoy the new changes, especially developing stronger teamwork. All breakfasts and lunches are now scratch cooked and use local produce surpassing the April goal of four scratch cooked breakfast and lunch meals a week. As of right now, the cafeteria receives produce from Sugar Land Farms, Aloun Farm and various Big Island farms including Xinhwa Farm and Hirako Farm. Currently, Kam is

working with Peterson’s Upland Farm in Wahiawa to bring in a constant supply of fresh eggs to Mililani High. However, with its success, the ‘Aina Pono initiative’s future remains uncertain. But with community support and strengthening ties with local farms as well as educating students about nutrition and health the program may thrive and expand to other schools in the state for years to come.

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

Mililani farm to table

Which do you prefer; farm to school lunch or a typical school lunch?

4.9%

Farm to school typical lunch both

27.8% 67.4%

Photo courtesy of Danielle castro & Marnie Record

On March 28, 2018, Mililani High school served kalua pork made in the first state approved DOE imu, which is on the Mililani HIgh school campus.

*based off of 146 mililani survey responses

did you enjoy the farm to school lunch on these days?

yes

somewhat

14.3%

13.6%

8.6%

34.2%

21.6%

0.9% 44.2%

85.5%

77.1%

teri patty w/ rice

spaghetti & meatballs

February 7th

31.6%

6.7%

February 21st

35.1%

55.4%

italian sausage & cheese pizza

vegetarian pizza

March 13th

February 28th

9.1% 6.1%

9.5%

61.7% March 1st

katsu w/ kimchee & rice

84.8% local beef patty

March 14th

We Celebrate 50 years of Our Mililani! Congratulations to Mililani Town Association for your commitment to leadership and governance that nurtures stable growth in keeping with the original vision for Hawaiiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest planned community. We are proud to call Mililani our hometown, a great place to raise our families and enjoy all of the opportunities we have for positive interactions among friends and neighbors, businesses and civic organizations.

I am so glad to have had the opportunity to serve our community as a member of the Mililani Neighborhood Board (1995-2005}, as a member of the MTA Board since 1999, and now as your elected state senator. I look forward to working on your behalf for many years to come.

Mahalo for your support!

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

by Megan Schendel Designed by Chaeley Winkler

VEX robotics teacher Tim Pregana moonlights for TSA and the Army National Guard.

ver the past couple of decades, protests have broken out across the nation as teachers, such as those in Kentucky, Oklahoma and Arizona, march for an increase in their pay. Last year, thousands of teachers marched to the Hawaii State Capitol building, calling for an increase in public school funding and a raise for the state’s teachers. They were successful, winning legislation that promises a 14 percent pay raise for Hawaii teachers over the next four years. Despite this, Mililani teachers continue to find that they cannot live and retire off a teacher’s salary, requiring them to pick up a second or even third job. “I think because the cost of living in Hawaii is high and to have that second source of income I think for a lot of teachers is vital—so that they can make ends meet. I think it’s nice that we got a pay raise with our new contract but I don’t think it’s enough for what some teachers need,” said MHS Head Faculty Representative Roy Hannu. Teachers often find that with their pay they are unable to afford monthly expenses, let alone retirement. “We bought a home and in order to help pay for the bills and mortgage I had to get a second job. I also have a daughter, she’s two and a half, and so to pay for bills and be able to make it in Hawaii and pay for daycare—it’s a lot. And teaching, sadly, doesn’t quite cover all of those costs so I had to pick up additional jobs,” said Kipapa Elementary School first grade teacher Cory Ann Kaimuloa. MHS CTE teacher Timothy Pregana added, “Basically everybody wants to retire, which is a goal for most people. The simple math is: you need $40,000 in residual income in order to retire. As a teacher with 30 years of service you’d be hard pressed to make $40,000 in retirement. So basically I’m saying you’re not going to retire comfortably as a teacher with 30 years of service. You need additional income.”

Many teachers took the chance to expand off of their interests and experiences when finding the second jobs they now have, resulting in a wide range of fields. Pregana, who was in ROTC in college, has two other jobs besides teaching, working as a TSA passenger screener and an ammunitions sergeant for the Hawaii Army National Guard. Partially because of her familiarity with, and like of their products, Kaimuloa began selling personalized bags for Thirty-One Bags as well as LuLaRoe clothing. MHS auto shop teacher James Smith runs four other businesses besides teaching, including a lawn care, house maintenance and fishing company, and an auto body shop. Starting her own business, MHS curriculum coordinator Jeni Miyahara creates origami for weddings. Other teachers’ choices in second jobs were based more upon the friendships that they had developed with their coworkers than an interest in the job itself. MHS English teacher Donald Leong has worked in retail at a powertool store since college and kept it as a second source of income when he began teaching, getting to work with people that he’d known since he started college. Mililani Ike Elementary School fifth grade teacher Jennifer Terao got her job in a chocolate shop after a friend opened the business and asked for her friends to work there and help run the shop. With the increased workload from multiple jobs, teachers have to balance teaching with their other responsibilities. “At the end of the day, some teachers have to go, and they don’t have time to maybe stay after to work with students because they need to be at their other job,” said Hannu. Terao added, “I try not to work during the week but if (my boss is) busy at Choco le’a it’s like I’m going straight from this job to that job.” Teachers are often required to stay after school, which can be particularly difficult when they have another job that takes up their time. “I’ll give you the perfect example, there are times when my robotics students want to work

on their projects and I can’t be there due to the requirements of my second job, where the students will either have to get the parents to help out or take the robots and parts home and work on it at home instead of building it at school. So there are some trade offs on that,” said Pregana. Leong added, “You always have to compromise. So at times, because I advise the Chess Club and the Key Club, there are days when I can’t work because I have to chaperone events, and there are days where I can’t chaperone events because I have to work and it’s just a matter of deciding which one is more important at the time.” However, these teachers still manage to find a way to balance everything that’s on their plate. “It’s all about time management. That’s one of the biggest things about having a second job or understanding anything after a main job is, ‘How am I going to manage myself so I can get all this done,’” said Smith. No matter what else is going on, the teachers prioritize the students and their teaching jobs first. “My job at Mililani High is extremely time consuming, so having a second job that I can do as needed really helps. I take on jobs whenever I can, while still managing my work at the school,” said Miyahira. To focus on their second jobs, many teachers take advantage of their breaks, whether it be after school time, weekends or in between quarters. “There are times when it becomes pretty hectic and I do have to hire two people, you know subcontractors, or we might get really busy with fishing season. That’s why summer ime is really good for me—for having the summers off—‘cause I can really tend to the other businesses pretty heavily,” said Smith. Making the best out of a difficult situation, teachers have proven to remain dedicated to their students, and will continue to do so in the future, as they balance the many demands placed upon them.

(L-R) Auto shop teacher James Smith is a Jack of all trades running multiple businesses including a fishing company, curriculum coordinator Jeni Miyahara makes origami for weddings and English teacher Donald Leong works at Slim’s Power Tools Inc.,

Timothy Won | Mililani Times

MILILANI HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS WORKING HARD FOR THEIR MONEY Math Teacher

CURTIS DEFEO REYN SPOONER English Teacher

LINDA KENUI REAL ESTATE

Social Studies Teacher

DAVID FRANCISCO DRIVER’S ED Math Teacher

KYLE MONETTE PERSONAL TUTORING

Music Teacher

CURTIS HIYANE

NATIONAL GUARD Social Studies Teacher

SEAN WAGNER ASSAGIO’S

*This story was originally published in issue 3 of Mililani Times.

SPED Teacher

Broadcast Teacher

PROPERTY MANAGER

RADIO, FREELANCE JOURNALIST WEDDINGS & PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR

KIMBERLY MATCHETT English Teacher

KATIE ROCKWELL MARKETING

ESME INFANTE

Japanese Teacher

KEIKO BURGESS

VOICE OVERS, EMCEE & INTERPRETER

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

MEL

CONTINUING M

In the earlier days of the Mililani Hongwanji, many of the original members canvassed around the area, trying to expand their influence and increase their numbers. Erisa Castillo | Mililani Times

elvin Hayase, born in Hana, Maui on Feb. 29, 1940, has been a resident of Mililani for over 40 years. Having played a big part in founding the Mililani Hongwanji, Hayase has contributed largely to the establishment and the continuation of the community’s annual bon dance. 2018 is the 140th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Hawaii, and Hayase has been heavily influenced by its culture both growing up and transitioning into a parent. “We were all born in Hana, my whole family was born in Hana, Maui, and so they were still living in Hana, and I was born there, until I moved to Wailuku on Maui when I was one. And so, I was greatly influenced by my issei grandparents and my parents. Of course they spoke Japanese mostly; my grandparents and parents spoke to each other in Japanese mostly but a lot of Pidgin in between. So I grew up with that kind of English, Japanese, Pidgin kind of language,” said Hayase. Growing up, Hayase was taught through the lens of traditional Japanese values and customs,

LVIN HAYASE 27

NG JAPANESE TRADITION FOR 40 YEARS by maiya ezawa | designed by Kylie Jones

which had an effect on him when he became a parent. “So what else would influence me as a parent? My culture? Giving. Sharing and giving, I think that was a culture. My father was a tuna fisherman and growing up in Wailuku, he used to come home once a week, usually on Friday night or Saturday,” said Hayase. “He would be cleaning the fish, cutting the fish. And he would always, at the end, after he slices all the fish, nice pieces of sashimi, he would say, ‘Okay, Melvin you take these to the Wong’s across the street’ or ‘Okay, Melvin you take these to the Fukunaga’s,’ our neighbors on the other side. So whatever, we had, all the stuff we had we shared with the people around us.” Hayase’s belief in preserving the Japanese culture is something he felt was essential to his community and family, in addition to the merging of American and Japanese traditions he’s seen throughout the years. “The sense of family (is important). The sense of, ‘I belong, I’m not just my own, I’m not just my own family, but I belong to a community, a community of people.’ And for the Japanese, as the generations moved away from the first

generation, initially the family was you, your neighborhood, your extended family and your neighborhood and the Japanese community. And so that was all very important”, said Hayase. The Buddhist faith had always been an important part of Hayase’s life, which he practiced from the time he was a child. This led him to establishing the Mililani Hongwanji 40 years ago. “Mililani Hongwanji, since it’s beginning; I’m one of several of the original founders of the temple. We celebrated our 40th anniversary this year, so the official incorporate, whenever we became a charter organization, was 40 years ago. But we sort of existed informally before that,” said Hayase. “Some of us got to know each other because we’re Buddhist, and so we wanted to talk story. There’s no church or anything here so we just kind of got together, and some of those people I knew from before.” The Hongwanji helped to introduce some Japanese traditions into the relatively new Mililani community. “We did what was familiar to us, and bon dance was one of them as well as when we had different types of

fundraisers where we’d do things like make sushi, because we knew how to make sushi—we didn’t know how to make anything else. So we did those kinds of things, the food, the dancing, at one time there was a group of members who would sing karaoke, we’d invite whoever wanted to join us in singing, so you know, just those kinds of things,” said Hayase. Traditionally, Bon Dances were rooted heavily in the Buddhist religion and was a time to celebrate one’s ancestors. However, after time and localization, the event has evolved. “You see when I grew up, bon dancing it was more traditional, and if you wanted to dance, you had to wear either kimono or happi coat, you had to have that kind of outfit on,” said Hayase. “And I think that pretty much was the rule, I know when we started the bon dance, it tended to be like that, but we made it very clear from the beginning that let’s be more welcoming, let’s let anybody who wants to dance, dance, as long as they have, you know, clothes on.” Some of Hayase’s fondest memories of the Hongwanji come from the annual bon dances. “We

danced around (the yagura) and one of our members was a gal from, she was a Buddhist but from Thailand, and of course bon dances aren’t common to Thai people, and but so, she was willing to dance bon dances and she even taught us a Thai dance, and we danced around the circle. I thought that was unique because you don’t normally see nonJapanese bon dances, but this was a Thai bon dance,” said Hayase. As he gets older, Hayase has focused on passing on responsibility in the church to other members. “I had to take care of (my wife), so in my responsibility to take care of her I couldn’t do the things I used to do for the temple, and so I just gradually didn’t accept doing things or resigned from certain positions and that’s how I gradually got out. Over the years that that has happened, I realized that when you leave, when you’ve been in a place for so long and you leave, somebody else will fill it in,” said Hayase. Hayase is now retired and enjoying his life in Mililani. While he continues to help out with the bon dance, he is weaning himself out and passing on the torch.

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

By Taylor Ann ono | Designed by Marisa Hayase

n April 21, Mililani High School’s John Kauinana Stadium will be hosting Mililani Town Association (MTA) 50th Anniversary Celebration; celebrating 50 years since the founding of the Mililani community. The celebration features a variety of activities, including a fireworks show, musical entertainment, food vendors and inflatable bouncers. Mililani Town is home to over twenty seven thousand people, with Mililani Mauka housing over twenty one thousand, making the 50th Anniversary a major marker to reminisce on memories, as well as to make new ones. “Mililani has a very special place in my heart. It is where we raised our son. It is where our son spent his entire school life. We have family that live four blocks away and I would not trade the neighbors on my cul-de-sac for anything in the world. I have the best neighbors anyone could ask for. I feel so blessed to call Mililani home because it feels like home to me,” said MTA President Bob Barrett. Mililani Town is owned by Castle & Cooke, Inc., who started developing Mililani in the 1960s, eventually selling the first Mililani Town houses in 1968. In 1973, Mililani High School was established. In 1992, the first homes in Mililani Mauka were sold, expanding Mililani Town. 50 years later, Mililani is still thriving, with the addition of multiple schools and shopping centers that have changed the environment. “I first moved to Mililani in 1973, when our first son was born, to work at a Real Estate Office called Real Estate One. Mililani was just five years old at that time, so I’ve been lucky enough to see Mililani grow into the great town it is now with four shopping centers, seven recreation centers, nine schools and 19 parks,” said Castle & Cooke Hawaii President Harry Saunders. “I feel old and yet appreciate that Mililani is ageing well and only getting better.” Barrett added, “When I look at what Mililani has to offer these days, it’s amazing to me. The Town Center is a fabulous place to be and the seven recreation centers of MTA are just magnificent. The green spaces, the tot lots and the pride of ownership people have and the manner in which people take care of their homes makes me proud. No doubt, Mililani has

Photo By Charles O’Rear (1973) Before Mililani Town was built, the land consisted of pineapple plantations.

COMMUNITY ISSUE, APRIL 2018

come a long way from its humble beginnings.” Mililani’s growth and prosperity over the last half of a century is a cause for celebration that many people in the community, and outside the community, are looking forward to. “I’m happy to be a part of the Mililani Anniversary Celebration. Mililani has a lot of Cecilio and Kapono fans and I plan on bringing the C&K music to the celebration,” said professional entertainer Henry Kapono, one of many performers that will attend the celebration. “I always say that time flies when you’re having a good time. I hope that all of the residents have had a good time and come out for a great celebration with us.” Barrett added, “I am humbled and honored to be able to participate in the 50th anniversary event. There are some people that have lived here all their lives. How special is that going to be that they will see Mililani grow to be 50?” Other than the growth and change of Mililani since the beginning of its establishment, everyone loves the town for their own reasons. “I love the people of Mililani, I love our weather and I just love the family atmosphere here,” said Barrett. “Mililani means ‘to look skyward’ and that can have spiritual meaning if you look at it from that perspective. I look at it from that angle but I also look at it from a governance perspective. How MTA manages to create policy, add and enhance amenities and put on family oriented events. Those are the things I think of (when I think about Mililani).” Kapono added, “Driving to the beauty of the North Shore for me begins when you come into Mililani. It is the perfect meld of town and country.” Celebrating the anniversary of Mililani is also a reminder of other

goals and future wishes for the town to continue with its grandeur. “I’m very optimistic for the future of Mililani because of all the great families and people that live in Mililani. They have made Mililani a real community that will continue to improve the quality of life for all that live, work, and play there,” said Saunders. Barrett added, “My hope for Mililani is that we stay on this course and constantly strive to improve. Improve MTA’s level and quality of service. Improve the amenities we offer to our members and continue to enjoy the quality of family life we have come to know here. While I am very pleased with where we are now as an association, it is a good thing to strive to be better. Never stop pushing forward.” The anniversary will run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 21. Tickets are being sold for $20, and for MTA Members, can be bought at Recreation Center 3 and Recreation Center 7; for the public, Recreation Center 3 only.

The History of Castle & Cooke, Inc.: Before the development of Mililani Town, the area consisted of plantation fields, which were owned by Castle & Cooke, Inc. Castle & Cooke, Inc. is a real estate company that used to be a part of The Big Five. In the early 20th century, The Big Five held political power in the Territory of Hawaii. The Big Five is a company also known as “Na Hui Nui Elima,” that started as a sugarcane processing corporation. Castle & Cooke, Inc. is also known for its involvement in creating Dole Food Company, the largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world. In 1996, Castle & Cooke, Inc. separated from Dole Food Company and focused on real estate.

Before Castle & Cooke; King Kamehameha II John Papa I’i: Before Castle & Cooke, Inc. owned the land that Mililani was built on, it was owned by John Papa I’i. The land (which was most of the Waipi o Ahupua a) was given to John Papa I’i by King Kamehameha lll in 1850. After John Papa I’i died, most of the land was leased and passed down, eventually ending up in the hands of Castle & Cooke, Inc. through Dole Pineapple. “Mililani Town” was first named “Waipio New Town,” but got changed in 1965.

Castle & Cooke, Inc.’s Plan for Mililani: Because of O ahu’s demand for a new, unique community, Castle & Cooke, Inc. planned to make Mililani Town a satellite city. A satellite city is a smaller city that is close to a larger city, which is the center of a metropolitan area. What makes satellite cities different is that they have their own centre. This plan to make Mililani a satellite city was decided in hope that it would satisfy the people’s needs for a unique community. Although it was a planned goal, Mililani is not considered a satellite city; it doesn’t have its own centre, and is not called “downtown.”

Development Director Alfred Anton Boeke: The development director of Mililani was American architect and developer, Alfred Anton Boeke (Nov. 20, 1922 – Nov. 8, 2011), who was hired by Castle & Cooke, Inc. in 1959. Boeke also developed what is known as Sea Ranch, California: a 10 mile long coastal community in Sonoma County that consists of over 1,000 homes.

The All-America City Award: In 1986, Mililani Town received the All-America City Award. This award is given out every year to ten communities in the United States of America by the National Civic League. This award is given to communities whose citizens use teamwork to overcome community challenges. The All-America City Award is the oldest program in the nation that recognizes communities. Mililani is the only community in Hawaii that has been awarded and recognized by this program.

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