na pueo news
Find out what happens when principals shadow students.
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BULLYING:
editorial
Have you drifted apart from your best friend? Find out what to do in Na Pueo’s student advice column.
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the diamond
STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR MID-PACIFIC DECEMBER 2018 VOLUME 53 ISSUE 2 Volume 51 Issue 4 May 2017NAPUEO.COM
Students experience intimidation on campus and in social media, according to Na Pueo survey
18%
electronically bullied in the past year
25%
bullied on school property in the past year
Three teams end the season with undefeated records.
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features
The Bruno Mars concert emptied our wallets but created great memories
43%
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back page
How can you save more money? Find out on the back page.
SURVEY SAYS: Do you like the new semester grading system?
The Na Pueo news team surveyed 192 students about whether they like Mid-Pacific’s new semester grade reporting.
39%
35%
Neutral
No
Yes
27%
Infographic by Payton Antonio, staff writer
seen others bullied at school
66%
By Siena Usui and Kayla Marutani Staff Writers On the surface, bullying may not seem like a problem on the Mid-Pacific campus. However, it could be a bigger issue than students or administrators realize, according to a recent Na Pueo survey of 192 high school students. The survey shows bullying is more common on the Mid-Pacific campus than it is statewide. According to the survey, 43 percent of high school students said they have seen bullying happen on campus in the past year. “It is a very prevalent problem on campus. It’s just that adults may not know about a majority of it because kids on campus are afraid to report it,” said junior Kennedy Flores. About 25 percent of Mid-Pacific students said they’ve been bullied on the school campus in the past year, according to the survey. Statewide, only 18 percent of students reported being bullied, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 18 percent of Mid-Pacific students reported experiencing electronic bullying, compared to 14 percent statewide.
See SURVEY page 2
didn’t speak out
Results from a Na Pueo survey of 192 high school students. Infographic by Payton Antonio, staff writer.
A return to tradition with homecoming By Payton Antonio Yoshikawa. Staff Writer A Na Pueo survey of 280 Last year, the homecoming students reported that 67 court took a pause percent of students when lack of time Schools on the wanted the homeand planning ended coming court to the tradition that has Mainland as come back, while spanned generations 7 percent said well as Hawaii just at Mid-Pacific, school they did not want a officials said. are moving court. But this year, plans “I was bummed away from are well underway to when they got rid of return to the school’s the traditional it but thrilled that it’s roots with a formal back,” said sophoboy-girl couple more Ian Ishibashi. homecoming court with representatives court.” The director of from each class. Stustudent activities, dents at Mid-Pacific Bill Wheeler, Bill Wheeler, and said they are excited Director of assistant principal about the court this for student life, Student year. Jennifer Grems said “I’m glad they they decided last year Activities are bringing it back to suspend the homebecause most of the coming court due to students look forward to it a large amount of unanswered every year,” said senior Emiko questions.
Na Pueo goes digital with new multimedia site: napueo.com
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Scan the QR code to get the latest student news. The high school journalism class moved to digital production this year with the start of napueo.com, the student news site for Mid-Pacific. Student journalists will be updating the site frequently with the latest campus news, sports and feature stories. Check it out!
news
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Principals followed teens on “Shadow a Student” day By Payton Antonio Staff Writer Mid-Pacific administrators lived through a day in the life of a student on a recent “Shadow a Student” challenge. They took quizzes. Danced in the dance room. Rushed from class to class on a Monday schedule. Even waited in line for lunch at the caboose. The experience taught principals that being a student isn’t as easy as it looks. “There has always been the question of what a day in the life of a student is truly like and as adults we may forget that,” said assistant principal for student life Jennifer Grems. Grems shadowed full IB senior and SGA officer, Olivia Sakaguchi, who also participates in the MPSA dance certificate program. “I learned there isn’t much communication between the faculty and the student so it was good that Mrs. Grems had the
opportunity to see what our day is really like,” said Sakaguchi. The Shadow a Student challenge helps adults gain a better understanding of the student experience and to challenge their assumptions about school, according to the web site shadowastudent. org. Administrators evaluated themselves as a student and not on the teaching or students they shadowed. “It will help us think about how we lead the school and the decisions we make when students are the center,” said assistant principal for academics Christel McGuigan. Administrators followed students in different programs such as a full IB student, an MPSA dance certificate student, an MPX student and a standard new incoming student. Before shadowing a student, the
administrators used the web site to prep for the day they meet with the shadowee. After the shadow day, the administrators used the website to reflect and to take action on the experience. Admins participated in all class activities from showing Mr. Chance their work to collaborating in group projects. Engaging in each class helped the principals have more empathy for students. McGuigan shadowed ninth grader Emmalee Spencer, who takes the standard schedule but is new to Mid-Pacific. “Sitting alongside Emmalee, I witnessed if the students were comfortable and what they navigated throughout their day,” said McGuigan. McGuigan listened to Emmalee’s perspectives on each class. She realized the periods are so short on Mon-
“I learned there isn’t much communication between the faculty and the student.” Olivia Sakaguchi
days that by the time the students started something engaging, it was time to pack up and go, said McGuigan. “It was a fun experience to see the adult witness the struggle of a current high schooler attending Mid-Pacific,” said Spencer. Grems said she walked away from Olivia’s life learning that even though it was hard, everything was always done with a sense of joy, purpose, and engagement which made the experience inspiring. “If the staff are in any way involved in student life, then they should take an opportunity like the administrators did and see what the everyday life is like because you never really know how someone’s day is until you take a walk in their shoes,” said Sakaguchi. The administrators will use their experiences and reflect back on how the student life and classroom feels like from a student’s perspective when they talk about student engagement.
Screen time takes over teenager’s everyday lives By Siena Usui Staff Writer Throughout the day, Mid-Pacific students can be seen fixated on their iPads as they work on assignments, watch YouTube, or play video games. It has become a need for teenagers to go on their electronic device every day. Studies have shown that 95 percent of children are getting too much screen time, a study from Canada reported. A couple signs of screen addiction in someone is when it starts to interfere with their daily schedule, withdrawing from others, or losing interest in sports and other outdoor activities . Mid-Pacific administration recently addressed parents concerns about screen time by creating several sessions focused
HOMECOMING:
on the topic. During Mid-Pacific’s Coffee Talk Presentation on Nov. 29, Jana Ortiz from the Hawaii Center for Children and Families (HCCF) gave parents some strategies to manage screen time. “Technology is neutral. It’s up to you how to use it,” said Dr. Ortiz. Brian Grantham, the Director of Technology at Mid-Pacific, discussed the similarities between the actions of children compared to parents when they were younger. “It wasn’t digital. But I don’t know about you, but I know several times I was in class with a comic book behind a textbook,” Grantham said. He described how the action of going on a device and reading a comic were the same, but it meant something entirely different.
“We were unsure of what we were planning, so there was no plan to begin with,” said Wheeler in a recent interview. The decision contained many facets to stop the court not only due to lack of time and planning but also because of gender issues and the traditional outLast year’s homecoming featured games and a pep rally. Photo from Na Pueo look, said Wheeler. “Yes, we want it to archives. look like how it was 30 Wheeler and Grems met with the years ago but schools on the Mainland as SGA officers to discuss what they wanted well as Hawaii are moving away from the homecoming to look like which is why the traditional boy-girl couple type of court,” traditional court will return. said Wheeler. For this year, the plan is set because they Many of the parents and alumnis’ conwill be going back to how it looked in the cerns had to do with taking away the tradipast. The court will resume and there will tion, Wheeler said. The students wanted to be less decisions needed to be made since bring it back because they wanted it to be it will stay as boy and girl elections, said a part of the homecoming spirit week, said Wheeler. Wheeler. “I feel like there will be more of a student “Last year, the students, parents, and outcome this year than last year since the alumni made it clear they wanted the homecoming court is back,” said freshman homecoming court back,” said Wheeler. Kamm Kojima.
Jessie Mitchell, a counselor who works for HCCF, said it’s important for families to talk about the topic of screen time.
“The benefit of parents and children talking together apply to all life challenges, not just screen time; problems are better solved when we can articulate them to each other,” said Jessie Mitchell. People throughout the world have realized how serious an issue screen time is, and have started taking action. Honolulu was the first major city in the United States to pass a law against using a digital device while walking in a crosswalk. You can get fined $99 if you’re a repeated offender. Tech designers and engineers are also cautious about the amount of time spent on devices. Google founders Sergey Brin
SURVEY:
Jessie Mitchell, a counselor with the Hawaii Center for Children and Families (HCCF) team on campus, said bullying can be multifaceted. “For every case of bullying there are many contributing factors, to stop bullying we need to personalize the interventions to address the specific combination of factors, and that takes time,” she said. Jennifer Grems, assistant principal for student life, said she was “surprised” by the Na Pueo results. “I think it would be important as a community to better define what bullying is and for us to better support our students and help them feel more comfortable reporting bullying to a trusted adult or counselor,” she said. Senior Katherine Ganel said verbal bullying is more common on campus than physical bullying. Survey respondents students said bullying happens because students feel insecure. “I think people might bully other
and Larry Page went to no-tech schools, while Steve Jobs kept a strict leash on
tech in his house around his children. Sophomore Chaz Gaspar said his parents don’t always view screen time as a problem. “It depends on what the screen time is used for and how I’m doing,” said Gaspar. Even app developers are making screen time settings so that people realize how much time they’ve spent on their devices. There are also apps that are created for the sole purpose of recording time spent on gadgets. In fact, Instagram had an update this year that included setting a limit and tracking the amount of time consumed on the app. Apple’s IOS 12 features screen time control that gives you a variety of options to manage your activity. people because they might feel insecure about themselves or they might be jealous of that person,” one survey respondent said. About 67 percent of students who have seen bullying happening said they didn’t speak out about it or report it to school administrators. Freshman Iris Park said people may not defend others that are being bullied because they don’t want to be bullied themselves. “They don’t want to get in trouble or be the one getting bullied later,” said Park. It can often be hard for students to differentiate light-hearted teasing as opposed to actual insults, said students. “They think it’s fun and games and then don’t realize when they take it too far,” said one survey respondent. However, others said they haven’t see bullying as a prevalent problem on campus. According to the survey, 57 percent of students haven’t seen others being bullied.
“They think it’s fun and games and then don’t realize when they take it too far.” Na Pueo survey respondent
editorial page
Travel brings new experiences for hula students fullest and enjoying the time During Thanksgiving break, you have with those you love, I was very fortunate to have it sparked a connection with traveled to New Zealand with every single one of us. It allowed Kumu Lanakila and my hula me to reflect on my life and ask brothers and sisters. I experimyself how am I using my time enced many new things from here on earth. Only 12 percent of learning the haka to witnessing teenagers don’t believe a powhiri, a Maori welthey have a purpose for coming ceremony involvtheir life, according to ing speeches, dancing, Gallup News. While we and singing. This was still can, it’s important my first time traveling we don’t hold back on to a different country so life. It is too short to the memories made are overthink everything. Inunforgettable. It was a nine hour Payton Antonio: stead, we must embrace flight to New Zealand. the time we do get and But Kumu kept us busy Letter from the spend it wisely. I encourmaking a lei po’o, which is Editor-in-Chief age everyone to take leaps a lei for your head. Once and enjoy the life you are we arrived in Auckland, given especially with your New Zealand and stepped loved ones. They’re what makes off the plane, I was feeling the your life so much more enjoydepths of winter on my skin exable. Looking back at the memocept it was their summer. It was a cool 50 degrees! The weather ries, I realized being able to was easy to deal with when com- attend this trip and experiencing everything I did in the ten days pared to the bus rides to our difwouldn’t have been possible if I ferent destinations. We visited a didn’t take hula four years ago. strawberry farm in Whakatane, Take a chance on joining new waterfall Wairere, Wellington clubs and extracurricular activiand the New Zealand school of dance. But our visit to the cemties to further your knowledge about the places around you and etery was life changing. A son of your mental state. If I didn’t join one of our guest families passed away not too long ago at a young hula, I wouldn’t have traveled to a new country, gained new age due to an illness. While friendships, or taken a step back prayers were being said, all you to see what life really meant. could hear in the background I hope one day, you get to were sniffles and sobbing. Lislive out the same experiences as tening to the prayers talk about I did. going forth and living life to the
Friends: most important relationship to give LDR a shot, I wish you Q: How do you maintain a long distance the best and remember that it all relationship? boils down to EFFORT. A: Long distance relationships also known as ‘LDR’ can Q: I used to have a really close friend be seen as daunting and maybe and somehow we’ve drifted apart. I’ve not even worth it. I personally found that I’m more alone than I originally have not been in one, but I know thought and don’t know who my true people that were in LDRs that friends are anymore. What should I do? are now happily married. A: I wanted to answer Don’t let the ‘what ifs’ this question because discourage you if you I know that friends are think that your signifiwhat makes school a lot cant other is worth waitmore fun and bearable. ing for. I will give you a Friendships are the few tips on how to make most important types of it last, according the yourelationships because no tube channel Psych2Go. matter what stage of life The first tip is to not you are in, friends are jump to conclusions. Life Abigail Yagi: always there no matter is unexpected and things what. If you feel like you Student Survival don’t know who your true might come up in your partner’s life that interrupt Guide friends are, than I suggest your regular communicatbeing more of a friend to ing schedule. Know that when them. It sounds strange but trust you assume the worst, remember me, this will weed out the good that there is no evidence to back friends from the ones that probup your anxious thoughts and ably aren’t worth keeping. When that it’s better to get answers people see that you’re making directly from your partner rather an effort to hang out with them than answering them yourself. or know how their day was, the Another thing to remember is true friends will be a friend back the phrase ‘QUALITY over to you. If that doesn’t work out, quantity.’ You might think that try opening your circle of friends texting every minute of the day and get to know other people. It is a way to keep the relationship might seem like everyone already alive, but this might backfire has their group of friends settled because you might see yourself by this time of the school year, talking about the same things but it’s never too late to start a and eventually getting burnt out. friendship. You will be surprised Try having meaningful conversa- how many awesome people tions instead. That way, you can you’ll meet and how many great appreciate your partner’s intellect conversations you’ll have with and ideas, which are conversapeople that could be sitting right tions you can hold onto. The last next to you in class. You never tip I have is to give your partner know until you try! People are a personal gift they can keep also more willing to be friends with them while you’re apart. Ex- with someone who is kind to evamples could be stuffed animals, eryone, even if they’re a stranger. jewelry, or a hoodie. Try to give With these suggestions, I hope something that has meaning in you find meaningful and genuine your relationship. If you decide friendships.
Editorial Cartoon by Piankhi Robertson-Chambers
Q: How can I stand up to bullies who keep attacking me? A: I’m sorry that you feel attacked and I don’t know your specific situation, but I will try my best to give you advice on how to best deal with your bullies. Cathy Ching, school counselor, said the ideal way to deal with a bully is to confront them. “Use ‘I’ statements,” said Ching. “Telling them ‘I don’t like the way you’re talking’ supposed to using ‘you’ statements is more effective.” Your bullies might be joking or not know that what they’re saying is hurting you and they never will unless you communicate your feelings. Bullies usually tease you on something they might think you’re ashamed or insecure about. So, I think you can take away their power by owning up to your actions and be unapologetic for being yourself. I also think sharing your experience with friends will help you feel less alone and provide a support system. Maybe they can help stop the bullying from occurring or let you focus on the positive things in your life rather than the negative. If the bullying continues, telling a teacher or a dean is the best way to prevent it from occurring again, and shows the bully that their actions have consequences. At the end of the day, bullies are human just like everyone else and they know their power is on thin ice. People hurt because they’re hurt, so if you try to understand that and try to find compassion, I think you will be free from having anger towards them. Just remember that the bullying will eventually stop, so don’t let them cloud all the good that are right in front of you.
Na Pueo Staff Editor-in-Chief
Payton Antonio
Features Editor Abigail Yagi
Photo Editor
Siena Usui
Staff Writers
Kayla Marutani Maia D’Amato Angelina Shaw
Advisor
Jessica Hanthorn
Information
Na Pueo is published by dedicated Mid-Pacific students. Personal opinions expressed by students, faculty,
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and staff or outside guests do not necessarily reflect those of Mid-Pacific . We welcome contributions and feedback and will strive to maintain a high standard of professional journalism. Send letters, submissions, and suggestions to: Na Pueo c/o Mid-Pacific 2445 Kaala St. Honolulu, HI 96822 (808) 441.3713 email: newspaper@midpac. edu Please contact Na Pueo for advertising information and rates. All articles and photographs are copyright (c) MidPacific Institute.
features FORTNITE:
MID-PACIFIC LIFE
Wildly popular online game could be fading at Mid-Pacific By Maia D’Amato Staff Writer On the Mid-Pacific campus last school year, it seemed as though nearly every student was playing Fortnite. Conversations about “early access” and “teaming up” could be heard filtering through the hallways, and during lunch or free periods, students could be seen on their iPads playing the game with each other. Fortnite, an online free multiplayer video game produced by Epic Games, has topped over 125 million downloads since its release on July 25, 2017. Fortnite; Battle Royale, requires players to survive, collect resources and try to stay alive for as long as possible. According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, the game had 200 million registered players worldwide, up 60 percent from 125 million in June. It is also the most-watched game on Amazon’s live streaming service Twitch, according to industry analyst Newzoo. Although downloading the game is free, players can spend money to buy “skins” for their character or harvesting tools. Shortly after the game’s release for IOS, it was blocked on school iPads. The school implemented its web filter for all iPads in the beginning of 2017-2018, and it prevents Fortnite from working in addition to several other apps, said Brian Grantham, director of education technology. “It’s gained popularity because it appeals to all audiences like children and adults, so the
See FORTNITE page 5
Illustration by Rell Uehara
Students with jobs learn life lessons, save money for college By Abigail Yagi Staff Writer While some kids jump in their parents car towards home after school, senior Skylar Tanaka is piping icing onto festive holiday cookies in the back of her family’s bakery. Tanaka is one of many high school teens who work part time and attend school. While an after-school job can have benefits, some students said they found working and being a student came with sacrifices. “On the weekends I work from 5 to 2, so I can’t go out a lot, which is a little sad,” said Tanaka. This year, teen employment rates were down from previous years according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 37 percent of students in America worked this summer, which is much lower than the teen employment rate in the 1970’s, which was 60 percent. Entrepreneurship teacher Peter Rowan said it is beneficial for students to get jobs. Rowan said it’s a great way to rule out things students don’t want to do in the future, and experience is
important to learn how to work with other people. “There are very few careers that are solitary in nature,” said Rowan. “Working on project teams helps students learn to work on projects in large organizations.” Mid-Pacific students said they decide to apply for work to kill time, save money for college and to continue a family business. Krystin Jardiolin, a senior who cleans houses on the weekends, said she started work because she needed to become more independent. “Especially with my mom being a single parent, I learned that I needed to pull my own weight so I could afford my school lunch money and textbooks,” said Jardiolin. Employed students often learn valuable lessons from working, besides how to do their job. Schuyler Rowan, a senior who said he quit his job because of time-management, said his job at Safeway made him realize he did not want to the job for the rest of his life. The problem with working part-time is figuring out how to make time for schoolwork.
“It pushed me to want to do better in school so I could get into a good college and get a good job in a field that I actually want to go into,” said Rowan. Students with shifts who get off late have to stay up doing work, and having to work on the weekdays adds a layer of stress. Sasha Krstic, a junior working at American Eagle, said students should get a job to have the experience of working and making money. “But I wouldn’t let it become your priority,” said Krstic. When deciding to get a job, students have to consider their schedule and if they are able to handle working and school at the same time. Rowan said if he wasn’t working, he could have started out the school year stronger. “If I didn’t have work, then I probably wouldn’t have had all the stress in the beginning of the year” said Rowan. Students not only find life outside of work hard, but they face challenges on the clock as well. They discover that difficult customers, unfair bosses, or being a teenager, are all a part of having a employment. Nikki Wong, a junior
See JOBS page 5
Skylar Tanaka piping icing onto cookies. Photo courtesy Skylar Tanaka.
features
BRUNO MARS:
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students made memories at 24K Magic tour was amazing and the best night of my life,” said Rdechor. Many students agreed it was a once in a lifetime experience Many Mid-Pacific students filled and they wouldn’t have changed Aloha Stadium to capture Bruno anything. Mars live in concert when his 24k “It was so incredible and worth Magic World Tour hit Honolulu everything,” said 9th-grade Roxie on Nov. 8, 10 and 11. Bass. Born and raised in Honolulu, Many of Mid-Pacifics Mars has a special connec“It was hands- teachers and staff went to tion to the state. Students were raging down the best the concerts as well and had nothing but good about the three concerts he was performing at and the concert I have things to say about their amount of fun they had. ever been to. ” experience. “It was hands down the Students said they spent - Kaile best concert I have ever a lot of money to see him perform, but don’t regret Berlenbach been to, and my husband felt the exact same way,” any of it. said history teacher, Kaile “The second night I Berlenbach. bought tickets on StubThe first show sold out Hub with my own money and bought 2 tickets for $700,” said very quickly so Mars made the plan to have a second show. But 12th-grade Kylie Rdechor. he wanted to reward locals with a By the end of the night many students said their wallets were empty fair access to his show so he only allowed Hawaii residents to purdue to the costs of the tickets, chase tickets for the first 48 hours transportation, and merchandise. of being on sale. “I spent $1,000 on T-shirts,” said The only difficult thing that some 11th-grade Alex Heim. people faced was the large crowds The closer the seats to the and the stress of finding parking. Grammy-award winner, the more “Every anxiety that I had was expensive the tickets were but it parking and food but it was worth makes the experience that much it,” said Lorna Chang, the adminisbetter. “It was perfect because I had floor trative assistant to the high school principal. seats the second night which was Overall, students and mid-pacific better than the first concert which staff had a life changing experience were father away,” said Rdechor. that many will never forget. The main talk around campus is “It was good, and I would go about the concert and how it imagain if I had the chance,” said 11thpacted and changed several lives grade Scott Ushijima. for the better. “It was worth every penny and it By Angelina Shaw Staff Writer
Students collected memories along with their ticket stubs at the recent Bruno Mars concert at Aloha Stadium. Photo illustration by Abigail Yagi, Features Editor.
FORTNITE:
game gets everybody,” said junior Keoni Han. Han said he plays Fortnite for about 35 hours per week and finds the game very fun and addicting. The building aspect of the game makes it different from any other games, he said. Building materials like wood and metal are used to create defensive forts. For consistent gamers, the game may never die, said senior Breyndon Nakamura. But in the eyes of others, the game may seem like its ran its course. “It was such a huge success and then now there’s not too much talk about it anymore,” said junior Jonah Marutani. The release of Battle Royale--in September, 2017-attracted millions of players, but the talk may not always last. Junior Ryder Juliano, who is a Fortnite player on the weekends, doesn’t find the game as indemand as it was in the beginning of the year. “I think it’s popular but not like last year where everyone was talking about it,” he said. As time goes on, the popularity that the game once had seems to be steadily declining on the MidPacific campus.
According to the web site Newsweek, In March, Fortnite generated $223 million in March, gaining an average of $1.8 million a day. No other month since then has topped it. “It may not have had a huge decline in popularity so far, but it’s become more of a given that people play it,” said senior Piankhi Robertson-Chambers. Robertson-Chambers isn’t a Fortnite gamer. Since everyone is playing Fortnite, not much talk is needed due to playing the game has become a fact, said Chambers. High-school students said that gradually over time, new games are coming in and are taking the place of Fortnite. Now, middle schoolers might be taking over it. “I see some people play but mostly younger students like the middle schoolers,” said Marutani. High-school students around campus said they are hearing about Fortnite a lot less and finding that its popularity is favored amongst the younger students. “It’s a leisure activity and it can take away time from actual homework because it’s so fun,” said Juliano.
JOBS:
who worked in the restaurant Center. Less teens worked business, said she was being in retail, causing a 35 percent treated as a child. drop from the year before. Preparation for full-time “Since I was younger employment is a key than the rest “If I didn’t have benefit of teenagers of the staff, everyone was rework, then I having a part-time ally mean to me, job, according to which made my probably wouldn’t the website Kumon. job less enjoyhave had all the Jardiolin shared what she thinks able,” said Wong. stress in the employers look for Last year, students graviemployee. beginning of the in an“When tated on taking you’re year” at a job you want jobs in restaurants and hotels. make sure that - Schuyler Rowan to you’re persistent and 34 percent of you communicate teens out of the 6.2 million who well,” said Jardiolin. worked this “Be straight forward and communicate because summer had jobs in accommodations and food services, that’s what employees look for.” according to Pew Research
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TEAMS
MID-PACIFIC SPORTS
“This fall has been one of the most exciting athletic seasons that Mid-Pacific has had in the history of our school,” Scott Wagner Athletic Director
CHAMPIONSHIPS + = Mid-Pacific History Volleyball, bowling and air rifle take top honors By Angelina Shaw Staff Writer
By Kayla Marutani Staff Writer
Crowds were screaming and cheering with excitement as the Girls Division II Varsity Volleyball players were playing against Damien to grab the title of ILH champions on Oct. 18. “The experience of winning the first ILH championship ever in school history is so amazing. So many memories were made, and lots of smiles got bigger, and that’s all we can ask for,” said 12th-grade Angelene-Tori Kekoolani. The team won ILH Division II Varsity Girls Volleyball Championship for the first time in history. “This was a historical season for the team as we took the big dub for D2 ILH Champions,” said sophomore Bella Rosario. Mid-Pacific lost in the state quarterfinals to Sacred Hearts, 3-1. The team came back and got fifth place in states where they won against Seabury Hall and Kaimuki. “I think the season was a great learning experience for me and some of the other underclass men because we saw what it was like to compete with other varsity teams,” said 10th-grade Sarae Miguel. The team ended with a 15-3 record, with losses from undefeated Damien, Le Jardin, and State
Mid-Pacific’s girl’s and boy’s sporter air riflery team took home the state title and was crowned the ILH champs of the 2018 fall season. The Mid-Pacific’s boys varsity team was undefeated (6-0) and the girl’s varsity (7-0). “I worked hard individually and I think everyone on the team did as well. We as a team won and I’m happy about that, that we got to do it together,” said junior and named top ILH girls shooter, Sophia Crisci. Both girls and boys air riflery teams finished with a (5-1) record last year and the boys team won the ILH, said Coach Jon Narimatsu. Six of them had made it to states last year and so they gained a lot of experience from that process, he said. Narimatsu said the team learned that working together as a team gets you a lot farther than just focusing on individuals. “No individual is more important than the team is,” said Narimatsu. For some, winning states and the ILH came as a surprise. Junior Kimberly Oshiro said that she didn’t expect to win at all. “Even if we [were to not] win states, we know that we came came here and we did our best,” said Oshiro. The entire team worked hard and practiced 6 days
Mid-Pacific’s bowling team striked again, winning an individual state championship and the ILH championships, according to Mid-Pacific Athletics. The team finished second with 7,433 points at the state tournament and the team’s regular season ILH record was 36-3, according to Mid-Pacific Athletics. Junior co-captain Kai Yamada, took home the individual state championship with a total of 1,628 points and won the ILH Jared Kaufmann Memorial Bowling Tournament. “I knew all the hard work I put in throughout the offseason and during season payed off,” said Yamada. Kai said he had one goal and that was to win states. He achieved his goal through his perseverance and self determination, as well as the struggles he endured. During the ILH season, Yamada said he was missing spares, but mid way through the season, he changed the way he shot and his game improved. “I approach each shot with the intent of perfection,” said Yamada. While playing, Yamada said he’s always trying his
See VOLLEYBALL page 7
See AIR RIFLE page 7
See BOWLING page 7
By Maia D’Amato Staff writer
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sports
Alumni-created app helps athletes evaluate concussion symptoms By Abigail Yagi and Maia D’Amato Staff writers
When Kyle Chang was in high school and played football for Mid-Pacific, he would often get headaches in class. He had a hard time explaining his symptoms to his friends, family and the athletic training staff at his school. Later, the 2014 graduate realized that he likely had a concussion. Today, he has created a new app that helps student athletes track their concussion symptoms. The app, called “meprint,” now has 50 downloads in the Apple store, and the Mid-Pacific athletic department is encouraging all student athletes to download and use the app. “It really has a positive impact on helping students in general, to take control of their health,” said Chang. The Mid-Pacific athletic department has made concussion awareness a priority for at least 10 years. Chang contacted
Athletic director Scott Wagner, asking if students at school could use his app to help them collect more data. “We are only working with student athletes and particularly high school athletes so that’s grades 9 through 12th and then ages fifteen through 18, that’s just for a liability sake on our end to make sure that we’re not working with minors.” said Chang. Chang did not provide data on the number of Mid-Pacific students who are currently using the app. The app, called “meprint,” allows high school student athletes to track their concussion symptoms using their phones. Students start by taking a short 45 second selfie video where the app asks three open ended questions in an attempt to get a better understanding of who the students are normally and how they talk, said Chang. The app asks students about their favorite song, where they want to travel to and what their cheat meal is. Then, when a
student has undergone an injury, they are required to film themselves three times a day answering questions targeted around their symptoms, said Chang. All videos then get sent from the athlete’s home directly straight to the physician’s website where the doctor can then assess the athlete’s state. Students and their doctors connect through an authentication process where the students will identify who their doctor is on the app. When the process is complete, the student and doctor are able to link and all information between the student and doctor stays secured, said Chang. Chang wants to make monitoring symptoms easier for students by catering towards their lives. By creating the snapchat like app where students could track their symptoms on their own time and doesn’t require too much work, Chang said this was the best because it fit a student’s life as well as the doctor’s flow. Meprint took three years and it’s been in the Apple Store for
about two months. Before the app was published, earlier prototypes and mock pilots were used to gather efficient reactions and positive data, said Chang. During the mock pilots, doctors were saying the videos were very impactful because they were able to detect an athlete’s symptoms and then could make the decision of adjusting the athlete’s schedule to allow time for them to recover, said Chang. Wagner sees the partnership between him and meprint as a benefit to Mid-Pacific athletes. The app’s feature of communicating with the athlete’s doctor helps determine if a student should start playing sooner or take more time to recover. “We need to make sure we’re taking care of kids’ brains at the This app, designed by a Mid-Pacific younger age, now that we see graduate, will help athletes who suffer from how it affects them when they’re concussions. older,” said Wagner. impact that transcends student’s Overall, Wagner thinks the high-school sports careers. app has the “cool factor” that will “We’re saving lives, we’re saving keep students wanting to log brains for student athletes,” said their symptoms. As for Chang, Chang. he believes the app has a bigger
Soetoro-Ng demonstrates peace at chapel visit By Kayla Marutani Staff Writer
If people choose to make a difference in their community, there is nothing they can’t do, according to Maya Soetoro-Ng, a peace activist and half-sister of former President Barack Obama. She visited Mid-Pacific chapel Nov. 21 to discuss leadership and how to demonstrate peace. “There is inside us the capacity to do great harm just as there is the capacity for great heroism, generosity, and beauty,” said Soetoro-Ng. Students have daily choices and opportunities to make a difference and assist others in their community, said Soetoro. Whether we use that for good or for harm is up to us, she said.
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a week said juniors Kristen Tokumi and Jason Katayam. The amount of practice they got was a contributing factor to their win, said Tokumi. Along with winning the ILH title and state championships, the team also took away many lessons from this season, they said. Boys team captain Michael Tam said he learned that improvement “takes time, [and] you’re not going to get good overnight”. He also said that he learned what it means “to be a leader [from] being the team captain.”
“There are so many ways [that] you could participate,” she said. “You should be thinking about what you could do to impact your community [positively].” Soetoro said teenagers can make an impact in their community by using their social media platforms, such as youtube, to promote peace and inform people about this topic. Sophomore Aria Okimoto said she will apply Soetoro’s speech to her life by “being kind to [others] and [try to] join more community service projects that help out in the community.” “It’ll make peace within myself and peace if were in a disagreement,” said senior Edric Dabu. Soetoro works at the Community of Outreach and Service Learning and is a director there. She was also a former high
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D2 Champion Sacred Hearts. “This year the seniors really wanted it and we pushed the underclass men to work harder and be a contributor to the team no matter if they are on or off the court,” said 12th-grade Ehu Keala. This year many of the seniors pushed the underclassmen to help them grow and become better players which made the team stronger since they all
school history teacher. When Obama was running his presidential campaign in 2007-2008, Soetoro-Ng helped her brother by campaigning and talking about their memories as kids. She also taught at University Laboratory School and La Pietra. Soetoro-Ng currently works as a Faculty Specialist and Director of Community Outreach and Global Learning at the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace & Conflict Resolution, based at the University of Manoa. “Your responsibility as a peace builder doesn’t have to be huge. It can be just about this little patch of land 4 feet around you,” said Soetoro-Ng. Staff Writer Abigail Yagi contributed to this report.
worked together and supported each other. “During the season, I have worked continuously on becoming the best and most supportive teammate who always strived to lead by example,” said 12thgrade Shyla Sato.
“I wanted to shoot for the skies and honestly see how far we could go.” Ehu Keala
Maya Soetoro-Ng encouraged students to make a difference at a visit to Mid-Pacific chapel. Photo by Na Pueo staff photographers.
The girls strived to be on top and it took a lot of work and they had to find it in themselves to achieve it. “Since it was my senior year, I wanted to shoot for the skies and honestly see how far we could go,” said Keala. It takes a lot of hard work, time, and effort to train to become champions, but the big win paid off. “I learned that it really takes lots of dedication to become a champion,” said Kekoolani.
BOWLING: best to win and if he misses any shots, his next priority is to make a better spare or better shot. His mental toughness brought him success in this year’s individual state championships. Yamada’s teammate, junior Kody Manabe, also experienced mental toughness playing in the ILH championships. “From the season, the biggest take away is to never lose focus,” said Manabe. There were times when the team lost energy, but when they were focused, it was like they couldn’t lose, said Manabe.
Illustration by Abigail Yagi