The Next 7 Hours

THE

NEXT

SEVEN HOURS

Work doesn’t end for some, even after the school bell rings

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

STORY

2

Model UN: Around the world in three days

3

If you give a Mene a cookie

4

Turn the tables: when teachers go back to school

5-6

The code that “vexes”

7-8

It takes a village to get the band together

9-10

She lives for art and adventure

11-12

For Jordin, all the world’s a stage

13

Braden goes for the high pitch

15

Continuations

2

Role models: MoHS team excels at first United Nations event Na Hoku Staff

The first Moanalua High School Model United Nations (PACMUN) delegation beat its own expectations at the Hawaii Pacific Model United Nations convention in Honolulu, where they participated in mock debates and policy sessions.

“We are a brand new club that was established at the beginning of this school year,” team adviser Kymberli McKay said. “And although it was our first ever event, we had four out of the 17 delegates receive awards.”

The Model United Nations event, which was held at the Hawaii Convention Center November 17-19, involved long days–14 hours on Saturday, according to McKay. The results, however, reflected the efforts of the students over a relatively short period of preparation time.

Junior Noah Pacada won a research award for his work representing Pakistan. He had only a month to propose a crisis response plan, in which he presented a course of action the United Nations should take in the event a disaster such as an earthquake or viral outbreak affected his country. “[The competition] was fun, but also challenging,” Pacada said. “Most of the other participants were from private schools where they have a class for [Model UN].”

Moanalua’s team practiced two days a week after school in McKay’s room.

Junior Zachary Tovar said he represented the United States on the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. At the international level, this group studies how to support people who need to move from one country to another, or who are internally displaced because of climate changes, he said, “This experience allowed me to grow more in my oral presentation skills,” he said. “I also had to do extensive research on the topic and also learn how my country interacts with other countries [on the same topic].”

In addition to Pacada, senior Camren Thompson won the “best delegate” award and senior Xavier Leung and junior Callie Yonemoto won honorable mention awards.

“I am so proud of all the delegates for having the courage to participate in an event of this magnitude,” McKay said. “There were schools from different states like California, and even different countries, such as Canada. They all did wonderful--networking with other students and schools, preparing and presenting research on world concerns and topics, and of course representing Moanalua’s school pride with a respectful attitude.”

Photo Credit: Kymberli McKay

From left: Xavier Leung, Camren Thompson, Callie Yonemoto, and Noah Pacada hold up their individual awards from the Pacific Model United Nationsl competition held last month in Waikiki.

Front Row (left to right): Callie Yonemoto, Miel Garcia, Peyton Kurosawa, Amy Pham, Zachary Tovar, Arah Lee, Orianna Villaflores, Leona Delgado, Christian Del Orbe, and Xavier Leung.

Back row (left to right): Charlize Mae Magpantay, Jon Dylan Salvador, Evan Youn, Camren Thompson, Matthew Liu, Jerijoe Aceret, Noah Pacada, Leona Delgado.

First person view CALLIE YONEMOTO | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

We spent some time at the meetings and going in after school to work on our pre-conference documents. There was the position paper, doing pages of research to prepare for any topic that could be brought up, and writing opening speeches. We really only had one month for prep because the conference was in November and we started in September. It was kind of stressful because the deadlines for everything approached fast.

(Continued on page 14)

3

These “cookie monsters” know how to mix it up BENJAMIN CARLOS | STAFF WRITER

The culinary class and FCCLA club came together after school late November to bake a hundred cookies for the Moanalua’s Elementary School Fun Fair. The activity was a good opportunity for students to apply what they are learning in class with community service. Multiple students along with FCCLA Club advisor and culinary teacher Justine Perkins, made fifty s'more cookies and fifty blondie cookies.

On Monday November 27, seven students came after school to make the dough for all hundred cookies. The baking session ended at 4:30 p.m., about two hours after school ended.

A few days later on November 30, more students came by to help bake and package all the cookies. Although there were more hands to help, it still took all the students until 5:30 p.m. to bake and package the cookies in time for the December 1 deadline.

While it might seem that staying at school until 5:30 p.m. is still rather early compared to other after school baking sessions. Krystal Guo, the FCCLA club president, had to stay until 7:00 p.m. for one baking session. The reason for staying that long is because students have to bake the dough, package then label all the cookies.

This batch was relatively small and was a donation. That was just the warmup for the later challenge of baking 500 cookies for the Dec. 9 Music Department Craft Fair, a fundraising event for the program. On other days of the year, the culinary and FCCLA spend their afternoons on reasonablesized batches of cookies, making treats for Mene Mart, the business department’s after-school shop run by DECA, the student-run business club.

The long, sometimes hot hours after school are not a burden to these budding pastry chefs. All of the students who stay after school have their own reasons for participating.

“I like how we can come together and bake… I like baking with friends,” freshman Kelvin Hung-Ino said.

Students enjoy the act of baking for its social aspect, having the opportunity to hang out with their friends and doing fun activities with each other, all while doing it for a good cause.

“I enjoy the calm feeling… and eating the food that we bake,” senior Demari Velasquez said.

Demari is given the chance to unwind and use baking for relaxation, and of course enjoying good food.

“I like the people… I like to cook,” senior Leilani Shinshiro said.

Leilani enjoys the community brought together through cooking.

Advising the group is also fulfilling, albeint sometimes stressful, for Perkins.

“I enjoy meeting a lot of new and different students,” she said.

The kitchen, for Perkins, goes beyond teaching others how to cook and bake. For the former pastry chef at a high-end Honolulu restaurant, Perkins said the long afternoons allow her to meet new students and help them learn how to problem solve and work as a team, life skills necessary in and out of the kitchen. .

Freshman Kelvin Hung-Ino packs the freshly baked, cooled cookies into plastic wrap. Next step: labeling.

Senior Demari Velasquez sprinkles granulated sugar on the blondie cookie dough before putting it in the oven. The sugar will give the finished product an extra crunch and sparkle.

PHOTO CREDITS: BEN CARLOS

Left: Senior Miley Chun and (behind) senior Cristanie Rodriguez work with senior Isaac Dacanay and junior Kiana Watanabe to measure the ingredients for the s’mores cookies. Because of the number of cookies the students had to make, they used fivegallon buckets rather than traditional mixing bowls.

11 4

WHEN TEACHERS BECOME THE STUDENTS NA HOKU STAFF

One day, English teacher Helen Lau’s students just might see characters who look like them on a theater stage. Lau spent six weekends this fall with a dozen other people in a playwriting class sponsored by the local Kumu Kahua Theatre.

When Lau received the email advertising the class, she said she “jumped at it.” There were only 13 students accepted and a “long waiting list,” so she appreciated the opportunity to learn from professional writers. She worked on a short play based on her experiences in the classroom.

Lau said learning about the process of writing was eye-opening, not just as a writer, but as a teacher.

“I learned so, so much about helping my students bring the novels they are reading to life,” she said.

On a personal level, Lau said reversing the roles and becoming the student was “humbling.” She had some challenging assignments and said she had to “unlearn some ideas about essays” in order to make her dialgoue more authentic.

Lau’s teacher was so impressed with the students’ drafts, that she is extending the class by four sessions in January, so the budding playwrights can polish them into performance-ready works.

JAMESON HUANG | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jenna Hanohano, a registrar for Moanalua, is now in her third year of law school at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She is enrolled in the part-time program, which allows students to work full-time while pursuing a degree in law.

“I always wanted to go to law school. The reason I waited so long is that I didn’t have the time because I had kids,” she said.

With this program, she is able to have a balance of work, school, and family. In the mornings, she comes into her day job at the registrar’s office until 4pm.

After getting off of work, she heads straight to campus where her classes usually last until 8:30pm.

Then, she returns home to her kids and husband to eat dinner, spend time with her family, and tuck her kids into bed.

While she isn’t one hundred percent sure what type of law she wants to work in, she is interested in criminal and property law.

Despite all the challenges of a busy life, Hanohano manages to pursue her desires of being a lawyer while managing a full-time job and an active family.

HALEY MEYER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Geometry and Algebra II teacher Berna Dela Cruz leaves school everyday just to go back to school, this time as a learner. Dela Cruz has gone back to school online this semester at Western Governors University, a school based in Utah. She is currently getting her Masters of Arts degrees in mathematics and education.

“I am confident that getting my master’s will help me to become a better teacher as a whole,” Dela Cruz said.

As a teacher and a mother, Dela Cruz has to find time at night to work on purusing her master’s degree. She usually takes about 2-3 hours per class after she is done with her household chores and checking her daughter’s homework.

Dela Cruz had been planning to get her master’s degree for a long time now.

“Back in the Phillipppines, I had [completed] most of my units for my masters,” she said.

“When I got pregnant, I had to put my career on hold to take care of my daughters.”

She aims to get her degree in pursuit of self-growth and to learn new ways for students to love math just as much as she does.

5

The team that codes together wins together BRAYDEN KAYA | STAFF WRITER

If trying to train your pet to do a trick is difficult and time consuming, imagine trying to train a 20-pound machine to do a trick. Oh, and you need to build the machine first and then use a special language to teach it.

The Moanalua High School robotics team has spent the last few months designing and building a robot-rover and writing computer code to teach it to move in preparation of this year’s VEX robotics tournaments. The competitions ask teams to create machines that can perform a variety of skills such as moving artificial limbs up and down, rolling over obstructions and throwing objects. All these movements are the result of elaborate computer codes the team members need to write.

Adviser and science teacher Evan Hashizume said he is excited for this year’s competition.

“We are more prepared this year compared to previous years,” Hashizume said.

Students start the process by studying the game rules and then deciding on a design. The building takes place over the course of multiple weeks after school in Q-building.

“We’re trying to toss these little acorn-like pieces from the middle of the field to the outer edge and get it to put it into the net, kind of like soccer,” Robotics Club President Logan Downing said in describing the task this year.

Specifically, this year’s challenge requires the students to program their two robots so that they can pick up then move triangle-shaped balls and toss them beneath a net. The robots need to retrieve the balls from one side of the 12-foot by 18-foot playing field and find a way to deliver them to the net on the other side of the field to score. At the end of the game, the robots must be able to go a vertical pole at mid-field and lift itself up off the ground. Each successful move earns the team points. The higher the robots climbs the pole earns more points.

Senior Noah Castro said the team designed a little catapult to attach to the back of the robot for launching the triangles across the field of play.

Robotics Club President Logan Downing (left) and Robotics Club Vice President Matthew Tran (right) work on the team robot. The team meets anywhere from two to four afternoons a week.

Photo credit: Antonio “TJ” Dixon

Scan the QR code to watch the video describing this year’s challenge.

6

Addressing the final challenge, to get the robot to “climb” up a pole in the outer edge of the field, required real problem-solving. After some experimentation, the team selected a flat “foot” type of extension for their apendage rather than a claw-type foot. Making these parts required some skill working with metal. Senior Patrick Baldovi said he used his experience working on projects involving metal and tools in his previous engineering class to working with the materials and tools necessary to build the pieces of the robot.

Participating schools are partnered with another school, and the games are played in a 2v2 style format. Hashizume makes sure to tell his students who their partner school is before the tournament, so that they are able to coordinate with their opponent, as two teams are in one side of the playing field at once.

“There’s a 15-second autonomous period that runs before the driving period, and that’s where we need to program the robot to work on its own,” Baldovi said.

Every year the game is different; there are always different strategies for teams to use, and each robot has different abilities. The students are required to create an engineering notebook, which is basically a guide of how their robot works and the thought processes that the students went through. The students can refer to their notes when they are interviewed by the judges about the building process of their robot and what they learned throughout the process.

Hashizume’s job is to make sure his team is ready to compete in the tournament by reviewing their engineering notebook and monitoring their designs.

He tries to conduct mock interviews for his students so that they won't panic during the judges’ interview portion of the competition.

Adviser Evan Hashizume sets up the practice ring in the team’s workspace in Qbuilding.

Photo credit: Antonio “TJ” Dixon

Photo credit: Antonio “TJ” Dixon

The rookies, the first-year robotics students, built their own robot.

Juniors Soren Graversen and Pranav Ramasubramani collaborate on the robot’s base.

Photo credit: Jameson Huang

Photo credit: Jameson Huang

ALL PHOTOS BY ANTONIO “TJ” DIXION

7

Boosters help the marching band rocket to the stars BENJAMIN CARLOS | STAFF WRITER

There are a lot of moving parts required to get the Moanalua High School Menehune Marching Band into performance shape; it takes help from students and parents and many hours of work. The commitment is unrelenting. Heroes behind the scenes are the parents of the marching band students. Lani Arakaki, the President of the Music Boosters, takes up the responsibility of leading the parents.

A music department with such success does not happen without all the support from the alumni, parents, students, and directors.

“We mainly have parents that come help and support,” Arakaki said. “They provide food… on days where kids are in school and don’t have time to get something.”

Marching band practice is from 3:00 to 8:30 p.m., usually right after school, which makes it challenging for some kids to get a bite to eat before practice.

“We provide transportation, just the behind-thescenes things so that the students can be free from that stress,” Arakaki said.

With the support of approximately 20 to 30 parents, the total of 135 students of the marching band are able to focus on their music without the worries of certain necessities. Even with all this support, the students still remain hardworking.

We provide trucks, we provide the transportation… they [the students] do all the hard work,” Arakaki said.

When the marching band moves to the field for practice. The trucks provided by the parents are waiting outside the band room for them; however, it is the student’s job responsibility to load the trucks with all their instruments. Students who are able to, carry their instruments walk from the band room to the athleticl field.

Ethan Cantillo, who joined the marching band in his sophomore year, understands the importance of time management.

“On my off days, I usually do my homework,” he said.

The commitment to both academics and band is a balance that students must strike.

For Trevor Takeno, who joined the marching band as a freshman, his love for music fuels his drive.

“I love marching band, so I found a way to work around it,” he said.

Behind the scenes of the marching band, are multiple directors who orchestrate the band for countless hours in preparation for performances. Rhona Barbosa, or Kumu Barbosa, is one of the four music directors advising the band.

Plans began for the marching band in spring, and in order to make it throughout the year, the band has to raise nearly $60,000 for music and choreography services, costumes, props, and other equipment.

The clarinet Section lined up during Rainbow Invitational Tournament. The competitive season is relatively short. In just a three-week period, the band participates in four tournaments and Senior Night Final Bash.

PHOTO CREDIT: SHEANN BONILLA

8

The Music Booster parents are an integral part of the marching band, supporting them in terms of food, transportation, costumes, and equipment. Lanir Arakaki (in front in white sweater, is the Music Boosters president.

“A successful fundraiser that we did was a virtual fun run,” Arakaki said.

Marching band students run around the school, as family members or supporters from around the island tune in virtually, sending donations to help fund for the year’s band.

After all the preseason preparations, the hard work begins with practices three times a week in order to prepare for their upcoming performances.

“Per week, [we are working] anywhere between 14 - 17 hours. Rehearsals start from 3:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.,” Barbosa said.

Barbosa’s role is to rehearse the full music ensemble and the woodwind line. All these hours spent in practice lead up to the performances near the end of the season. From November 4th to November 11, the marching band participated in four tournaments: the Kamehameha Tournament of Bands, Oahu Marching Band Festival, Rainbow Invitational, and Moanalua Final Bash.

“What I am most proud of is how much they grow inside,” said Barbosa.

Adam Ibanez (left) and Gabriel Cole head down to the field to practice their show.

Being one of the many directors for the band, Barbosa witnesses the growth in all of the students in the program, from when they first started to how they are now near the end of the season.

She said she also enjoys seeing the development of friendships with other students in band, and their respect for each other.

With the support from the instructors and parents, and the hard work from the students, the elements all come together to create a masterpiece of art to display to all. Marching band is a place where passion for music drives hard work.

PHOTO CREDITS: ANTHONY GUARNES

9

d i a s s t e e h S a . l e e f i l Ch r e h f o t r pa

s y a w l a e r e w e r u t n f e f a v t S d a u k d o n H a a it: N art ed r c to o h P

Lifelong artist thrives on pixels, palettes and passports JAMESON HUANG | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

d n i f d l u o w u o y e r a s e c n d a n h a c , c i d t w s o i e t o s r h a o d t l r i e h g h c n i ’ e n s r r t e a e h e e l w h , S s e s a a l u w e o s h h i C h s ’ T o a . t s m e a d x m n i e t a t a T r n r g h i e t r k h u e c o h g a S t n b i a n i d o s n r g a a e l o m , t m d r n e e m r a h u r e t s e r g w e t u r r f o u h e h t t o h r y r g a h o n t If i e f i r u w n u s r . g d i g u d , s n p i n n e i t r d o n o m i t n b a r e o p s i e v i l a h h i t s a w o d a e f t r e i r l e e r c d i h h y r e p T i g s e “ r d h . s e u u d t n g i s o e n a r i s e r e u h t s u v i s t t n t r , e e a u e e . v e r n h e r d e t c S y a e l h l u l i ” h T n , a h i c t . e i u w m r o s f , g t s t o y s a a n s a c b i l i w s a h d e t e p I c e C h . t o d d f t r n t o a p an a u h e t o e r t r h o u r e j t t k u i a i t s l e s t m t g n a r I i o n i c e n t r e h s r Be A a h p c e p w t i h a t t i w d f , s s n o o e a l t s o s s d o g a l t e h n ” c r i . c d a i h S n t w c n g o e i e i h n s h t d s i t i e y s e , w d b a h y r s e h b n t l p o o s i m i i t h u t h m n d s a e u y a n f i f , n m o s t f a r r e o e h a r k l t s i a ’ o e e yea t t v i w h m t e o s l e s t t i r o r r t t ] e e A n n n h i p a o e w i p e w n h u i o o s t F y “I g a r f n [ m e i e h r o n w i s o p l d t i l e … n d u y h e l o c o k c w t a c i I B e n u r r a a q e e g h h h e g t i n b W i “ w t v fart s . o d r s i e f e m t r , , e a u h d t h u t s e a i d r c a a e f e a r r f p p g e o t h m e s e p h w a t s f a s , e d a l l d w o a a c e o k t r o s g e a n o t . i t t c d i i n h b d So a n C e b a h e s b l e t i u s n h h d u a l e h r W p k e r i . l h e e n s i h h o d i t d e t d n k a d n . i s c o n a i a u a a t e d y n b w l h e s e a s g u , w n H h i e I f k r s , o o e o e j l h e k f . i s l o i d L d t a d n . e h h a a h d r c e , e g e a u i t h u r h s p s r m s a o l l a ” t a ? m e c o m r i h n e e t p s r t o h o a n ” t r i g , i c t s s w e w s e r d e w h l d e u t u n y v g o a a o e I t y d n w g , e e n n e e h v u t o h v i o t o l o n y m e e m o r t h y g o e t e n e w h i n c e g s d o a n l B e i e h v p v h i r l t o a u y r i r o m g e e n n v h i d t o v e n l a a n l g i i h t d n t i s e e i o p e m r n i p r r t t a a d a a n e m dro s g a t w a n i y o , t k i d g o r S o f e o . o b s w w y s s n r k e a e r n i h “So d g h t n d g i n n e w i a h f o d , S n o y d . k e t y m l t n r w t o e A n y n e m n r t m e o r e c i f h a t f a t i l p a d p v e f wi l f t a D i a w t S e e n s n e h o r t h p a e t t u h a t n i s a e g r e g g n c e i n s n i h i k i r n k w i r o Be , o m w k e w o r p o u s m . b t i r g d e h i a e e , b e s d h y t n S b a e d o t h j n t y l a d l bu s n t a k i r s f u i a t r o n h t e e c k v e a l a e e t b t h a t d o l h t o t B 9 o . cou 0 i b 0 k i e 2 k r i e n a i w . a W n y u l g n i i a s n y e The r a d e o l l d a M n g a o t t r g e a n i t y m i a r h c c w s t t r i s r o k i f f a s e d h r S a . w n a o i e t t a a c t u s n Ed o w y l t n e t s i s con

f e i h c n i r o . t i t s t d u e e o e y h d a S l n a l a e e g a h l l a C i p n y s o a e t B r n u n o o n c s t a o e e t o a e h h h P S S r h t o i t i w d r e e f k n o o o c b r s a n i e Y tk a W y Ja

10

Eve r th yea e ad rbo v o e skil k n p ture l se ubl r, S ishi t. h n e g e “I g c t o s m l o e par t p f t a a M n t th l i y t o t w a l a e nalu o t all w tast rkin I re a in ork ally eo g w 2 f ing and i m t 0 a h 1 i s d t 9 s s iffe oge mak c ed t h o o r a o t t e i a h n b l n k e g o y t e So r e u w a o a t a o p r n a t j b r e rod o fter l o Mo o a d b n o c . ep hing w uct k B ana thre i u a t r d h t w o lua. v t was Her ject e-an hat e’re iser f In a , s j f t ” d o . a h J b l s T e a l o h d h p d n c h e diti e Exp a r e e a r o s m s a l e a f u , l o , a t i lore y d t d s n to r h e m . h a o e a d e “ o f r r I . e Tog s r s Cl ” e e r b r w x e i e e w p a ork ing eth ub l a o i l t y n f h d i m y e n a a a e e to M long r, th ga n ar d i d a s u s r h e b l t t e t d e o s ach t w r . h a o t h n A a i rio k t a t d Spr uP h n v a c d i y c f n h o e t e i ing I g as t m cch u l a l t a o r t h p l b h wa l i a u in rave Bre y n e o n . k o y t A r k e t , ak n t te h n Per “I h led a s t e d m h e e a ach l u, t ext ave i u t c k d o h rea n e e e i m h t c C w yea r alw e i , lize o o h d e S f e E r e ’ e h r r y r i a d e . f e e how ys b fel T t t e h a a o t r a k s b T n c e e She o i o o muc m s e 1 o w m n 0 p o k e e a t a w p r h o sch r b l t a l i a i n I a a s f o c e d n c ool e F f i k l d n o s o r t s n a h t n S s . Sh pire o n ’t k e p g p c a a t e l n e r n e n , d a n a i The o a s v wen r i to s w h n n e n d g l e , t ” e c r crea a t t to tart l a S h k u r c e h e i b n h e “Sh n tive d e e I t e t n o n h r h t o t w t e s e H e e f i , r r s B e c yea m e p a t n a l a r a u l d a i e g i a t d. ugh tish bb t ven h n n l rbo i o o e t n b a r n i e tm n l t e a I i P ok. c u s g t . l a a l y r e T o u . u t e to s as hey og l us s And se s I th i Tak n o o ’ i a . p w h v n e l j t e e i k w u mo e cho r o i s l b h t a t l t J r y e e a o to i a a h s sen r e s v f p s a n p e e p a S v s l e l n h ea l f a care i r the e s s d c w e e e a u a l t v s o r “Sh s s r f e e i t e a i n i r r n a n l a g o e l e ar pat s l e is s f l o p w t y c v u i i o r g e h d t t e n h s r s r . e Reg s e upe f t n d m i a m h d t e t e y e a p t a r way n r ny a wor cou crea artm rdle ave tale ce i n k t l t ss o n tive nte e o e t M a r r n m y n s t o d d f y t w and cha a a , lo whi w n i a r t t l a h o w i i l v n rpe rk,” u ch h adv h a es w g a e y . i s r r n ent s a f y t a o h m a t e m a k n a s i uro t e d h r i a l b s d e y p nd he d o . l us s r wea e o i d k h e a piri o s r s t i e s n u w , s d t of w …a She a e t h n c a n t h ets the t d e S I d h s d a h hop peo S o e e h a i eet is a n n es t ple n s n B o f o aro i l n o n e c i u m l r und l r e a i ulat s d s h i a b her i i e l n d e . h h m . er g e o r m ran , ” said dm oth T ake er a mo nd to. nur ture the

Sheets at Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.

Photo courtesy Chela Sheets

At the

T r evi Fo Photo untain court esy C in Rom hela S e, Ital heets y.

r e h t a e H p d u n o a r , g s t l e e v e a h r S t , t ) t n f e e e l d ( v a u a u t o l s h t a o n e d a h m n t o a e r k r M e a e v T h h t o c r i a e k w e h o t r C o e s s t t h u e t o e o h e i n i S v l g e la u o r e t a h p P C d l e y r s h e o t t r w u o m c e o h o r t t f o h d P e l e v a r t . s t n e d u t s

11

SHE’S DOWN FOR ACTING UP XCHYLER BARUT | DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR

Palms sweaty, breath trembling, and thumbs twiddling. The murmurs in the audience slowly began to fade, as the curtains opened. This is what junior Jordin Yewchuk used to feel before stepping onto the theater stage.

At six years old, Yewchuk started voice lessons with her vocal coach, Taylor Fox, a performer-turned producer. Yewchuk said she wanted to be a singer, but she was also curious to see what the performing life was like. Fox supported Yewchuk’s growing interest in theater performance and encouraged her to audition for a play. As soon as Yewchuk started, she instantly knew that she wanted to pursue this path. That was when her discovery for musical theater began.

Although Yewchuk idolizes many professional performers, there is only one performer who she looks up to.

In the seventh grade, she worked with a professional musical theater performer Daniel Curelli on her very first adult show, Shrek the Musical. She admired his acting, as he moved so effortlessly on stage and he made it look easy.

Junior Jordin Yewchuk was in the ensemble at Manoa Valley Theatre’s production of “Sweeny Tood.” With four shows each weekend, Yewchuk said learning to balance school with rehearsals and performances remains a challenge.

Photo credit: Na Hoku Staff

“He was someone that I loved to watch,” Yewchuk said. “Watching him made me feel like I can do [act as good as him] one day.”

When Yewchuk first started, she was nervous and she did not deal with her emotions well. She was also afraid that she would embarrass herself and get judged for her lack of experience. However, after each and every show, she began to be more confident and carefree about what she thought about others.

“It all depends if I am comfortable in myself and if the people around me are confident too,” Yewchuk said.

Yewchuk has been in many shows. Back in Canada, where she was born and raised, she’s been in Cinderella, Wizard of Oz, Cinderella Again, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Peter Pan, Annie, Aladdin, and Brock of Ages. When she moved to Hawaii, she acted in the school’s production of The Addams Family, Manoa Valley Theater’s Goldilocks (Once Upon One Noddah Time), and this fall, Manoa Valley Theater’s Sweeney Todd.

Just like every performer, Yewchuk has a “pre-show ritual” that she follows. The most important thing she does is warm-up her voice.

She does this by doing vocal exercises to work out her range so she feels comfortable. She also has to do mic checks to make sure everything is in place and put on her makeup before stepping onto the stage.

Outside of musical theater, Yewchuk enjoys singing and making music. She dabbled in songwriting a lot when she was younger; however, she only recently took it more seriously. She said she has written about 30 songs.

Yewchuk performs on stage as Goldilocks in Manoa Valley Theater’s “Once Upon One Noddah Time.”

Photo courtesy Jordin Yewchuk

“It’s a way I can express what I’m feeling and help me overcome whatever is dragging me down,” Yewchuk said.

12

In the local scene, Yewchuk has been a member of Diamond Head Theatre’s “Shooting Stars,” a youth performance troupe of students aged 8-16 that performs “an extensive repertoire of show tunes and choreography,” according to the DHT website. She is an active member of the school’s drama program. She is currently in pre-production for the spring show, “Mystery of Edwin Drood” playing the main character, Edwin Drood.

With more experience, Yewchuk no longer feels nervous about performing. She continues to pursue her path with passion, as she takes the stage more confidently.

Yewchuk and the cast of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” at Manoa Valley Theater. Yewchuk was in the ensemble. Her younger sister Cailin is standing on the stairs with her arms raised.

Yewchuk writes songs in her spare time. Even though she does it for fun, she has started to take her singing journey more seriously.

Photos courtesy Jordin Yewchuk

Yewchuk marks up her copy of the “Edwin Drood” script at a table reading involving the entire cast. The spring production is directed by Photo credit: Na Hoku Staff senior Lauren Araki.

CLICK HERE FOR JORDIN’S ORIGINAL SONG TITLED “SILVER HEART”

13

Enomoto swings for the fence BRAYDEN KAYA | STAFF WRITER

Getting scouted in Hawaii as an athlete may take a lot of work and dedication. Because the islands are in the middle of the ocean there are not many scouts that come down to watch Hawaii athletes play. So, most athletes have to go up to scouting events in the mainland in hopes of getting seen by them.

There were over 100 Hawaii baseball players hopeful attending a fall tournament, one of them being senior Braden Enomoto. Enomoto, who is also on the Moanalua High School varsity team, played for Team Cal, which is one of the many club teams that attended the tournament this year. Enomoto’s adult league coach told him that Team Cal needed one more outfielder, so he took the offer right away with no questions asked.

The Arizona Senior Fall Classic games, which is one of the biggest baseball scouting events in the US, occurred Sept. 26-29. There were about 190 scouts all from different schools that attended the Classic this year.

The players played four controlled games, which means they played seven innings a game and five batters hit per inning. No one was keeping score; the whole goal of the Classic was to allow the players to show off their skill sets in hopes to catch the eye of a scout.

There were about 30 scouts watching each game, so there were a lot of opportunities to impress them.

“I felt a lot of pressure and stress to perform well, knowing that there were a lot of scouts watching my every move,” Enomoto said. “It did feel good knowing that there were actually people there to watch me play.”

He felt that he did well and really liked the experience, but he felt he could’ve played better. Enomoto feels that his hitting has room for improvement, and feels like he needs to work on covering (Continued on page 14) all parts of the plate.

Left: Enomoto hits one against Kailua High School last season. Right: Enomoto stares down the pitcher while at bat. He is an outfielder.

Photos courtesy Braden Enomoto

14

First person

(continued from page 3)

The actual conference was three days long. We got into these committee sessions where we debated about what we could do to help the issue that we had researched from our country’s stance, as if we were representing it. It was a good opportunity to educate ourselves on current world issues that we might not really be aware of.

We were able to work with others throughout this entire process. There were many different schools there, some from the outer islands. It was really fun being able to make friends during the sessions. We even had a delegate social which was like a little party.

We had to get our own lunches from Ala Moana, so it was kind of funny seeing tons of people in these suits and ties walking around the food court.

I had a lot of fun and would consider participating again next year.

Baseball

(continued from page 14)

Which means that he wants to be able to hit the ball to all parts of the field consistently. His defense was flawless in the outfield, he made all the plays that came to him.

He felt that he did well and really liked the experience, but he felt he could’ve played better. Enomoto feels that his hitting has room for improvement, and feels like he needs to work on covering all parts of the plate. Which means that he wants to be able to hit the ball to all parts of the field consistently. His defense was flawless in the outfield, he made all the plays that came to him.

Although the mainland kids may naturally be bigger and stronger than Hawaii kids, Enomoto feels like he can compete with them any day.

Enomoto says that size doesn’t matter, he doesn’t need to be big to hit the ball and make the same plays as the mainland guys can.

“We can hang with those mainland kids anyday,” he said. “They may be bigger than me, but I feel like I am at the same skill level as them.”

Enomoto’s goal before varsity season starts is to get stronger, so that he will be able to throw and hit harder. Although Enomoto may not be the biggest kid around, his work ethic more than makes up for it: weight training and nutrition are important tools. He is even in an adult baseball league, which requires even more of his 24-hour days.

Still his love for baseball makes him willing to put in the work that will provide him with new opportunities.

Enomoto always goes out of his way to get better everyday even if it's something small. He tries to do something baseball related everyday, it could be hitting, fielding, or even learning the game a little more. He makes sure to work out and eat well so that he gains the most muscle possible. He does all of this while maintaining his grades.

All the hard work paid off, because he recently committed to North Park University located in Chicago to play baseball on a partial scholarship.

When he’s not on the baseball diamond, he will pursue his degree in nursing.

The school’s competitive cheer squad took first place at the 2023 Zippy’s/ HHSAA Cheerleading Championships November 6 at the Stan Sheriff Center at the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus. The team won the All-Girl Division title with a final score of 45.333. Being able to choreograph stunts such as this one require practice and trust. The team members spend many hours practicing after school. Some take extra tumbling and gymnastics classes in order to improve their technique. Cheering is a year-round sport that can lead to college scholarships.

Enomoto (left) is also a member of the HiLife summer league team.

Photo credit: Anthony Guarnes

Photo courtesy Braden Enomoto