Student Council Holds First Public Meeting

→ By Taumafai Steffany (24’) NEWS

During lunch on August 31, the Student Council held their first public meeting of the year.

The purpose of the gathering was to discuss the three venue options for the Winter Banquet before the council vote took place on Thursday, September 8. All students and teachers were invited to attend the meeting, and about a dozen students came to watch.

During the meeting, the Student Council shared the results of the poll that asked students how much money they’re willing to spend on tickets to Winter Banquet and/or prom. Over 300 responses were recorded, with the majority of underclassmen and their parents preferring the cheapest option available, while the majority of upperclassmen and their parents selected the mid-range option of $50-$60. According to the data gathered, most juniors and seniors want to spend less on Winter Banquet in order to fund a more elaborate prom.

The three venues include the Ko’olau Ballrooms for $115 per person, the Hilton Waikiki Beach hotel for $90 per person, and the Hawaii Okinawa Center for $75 per person. The Winter Banquet will be held on Monday, December 19, the first day of winter break. Currently, students are allowed to invite guests from other schools, but council advisor Christina Yasutomi clarified that this rule may change if there are safety concerns due to Covid-19.

During the meeting, an attendee asked if the council plans to help students who want to go to the event but can’t afford it. As of now, there’s no specific arrangements, but the Winter Banquet committee hopes to find a solution.

On September 8, the Student Council and class council presidents selected the Hilton Waikiki as the final venue. Winter Banquet tickets will be available for purchase sometime during the second quarter.

parents and two siblings, and, once I’m in college, to continue to come back to my roots. Personally, bravery could look like saying no to additional commitments that would require me to be away from home despite pressure from others to say yes. I encourage you to identify one of your fears, the resultant motivation, and then practical ways you can be brave in your pursuits.

The second principle, balance, can be perplexing because it’s subjective and extremely tricky to achieve. I haven’t met many people who think they’ve achieved perfect balance in their life; in fact, I’ve found that most of us lean towards one side on the spectrum between the two extremes of pursuing pleasure and pursuing productivity, between living completely in the present and existing in the future. I believe that making the most of our time involves comfortably dwelling in the intersection of reflecting on the past, enjoying the present, and thinking ahead to the future. Making the most of your time doesn’t mean spending every day lazing around on the beach, but it also doesn’t mean sitting at your computer doing schoolwork for hours on end. Although life may be more clear-cut when we abide in extremes, it’s more vibrant when we learn to paint with complementary colors. I recently took a foray into color psychology and learned that hues that are directly opposite each other on a color wheel are actually quite aesthetically pleasing. In the same way, pairing opposite philosophies can produce an unexpectedly beautiful result.

We also have to balance specificity with spontaneity. When faced with the finality of time, we sometimes overcorrect by attempting to stuff every second with productive activities. However, we shouldn’t become inflexible because we’re overly afraid of losing time. This summer, two of my friends and I planned to go to the beach on the west side of the island. When we woke up, we found out that the water near the area we wanted to visit was polluted, so we frantically planned to go to another beach. As we were driving there, we saw storm clouds in the sky down the road, so we turned around and headed to the North Shore. It’s one of my favorite memories from the summer, not just in spite of but because plans changed several times. We probably spent over an hour driving aimlessly around the island, laughing and listening to music. Ultimately, we can try our best to make the most of our time, but we can’t and shouldn’t micromanage it. I’d like to suggest that the very phrase “making the most of our time” is flawed, because it suggests that we have absolute control over the outcomes of our choices. We can try our best to use the time we’re given wisely, but at the moment we make a decision, we can’t predict the future with absolute certainty. We can only see the true effects of our choices in hindsight. By embracing the fact that we can’t control everything, we can find freedom, and by letting go, we can receive joy in unexpected ways.

Ultimately, my faith in God’s plan has allowed me to release control without fearing that my life will careen off course. When we stop white-knuckling the wheel, sit back, and let the Creator of the universe direct our route, we can find joy, freedom, and humility. Additionally, in moments when I didn’t make the most of my time, like when I withheld an apology or was inconsiderate towards those around me, I found comfort in God’s grace. Though our regrets will always be part of our pasts, we don’t have to carry them into the future. We can make amends with those we’ve hurt, confess our missteps to the Lord, and seek peace in His forgiveness. As you look to the future, identify the cause of your regrets and then brainstorm practical steps toward progress. The first step is always the hardest, whether it be towards forming a new relationship, breaking a bad habit, or bringing a deferred dream to life, but it’s one worth taking. Depending on your goal, some solutions could be to join that club, reach out to that person, get your homework done before watching TV, or, speaking for myself, to stop idolizing productivity and start clearing space on my calendar for relaxation. Time is fleeting, and if you wait for the ambiguous ideal of the “right time” to pursue change, it may never come. Go ahead and start now.