2018 Dec Eagle Eye Christmas Issue

HAWAII BAPTIST ACADEMY

VOL 33, NO 2 DEC 2018

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

End of Year Reflection → By Kristin Lau (‘19)

EDITORIAL

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ow, that we’re nearing the end of 2018, it’s finally hit me: I’m a senior. This is my last year of high school. It won’t be long until I’m heading off to college and starting another chapter of my life. All this time, I’ve just been going through the motions, focusing on completing all my assignments and running various meetings for clubs. But, now that everything’s coming to a close, it’s really starting to sink in.

I’ve started to reflect and look back on everything that’s happened this past year, both the good and the bad. As I head down memory lane, I’ve been revisiting all of my fond memories with friends and classmates. From grade level camps to hardcore Spirit Week competitions, my overall high school experience at HBA has been absolutely unforgettable. For the first time, I realized that I’m going to miss all the simple things that I do in my daily life. I never noticed how I’m going to lose all of my daily talks with friends at lunch or how I will soon be longing for my mother’s famous “chicken surprise” stir fry if I go away for college. Until now, I never thought that I should stop for a moment and take some time to appreciate all the small things in my life.

I’ve also come to find that there are several things that I wish I had done sooner. I wouldn’t say that I regret any of my past decisions; instead, I feel that there’s so much more that I could’ve done to make the most out of my limited time at HBA. As a shy underclassman, I never pushed myself and just settled for whatever was required or the bare minimum. It wasn’t until sophomore and junior year that I joined multiple clubs and other extracurricular activities to meet people outside of my grade as well as gain more experiences. Once I got more involved in high school, I discovered that going outside of my comfort zone led me to grow in both knowledge and character, allowing me to not be afraid of voicing my opinions and using my ideas to implement change.

So, if you’re a senior like me, I would say cherish your time and memories at HBA by making every day count. Although most us are mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted from the past four years of school, don’t give up. Keep pushing to the very end to finish your time at HBA with a bang.

For those who still have time left in high school, you should try to be more intentional about what you do with your time. Instead of mindlessly taking up extracurriculars to pad your college application, enjoy your whole high school experience by doing things you’re truly passionate about while pushing yourself to go beyond what’s expected in the classroom. As bestselling author and businessman Harvey Mackay said, “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. And, once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.”

Cover Photo

By Jarin Ashimine (‘20)

Talent Daisy the Beagle Trained by Mrs. Linda Young, parent of Kristin Lau (‘19)

EAGLE EYE Hawaii Baptist Academy 2429 Pali Highway Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 Hawaii Baptist Academy’s Eagle Eye is a student-run and student-centered publication.

Distribution The Eagle Eye is distributed at no charge to the Hawaii Baptist Academy middle and high school students, faculty, and staff. Mail subscriptions are available for a fee.

EAGLE EYE TEAM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kristin Lau (‘19) STAFF Jarin Ashimine (‘20) TJ Halemano-Reed (‘20) Jayni Ishikawa (‘19) Daniel Jurek (‘21) Marcus Mau (‘19) Kasandra Miao (‘19) Lance Tasaka (‘20) Zadie Young (‘21) Advisor Eunice Sim

It’s the Little Things → Daniel Jurek (‘21) FEATURE

“As we approach the end of every year, we tend to look back at all of our accomplishments, struggles, and times spent friends and family. We often forget to appreciate one of our closest companions: our pets.

I grew up with my overweight Siamese cat Kimmi, and she’s my baby. My aunty bought her when I was in second grade, and Kimmi and I practically grew up together. Over the years, she’s been there for me when I’ve had emotional breakdowns or when I wasn’t in a good mood. She’s the best listener to my complaints because she just sits there and doesn’t judge me. I’m so thankful for her because no matter how stressed I am or how bad my day is, she always makes me smile.”

TJ HALEMANO-REED (‘20)

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MIKI & RIKA “Even if I’m going through a rough day, I know there’s an extremely exuberant greeting waiting for me when I return home.”

RISHA MISHIMA, Science Teacher

CLOUD “She’s talented at breaking into the cat food container and has been known to eat excessively throughout the night and not be able to move in the morning (due to fullness.)”

JOHANNA SENG (‘21)

LUCAS & LEIA

LEXI

“Leia is the angel child.

Lucas peed on me the day we got him.”

“Some little kid asked me one time what Lexi does and the best answer I could think of was, ‘She makes me happy.’”

COURTNEY LEE (‘19)

MARTY SPRANKLE, Bible Teacher

Take a Walk Down Christmas Lane WHERE TO SEE THE HOLIDAY LIGHTS ON OAHU → By Zadie Young (‘22)

FEATURE

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(Facing page) High school counseling secretary Kimberly Yamauchi’s house on Namoku Street in Kaneohe is one of many houses that is decorated during Christmas time. (Above left) A glipse of the Christmas light show on Anapau Street in Waikele.

(Above right) A train set display in one of the houses on Anapau Street.

FACING PAGE PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ACE PORTRAIT. PHOTOGRAPHS ABOVE & ON BACK COVER BY ZADIE YOUNG (‘22).

Honolulu Hale is not the only place where you can celebrate the Christmas season looking at light displays. There are many communities around the island where neighbors come together to share the Christmas spirit with everyone else on the island. One of these streets is in Waikele while another is in Kaneohe.

In Waikele, Anapau Street is where everyone is at. Every year, all of the houses on Anapau Street produce a grand light show. It all started 20 years ago with just a few strands of lights, taking only about 15 minutes to set up. Now, the production has grown to over five miles of electrical wiring and 80,000 lights programmed to music. One house, in particular, is the main attraction, but the whole street is now part of the synchronized light show. The interesting thing about their light show is that it is fully powered by photovoltaic systems. Although this keeps the cost of running the show relatively low, the price of the lights themselves is quite high. For example, just one single light arch costs about $500, and that is one of the cheaper things. The cost of the lights comes out of the pockets of the homeowners, and the lights are hooked up to the rest of the show. They also appeared on

ABC’s Great Christmas Light Fight in 2015 and although they did not win, it is notable that they were recognized on a national TV show.

The shows began on December 1 and run until December 31 from 7:00 to 9:30 PM nightly. There are two different shows that rotate every other day, featuring different songs, each running 30 minutes.

Anapau Street is closed during these times and limited street parking is available. The shows are also live streamed daily and can be viewed at www.waikelelights.com. Donations are collected and donated to local charities. In the past, the money has been given to Hawaii Meals on Wheels, Next Stop Shelter, Hawaiian Humane Society, and PATCH. Another decked out street is in Kaneohe on Namoku Street. Although not as elaborate as Anapau street, Namoku Street still spreads the aloha through their light displays. On Namoku Street, nearly every street is decked out with Christmas lights. While some people start decorating as early as the day after Halloween, most residents on the street start decorating around Thanksgiving weekend.

Over the years, more and more people on the street have joined in with this tradition and Continued others have grown their displays, adding more on back cover decorations to their yards. Jenny Lee, Namoku

Ice like a pro

Have you ever gone to the grocery store and bought a box of Christmas cookies that had a snowman or a Christmas tree design on it?

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During this party season, picking up a box of pre-made Christmas cookies is a popular potluck option. However, have you ever thought of upping your cookie game? Well, this Christmas season, that’s exactly what the Eagle Eye staff did.

We brought in an expert—English department co-chair Faye Takushi—who showed us how to create beautiful designs on sugar cookies. The result? Christmas cookies that looked as good as they tasted, and were much better than store-bought ones. (Our taste buds can attest to it.) So take your shot at baking your own Christmas cookies this holiday season by following these simple recipes and instructions.

Cookie decorating by Eagle Eye staff Cookies baked by Faye Takushi PHOTOGRAPHS BY TJ HALEMANO-REED (‘20)

→ By TJ Halemano-Reed (‘20) FEATURE

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3

5

Use outline icing to trace borders.

Gently shake cookie from side to side to level the flood icing. Use a toothpick or metal scribe to push icing to cover up gaps.

Use toothpick or metal scribe to drag colored dots into white icing.

2

4

6

Use flood icing to fill space inside borders.

Use outline icing of another color to make dots.

Add sprinkles or edible decorating pearls to finish the design.

1

3

5

Use outline icing to trace borders.

Use flood icing to draw lines across.

Use outline icing to make borders for green band.

2

4

6

Use flood icing to fill space inside borders.

Gently shake cookie side to side, keeping it flat to level the flood icing. Use a toothpick or metal scribe to push icing to cover up gaps.

Drag scribe to make red icing bleed into white icing. Complete all rows in same direction before switching to opposite direction.

Fill band with flood icing.

ROYAL ICING RECIPE

SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE

Recipe from The Cookie Countess

Recipe from The Food Network

⅓ ½ 1 2 2 1

3 ¾ ¼ 1 1 1

cup meringue powder cup warm water teaspoon vanilla tablespoon fresh lemon juice lbs confectioners sugar tablespoon of light corn syrup

STEP 1

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk together meringue powder and water. Whisk for 1 - 2 minutes or until mixture is bubbly. Do not overmix.

STEP 2

Mix in vanilla and fresh lemon juice until just incorporated.

Then mix in 1 lb confectioners sugar until incorporated. Then add light corn syrup and mix until incorporated. Now add in the remaining portion of confectioners sugar and mix until incorporated. Continue to mix for about 3 minutes on high. your icing will start to turn white and have a fluffy look. Do not over mix. Over mixing can cause the icing to collapse. If you feel the icing is too stiff, add small amounts of water until desired consistency.

STEP 3

Using this base icing, make three types of icing by adjusting the water content.

cups all-purpose flour teaspoon baking powder teaspoon salt cup unsalted butter, softened cup sugar egg, beaten

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. STEP 2

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk, and beat to combine.

Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

STEP 3

Sprinkle surface work surface with powdered sugar. Remove one wrapped package of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to ¼ inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough warms up during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill.

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Outline Icing: This icing is used to create the boundaries for the flood icing on the cookie. It has the thickest consistency compared to the next two icings.

Writing Icing: The consistency of this icing is in between the flood and outline icings. It’s not as thick as the outline icing, but it’s still easy to spread around.

Flood Icing: Icing that contains the most water. The icing is the easiest to spread out, and it’s used to fill surfaces inside the outline border.

STEP 4

Cut out cookies with cookie cutter, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let cookies cool on sheet for 2 minutes before moving them onto a cooling rack. Serve as is or decorate with royal icing. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

→ By Lance Tasaka (‘20)

FEATURE

Every Christmas, children all over the world put their hopes in the bearded man with a red sack. At the same time, many parents are working behind the scenes to keep the myth of Santa alive for their children. To make this man and his operation more believable (or more convenient), people have adapted the myth to their cultures and circumstances. Japanese Santa? Of course. No chimney? No problem; we have windows. Here are just some versions of the ol’ Saint Nick.

“My child will be raised thinking that Santa lives at his grandparents’ houses so they have to buy him the toys!”

RYAN FRONTIERA, Vice Principal

“Growing up in Japan where Santa was always Japanese, I thought it was amazing to see a caucasian Santa for the first time when I was in high school.”

ELENA YOO, Language Dept. Chair

“My husband and I do what my parents did—we write back to our daughter as Santa. She will write a letter to him, put it in the mailbox, and then one of us will retrieve the note. My husband will take the letter to work and either he or one of his co-workers will write back as Santa—and Santa will ALWAYS comment on the great things our daughter does or exhort her to work on bad behaviors. Then the letter gets put into the mailbox and SURPRISE! When our daughter checks the mail, she gets a lovely letter from Santa.”

LAUREN TAKAO, English Teacher

JORDYN KOBAYASHI (20’)

“We are going to keep the Santa myth alive for our children until it becomes impractical to do so. We have stockings that Santa fills up but the presents under the tree are from regular people. We will leave out cookies and milk for Santa and he comes in through the window since we don’t have a chimney. We have to play down the ‘hows’ because an old man sneaking into your house while you’re asleep is a scary thought, especially for children.”

EUNICE SIM, Journalism Teacher

PHOTOGRAPH BY LANCE TASAKA (‘20)

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“I believe every child wants to believe that there is magic in the world. That somehow fairies will give money for teeth, bunnies will leave colored eggs around the house, or that some old man will give presents to nice children.

I mean I give props to my parents for keeping the “magic alive” for 13 years; however, I probably won’t even want my children to believe in Santa. It’s heartbreaking and traumatic to realize that you’ve been lied to all your life.”

MOST POPULAR

BIGGEST

HOLIDAY MOVIES

CHRISTMAS PRESENT Standing at 305 feet, New York’s famous

STATUE OF LIBERTY sets the record for the biggest Christmas present ever given. The structure was a gift from France to the United States after the American Revolution in 1886.

Source: The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation

If you’re ever in need of a good Christmas movie to watch, you can always watch or rewatch some of the most popular Christmas classics.

HOME ALONE

MILK AND COOKIES FOR SANTA

is the highest grossing holiday movie of all time, earning $285.76 million at the box office, followed

by How the Grinch Stole Christmas at $260.04 million, and The Polar Express at $183.37 million.

Source: Forbes.com

Over

1,000,000

CHRISTMAS

BY THE NUMBERS

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AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS

leave milk and cookies out on Christmas Eve for Santa.

Looks like Santa won’t be going on a diet anytime soon.

→ By Kasandra Miao (‘19)

Source: Delish.com

It’s the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR 90% of Americans

FEATURE

SPEND, SPEND, SPEND! U.S. adults expect to spend about

$885 on gifts this year.

say they celebrate Christmas. However,

33% of Americans plan to spend at least $1,000 on Christmas

only 46% of those who celebrate

gifts, 22% say they will spend between $500 and $999, 29% will

Christmas celebrate it as a religious

spend between $100 and $499,

holiday, while the rest simply treat it as a

and 3% will spend less than

cultural holiday.

$100.

Source: 2017 Pew Research Center survey

Source: Oct 2018 Gallup poll

REAL or FAKE? Betwwen 2004 and 2017, sales figures show that Americans have preferred real Christmas trees In 2017, they purchased

27.4 MILLION

real Christmas trees, while only

21.1 MILLION

fake trees were purchased.

Source: Statista.com

BIGGEST LIGHT DISPLAY

Located in a mall in Canberra, Australia, the world’s largest Christmas LED lights display was set up entirely by lawyer David Richards and a group of volunteers.

The purpose of the project was to raise money for a children’s charity.

A total of

1.2 MILLION

Christmas lights, were put up, powered with electricity that was donated by a local power company.

YOU’VE GOT MAIL Hawaii Bapis Academy 2429 Pali Highway Honolulu, H 968

Source: News.com.au

“ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU”

Check your mail, because you might be receiving one of the

1.3 BILLION CHRISTMAS CARDS that are mailed to the U.S each year. 85% of Americans say they send Christmas cards, letters or photos every year.

Source: Hallmark

CANDY CANES About

1.76 billion

CANDY CANES

are produced for the holiday season every year, making it the number one selling non-chocolate candy in December.

Source: Time.com

For someone who doesn’t want “a lot for Christmas,” Mariah Carey has surely received more than she’ll ever need.

The number one holiday song on the Billboard charts this year (once again) is considered the best-selling modern day Christmas song and has earned Carey

$60 MILLION DOLLARS in royalties.

Source: Dec 1, 2017 article in The Economist

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY FIREWORKS: WHERE THEY ORIGINATED AND HOW THEY ARE MADE

FEATURE

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→ By Jayni Ishikawa (‘19)

A colorful explosion booms above, and for a moment, it is a beautiful bloom of red and green lights before it quickly dissipates into smoke. A few more seconds pass by and another bright, blooming flower of light appears in the sky; this time, its hue is a mix of blue and gold.

Delighting crowds without fail, firework displays are one of mankind’s more dramatic forms of entertainment. Comprising gunpowder and other combustible chemicals, fireworks explosions have become a standard in celebrating special events throughout the world.

There is actually no reliable story of how exactly fireworks were first invented, but it is a fact that the colorful explosions first originated in China roughly 2,000 years ago. A popular story of how fireworks were made was that they were discovered by a Chinese chef, who accidentally mixed charcoal, sulphur, and saltpeter—common kitchen pantry items back then—together. The concoction was then burned in a closed off space, causing it to explode.

At first, in China, fireworks were used in cultural practices to scare

away evil spirits. They soon became part of the annual Chinese New Year and Moon Festival celebrations. Eventually, the use of fireworks caught on outside of China and the rest is history.

Fireworks get their colors from the chemical mixtures within a firework’s aerial shell. Within the aerial shell—which is a metallic tube—of a firework, there lies a mix of gunpowder and small components called “stars,” that are the source of a firework’s hue. These little stars contain metallic colorants which produce colored light when they combust. As the energetic electrons within the stars rapidly cool down to a lower energy state, excess energy is emitted as light.

Different sets of chemicals create different colors. For example, to make blue, you would neet copper salts; to make green, you would need barium salts.

So, when you look at fireworks this New Year’s Eve, you’ll know a little more about the colorful shapes in the sky above you. And did you know this fact about Disney World? It costs roughly $44,000 per fireworks event at the theme park. The most expensive fireworks show for Disney World is the New Year’s Eve event, which is estimated to cost over $100,000.

Ringing in the New Year → By Marcus Mau (‘19)

FEATURE

The Christmas and New Year season brings about not only the cool winds but also numerous holiday traditions. From doing nothing at home to watching Bob Ross, holiday traditions come in all forms. Here are just a few of them.

In America, festivities often include big family get-togethers, watching the ball drop in Times Square, and setting off fireworks. In Hawaii, where there are many Japanese families, end of the year traditions revolve around celebrating the coming of the new year. Many Japanese families celebrate by eating nishime and ozoni. Nishime consists of chicken and vegetables, and ozoni is a like a mochi soup. The Japanese believe both dishes promise long life, prosperity, and good fortune in the coming year.

Another popular tradition that many HBA Japanese students take part in is sending or giving nengajo­—a postcard—to their friends and family. Senior Kacie Moku’s New Year celebrations always include nishime and ozoni . And, when the new year finally arrives, giving and receiving nengajo cards is one of her favorite things to do.

Local Chinese families also commemorate the new year, but most of the celebrations take place during the Lunar New Year, which falls somewhere between the end of January and February. In Hawaii, even though fireworks are restricted to just people with permits, many local families still illegally set them off, following an age-old tradition which believes that the loud noise will scare off spirits that bring bad luck. Junior Zachary Qin is especially fond of the New Year season. “We have a lot of parties, and we get to eat a lot of special New Year foods that we usually wait a year to eat,” he said.

Local Filipino New Year traditions include eating pancit, a noodle dish introduced by the Chinese, and eating biko, a type of sticky rice. These two dishes represnt long life and strong family bonds. Senior Joshua Lorica enjoys getting together with his Filipino relatives during this season. “Every year I always eat lots of pancit and biko. Sometimes our family goes crazy and the aunties start fighting but it’s pretty funny,” he said.

Especially in multi-cultural Hawaii, many families opt to blend different traditions together. Senior Shawn Tamashiro’s family has adopted both Chinese and Hawaiian traditions. “We have a really big party at our house every year. For Christmas we always eat a whole roast pig, and for New Year’s we get to have Hawaiian food and pop fireworks,” he said. Junior Caleb Caetano-Castro’s holiday season is uniquely tech-free. “For Christmas the whole family comes over, and we have this big Christmas breakfast with pancakes, eggs, and bacon. We get to open presents, and then we play a game. Then for New Year’s my family goes over to my friend’s house and we have ham, chicken, rice, and a bunch of other stuff for dinner,” he said.

Senior Trevor Chang’s personal holiday tradition consists of watching a Bob Ross video. “It really helps me to focus on the coming year. He’s also a really good painter,” Chang said of his end-of-year routine.

(Facing page) On Oahu, the Hilton Hawaiian Village puts on a free firework show on Waikiki Beach every Friday evening.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JARIN ASHIMINE (‘20).

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Senior Jason Mokan celebrates Christmas with Ukrainian foods. “My Christmas is like a lot of other people’s Christmas, just with Ukrainian food like ‘kolach’—a Ukrainian pastry filled with fruit or cheese—and ‘pampushky’—a savory or sweet bun.” Mokan’s present opening process is special, too. “After one person opens a gift, they choose the next person who can open a gift. It’s really fun,” he said.

Street resident, has been decorating her house for 23 years. “Every year towards the end of November, I will start preparing by bringing out all of our outdoor decorations and checking the lights to make sure they still turn on and that that there are no missing lights. Sometimes it may take a week or longer to replace the burnt out lights,” she said. After this, it takes her and her husband about one to two days to put up the lights on the house. Using LED lights and solar panels, the Lees are able to keep their electrical bill relatively low. Lee says the monthly bill only increases by about $20.

WALK DOWN CHRISTMAS LANE from page 4

During the holiday season, traffic can slow to a crawl on Namoku Street. High school counseling secretary Kimberly Yamauchi, a Namoku Street resident, said, “You will see motorcycle clubs driving by, Waikiki Trolleys, and even buses bringing senior citizens.” On the Saturday before the Christmas week, two of the residents dress up as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and walk down the street, passing out candy to visitors. Lee doesn’t mind the inconveniences that come with living on the busy street. “The kids are usually very excited to look at the lights and it gives you a sense of joy to see and hear them,” she said.