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March 12, 2020
HISTORY IN THE MAKING The MHS Drill Team will make program history by competing at their first drill national competition this coming May. The team has been together since the beginning of the 19-20 school year and is under the command of Chief Johnnie Hickson, who has been with the program for only a year and a half.
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02
INDEX
03 Community
Finding Balance With Tai Chi
Agoo, Kamahele Win Service Award
MHS Blood Drive Needs Donors
Trojans Win Big at CTSO
Drill Team National Competition
MHS Students Move On to ISEF
Six Students in T.C. Ching Contest
Boys Soccer Play in State Finals
Hikiji and Lee Pin the Competition
Javier: Pushing Through The Pain
Schaefer Archery Competition
Swim Team Wins States
Shamrock Shake Recipe
Pho Places Nearby
04 News
11 Sports
15 Recipe
16 Food Feature
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03
Finding Balance COMMUNITY
Tai Chi Classes in Mililani Offer Mental and Physical Health Benefits WRITER McGwire Ishikawa
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PHOTOGRAPHER Lauren Ramos
DESIGNER Madison Kelly
reated in 1670 in ancient China, tai chi became a very popular martial art. Over 50 years ago, Herbert Pong, a tai chi instructor, started teaching classes at North Shore. In 1999, Pong founded Mililani Tai Chi, a free class adapted from the Cheng Man-Ch’ing style. Today, dozens of people actively participate in the classes that are available four days a week. “I think every older adult should have something that they can believe in, that they can work with, that they can improve their health with. That was the main reason why our founder, Mr. Pong, started the tai chi class, cause he wanted older adults to follow his example and achieve much better health,” said instructor Russell Yanagida. Alongside the Cheng Man-Ch’ing set, Mililani Tai Chi teaches their students multiple sets of moves during their classes. These sets include a qigong set, a Yang-style National Form 24 tai chi set and a Yang-style tai chi sword set. Starting in April, the Thursday classes will be changed so that beginners can learn the qigong moveset. The art of tai chi is very beneficial for physicality, providing those who practice it with improved balance, flexibility, muscle strength and longevity. It also helps to stimulate the brain, since students have to connect consecutive movements. “I’m a former marathon runner — I always believed my legs and core muscles were strong. What a surprise to discover how weak they were. I also learned meditation 30 plus years ago; tai chi is a wonderful compliment to my meditation routine,” said member and website manager Jeffrey Agader. For elders, tai chi helps people get exercise in a slow and progressive way that allows little chance of injury in the process. Members of Mililani Tai Chi also have a chance to socialize with others because of the classes. “Although we live in Mililani, this gives an opportunity to meet people and talk to them and learn about things that they have done,” said member Myron Yamashiro. Instructor Susan Yanagida added, “I think they got stronger, ‘cause I noticed that when we had our students begin the class, a lot of them are not able to bend their knees and stand on one foot. As we go on within a year’s time, they’re able to balance on one foot.” The art of tai chi helps with relaxation, which can be very beneficial for anyone who needs to de-stress. “There’s a lot of things happening to a teenager in high school. This is a good opportunity to learn how to get themself to meditate and to help them get into the relaxed state whenever they feel too anxious or too many things coming at them,” said Susan Yanagida. Member Dawn Suzuki added, “I think it’s a very calming martial art. It’s a moving meditation.” Classes are from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at Holaniali‘i Neighborhood Park, or on Saturdays at Mililani Mauka District Park. For more information, visit https://mililanitaichi.home.blog/about-2/.
Left Suson Yanagida right Virgil Francisco the art of tai chi consists of five types: Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun and Hao.
04
NEWS
Spirit of Service
Agoo, Kamahele Win Annual Prudential Spirit of Community Award WRITER Leigh Berry
DESIGNER Alina Fujinaka
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he Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is the largest community service award in the U.S., announcing 102 finalists every year since their founding in 1995. On Feb. 2, the PSCA chose local homeschool sixth grader Rylee-Brooke Kamahele and Senior Joie Agoo to be this year’s honorees for the state of Hawai‘i. “When I found out I won the award, I was kind of like, ‘Is this real?’ My mom and I had to read the letter like four times to make sure we were reading it right. I danced around my kitchen while my mom read it out loud,” said Agoo. Every year, two students are chosen from each state and the District of Columbia to represent the nation’s top youth volunteers. To apply, students must write a 600-word
Photo courtesy: Debra Agoo Left to right: Lacy Deniz (reporter), Joie Agoo and RyleeBrooke Kamahele
essay describing a community service project they participated in or directed. The project Agoo focused on was the YMCA’s Houseless Project, which she helped create in 2018 with a few friends. The Houseless Project allows volunteers to build relationships within Hawai‘i’s homeless community by providing opportunities for conversation while handing out supplies such as lunches and water bottles. “This topic is important to me because it is something that I have seen grow and expand more than I could have ever imagined. It started because my friends and I talked to Wahiawa students, parents and teachers, and we wanted to help,” said Agoo. Kamahele’s project was the Catalyst Club; an organization she created at the age of eight, providing kids with the ability to have a positive impact in their communities. The Catalyst Club encompasses three smaller organizations: the Secret Santa Project Hawai‘i, the Promise to Our Keiki and the Love is a Verb foundation. “So I kind of had to go out and make my own path and show them it’s not always babysitting. Some people just really really want to be here. And that’s what started my love for community service and just everything,” said Kamahele. As a part of winning the title of state honoree, the girls received a $1,000 scholarship, a silver medallion and a trip to Washington D.C. for the PSCA’s national award ceremony. At the ceremony, 10 finalists will have a chance to win the title of national honoree, which will award them with $5,000 towards an organization of their choosing and a gold medallion. “The Prudential Spirit Award had so many people that entered from all around the world and I am so blessed and happy that I’ve got this, but my heart hasn’t changed from that,” Kamahele said. The girls will attend the national award ceremony in D.C. from May 2 to 5, where the national finalists will be announced.
MHS Blood Drive Struggles to Meet Goals, Needs New Donors WRITER Emma Lee
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DESIGNER Alina Fujinaka
ospitals rely on the Blood Bank of Hawai‘i to supply blood on their shelves on a daily basis. With teenagers contributing to about 10 percent of national blood donations, high schools remain a vital source. However, this school year, the last two blood drives at MHS failed to meet their goal of 100 pints, with the first one reaching 97 pints and the second 83 pints. “I think one of the biggest factors in the change (of donations this year) is that the Blood Bank of Hawai‘i increased our goal because of our school size, without considering the reasons why students choose to donate or not,” said Blood Drive Adviser Stephanie Grande-Misaki, who has been the adviser at MHS since 2011. Despite 100 appointments being made, a high number of deferrals made many donors ineligible to donate. With age, the chances of deferrals increase because of illnesses and medication. Such issues are less common for younger donors, which is why high school blood drives are so important; high school students have a lower risk of deferral compared to adults, and donating blood early encourages students to become lifelong donors in the future. “High schoolers should understand that we are major providers of blood. There’s a couple thousand students in our school — even if more than half the people don’t meet the requirements, we can still save so many lives if everyone participated,” said Junior Andrew Kim, a member of the Blood Drive Committee. Young donors are deferred for different reasons. Not eating a
proper meal, having low or high temperature or catching a cold can all contribute to the number of donations falling short of the appointments made. “So another part of the issue is preparation. Letting people know what to prepare for, getting their iron to the correct amount, that’s one of the main issues,” said blood drive Senior Chairperson Phoebe Kwan. Being deferred once is not the same as being deferred for life, however. After her mother was deferred for life due to cancer, Grande-Misaki made it a mission to donate in her honor, starting in her senior year at MHS. Since then, she has been donating blood for the last 30 years. “I have also been deferred from time to time, so I know that there are things beyond our control, but my hope is that one deferral doesn’t discourage others to stop donating,” said Grande-Misaki. The next blood drive, on April 14, will be the last chance to donate this year. The MHS Blood Drive is optimistic about participation. “It doesn’t bother me so much that we don’t make the goals, because if we collected 90 instead of a 100, we are still saving 270 lives. I (would) rather look at the positive than negative,” said Grande-Misaki. Students who meet the height and weight requirements are encouraged to donate. Males 16 to 18 years old must be at least 5’ tall and weigh at least 110 pounds. Females between 16 and 18 years old have different weight requirements based on height, which can be found in the chart on a blood drive form. Donors should also eat a hearty meal before their appointment to prevent deferrals and eat iron-rich foods like red meat, spinach and whole wheat. Those who are interested or have questions can see Grande-Misaki in N102.
Photo courtesy: Stephanie Grande-Misaki Junior Kelly Higa (left) and senior Phoebe Kwan (right) are the two MHS Blood Drive Chairpersons.
05
NEWS
State Competition
FCCLA
DECA
HOSA
SkillsUSA
06
NEWS
WRITER WRITER Sasha Numazu-Fisher Sasha Numazu-Fisher
DESIGNER Joie Agoo
DESIGNER Joie Agoo
trojans win big at ctso F
rom Feb. 26 to 27, various MHS club members participated in the 2020 Career and Technical Student Organizations competition held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. The competition focused on the different areas of career and technical education, consisting of four divisions: Distributive Education Clubs of America DECA, SkillsUSA, Health Occupations Students of America HOSA and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America FCCLA. Each co-curricular club had their own individual tasks to complete and within each competition were several categories that the students could work to place in. “The club is a place where students who want to learn about what they’re learning about in class can come together. Also they can network and get to know other business students, students that are like-minded or have similar interests, and then just build those relationships,” said DECA adviser and business teacher Malika Nahina. For DECA, the competition involved a career performance-based assessment challenge that required the completion of a research paper and written online assessment prior to the event day. The second part of the competition required students to develop a solution to a problem proposed by businesses and organizations present at the competition. “We’ve just been preparing over the last few months to actually do the second portion of the competition which is the actual roleplay. Students prepared during their breaks, before and after school, they sat down with an advisor, and worked through some sample roleplays that had been used previously,” said Nahina. DECA focuses on the business and marketing area of the CTSO competition. This year, Sophomores Rain Hashimoto and Elise Norris placed first in the travel and tourism event. Sophomores Annabelle Ink and Kirah Evile placed first in the finance category, and Senior Noesha Kabua placed second in entrepreneurship. Out of the 17 that participated, 12 had been recognized and five teams advanced. “Favorite part of the competition. I don’t know, they’re all kind of stressful. I guess at the end, the luncheon is nice because everyone’s done with the stressful parts, really it’s just waiting to hear,” said Nahina, who had taught this program for two years. SkillsUSA trains their members in technical and skilled service occupations such as graphics, internetworking, robotics and video production. To be eligible for competition, students must currently attend a Career Technical Education course. Their event involved students participating and placing in mobile robotics, architectural drafting, advertising design, TV production, prepared speech, internet working and promotional bulletin board. Seniors Jaelyn-Hope Aranaydo, Ryan Inouye and Boyd Hagihara placed first with their promotional bulletin board and Sophomore Noelle Shimabukuro had placed first in prepared speech for her second consecutive time. “Our presentation was about our board, our experiences, challenges, reflections and how we portrayed this year’s theme which was ‘I’m Ready.’ Our board features an office and a person planning out for success on a whiteboard. Then we created a projector part that you could roll down and it shows all three of us in the future, having success by conquering the world,” said Aranaydo. Seniors Brensen Manding, Joie Agoo and Sophomore Ethan Ibanez had placed second in their respective categories: architectural drafting, advertising design and internet working. Juniors Jade Engstrom and Kamalu Chock-Nihi placed third in mobile robotics, Sophomores Caden Chang, Jenai Redoble and Nina Shaw placed third in promotional bulletin board and Seniors Lauren Bongco and Meagan Tamashiro placed third in the TV production category. “As of right now, we are undecided if we can go to nationals just because of financial
This being my second year teaching it was nice to see the stress we went through pay off.” -Malika Nahina
reasons. We are hoping to be able to fly out though because I know it will be such a good experience and we’ll be able to make new memories,” said Aranyado. HOSA promotes learning in health professions as it is a club that delves deeper into health science related curriculum and exposes students to real life scenarios. This year, Senior Sonny Landingin Jr. placed first in nutrition, Juniors Cadie Young and Gracia Waite were a team that placed second in forensic science and Seniors Meilin Bucher and Raeson Okumura both individually placed third in medical terminology and clinical specialty. “I was honestly surprised that I placed first because I was not confident I studied enough. I was very happy and proud that I placed first place because that was my goal for this my last year in HOSA, I honestly swaggered to the stage to receive my medal. This reaction was very different from sophomore year; when I heard my name get called for first place I was yelling louder than the cheering from Mililani HOSA,” said Landingin Jr. For Landingin Jr., the nutrition category that he participated in required a completion of a 100 question multiple choice knowledge test that was then followed by a tie-breaker essay that had to be finished in an hour and thirty minutes. He had been apart of HOSA for three consecutive years and had placed first once before in the category his sophomore year. “My feelings prior to competition I was kind of stressed, because I did not study as much as I wanted to since this senior year was hectic and busy for me. The day of the competition I obviously felt the butterflies in my stomach, but then they slowly went away because I went into the competition thinking I’m going to try my best and that’s what matters,” said Landingin Jr. The FCCLA club had placed in three categories: Senior Quinn Goo received a gold medal in fashion design, Sophomore Miya Nishihira received a silver medal in event management and Seniors Keilyn Garo, Lexie Morris, Juniors Kelly Higa, Maria Bongiorno, Joshua Ishizaka and Zain Sasaki had all received a bronze medal in the baking and pastry category. The club itself focuses on using family and consumer sciences such as culinary, fashion design and more in order to address important personal work and societal issues. “I felt proud we accomplished something. Our score wasn’t the best but it was our first time so I’m excited to do it again,” said Bongiorno. The preparation and work each student and teacher put into the competition not only reflected in their awards but also in their relationships. Many advisers have potlucks during their student meetings and have dinner and share their worries with one another prior to the club’s competition. “My favorite part was staying at the hotel and being able to get to know other people in the club. During preparation and everything, we really got to bond with other groups, other members of the club, and even the advisers,” said Aranaydo. The next step the clubs must now take depends on the students who decide to compete and further place in nationals. DECA club’s national competition is expected to be held from April 27 to May 3, in Nashville, Tenn.. The SkillsUSA competition will be on June 20 in Kentucky. HOSA club’s will be held in Houston, Texas during the summer and the FCCLA nationals will be held from July 5 to 9 in Washington D.C..
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NEWS
DECA
SkillsUSA
Financial Services Team Event (National Qualifier) 1st Place Kirah Evile (Sophomore) 1st Place Annabelle Ink (Sophomore)
Mobile Robotics 3rd Place Jade Engstrom (Junior) and Kamalu Chock-Nihi (Junior)
Travel & Tourism Team Event (National Qualifier) 1st Place Elise Norris (Sophomore) 1st Place Rain Hashimoto (Sophomore) Entrepreneurship Individual Event (National Qualifier) 2nd Place Noesha Kabua (Senior) Financial Written Exam 1st Place Annabelle Ink (Sophomore) Entrepreneurship Written Exam 2nd Place Noesha Kabua (Senior) Gold Medallion Recognition (Judge’s Favorite) Nethan Scurr (Senior) Business Services Noesha Kabua (Senior) Entrepreneurship Kirah Evile (Sophomore) Financial Services Annabelle Ink (Sophomore) Financial Services Ariel Woodman (Sophomore) Travel Tourism Elise Norris (Sophomore) Travel Tourism Rain Hashimoto (Sophomore) Travel Tourism Emma Pratt (Junior) Travel Tourism Jaylin Smith (Junior) Travel Tourism Michelle-Marie Wright (Senior) Travel Tourism
Finalists Aiden Apana (Junior) Sports & Entertainment Marketing Kylee Stone (Junior) Sports & Entertainment Marketing Ariel Woodman (Sophomore) Travel Tourism Emma Pratt (Junior) Travel Tourism
FCCLA Fashion Design Gold Medal Quinn Goo (Senior) Event Management Silver Medal Miya Nishihira (Sophomore) and Kayana Stone (Sophomore) Baking and Pastry Bronze Medal Maria Bongiorno (Junior), Joshua Ishizaka (Junior) and Zain Sasaki (Junior) Bronze Medal Kelly Higa (Junior), Keilyn Garo (Senior) and Lexie Morris (Senior)
Architectural Drafting 2nd Place Brensen Manding (Senior) Advertising Design 2nd Place Joie Agoo (Senior) TV Production 3rd Place Lauren Bongco (Senior) and Meagan Tamashiro (Senior) Prepared Speech 1st Place Noelle Shimabukuro (Sophomore) Internetworking 2nd Place Ethan Ibanez (Sophomore) Promotional Bulletin Board 1st Place Jaelyn-Hope Aranaydo (Senior), Ryan Inouye (Senior) and Boyd Hagihara (Senior) 3rd Place Caden Chang (Sophomore), Jenai Redoble (Sophomore) and Nina Shaw (Sophomore)
HOSA Forensic Science 2nd Place Cadie Young (Junior) and Gracia Waite (Junior) Clinical Specialty 3rd Place Meilin Bucher (Senior) Epidemiology 2nd Place Savannah-Marie Mason (Senior) Nutrition 1st Place Sonny Landingin Jr. (Senior) Medical Terminology 3rd Place Raeson Okumura (Senior)
08
NEWS
09 WRITER Jacob Nakasone
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PHOTOGRAPHER Reese Yamamoto
NEWS
DESIGNER Jenna Lee Bundalian
ne of many sayings often preached by Chief and Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Instructor Johnnie Hickson is “excellence through repetition.” For the MHS JROTC drill team, this adage has described their success this school year; it is also part of the reason why they will soon be making their first ever appearance at the National High School Drill Team Championships this coming May, which will be held in Sunny Daytona Beach, Fla. “This is very significant because since the Mililani JROTC program was established, the drill team hasn’t won a single competition,” said Assistant Drill Team Commander and Senior Shelby Andrade. “And to be able to not only work our way up the ladder to be number one in the state but now having the opportunity to possibly be number one in the world in just a single year is very remarkable and phenomenal.” The drill team is made up of students who are a part of the MHS JROTC program. For this year’s current team, they began training with two summer camps in June and July. “We perform both regulation and exhibition routines. A regulation routine is a set of commands and the winner is determined based on who executed the commands the best, while an exhibition is just that, an exhibition. Here, we showcase our unique moves that we came up with,” said Drill Team Commander and Senior Matthew Leonard, who has been doing drill activities for over five years. “From the first month of school, we actively promoted joining the drill team to our new cadets, and as new members joined, we trained them in the basics. Our first competition was in October, and the team grew from around 15 cadets to over 40, so we had a lot of training to do.” To qualify for nationals, JROTC drill teams have to compete at the West Point Society Drill Meet. This year, the competition was hosted by MHS on Jan. 25 and included 22 units from around the island. The MHS drill team ended up placing first, followed by runner-up Kapolei High School. “My favorite memory from this drill season was West Point Drill Meet, as it was the first time we as a team not only placed in every category, but to win first place overall for the first time was amazing,” said Andrade.
“I have been a part of this great team since my freshman year, and to finally get the success we deserve and we have constantly worked for is so rewarding and motivating.” - Shelby Andrade
“I have been a part of this great team since my freshman year, and to finally get the success we deserve and we have constantly worked for is so rewarding and motivating.” To reach the national competition, the drill team estimates that it will cost roughly around $50,000 due to airfare, meal costs, hotel rooms, van rentals and new exhibition uniforms for 33 cadets and four instructors. Currently the team has raised $12,000 through fundraising and donations. Their deadline for fundraising is the end of March. Throughout the school year, the team has practiced their routines on a daily basis. The total amount of practice time the team has every week clocks out at around 20 hours and takes place four times a week plus optional morning practices. An essential part of these practices is a routine called drill team assessments; Hickson says that DTAs are a practice that only the Mililani drill team does. “DTA’s are designed to be strict, exact drill movements that must be executed to what the regulation outlines. (We do) 20 to 25 minutes of DTA’s and then we conduct an after action review of what we have improved on and what we see that needs improvements,” said Hickson. Besides these practices at MHS, the drill team has worked with other members outside of school to help improve their skills. “We collaborate with the Royal Hawaiian Honor Guard as well as retired Hilton guard members outside of school to learn their style of drill. Both of these organizations were prominent back in the 1990s and 2000s for putting Hawai‘i on top of the drill world, and what we do at the nationals will also represent them,” said Leonard. Despite the many achievements the team has accomplished so far, the group has also faced several challenges. “Some hardships we faced were (that) cadets have other priorities such as sport teams, clubs and work, causing cadets to miss practice and making the team have to take steps back to catch the missing cadets up with what was missed,” said Andrade. Unarmed Regulation Commander and Sophomore Ryan Green added, “People didn't get along with each other and some people quit because of other people, but this only made us stronger because it brought us closer not only as a team but as a family.” To help prepare for nationals, the drill team has continued their high intensity practices along with other preparations. “We still need to have brand new uniforms issued. We already have our routines solidified for the most part, so we now just need to perfect our execution,” said Leonard. Andrade added, “And like any great team, we watch films of not only ourselves to see what we did good and what we need to improve on, but we also watch videos of other schools to see the competition we are against.” If you want to help fund the drill team’s trip, there are many ways to help out. Cash or checks can be sent to the school address or brought directly to the JROTC Department (P29) at MHS. A receipt will be provided immediately for the donation or mailed back to the donators. For additional ways to contribute and donate (GoFundMe & other local fundraising opportunities), contact Chief Hickson Mililani HS Army JROTC Instructor at Johnny.hickson@mililanihs.k12.hi.us or the Senior Army JROTC Instructor at Timothy. schiller@mililanihs.k12.hi.us.
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NEWS
Revolutionizing Through Science Beeler, Carney, Nakasato, Move On to ISEF
WRITER ha Numazu-Fisher
WRITER PHOTOGRAPHER Chanelle Camero Genevieve Mumma
DESIGNER Kosmo Wojack
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t this past Hawai‘i Central District Fair, hosted by the Hawai‘i Academy of Science, Sophomores Ashlynn Carney and Caleb Beeler placed second and Senior Alex Nakasato placed first. The trio received an automatic invitation to the 2020 International Science & Engineering Fair, which will be held in Anaheim, Calif. “I’m really looking forward to seeing other projects at the State Science Fair and ISEF because these competitions have brilliant students and such phenomenal ideas. I hope that I can connect with more people that share the same interest as me in science and learn from them,” said Carney. Carney and Beeler worked as a team on their project titled “Processing and Testing of the Invasive Plant Species, Ipomoea aquatica, as a Low-Cost and Environmentally Sustainable Soil Amendment Agent.” The two were inspired to do this after having the opportunity to visit the Pouhala Marsh last year, where they found an area that was barren. “Later on, we found out more about this wildlife sanctuary and our teacher, who has been going there for about a decade, has seen no change in that specific area. It sparked our curiosity and from there, we started our project in hopes to find out what is going on and if there are any efficient solutions,” said Carney. Beeler added, “We wanted to choose a topic that was both
interesting and relevant to solving a community problem in Hawai‘i.” They hypothesized that these barren areas were not receiving as much nutrients compared to the parts of the marsh next to the Kapakahi Stream, which provided plantlife with nutrients. For their experiment, the team tested the soil quality as well as a putative soil amendment agent made from Ipomoea aquaticas, an invasive species. For their procedure process, they gathered soil from different areas of the marsh and tested for pH levels and its nutrients. To test the effects of the Ipomoea aquaticas, they mixed it in with their soil samples and grew ryegrass to measure their growth. Beeler and Carney found that the soil of the barren areas were missing nutrients. They concluded that the farther away the soil from the stream, the less potash values it had. While there was no growth in their Pouhala Marsh sample group, in their Mililani soil samples which was their control group, the I. aquatica soil amendment agent proved to be the most efficient as it had the highest growth rate, outperforming the store-bought fertilizer, another control group. “I hope they can learn more about utilizing natural resources to benefit people and the environment. Our project was more focused on Pouhala Marsh; however, it could be applied to many other places,” said Carney. Beeler added, “We hope people will take away that we need to take care of the earth that we live on to not cause this issue in the future in other places.” As for Nakasato, his project titled “Increasing the Buoyancy
of Potato Based Bioplastics” was inspired by the sinking of bioplastics he created last year. For the fair this year, he wanted to create a bioplastic that could float on the surface of the water. “If I changed the weight distribution of my bioplastics, the bioplastics with an end distribution would allow the plastic to float the most effectively, because the weight distribution would create a stable plastic that would sit on (the) surface of the water the most effectively,” said Nakasato. For his procedure, Nakasato held three trials for each of his experimental groups. These experimental groups were end weight distribution, middle weight distribution and no weight distribution, where the bioplastic was hollow. “For each trial, pennies were added to the top layer of the bioplastic above the water until it sank, or tipped over losing all the pennies. This was to test which bioplastic would hold the most amount of grams on average compared to the other groups,” said Nakasato. He found that bioplastics with a middle weight distribution held the most weight rather than the bioplastics with an end weight distribution. From his project, Nakasato hopes people can take away that there are multiple, different, plausible substitutes for the plastics used today. The state science fair competition will be held from April 8 to 10. ISEF will be held from May 10 to 15. For more information, you can visit https://www.societyforscience.org/.
Inspired in Hawai‘i Six MHS Students Place in T.C. Ching Contest
WRITER ha Numazu-Fisher
PHOTOGRAPHER WRITERS Genevieve DaneanMumma Wurlitzer
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DESIGNER Kosmo Wojack
n Nov. 8, students from kindergarten through twelfth grade submitted their final products for the tenth annual Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation “Inspired in Hawai‘i” Contest. The students were asked to make a video, poster, digital media poster or write an essay discussing an issue they thought was important to Hawai‘i. From MHS, Seniors Rowan Foster, Chance Ringor, Meagan Tamashiro, Sophomore Noele Okinaka and Freshmen Haku Arnold and Angelina Anglada all placed in the top three for their age group and division. “This contest is important for me because it was one of the only contests where I felt motivated to create,” said Ringor, who won first place for the video division. “I also feel that this contest is important for students in general because it provides an outlet for creativity, and it allows students to present innovative solutions for problems in Hawai‘i.” Students chose to focus their pieces on issues they considered essential to fix in Hawai‘i. Ringor, Tamashiro, Okinaka and Anglada all focused on issues surrounding the environment that need to be resolved, while Arnold discussed the current TMT protests on Mauna Kea; Foster the human trafficking issue in Hawai‘i. “More and more we hear tales of girls taken from Mililani and
the mall and any place we’d normally feel safe,” said Foster, who placed second in the poster division. “For that reason, I thought that shining a light on this issue would be extremely important.” Production for the contest began during quarter two of the school year for MHS students. However, the process was not easy in terms of perfecting their final submissions. “It was hard work for sure. We had to come up with a unique idea, write a prompt, storyboard, film and edit the video within a month span or so,” said Tamashiro. “There was also a period after completing our first draft where we still continued fixing our videos in order to be competition ready.” Though most of the students were assigned participation in the contest by their teachers, they were allowed freedom to express their ideas however they pleased. For Ringor, the process of filming served as his form of a creative outlet. “One thing I enjoyed about the experience was filming on a whim,” said Ringor. “I knew that I wanted to make a video that simulated a gourmet cooking video, replacing fresh ingredients with marine debris, but I didn’t know how I was going to portray that until I started filming.” The students received their awards on Feb. 19 at Kahala Mall. Ringor won the first place cash prize of $500, Arnold, Foster and Okinaka won second place prizes of $150 each, and Anglada and Tamashiro both won $100 for placing third. “I was very surprised when I won my division,” said Ringor. “What warms my heart the most, however, were my parents’
reactions. When I got back to them after receiving my award, they were tearing up. It made me want to cry too.” However, the winning students were not the only ones who were awarded from the contest, as the teachers of the winners also received a prize of $100 for every student that placed. For the students, this meant that the reward for winning extended far beyond their own cash prizes. “It feels nice knowing that my teacher gets something out of the competition as well,” said Tamashiro. “The most rewarding thing was the ability for my work to be shared and for me to show what I have been taught over the past three years.” The contest’s objectives are to both support students and their schools and give students an opportunity to express their creativity in an important and meaningful way. Overall, the students found that though it was a lot of hard work, the experience was rewarding. “I feel like more students should participate because we all have unique ways in presenting our ideas. One of those ideas could be award-winning, but we will never know until we try,” said Ringor. Winning submissions can be viewed on the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation website. For more information, visit www. clarencetcchingfoundation.org.
11
SPORTS
Unranked and Underdogs: Boys Soccer Play in State Finals WRITER WRITER WRITER Hope Hope Ishizaka Ishizaka Maya Hirano
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rior to the Queen’s Medical/HHSAA Division 1 State Championships, the MHS boys soccer team was unseeded and did not have a first round bye. However, despite being unranked and having a full schedule, the Trojans advanced to the championship game on Feb. 15 at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex. After a full 80 minutes of regulation play, the Trojans fell short to Punahou with the final score of 3-2. “Losing against Kalani was all part of God’s plan. We played a lot of panic soccer this season, and even though we were the better team, God let Kalani beat us in order to show us that we can’t accomplish anything by panicking,” said Junior and center back Kyle Foss. “After that game, we changed a lot. We refocused, and we made it to the championship game. Losing OIA’s was exactly what we needed to make it to the final state game.” In the second minute, Punahou scored. However, four minutes later, the Trojans answered back. Senior and forward Jordan Fernandez drew a foul in Punahou’s box and was awarded a penalty kick (PK). Senior and midfielder Liam McGehee took the PK and sank it past Punahou’s goalkeeper. The score remained tied at 1-1 until the twenty-sixth minute when Punahou scored their second goal. “The entire game seemed full of great defensive moments for us. Me and Josh and even our outside backs had each others back the entire game,” said Foss. “I speak for the whole defense when I say that we left everything we had on the field.” Heading into the second half with the score being 2-1, the Trojans continued to press hard and create opportunities to score. In the seventy-eighth minute, the Buffanblu had a foul in the box and made their PK. Despite the score then being 3-1, the Trojans did not give up. In the last minute, Sophomore and outside back Seth Uson scored the final goal of the match with a long shot outside the 18-yard box. “So me personally, there was a lot of pressure on me because I thought like,
#32 Junior Kyle Foss moved to Oahu from Kauai to play soccer for the Trojans. During the night, Foss had prevented Punahou from scoring a key goal.
After finishing in fifth place in OIA’s, the Trojans ended their season ranked second in the state.
PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHER Meagan Meagan Tamashiro Tamashiro Samuel Sameshima
DESIGNER DESIGNER DESIGNER Colbi Ohira Colbi Ohira Colbi Ohira
‘Yenno how I’m underclassmen and there’s so much to be put for the seniors and it’s their last game.’” said Uson. “And I was like, ‘Yenno what, it doesn’t matter, let’s just play the game. God was my strength and with him for me who can be against me.’” Throughout the game, the defense held their ground, stopped the Buffanblu from scoring and created multiple scoring opportunities that the midfield and forwards built upon. The defensive line was comprised of Juniors Joshua Ishizaka, Brandon Flores and Foss along with Sophomores Noah Fujikane, Uson and Senior Nicholas Gaston in the goal. In the midfield Seniors Jvon Cunningham, McGehee and Junior Micah Murakami, strung together passes to control the ball through the middle. Up top, the forwards rotated throughout the game with Seniors Jacob Nakasone, Dennis Tadeo-Gilbert and Fernandez, Juniors Zachary Namoca, Noah Wilson, Kaulanaikaleoaukahiokala “Kaulana” Navares and Sophomore Nicolas Kashiwai. Throughout the game, the team played as a unit with each other. Although the Trojans fell short of a state title, they have come a long way from the start of the season. Prior to the state championships, MHS finished in fifth place in the OIA which required them to travel to Maui for the first round game against Kamehameha Maui. The Trojans won with a score of 2-0, advancing them to play in the quarterfinals against the OIA Champions, Kapolei High School. In the quarterfinals, the Trojans scored early with a PK made by McGehee. Upsetting the OIA Champs, the boys advanced to the semifinals against Waiakea, winning that game with a score of 3-2. ¨You know, I kind of like it. It’s every time you get a setback, it’s always good for a comeback cause people could say stuff but it doesn’t really matter what they say,¨ said Uson. ¨It’s what you say about yourself. And I liked how people didn’t think we were going to make it that far, but then we did which really proves their points wrong and it doesn’t matter what you say, but what you do.¨
12
SPORTS
Girls Wrestling State Championship Hikiji and Lee Pin the Competition WRITER Mina Pecoraro
PHOTOGRAPHER Genevieve Mumma
DESIGNER Rain Hashimoto
Sophomores Erin Hikiji (right) and Victoria Lee (left) see wrestling as not only a sport but a way to make friends and push themselves to be better. “I was working throughout the whole season for this , so I really wanted to win,” said Hikiji.
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rom Feb 21 to 22, Sophomores Erin Hikiji and Victoria Lee competed in the Girls Wrestling State Championship at the Blaisdell Center Arena. Through long practices and hard training, Hikiji and Lee were able to push through challenges and place first in their respective divisions. Placing in the top eight, the girls not only represented their team and their school, they also achieved a great feat for themselves. Placing first in their respective divisions meant that they competed in three matches before the final rankings were decided. “It meant a lot to me because it’s always been a dream of mine. It’s just really crazy to me especially since I’ve been so involved in wrestling for so long,” said Hikiji. The girls had practices Monday through Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and occasional extra practices in preparation for the competition. During these extra practices they were able to work on more specific aspects of their skill such as technique. This helped build their confidence for when it came time to compete. “Sometimes I would lift in extra practices or just condition and then other times I would work on technique; just small things I need to work on that people see in my matches,” said Hikiji. Leading up to the competition, training was more rigorous and both girls faced many pressures as they have both competed in states before. One of the biggest challenges for Hikiji was the mental-emotional aspect of competing. “I had to believe in myself that I was able to do these things. I can be really unconfident and I have a hard time trusting in what I know. I just had to clear my head a little and try to relax and not overthink it. Just do what I do — that’s what my coaches always told me,” said Hikiji. Lee faced many challenges in the training process as well. Through lots of rigorous training and dieting to stay in weight requirements leading up to the competition, she stayed motivated and pushed through the challenges because of her love for the sport. “Conditioning and running and — because I like food so much — dieting were some of the most difficult challenges I faced. I liked to wrestle because it was fun and of course because I wanted the angle to win. Because of last year, I really wanted to win states that much more this year,” said Lee. The girls accredit their families as being their biggest supporters throughout the season. Both girls had family members who were former wrestlers; providing a valuable resource for the two of them. Their family members often gave them pointers on technique and encouraged them in moments leading up to the championship. “My dad used to wrestle so he would sometimes watch my videos and tell me things I needed to work on. They were always just super supportive of me and my dad is how I got into wrestling. They’re always there supporting me; like my mom does my laundry for me— it was all the little things so that I didn’t have to worry about it,” said Hikiji. Lee added, “My siblings used to wrestle and my sister was a state champ so I joined because it looked fun and I look up to her a lot.” The state championship was also a great learning experience for the girls. In addition to improving their skills in wrestling, this experience helped them to grow as people. In order to represent their school and their team well, they had to display good character and sportsmanship at the competition and maintain composure throughout the intense process. Because wrestling is an extremely physical sport, they had to learn diligence and good work ethic as well. Overall, the championship was also a fun and memorable experience for both girls. “This season I learned a lot about perseverance and becoming a little more confident in myself. I learned I have to be able to trust myself and what I know in order to be successful,” said Hikiji. Lee added, “I really liked the tournaments because they were fun and we got to hang out with the team a lot. It was just a really fun experience.” Although her season for this year has ended, Hikiji continues to train for national competitions in Pocatello, Idaho and Fargo, N.D., which are taking place in the summer. Both Lee and Hijiki plan to continue wrestling next year.
13
TROJAN LIFE-SPORTS
Pushing through the Pain WRITER WRITER WRITER Emily Emily Zimmerman Zimmerman Maya Hirano
PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHER Reese Reese Yamamoto Yamamoto Samuel Sameshima
DESIGNER DESIGNER DESIGNER Colbi Ohira Colbi Ohira Colbi Ohira
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uring the recent wrestling state championship at the Blaisdell Center Arena, Senior Kennedy Javier placed sixth in her division despite hyperextending her knee in the first match. “I’m still disappointed and heartbroken that I couldn’t finish my last state tournament the way I wanted to, but this sixth place medal will remind me that I overcame adversity,” said Javier. Javier has been wrestling since she was in middle school starting in the sixth grade. She became involved in the sport by watching her brother do judo at the Mililani Hongwanji. His judo sensei started a wrestling club within the Hongwanji, where she said she instantly fell in love with the sport. “I met a lot of new people and made new friends that I hope I can carry on to the future. And the coaches have helped me, taught me a lot of lessons and helped me get to where I am today,” said Javier. Wrestling is a contact sport that can result in many injuries, ranging from a simple sprain to an extreme concussion. Javier has suffered from wrist, finger, shoulder, back, hip and knee injuries as well as a concussion. Wrestlers endure grueling tasks such as dieting to either gain or lose excessive amounts of weight. In order to make weigh-ins, they are required to eat certain foods and drink a certain amount of water to ensure that they stay in a certain weight range, especially right before a meet. This extreme form of dieting is considered very dangerous, not only from the physical aspect of losing or gaining a surplus amount of weight in a short amount of time, but also the detrimental effects that it puts on a wrestler’s mental health. “Everyone thinks wrestling is all about physical strength but 99 percent of it is mental. There were many times where I wanted to quit and give up because this sport takes a lot out of me,” Javier said. Being a female in wrestling comes with its own ups and downs. High school wrestling for boys in Hawai‘i has been around since around 1966, but it wasn’t until 1998 when females began to wrestle. Javier is one of 16 females on the MHS’ girls team. “I’ve had to give myself talks before matches to boost my confidence,” said Javier. “I’d write out affirmations on my mirror so every morning when I got up I’d see it, read it out loud and believe it.” Javier has competed in numerous wrestling tournaments throughout her wrestling career. She has placed in 10 of them throughout her time on the MHS wrestling team. “When I step on that mat, it’s only me and my opponent. I’m the offense, defense and every single position, I don’t have my teammates there to back me up when I’m in trouble,” said Javier. Javier plans to continue wrestling in college. She encourages anybody interested in wrestling to try it out and join the team. For any further questions about the MHS wrestling team, contact Coach Jamie Keehu for girls wrestling at jkeehu@gmail. com and Coach Tyler Diamond for boys wrestling at diamond.tyler@gmail.com
Although the high school season is coming to an end, Javier continues to train to prepare for her national tournaments in the summer.
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TROJAN LIFE SPORTS / SPORTS
Schaefer to Compete in 2020 SoCal Archery Showdown WRITER Trey Yamamoto
PHOTOGRAPHER Genevieve Mumma
DESIGNER Madison Kelly
This will be Schaefer’s first time trying for a spot on the US Youth Team.
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uring the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, the archery competition sparked an interest in the sport across the United States. In Hawai‘i, archery has been steadily growing into what Archery Hawai‘i calls, “Hawai‘i’s newest sport sensation.” Junior Matthew Schaefer, an avid archer, will be participating in the upcoming 2020 SoCal Showdown in San Diego for one of the three spots in the U.S. Youth Team that will compete in the World Archery Youth Championships. “I do have a bit of anxiety as there is a lot riding on my shoulders, but I just love going out there and showing what Hawai‘i archers can do,” said Schaefer. With archery on the rise, many outfitters such as Archery Hawai‘i and Everything Archery provide a venue for those interested in archery. While archery has only recently been growing across the islands, archers such as Schaefer have deeper roots in the sport. Schaefer learned archery when he was six from his grandfather.
“At first we just went to the outdoor range and shot a few arrows at the targets. As I continued to go to the range, I met other archers and fell in love with the sport,” said Schaefer. In regards to the upcoming SoCal Showdown, all archers will be free to participate and compete. The archers will shoot 12 ends (a round of normally six arrows) at 70 meters with a possible maximum score of 720 points. The top eight will then move onto the second round. “Every point counts, because in the end one point can make all the difference,” said Schaefer. To prepare for competitions, Schaefer practices daily and shoots around 150 to 250 arrows. Schaefer normally practices at an outdoor range at Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park and an indoor range downtown. During his time playing the sport, Schaefer has come across his fair share of challenges, one of which was finding the right group of people to practice and compete with. “I had previously been a part of a club for a few years. When I started becoming more competitive, I felt this club did not support my style of shooting, so I decided to leave,” said Schaefer. “Since then, I have moved on to shoot my own style and through that, I was able to get a few sponsors.” Another challenge said Schaefer was the location and availability of the national ranking competitions, which are in the mainland and require a lot of time and distance. As for his future in archery, Schaefer has recently been selected to be a part of the Southwest Regional Elite Development R.E.D team for the United States for the second year in a row. His future plans are to eventually move on and shoot for the United States team in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
MHS Swim Team Makes a Splash at State Championships WRITER Daisy Ann Hipolito
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DESIGNER Madison Kelly
ith a new season and coach upon this year’s MHS swim team, hopes were high for race times to stay low. On Feb. 14-15, high school swim teams from around the state gathered at Kihai to participate in the annual Swimming and Diving State Championships. The championship consisted of multiple swimming and diving events that varied in style and distance, with all competitors swimming to what they hoped was their event’s fastest completion time. At the end of the championship, all points earned by each school were tallied up to a final ranking of schools with the most and least amount of points. The MHS boys varsity swim team ended in fifth place while the MHS girls varsity swim team finished in seventeenth. “I like the idea of working really hard towards something for a while and then achieving it. Also, the competition aspect. I love (that) it’s kind of a war between two or three people in a race where you do everything you can to best them, to defeat the enemy,” said Senior and team captain Kosmo Wojack. The team underwent intense after-school and occasional weekend practices to prepare for the state championships. The team began training during the fall of 2019, committing to 90 minute practices after
school, five days a week, swimming 4000 yards a day on average while working consistently with strict and minimal break times. “Coach Bramer’s practices were really hard and definitely helped with our specialties,” said Sophomore Natalie Low. Wojack added, “He (Bramer) really had a lot of passion for the team and he made it a point that we all went to practice and worked hard and were on time because our swimming program is normally very small and no one really cares, but this year’s new coach, Coach Bramer, brought a lot of passion and energy to a very not cared for sport.” Many MHS students performed well in their individual events at the state championships. Wojack placed third in both the Boys 200 Yard Individual Medley Varsity and the Boys 100 Yard Breaststroke events. Low placed fourth in the Girls 500 Yard Freestyle Varsity event. Sophomore Blaise Swartwood also helped lead MHS to this championship’s rankings by participating in events, including the Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay Varsity event in which MHS placed third. “I’m proud with how I swam but I want to do better next year,” said Swartwood. “I always want to improve and I’m always seeking faster times and trying to get within cuts and benchmarks.” The team’s success did not come without tribulation. From weeks to hours before the championship, some MHS swimmers had to overcome obstacles before
surpassing opponents in the pool. Low had to battle the stomach flu during preliminaries while Wojack faced a flu-like cold about a week prior to the championship. “I think I could have done better for my two free (swim event), I definitely think I could have made finals. I’m just happy that I placed somewhat good in my five (swim event),” said Low. Wojack added, “I just went in not thinking I was going to win, like I wanted to win and I had a chance to win, but because of my sickness I didn’t have the confidence that I could get a faster time than I had at OIAs where I was in pretty good condition.” All three swimmers have been on the MHS swim team for the entirety of their time in high school; Wojack has been on the team for four years while Low and Swartwood have been on the team for two. Though this year, the team faced a shift in gears as they gained a new swim coach, Grant Bramer. “Coach Bramer brings a lot of passion to the table and makes me prioritize high school swimming a lot more than I had before,” said Wojack. “He’s very relaxed, very helpful. He’ll help you but he’s not overwhelming by any means, and he has a very fun attitude,” added Swartwood. “The environment was just more positive and I would say more enjoyable to be around.” More information about the results of the 2020 Swimming and Diving State Championships can be found at sportshigh.com.
k c o r m a h S Shake Recip e 15
WRITER Daisy Ann Hipolito
PHOTOGRAPHER Samuel Sameshima
RECIPE
DESIGNER Joie Agoo
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t. Patricks Day is upon us, and what better way to celebrate March’s favorite holiday than with a delicious, fast and easy treat? Originally celebrated by the Irish, March 17 is marked as a celebration of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who once spread his religious message using a three leaf clover, or in other words: a shamrock. Now, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated world wide, with traditions such as the Green Chicago River, pinching friends who lack green festivities and even enjoying a tasty shamrock shake on the best day to go green. Here is a recipe to help you make and enjoy your very own shamrock shake!
Appliances needed:
Steps: Add vanilla ice cream, heavy whipping cream and peppermint extract to the blender. Blend on low for 10 seconds. Add ice to the blender and continue to blend in small increments until the desired thickness of shake is obtained. Add green food coloring until desired color of shake is obtained.
Ingredients: 2 cups of Vanilla Ice Cream 2/3 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream Ice as desired 1 ½ tbsp of Peppermint Extract Green Food Coloring as desired Green sprinkles (optional) Cherry/Spearmint (optional)
Pour sprinkles onto a clean plate. Take the rim of the serving glass and dip it into a bowl of heavy whipping cream. Roll the wet rim of the glass into the plate of sprinkles, covering and coating the entire rim. Pour finished shake into serving glass and top with a cherry, spearmint, or sprinkles. Enjoy!
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FOOD FEATURE
WRITERS Tai Phaniphon & Mina Pecoraro
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aking up to a waft of savory asian-inspired aroma filling the air, instantly distinguishable from Grandma’s other dishes, my five-year-old self knows the meal: pho. Pho is defined as a type of Vietnamese soup, typically made from beef stock and spices to which noodles and thinly sliced beef or chicken are added. Like most foods, it is influenced by its maker and can vary in flavor and quality. Fueled by our love for this food, we decided to tour central Oahu in search of our top three places to get pho. Our ranking is based on the following criteria: presentation, taste and price. We ordered the same two dishes in each restaurant; a regular sized pho and a plate of crispy spring rolls. These two dishes can be found at almost any Vietnamese restaurant and happened to be our favorites. From these two orders, we used a rubric to test the quality of the dishes.
Our first stop was closest to home — Mililani Mauka’s Saito & Pho III. This restaurant opened fairly recently and has quickly received fairly good ratings on restaurant review sites like Yelp. Asian paintings and pictures of featured dishes adorned the walls and the tables were neatly lined with an array of sauces. Contrary to what we expected, the menu had a good selection of pho types and side dishes. We ordered our crispy spring rolls and pho and waited about 15 minutes until our dishes were delivered to our table. As for price, this location was more expensive than we predicted: regular size pho was $12.50 and the spring rolls were $8.50. Our plate of six small spring rolls was served with a measly pile of vegetables: rough cut lettuce, beat sprouts, basil, pickled carrots and pickled cucumber. As veggie lovers, the quality of vegetables was a really important factor in how we rated the restaurants and unfortunately for Saito and Pho the vegetables were a bit dry and low quality. The spring rolls themselves were merely okay; they lacked depth in flavor and the crispness of the shell that is expected of the staple dish. The pho, however, was very satisfying. The brisket pieces were very thick and the broth had a trim of sweetness to it that was unique to this restaurant. For the price, the quality of the experience was low— dry vegetables, soggy spring rolls, and mediocre service. Overall, we gave Saito and Pho III a rating of “good” (2/4 stars).
PHOTOGRAPHER Genevieve Mumma
DESIGNER Jenna Lee Bundalian
Pho King
We next ventured to Wahiawa, the next town over, to eat at Pho King located right off of California Avenue. This spot is considered a classic and staple for those coming from Schofield Barracks for lunch. Upon entering the restaurant, we were welcomed by close seats and baby blue walls that created a homier atmosphere than the previous location . We ordered a regular sized meatball and brisket pho for $10.25 and spring rolls for $8.50. A plate of four spring rolls cost $8.50, the same price as Saito & Pho III. Although Pho King’s spring rolls were more expensive, they were higher in quality and had more depth. The crisp rolls came with a variety of veggies, such as pickled carrots, lettuce and cucumbers, which were all vibrant and high quality. However, for the large amount of veggies, we thought there could be more or thicker spring rolls. As for the pho: Pho King showcased broth that was less sweet, which we preferred. The noodles were just the right texture, meaning they had been soaking for an adequate amount of time. Pho King was not shy about serving generous portions both in noodles and veggies, making the cost value higher than that of Saito & Pho III. All in all, we were very satisfied with our experience and left with full bellies, earning the restaurant a rating of “excellent” (3/4).
Pho My Lien With a longer drive to Pearl City, we arrived at Pho My Lien, a quaint restaurant located on the upper lot of Pearl City shopping center. The restaurant has a very homely feel, with green cushion seats and an open floor plan fitted to seat large parties and families. Pho My Lien is usually seen with a full house during dinnertime, full of large families enjoying their meals. The menu is also very diverse, with dishes ranging from refreshing papaya salad to savory soups. The regular size pho was $10.25, setting the price value very high as the portions were very generous for the price. The pho broth was perfectly balanced; a slight trace of sweetness complimented with a savory depth that made for a delicious spoonful. The noodles and toppings were also very high quality. The clean cuts of quality beef brisket were sliced very thinly, which complimented the delicate savoriness of the broth. The pho was filling but never in an overbearing or heavy way. All of the dishes we ordered were served in china bowls and platters and the presentation was neat and very appetizing. Our second dish, the crispy spring rolls, matched the excellence of the pho. They were beautifully crispy and had a filling that was a perfect balance of vegetables and meat. After many satisfying bites and careful discussion, we concluded that Pho My Lien earned a rating of “superior” (4/4). Given the amount of pho we ate and enjoyed, the experience was enlightening as Hawai‘i’s diversity was depicted in every dish. Whether it be a cold day or if you’re simply looking for a filling meal, pho is always a good idea as it is both healthy and delicious. After careful thought and consideration, it is determined that Pho My Lien was the best overall experience.
