The Possibility of the Impossible
→ By Natali Nomura (‘25) EDITORIAL
Throughout my school years, the internet has heavily romanticized the senior year experience. I longed for the day when I could drive, apply to college, and go off campus during my independent periods. There was one thing that, though seemingly inconsequential, I looked forward to the most: picking my senior yearbook quote.
Year after year, I have looked forward to yearbook distribution day so that I could look at all the senior quotes chosen by the graduating class. Some of the quotes were funny, others serious, and there were also inside jokes; but what I admired about all of them was how they all seemed to perfectly fit the seniors who picked them. This year, it finally became my turn to choose a quote and I couldn’t wait to find the one statement that fit me perfectly. It was then I realized I had no clue what that would actually be. Choosing a quote became a daunting task as it involved knowing who I was in precise terms. I had never really put any thought into what kind of person I am so how was I going to sum myself up in about 40 words?
The quote on the sticky note above by Mark Lee is what I ended up choosing as my senior yearbook quote. I first came across it in my sophomore year of high school. At first, I didn’t really pay attention to what it meant. But as I reflected on it over time, I realized that it described how I felt about the life I’ve lived so far.
I have always been an anxious child whose triggers revolved around failure. It started in 4th grade when I began to get the concept of the importance of grades. I was a decent student; I got all As on my report cards and I understood concepts without having to put in too much effort. But every once in a while there would come a test that I was just the slightest bit unprepared for. When I got slightly lower marks on these tests, it devastated my self-confidence. I began to do worse on these subjects, convinced that I just couldn’t do well in them. Eventually I would give up. The anxiety also carried over to sports. I loved playing soccer, and I was fast and athletic for my age. That was until it started to become competitive. I eventually dropped out of soccer in 6th grade after the pressure of being good enough was so overwhelming that I’d get anxious every time I stepped onto the field. This immense anxiety over the possibility of failure began to take over my life and I decided not to try anything new from then on.
When I started middle school, I was determined to stay out of sports. However, my mother made me join cross country. (My family puts a lot of emphasis on being active.)
At first I hated the sport. Although I told myself not to worry about being good at the sport, fear of failure followed me everywhere. As you would expect, I wanted to give up. Even though I wasn’t a slow runner by any means—I was the fastest girl out of both the seventh and eighth graders—my fear of failure consumed any sense of accomplishment I could have had. Thankfully, due to my determination to improve, I continued to show up for cross country and I started to see progress despite my fears. As I got through the season, I noticed that I was actually getting faster. After working hard for a whole season, I started to see how my hard work produced results, and more importantly, that I wasn’t failing at the sport. To be clear, I was never the fastest runner; there were even races where I ran poorly because I didn’t eat and hydrate properly. I even threw up in the bushes once because I ate too close to my race time. But I was
Continued on back cover
Cover Photo By Lydia Halcomb (‘25)
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.
CO-EDITORS
Lydia Halcomb (‘25)
Natali Nomura (‘25)
STAFF
Verily Coryell (‘27)
Allison Kusuda (‘27)
Summer Malinger (‘27)
Sophia Nguyen (‘27)
ADVISOR
Eunice Sim
Follow us
@hbaeagleeye on Instagram www.hbaeagleeye.com
7th Graders Kick Off Grade Level Camps at Erdman
→ By Lydia Halcomb (‘25) NEWS
“One thing I’ll remember from camp is being able to go to chapel and worship God with friends and reconnect with them through God.”
RAYA KATO (‘30)
Every year, each grade level has the opportunity to go to camp with their class and advisors to play games, grow in community, and worship God together. This year, for their first middle school camp, the class of 2030 took a break from school at the end of August and retreated to Oahu’s Camp Erdman on the North Shore.
This was a new experience for the middle schoolers, but also for the student leaders and advisors too; class size impacted lodging arrangements, resulting in bookings at Camp Erdman instead of the usual Camp Homelani. Nevertheless, camp was a very fun and exciting way for the class to bond and get to know more about each other.
The theme for camp is different for every grade level at HBA, and for seventh graders the theme is “Good News, Bad News, Good News”. Robert Lockridge, middle school Christian Ministries coordinator, explained the theme, saying, “the Good News is that there is a God. The Bad News is that sin separated us from Him. But the Great News is that God has given us a rescue plan through Jesus.“
Chapel at camp is not only a time for hearing the word of God preached, but it is also a time to worship and play games as a class. During chapel times, students also worshiped with music led by alumni John Kaneshiro and his band, and played games such as “Are You My Mummy” and “Break the Frozen T-Shirts”. Student leaders also taught the class a dance called “Church Clap”, which was done at the beginning of every chapel. 7th grader Raya Kato commented: “the church clap dance was the best thing ever.”
Not only was 7th grade camp a time for the class to bond and grow together, it was also an enjoyable time for the student leaders. At the middle school and some of the high school camps, upperclassmen are invited to be student leaders for the camp. Randie Lueder, a senior student leader, said, “My favorite part about being a camp counselor was getting to hang out with the kids. When I was a camper at 7th grade
camp, my counselors had a big impact on my life and how I viewed high school and high schoolers and what they should be like. They were my role models and I hope to give that same experience to the kids and show them the same love that I was shown.” Lueder also commented, “after counseling camp, I’ve been able to relearn what it means to have childlike faith and to have a genuine joy in connecting with Christ. These kids are so energetic and happy to be at camp and to be with each other and to be with God and learn about him. My spirit felt so renewed.” Being a camp counselor is also a really good experience for underclassmen to get to know upperclassmen, learn from them, and be mentored. Cinnamon Lee, a freshman student leader for the first time, said “My favorite part of being a camp counselor was being able to do it with the seniors. They were the counselors at my 7th grade camp and I really wanted to do this camp with [them]. I had a really good time.”
Highlights for many of the students came from in-cabin time. During those hours, students were able to bond and talk with their cabin mates. 7th grader Ethan Higa said his favorite part of camp was “eating all [my cabin’s] candy. My cabin had a whole stash and table and we ate all of it.” Sean Endo’s
“took out all [their] snacks and played UNO on the ground” together. Tiana Chang, a 7th grader, said, “one thing I’ll never forget from this camp is how we got to socialize with new people and our old friends and how we got to learn more about each other.”
When describing the purpose of this event, middle school principal Mr. George Honzaki stated that “seventh grade camp is a time set apart from school where students can have intentional time to bond and learn more about the Christian faith through games, testimonies, worship, and Bible teaching. This camp aligns with the school’s mission of developing students spiritually, intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally so we can bring honor to God- it is through developing positive relationships that we are able to showcase what God is doing in us, and in our community.”
Reflecting on camp, Lockridge said that his “favorite camp moment from chapel was seeing so many of the students accepting or wanting to re-establish their relationship with Jesus.” God was definitely moving at camp, among the 7th graders, student leaders, and teachers alike. As for the seventh graders, they can’t wait for camp next year.
Top left: 7th graders enjoy free time at the Camp Erdman beach.
Top right: Students play “Break the Frozen T-Shirt,” a race to be the first to unravel frozen t-shirts.
Above: Meal times feature trivia games hosted by the student counselors.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY LYDIA HALCOMB (‘25)
GALLERY:
SENIOR CAMP & TRIP
On September 3, the senior class traveled to Hawai’i Island for their senior trip and camp. They began their four-day trip with a retreat at the Volcanoes National Park, where the Christian Ministries team and senior advisors led chapels and discussions on how to finishing senior year well. The seniors then spent the next half of their trip in the Kona area, snorkeling, bowling, and enjoying a paniolo sunset dinner at an upcountry ranch.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY COURTESY OF CRAIG CHANG
Over 30 Groups Featured at Annual Club Fair
→ By Verily Coryell (‘27) NEWS
On Aug. 28, HBA hosted its annual high school club fair in the gym. It was the class of 2028’s first-ever club fair, and this year over 30 clubs were featured during the lunch time event.
Among the handful of new clubs this year were the Cyber Patriots club, the Cyber Sports Club, a theater club, and the Sustainable Fashion club. Cyber Patriots is a nationwide student competition that aims “to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future,” according to uscyberpatriot.org. The program was launched in 2008, and there are now over 25,000 US students who participate in competitions every year. The winners will get a full tuition scholarship to the University of Gannon in Pennsylvania.
The idea for a Cyber Patriots Club began with math teachers Matthew Ardo and Christopher Barnhart last year, but it is only getting its official start this year and will be advised by science teacher Isaac Duncklee and high school principal Elton Kinoshita. There is also a separate eSports League Club this year advised by Barnhart.
Another new club this year is the theater club, led by junior Zoë Naso and senior Randie Lueder. Dance teacher Terrie Poore will be the advisor. Naso and Lueder hope that the
A student signs up for the Hiking Club, surrounded by poster boards of pictures from hikes around the island.
club will encourage budding actors especially because there is no theater elective running this semester. Naso said the club is looking for anyone who loves theater or can help with tech or backstage.” She added that those without any theater experience are welcome to join too. “You can of course just join and we can always teach you whatever; it’ll be a great experience for anyone,” she said.
Sisters Olivia and Ella Choi are heading up another new club, the Sustainable Fashion Club. The group wants to spread awareness about how fast fashion harms the environment, and how students can make better fashion decisions in order to cut down on excess pollution. The club plans to organize volunteer project and thrift store outings.
Vice Principal Ryan Frontiera, who oversees high school club activities, believes that these student led groups play an important role. “The clubs here at HBA not only provide communities for students, but they also provide leadership opportunities for student club leaders,” he said. He also shared this advice for student leaders: “Be intentional on setting expectations you can follow through or set reasonable expectations. It’d be better to plan on meeting once a quarter and actually make sure those meetings happen than to say you’re going to meet every week and not be able to follow through.”
Even as the quarter comes to a close, many clubs continue to accept new members. Students who missed signing up during the fair can contact club advisors and students leaders to sign up.
Left: Core members of the Tabletop Games Club— seniors Brenden Ahuna, Hayden Yee, Nicholas Niwa—hope to gather more students for games during lunch times.
Above left: The Science Olympiad’s student leaders—Caylee Eleison Lucas, Jasleen Taing, Raiden Choy —show off the club’s trophies.
Above right: The Filipino Club’s new 2024 officers gave out butter mochi to anyone who signed up for the club. PHOTOGRAPHS BY VERILY CORYELL (‘27)
Top left: Juniors Lauren Okuda (left) and Rhyan Cobb Dumlao are leading the Hiking Club, with English teacher Jonathan Kempe as the advisor.
Top right: Varsity golfers Alyssa Kauleinamoku (left) and Jacey Kage are excited to promote their new club with an interactive golfing setup.
Above left: Senior Kai Motoyama (holding computer) hosts an interactive challenge for a few prospective members of the Pre-Med Club.
Above right: Student leaders of the new Book Club hope to attract more members by passing out candy.
ADVICE FOR THRIVING AT SCHOOL
→ By Summer Malinger (‘27) FEATURE
In high school, students often describe themselves as “surviving” their experience instead of “thriving.” At HBA, homework, assessments, extra-curricular activities, and preparing for college applications (for upperclassmen) can quickly pile up in the first weeks of school, adding to a feeling of being overwhelmed.
FAYE TAKUSHI, English Department CO-Chair
For those who struggle to remember details of their English reading assignments, English teacher Faye Takushi recommends that students “read with a pen or a pencil in hand and as [they] read; don’t underline.” Takushi says that underlining or highlighting the text is not going to do much for memorization, but instead she suggests using annotating either in the margins or on Post-its. She also recommends stopping at the end of a chapter and repeating to yourself what happened. This strategy helps with recall, and will benefit you in the long run for future quizzes.
AARON KONDO, MATH TEACHER
A question that many students ask is how they are supposed to study for a math test or quiz. Math teacher Aaron Kondo, who has been teaching math for fourteen years, says that he recommends finding practice problems online or creating your own. However he cautioned that it may not always be easy to find practice problems for the specific topic that you need practice on.
LYNNE NAKANO, SOCIAL STUDIES Department Chair
CHRISTIAN CHEE, SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER
When reading large pieces of text, history teacher Lynne Nakano recommends using the Cornell Method as a way to build retention and efficiency. Developed at Cornell University, this method involves taking notes on a split paper. In the left margin are the key phrases that can be looked back on later, in the right section are the notes, and finally the bottom section is a summary of the overall gist of the notes. Nakano also has her students read the whole text before they take their notes. Knowing what to take down as notes is another skill that students have to learn. New history teacher Christian Chee recommends focusing on the “why” of what you are taking notes on
rather than just taking notes on the “what”. He also recommends trying to focus on the overall concepts rather than just the facts that you will be needing to memorize.
JENNIFER GARRISS, COUNSELOR
At HBA, Z periods are times set aside to help students study for classes and get extra help. Students often assure Z periods are for those who are struggling to bring up their grades, but teachers want students to know that it can also be a time for any student to get tutoring or clarification. Jennifer Garriss, high school guidance counselor, said that “students don’t have to be required to go to the study lab in order to make use of this time period,” she reminds students that this time is also a time to get homework done. Garriss also recommends that during Z period study in either the library or your grade level’s study labs classroom because it is a quiet place to study free of distractions.
SENIOR STUDENTS
Now in their final year of high school, some seniors have tips to offer. Lydia Halcomb has learned that rest is non-negotiable. She said, “ if homework isn’t done by 8:30 then it isn’t getting done. I do that to make sure that I get a good amount of sleep because I know that if I don’t sleep at night time then I won’t focus the next day at school.”To help with memorization, senior Barbra Storm uses the note taking system of using paper and pencil in order to increase retention and understanding. According to the National Liberty of Medicine studies have previously shown that handwriting on paper is more effective learning concepts than typing it out onto a document. When it comes to extra curricular activities Robert Nordin says to “try as many activities as you can in freshman year. Pick the best options in sophomore year and then hopefully once you are in those said clubs you can get initiative roles in junior and senior year.” These initiative roles can not only be fun but can also be put onto a college application.
ASK FOR HELP
For students who find themselves already swamped as they make their way into the second half of the quarter, Garriss offers this advice: “Make it a point to have a check in with teachers each week because that will give a student feedback on how they are doing. It will also tell teachers that [you are] interested in [their] class and [you] care.” Garriss also wants students to know that the counselors are always there ready to talk to them and support them.
Banquet Moves From Winter to Fall
→ By Allison Kusuda (‘27) NEWS
HBA’s annual Winter Banquet has been renamed the Fall Banquet this year and will take place on October 26 instead of during the December winter break.
Banquet organizers also hope to make the event less formal and keep costs down to make it affordable to more students. Over the years, the annual Winter Banquet at HBA has become a formal event, akin to the junior-senior prom that takes place in the Spring. This year, the student council decided hold the event at the Japanese Cultural Center instead of at a hotel and further reduce costs by not having centerpieces and allowing semi-formal attire.
Another change to the banquet is that there will no longer be non-HBA guests allowed. Student Activities Director Christina Yasutomi said, “We wanted to reinvent fall banquet to be a semi-formal event that is age-appropriate, specifically for freshmen and sophomores, as a way to build towards prom.”
While the committee sought to reduce the cost of the banquet, the ticket price this year—$85—is the same as last year’s banquet. According to Yasutomi, this is due to things being more expensive overall. After the early registration period, which ends on October 4, tickets will cost $100. Yasutomi hopes that 200 or more students attend.
This year’s banquet committee is led by Katherine Butay, a sophomore. She said that the committee has been working on details such as the music playlist, party favors, and the programming of the event. She said, “While we are not in control of absolutely everything, our job is to make the banquet as enjoyable as possible. The planning can be difficult, but as long as that leads into the right direction or to a good ending, then that’ll be our success.” Leina Wong, another banquet committee member, said that the ultimate goal is to ensure that students have as much fun as possible in spite of all the changes this year.
Lydia Halcomb, a senior who is planning on going to the event, said, “I’m most excited to be spending time with my friends and my classmates, especially because as a senior; it’s one of the last times we get to do this. Besides prom, this will be our last dance.” Summer Malinger, a sophomore, said, “I am looking forward to hanging out with my friends and just having a great time on the dance floor.”
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALLISON KUSUDA (‘27)
PHOTO EDITING BY ALLISON KUSUDA (‘27), SUMMER MALINGER (‘27), AND SOPHIA NGUYEN (‘27)
What to Wear GIRLS
DRESS CODE
ALLOWED
· Formal pants suit
· Semi-formal dresses
· Strapless dresses
REQUIRED
· Dress must fully cover torso and chest
NOT ALLOWED
· Prom dresses
· Low backs
· Dresses shorter than mid-thigh
· High slits
· Floor length dresses
BOYS
ALLOWED
· Long-sleeved shirts
· Pants
NOT ALLOWED
· HBA uniform
· Aloha shirts
· Jeans
Cross Country Kicks Off Season With Camp
→ By Natali Nomura (‘25) SPORTS NEWS
“Seven Days Without Running Makes One Weak.” This was the theme of the third
annual cross
country camp coined by Shelby Tanaka, the girls head coach. This year, close to forty runners from grades 7 through 12 attended the camp, most of them underclassmen and middle schoolers.
When asked about the surprising turnout, Tanaka said, “We had a lot of new and younger runners, which is always exciting because we get to see them grow and improve over the seasons to come. For up and coming runners, we hope that it would motivate and educate runners to become students of the sport, while having fun doing it!”
Head boys coach Aaron Kondo was also encouraged to see many younger runners at the camp. “The camp was also a good time for our runners to get to know each other, so hopefully our younger runners felt a sense of camaraderie with the older ones as they worked together throughout the camp,” he said.
The idea for a cross country camp started when Tanaka and her team had gone to Hawai’i Island for a running camp at Volcanoes National Park
during her senior year. When Tanaka became a head coach, she began to think about activities that would benefit the runners during the off-season. As she thought back to her years of running for HBA, Tanaka came up with the idea of starting a camp that would take place during the summer before the season started. Although the camp does not take runners off-island, new and seasoned runners have benefited nonetheless from fun and engaging camp workouts. For returning runners, camp means building on their prior fitness and success; for new runners, the camp includes learning about the sport and how to better prepare themselves. Tanaka hopes that the camps gives new runners their best chance at improvement.
This year, the camp was organized around a competition between four teams. Both seasoned and new runners were mixed up into four teams. In order to earn points, teams had to work together to complete different tasks and games. The activity that carries the most points is called the Run-A-Thon, which was modified this year. In the past, teams would compete at night (usually between the hours of 8 and 11 p.m.) to run the most laps. This year the runners had to run with a little more weight than just their shoes. “This year we elevated the Run-a-Thon to include the challenge of the teams creating their own box cars made out of cardboard to run laps around the school individually or as a team for more points. The extra challenge created more teamwork and added a fun new twist;
Cross country boys get ready for the Run-A-Thon race during the cross country camp. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SHELBY TANAKA.
it also made for an interesting turn to the scoring,” explained Tanaka.
Daniel Nagao, a junior, said that the new RunA-Thon was his favorite part of the camp. “It was very fun and made me feel more alive. It’s hard to feel alive when you’re just working and studying at school,” he said. Kondo also expressed his excitement about change in the Run-A-Thon. “I think the change worked well as students were able to be creative and build something that they might never otherwise have built. It also gave them the chance to run laps together as a team rather than just having one person run a lap at a time,” he said.
The four-day camp started the morning of July 17. For the first three days, runners would arrive at the Eagles Landing early in the morning and participate in an assortment of point-earning activities and strength workouts. Runners would also listen to presentations by the coaches on different aspects of running, such as finding the right shoes, the importance of hydration, and nutrition. Kelsie Takeuchi, a freshman, was grateful for what she had learned from the presentations. “One of [the presentations] that was really helpful to know was the different types of injuries and what to do if you get one of them,” she said. Each day at camp would end with a long run. This year, the coaches surprised the runners with a Disney Animal Kingdom-themed relay
race consisting of different exercises that teams had to complete together. Kaitlyn Legawa, a freshman, enjoyed the unique running course. “My favorite activity from camp was the really fun animal/Disney-themed circuit exercise because it was so creative and fun, even though it was exhausting,” she said.
Just as the coaches had hoped, many runners left camp feeling closer with their teammates. Takeuchi said, “My favorite part about my team at camp was that we all encouraged each other and worked well together as a team to have success in the games. The team I was on, the Waku Waku Hammahs, seemed to really enjoy the competition and we tried our best to do everything to win every game,” she said. “I also wished that camp was longer because it was really fun and it helped us bond with others on the team that we don’t talk to as often” she said.
For the upperclassmen, the camp served as a challenge for them to step into new leadership roles. Nagao said, “Being an upperclassman felt a little weird at first because it was my first time actually being the bigger, older person during camp. My freshman and sophomore years at camp felt more like I was looking up to the upperclassmen rather than being a responsible person.”
As the team looked ahead to the opening of the season after camp, many of them have
set personal goals, from pushing through workouts to achieving new personal records. For seniors like Joshua Legawa, this season is also about relationships. He is most looking forward to “training and racing with friends”. For the coaches, this new season feels promising. “As we start the season, we’ve had more students join the team than in previous years. I’m looking forward to seeing how our brand new runners progress with the returnees. Our students do a great job of taking care of each other every year, and seeing them build team chemistry in different ways each year is exciting,” said Kondo.
Tanaka shared Kondo’s excitement, saying, “We had a great turnout for the girls this summer and are looking forward to growing the girls’ program, numbers-wise and strengtheningwise. It will be a good mix of experienced runners and new runners, and this will allow the experienced ones to grow as leaders and become mentors for the new runners. As for the boys’ team, they have been working hard over the summer and also managed to get a lot of new runners to come out this season.”
(Left) Cross country camp attendees enjoy a meal together; (right) The runners learn to do stretching exercises together.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SHELBY TANAKA.
Freshman Kick Off New Year
BY: Sophia Nguyen
Freshmen Take Stock of First Quarter
→ By Sophia Nguyen (‘27) NEWS
On July 31, 2024, the class of 2028 started their first day of high school on a new campus, becoming part of a larger student body than many of them are used to. They also found themselves having to adjust to a faster pace of school work. Aiden Kucklinksy, a freshman, said, “The biggest challenge so far is the workload. It’s harder, and it takes a longer time.” Freshmen also have to get used to having a fuller schedule. Alex Fujimoto said, “The hardest challenge is managing academics, sports, and extracurriculars without burning out or feeling overwhelmed.” May Shiraishi stated that setting aside distractions and starting work right away after school is the best way to avoid feeling overwhelmed. For students who are used to HBA’s middle school campus, navigating the high school campus in the first few days of school can be a challenge. Blair LaBarre said, “The campus is a lot bigger than the middle school, so knowing where to go after each period is hard.”
Despite the challenges, many freshmen enjoy stepping up into another stage in their school experience. Reese Lueder said, “Having more responsibility and being treated as older students is something that we never had in middle school. Also the teachers trust us more and don’t give us reminders compared to middle school.” Another perk of being at the high school according to freshmen is that there is no longer a ban on cell phone use.
Another milestone for the freshmen is electing their first class council. This year a total of 12 students ran for five open positions on the council. The election was held on September 6 and the following students were elected to the class council:
Keira Liew, President; Alex Fujimoto, Vice President; Keira Chang, Recording Secretary/Historian; Sarah Byrer, Corresponding Secretary; and Noah Pfeiffer and May Shiraishi, Co-Social Chairs.
Liew is excited to lead her class. She said “My main goal is to serve our grade and give everyone a voice, as well as unify our grade. The transition to high school may have been tough for some people, so I’d like to see us come together and ensure it’s the best freshman year possible.”
The newly elected freshman class council have fun as they take their first official class council picture.
(Left to right) Sarah Byrer, Corresponding Sececretary; May Shiraishi, Co-Social Chair; Keira Liew, President; Keira Chang, Recording Secretary/Historian; Alex Fujimoto, Vice President; Noah Pfeiffer, Co-Social Chair.
PHOTOGRAPH BY SOPHIA NGUYEN (‘27)
FALL SPIKE NITE 2024
October
4, 2024
| Hawai’i Baptist Academy Dan Liu Gymnasium
JV HBA vs. Kamehameha Blue - 5:00 p.m.
Varsity HBA vs. University - 6:15 p.m.
Tonight’s food and drinks are sponsored by the Hawai’i Baptist Academy Athletic Booster Club.
ABOUT HBA’S ATHLETICS
HBA is widely regarded as having one of the top small school athletic programs in the ILH and state. Close to 75 percent of the middle-high school students annually compete in interscholastic sports, with approximately 40 percent of them participating in multiple sports.
The HBA Athletic Department strives to provide a quality sports program in a Christian environment. We seek to develop the young person physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We believe that our talents are a gift from God and that we are obligated to use them to the best of our abilities. We value athletics and view them as an integral part of a child’s overall development and education.
Follow HBA Athletics on Instagram @hba_athletics and X @hbaathletics for the latest on athletic events. 16
“The Possibility of the Impossible”
Continued from Page 1
starting to see how pushing through my mistakes and disappointments were making my fear of failure go away. I began to see failure from a different perspective. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of my mistakes, I began to redefine my idea of success. Putting my confidence and self-worth into keeping myself positive and giving my all were much more rewarding than unrealistic expectations, which often left me feeling disappointed.
As I head into my senior season of cross county, I now firmly believe that giving up on something because you find it impossible just makes you miss out on once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Of course, there will be times when things just don’t work out and you fail. But I believe perfection is an unattainable goal. I now find it comforting to fail. Even though it would be wonderful if I could be naturally gifted at everything, failing helps me realize that there are more things that are possible than I could ever imagine.
As you look ahead to the rest of the school year, I hope you will just try. I know that it sounds cliché but trying creates room for improvement and can help you discover that your goals aren’t as impossible as they may seem in theory. When you remember the possibility of the impossible rather than the impossibility of the possible, you can accomplish more than you imagine.
24
25 GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
HAWAII BAPTIST ACADEMY GIRLS VARSITY
“I would first like to thank God for all that he has done for me and blessing me for everything I have. I would also like to thank my parents and all my coaches that have supported me and pushed me to always give full effort throughout all my years I played volleyball.”
“I am grateful for my parents for always supporting me and allowing me to seek opportunities that come in my path.”
“I am grateful for the coaches and my parents for supporting me though all these years playing volleyball, and cheering for me every game.”
“I want to thank my mom and dad for taking me to all my practices and games.”
“I am grateful to my parents and my brother for being my biggest fans, my club coaches for offering me nothing but support, and my school coaches for believing in me this year.”
“I want to thank my coaches and teammates for always challenging me and pushing me to be the best version of myself, both on and off the court. I am also extremely grateful for my parents who have been supporting me from the very beginning, and who have made it possible for me to have these opportunities and make memories.”
“Thank you Jesus for giving me the strength and wisdom which has shaped me into the player I am today. Also, I am grateful for my parents, family, friends, and coaches who have been my biggest supporters throughout my volleyball career; I could not have made it this far without you all.”
“I would like to thank my parents, teammates, and my coaches for always supporting me and holding my goals accountable. Thank you for pushing me to work harder and make me better as a person and player.”
“I am grateful for Myles, coach Taryn, and coach Jared for believing in me from the very beginning and pushing me to play to my full potential. I also want to thank my mom and dad for supporting me, always encouraging and believing in me, being there for me when I needed it, and for being my biggest fans.”
Brooke Brennan Senior • MB • 5’ 6” 11th
Rhyan Cobb Dumlao 11th • Lib • 4’ 11”
VOLLEYBALL
“I want to thank my parents for being my number one supporters and for always being there for me. I am extremely lucky to have you. I would also like to thank my siblings for being my best friends and buying me food or snacks. Lastly, thanks to Hala’i as well as my grandparents for coming to my games and showing me so much love and support.”
“I am most grateful for my parents and my brother because they are my #1 supporters, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for them.”
“I first want to thank God for all the opportunities He has given me. I also want to thank my parents for always being there for me and supporting me no matter what. I am also grateful to my coaches for always pushing me and making me better every day.”
“I am grateful for my parents who always there for me and being my biggest supporters through thick and thin. I don’t know what I would do without them and I would also like to thank all my coaches over the course of my volleyball career and they have all shaped me to become who I am today.”
“I want to thank my parents, teammates, and coaches for helping me improve and grow as a volleyball player. I couldn’t be here without their encouragement, support, and wisdom.”
“I want to thank my parents who dedicated their time to take me to all the games and practices and shaped me to who I am today.”
“I would like to thank my coaches for their guidance, my family for their continuous support, and my teammates for their encouragement. Their belief and constant investment in me have been essential throughout my volleyball journey.”
I’d like to thank God for every blessing and opportunity He’s given me. Also my parents and family for getting me to be where I am today and being my biggest supporters. Especially to my mom for always pushing me to be my best self and always being there for me.”
“I am thankful for Coach Myles for allowing me to practice with the team even though I was not eligible to play. And for pushing me to be the best player I can be.”
Abigail Marchenko
FRONT
(L-R): Kylie Ancheta, May
BACK (L-R) : Abby Marchenko, Blair LaBarre, Marisa Nakata, Asia De La
Brooke Brennan, Makana Doane, Kate Iida, Caroline Fisher, Maya Kim, Makena Lincoln
20242025 HBA GIRLS VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
Cruz,
Shiraishi, Keira Liew, Emerson Sisco, Callie Kam, Katelynn Albano, Jackie Miyazawa, Rhyan Cobb Dumlao