The Pinion Vol. 93 No. 1

THE PINI N

Student-edited paper of McKinley High School Vol. 93 No. 1

Honolulu, Hawaii

October 2014

Fall Edition What would happen if MHS raised the required GPA to play?

Find out more inside.

Tiger junior Aquina Akitekit. Photo by Baby Manu.

2 THE PINION NEWS

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Blindfolds play important role in Freshman Orientation

by Silvana Bautista, web co-editor It is a part of the endless cycle of high school. We say goodbye to the graduating seniors in the summer and then welcome the incoming freshmen in fall.

McKinley High School welcomed those new freshmen, the Class of 2018, on Friday, Aug 1. Groups were separated into Yellow and White teams with a corresponding candy name.

Senior Samantha Cadiente, mentor of Yellow Lifesavers, lead her mentees in a number of trust and communicationbased games like Toy Story 3½, Trust Fall, Wind in the Willows, Lava Walk and Santa’s Skis.

A blindfold played a heavy role in a majority of these activities. For example, in Toy Story 3½, a blind-folded person Yellow Lifesavers race to the finish line as a team in Santa’s Skis race. Photo by Silvana Bautista needed to trust their partner to get them across a spinning rope. Cadiente allowed her mentees to pair up with people they knew before making them work with those unfamiliar to them.

Freshman Blake De Jesus assisted Cadiente, turning the rope while the other mentees attempted to cross it. Once they all successfully made it across, De Jesus had to take his turn as well. He was paired up with freshman Maria Hartmann.

“It involves lots of trust,” De Jesus said.

“It took a while for me to trust Maria.”

During their debriefs, Cadiente told her mentees about the importance of trust.

The blindfolds required her mentees to trust each other even more.

The activities called Trust Fall and Wind in the Willows were similar. Both games required a person or a group of people to support a single person to prevent him or her from falling. Freshman infographic by Silvana Bautista Michael Jake Sumaylo was one of the victory in both the Lava Walk activity and teamwork, planning, communication and people who supported by the rest of the the Santa’s Skis activity. Regardless of the following the rules were important in both team in Wind in the Willows. blindfolds, her mentees communicated the activities and in school.

He enjoyed it because “everyone was and guided each other to accomplish the “This is a worthwhile experience for involved.” However, he was somewhat activity. these freshmen. It builds confidence and afraid because he thought that he “was After completing Lava Walk and Santeaches them how to work as a team,” going to get thrown.” ta’s Skis, Cadiente told her mentees that teacher Jude Waterman said.

Cadiente’s leadership led her team to

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THE PINION 3 NEWS

infographics

by Lin Song

Math scores correlate with students’ feelings

by Lin Song, web co-editor “It’s interesting how it works.” This is why senior Annie Dang likes math. Dang took pre-calculus last year and has AP calculus this year.

She said the first test this year for AP calculus was a dark time and made her doubt her own math ability. However, she said, “the only way is to work harder.”

Not all students like math as Dang does.

A survey was taken at McKinley High School this August about students’ opinions of math.

There were 131 students from different math classes and grade levels who took the survey. With a range from one to five (strongly dislike to strongly like), 20 percent of the total respondents chose one, 29 percent chose three, and 12 percent chose five.

Most students who chose one or two wrote their reasons as “It is so hard.”

In the Hawaii Student Assessment, 59 percent of Hawaii students tested proficient in math for the 2013-14 school year, down from 60 percent the year before, the state Department of Education announced Aug. 25.

Only 42 percent of the students in McKinley High School passed the math

“I think math is too hard and sometimes (I’m) frustrated to solve the problems.”

--Baby Manu (12)

test while it was 49 percent the year before, according to Counselor Lisa Panquites.

“I think math is too hard and sometimes (I’m) frustrated to solve the problems,” senior Baby Manu said.

Math teacher Jon Furukawa said, “It’s a challenge.” It is true that math is challenging, but there are ways to improve math performance.

“I think a lot of students just shy away from doing the work,” Furukawa said.

“Actually, if they do the work, sit down and study, they will get a lot better at it.

Teachers call it instant gratification, and that is what’s holding a lot of students back right now.”

He said nowadays with technology, everything is so convenient that when facing math problems people want the answer

instantaneously.

Patience and courage to take challenges are necessary.

Attitude also means a lot. Sixty-five percent of the students who chose “strongly dislike” spend less than one hour working on math assignments every day. None spent over two hours. sixty-nine percent of those who “strongly like” math and seventy-two percent of the students in AP Calculus class spend more than one hour studying math every day.

Those who like math as well as those who are good at it spend more time studying this subject.

A person who keeps thinking “I hate math” can end up in an awful cycle of poor performance.

One student was neutral in the survey and the reason was “I need this as a requirement for life.”

Math teacher Maude Furuya emphasized the point that students should take advantage of Tiger Time. She also suggested students practice more and ask for help.

Math team member Lawrence Kwok said, “No matter how hard you learn, you

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Candidate for governor speaks to MHS students

Hanneman says education was key to his career success

by Lin Song, web co-editor

“Don’t let anybody tell you you cannot be what you want to be. It’s all about you.”

--Gubenatorial candidate Mufi Hannemann

Mufi Hannemann, a candidate for governor, came to give a speech to McKinley students about the importance of education during Period 3 on Aug.28.

The general election will be held in November and the other three candidates for governor are Duke Aiona, Jeff Davis and David Yukata Ige. Hannemann is the former mayor of Honolulu and the Independent Party’s candidate for governor in the State of Ha-

waii now. He attended Fern Elementary, Puuhale Elementary and Kalihi Kai Elementary before receiving a scholarship to attend ‘Iolani in the seventh grade. Later, he went to Harvard before continuing his studies as a Fulbright Scholar in Wellington, New Zealand.

“I’m applying for colleges now and I hope this Harvard guy can tell me something useful,” Senior Yujun Pang said.

The most important reason for his successful career is education, he said

He grew up in Kalihi with a GermanSamoan father and Samoan mother. His mother only had a fourth grade education and his father only had a high school diploma. He saw how hard his father worked and he knew that “education is so important.” Hannemann took the job which no one likes on campus but is the one to supplement his education.

Hannemann said nowadays with all the social media and technology, “you have no excuse not to get as much information as possible.” The key is the “need to want to do that.”

Junior Victoria Lu agreed with him and said, “Those students who don’t do their homework and drop their grades really need to change their attitudes.”

His advice to McKinley students is “don’t let anybody tell you you cannot be what you want to be. It’s all about you.”

Principal Okamura’s football frenzy

by Karrina Johnson, reporter McKinley High School principal Ron Okamura wanted to be the first professional Japanese football player.

In school, athletics were always important to Okamura, especially football.

There were many obstacles along the way, such as being told he was too short or having a knee injury.

Okamura said he was offered a scholarship to play football in college but turned it down because of physical injuries.

Even though his knees were weak, he said he still regrets turning it down.

Okamura said he should have at least

tried to become the first Japanese football player, even if it meant getting hurt.

He is always telling students to dream big, to go for their goals.

“If it’s that important, to me, nothing’s impossible,” he said.

Of course, academics are also important to him. Okamura said that if he could, he would raise the GPA for student athletes from a 2.0 all the way to a 3.0 because “student” comes first in “student athlete.” Being a former athlete, he can now relate to his students and help encourage them to reach their goals.

The Pinion Staff Adviser: Cynthia Reves Print Editors: Sean Gleason, Jane Lavea Web Editors: Silvana Bautista, Lin Song Contributors: Newswriting I students

Publication Information

THE PINION is published by the Newswriting Staff and printed by the Reprographics Learning Center.

The Pinion McKinley High School 1039 South King Street Honolulu, HI 96814 Email comments or questions to pinion@mckinleyhs.k12.hi.us

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THE PINION 5 NEWS

Infographic by Silvana Bautista

Book Club starts off with an election of officers

by Silvana Bautista, web co-editor The Book Club is open to anyone who has an interest in books. It is not only a place for book lovers. People who wish to improve themselves or are having a hard time finding a reason to enjoy reading are welcome, too.

“I wanted to get involved with my students and motivate them to enjoy reading,” club adviser Jude Waterman said.

He plans for the students who signed up to decide on the types of books to read.

About the officers The club’s first meeting was on, Sept.

4. At that meeting, the officers were chosen through voting.

Senior Si Hou Lon is president. Lon joined Book Club and decided to run for president because he likes to read.

“I started to read a lot of books in seventh grade and I wanted to keep reading since then,” Lon said.

Senior Bonnie Pang was voted as the Book Club’s vice president. She has loved

“My seventh grade teacher, Ms. Kudo, got me into reading. She gave me “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens.”

--Senior Bonnie Pang (12)

reading since she was in seventh grade.

“My seventh grade teacher, Ms. Kudo, got me into reading. She gave me ‘Great Expectations,’ by Charles Dickens,” she said.

Pang is looking forward to reading more classical books in Book Club.

Senior Yunmi Kim was voted as secretary. She joined Book Club as a way to improve herself.

“I was reading since I was a little kid. I realized that while I read classics, I had a hard time. I think that being in the Book Club will help with those books,” Kim said.

Senior Emily Phan was chosen as treasurer. She likes to read. She also wanted more leadership roles.

“I like to read. It began in kindergarten with alphabet books. It helped me begin to understand,” she said. “I also want to improve on my leadership abilities.”

Waterman is proud of the new officers.

“They’re great students who seem very responsible,” he said.

Tigers and Reading McKinley High School has many students who like to read but did not join the club. In a survey of 50 students, 38 said that they like to read.

For the remaining 12, they wrote that reading is boring or they do not know what to read or that they do not have time.

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Good Luck.

Have Fun.

Words to look for: ACORN APPLE BALE CHESTNUTS CIDER CONE CORNUCOPIA CRANBERRY FALLING GOURD HALLOWEEN HARVEST

Difficulty: Insane

HAY HAYSTACK LEAVES NUTS PIE PINE PUMPKIN SCARECROW SQUASH THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Difficulty: Easy

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Loud and Proud

THE PINION 7 GAMES

by Max Higa, reporter

On Thursday August 14, I went down to the Welcome Back Assembly. I could hear the trumpets play, the drums bang, and the the most exciting session of the assembly, the performance of the alma mater and Black and Gold. Why? The students and band were very spirited. The songs themselves sounded very emotional. The seniors were holding arms and swaying together, as if they were about to graduate.

The entire gym’s atmosphere was suspended. It felt like the climax of an action or drama movie. The songs are the types that you will never forget. My father attended this very school over 40 years ago and he still remembers the adreneline rush, the intensity, and his heart pounding. The band was just as intense too. It felt like they’ve been pouring all of their hard work into this one performance. After the assembly, while walking back to class, I thought, “How emotional will saying ‘goodbye’ be for us in 4 years?”

Spirit of the tiger lives on

by James Harbin, reporter

The Alma Mater and Black and Gold aren’t like any other school song I’ve heard. People told me that McKinley has a lot of school spirit. People say that about every school, so of course, I didn’t believe them. After I showed up and heard it for myself, I take it all back. McKinley has more school spirit than my two elementary and middle schools combined.

The way they were sung, flowed with the beat. The band made the songs sound so majestic. The students and staff brought the songs to life. The lyrics were so meaningful.

art by My Lu

When I looked across the room and saw some seniors hand in hand. Arms in the air and waving during Black and Gold. It hit me right in the feels. I instantly thought, “Man, that’s going to be us one day. We thought leaving each other temporarily at the end of eighth grade was hard, just wait til senior year.

The only people you’ll see after that are the ones you deem family. You never turn your back on family”.

For now, it’s the beginning of the end for us. Let the spirit of the tiger forever roar inside us.

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Should McKinley raise GPA for athletes?

photos by Baby Manu

art by My Lu Kahuku changes their GPA from 2.0 to a 2.3

by Jane Lavea, print-editor Kahuku Intermediate and High Schools raised their athlete GPA requirement from a 2.0 to a 2.3. Kahuku changed their GPA because most colleges require a 2.75 average to play and Kahuku’s principal said that a 2.0 is a disadvantage for students.

The schools requested a waiver from the Board of Education policy that will go into effect second quarter.

The real question here is “do you think other schools should raise the minimum GPA for student athletes” and “should McKinley raise their GPA?” Soccer coach Shelby Costa said that having a 2.3 for the athletes is good because a 2.0 is average and having a 2.3

will set them above average.

“I think it’s a great idea because athletes should maintain a high GPA and should be leaders,” Costa said.

Soccer player Majorlynn McMillan disagreed with a higher GPA requirement.

She said, “We should not change our athletic GPA to a 2.3 because what if others can’t reach that GPA?” Volleyball player Hokulani Dunn said, “We should not change our GPA because the more the GPA goes up for athletes to join a sport, the harder it’s going to be for them to play a sport.”

McKinley’s athletic program has 56 teams in 21 sports. This makes our school

one of the largest public school athletic program in the state.

“If I could change our school GPA, I would change it to a 2.3 because they are all student athletes. Academics comes first. But I don’t hold any power to make that kind of decision because our school GPA is OIA requirements,” said student athletic director Bob Morikuni.

He also said that teams could be negatively affected by this change. Some of the student athletes are hanging on to that 2.0 line. By changing it, it would mean that those who did not reach this requirement are not allowed on the field.

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THE PINION 9 SPORTS

photos by Baby Manu

2.

3.

4.

1. Junior Kaimi Kini scored the only touchdown against Kahuku on Aug. 29 at Roosevelt field. 2. Juniors Kayla Rasavannah and Vee’vee Li jump up to block Farrington’s ball on Sept. 3 at the gym. Lady Tiger lost on the third set of the game by two points.

3. Jv cheering squad performs at the Homecoming assembly.

Football boys challenged Waipahu on Sep. 20 at Roosevelt field. 4. Senior Bree jump up to block Kailua’s ball on September 8 at McKinley’s gym. Lady Tigers lost on the second set by two points.

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Koli dedicated to volleyball

Photos by Jane Lavea

by Jane Lavea, print co-editor Volleyball is junior Victoria Koli’s passion. She has been playing since she was four and is currently playing for McKinley High School’s varsity team.

For her senior year, she plans on getting a full-ride scholarship for volleyball. She also plans to graduate with her masters and start a flight attendant career.

Volleyball is an intense sport. To be a great player you have to be mentally and physically tough. Koli encounters peer pressure when playing volleyball. She knows that her teammates and coaches

depend on her leadership during games.

“The hardest part about playing volleyball for me is when the pressure is on. The games gets intense and that’s when I start to strategize the game,” Koli said.

She said volleyball includes 90 percent of mental and 10 percent of skills. Defense wins the game because they are playing smart.

“Victoria is very talkative and has good social skills. She communicates very well with her teammates and she’s very talented in volleyball. If she puts her mind and

heart into it, then she can do anything she wants,” said head coach Carrie Akana.

Although the sport stresses some people out, Koli feels as if volleyball was meant for her. She feels focused and happy when playing because she is doing what she loves.

For future volleyball players, Koli said“If you’re serious about the sport, put in a 100 percent in both school and volleyball. Have no doubts because in this life, we only live on hope.”

THE PINION 11 FEATURES

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Alexandra Kaohi gains confidence in Speech and Debate

by Silvana Bautista, web co-editor Senior Alexandra Kaohi was able to improve her public speaking and gain confidence through the Speech and Debate Team.

Kaohi became interested in Speech and Debate during her sophomore year.

She did not immediately join the team.

Instead she watched a few of their competitions. She said that Speech and Debate was different from what she expected it to be. She expected students to give long speeches.

Kaohi signed up as a junior and she competed in Program Reading. She had to perform a speech within ten minutes on a theme that included three pieces of published literature.

Adviser Matthew Kim said that there was “tremendous growth in her.”

Kaohi’s first language was Korean.

The competitions allowed her to become more accustomed to her second language.

Speaking on stage during competitions allowed her to gain confidence in her ability to speak in English, in addition to her ability to speak in front of a crowd. She said that the lack of long speeches made it more fun for her. She was able to get her message across to the audience and judges easily.

“It allowed her to be comfortable in speaking. To her it was not about winning, kim said, “It was about developing her confidence and the ability to speak. She has so much commitment to the team.”

Kaohi’s sister, sophomore Josephine Kaohi, joined the Speech and Debate team last year. Her sister was part of the reason she joined the team. Josephine does Story Telling. For eight minutes, she tells a story without any help of props. She is judged on how well she tells her story, the different voices she uses and the facial expressions she shows.

Josephine said it is sometimes awkward to be in the same team as her sister, but overall she is happy to be with her. They

Josephine Kaohi (left) alongside her sister, Alexandra Kaohi (right) Photo provided by Alexandra Kaohi.

encourage each other during their competitions regardless of the different types of speeches they do.

As an older sister, Alexandra said that she is happy to have her sister in the same team.

“I am glad that she is enjoying Speech and Debate,” she said.

“It’s reassuring to be with her. During competition, she would remind me and give me confidence,” Josephine said.

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