Issue 4

looking to the future Local farmer and owner of Naked Cow Dairies, Monique van der Stroom, leads the way as Oahu's only dairy farm, hoping to influence the next generation of farmers to a self-sustainable Hawaii.

MIlilani High school | ISSUE 4 | d ecember 14, 2 017

INDEX

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| Dece m be r 1 4, 2 0 1 7

Mililani Times’ mission is to inform the community of news, people, and issues of concern.

Community. Responsibility.

Dependability.

Editor-in-Chief Camille Nevarez-Hernandez Community Editor Maiya Ezawa

Copy Editor Caitlin Barbour

Community Editor Marisa Hayase

Vlog Editor Elgin Reese

School Editor Taylor Ann Ono

Social Media Editor Erisa Castillo

Online Editor Connor Tribble

Director of Sales Jacie Higuchi

Design Editor Gavril Ibaan

Photo Stylist Kamaile Fitzgerald

Head Photographer Adviser Timothy Won Mr. Christopher Sato Staff Aidyn Aradanas Tyler Birchard Chanelle Camero Jasmine Casana Christina Casanova Sakura Emmer Chloe Fong Coby Foreman Alicia Getty Kaitlin Hirasa Alexander Ink

Jaden Ige Kylie Jones Chloe Kitsu Nick Malae Jenna Nakanishi Mia Nava Emily Padello Carlos Prado Megan Schendel Chaeley Winkler

Produced at 95-1200 Meheula Pkwy., Mililani HI 96789 To voice an opinion or concern, feel free to send a letter to L205 or to 2018nevarezhernandezc@ mililanihs.k12.hi.us.

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Parrandas, Music and Family

by Camille Nevarez-Hernandez

2018nevarezhernandezc@mililanihs.k12.hi.us

I

don’t know about you guys, but while I’m in the midst of the holiday season, I tend to reminisce about fond memories I’ve had in my life. I look back at old pictures and see how much life can change in a matter of only one year. I recently came across a picture of a parranda, taken last year in December; this picture was of a line of new family friends, playing instruments and singing as loudly as they could. I looked at the picture and it took me back to that precise moment where I’ve never felt more connected to my Puerto Rican heritage. A parranda is when carolers come to your house unannounced, typically at one or two in the morning. Those in the house have to wake up quickly

and see what they can make for these carolers because now they have to host a party for those outside. Every year, my parents rave about how much they’ve missed taking part in parrandas since they haven’t lived in Puerto Rico or have spent a Christmas over there in years. I’ve always wondered how it would be to experience one, so when the carolers showed up to my house in Hawaii singing all the classic Hispanic Christmas songs my heart was pounding with excitement. The array of instruments and voices that were coming from inside my house felt surreal. As all these unfamiliar faces were singing songs that always play around Christmastime in my house through CD’s, I couldn’t help but smile and sing along with them. These unfamiliar faces soon became faces I will never forget because they are associated with

this memory. The feeling I got when sharing this moment with other people who are also away from their home, made me realize that people can be brought together through their culture no matter where they are.

With my dad being in the army, it has been challenging to keep up with all the traditions my parents are used to having, because we are far away from where those traditions began.

But it’s those moments—like with the parranda—that remind me that culture is not something that leaves you, it’s something that you keep with you for your whole life. Since I was born in Tennessee, people often question my Puerto Rican background and why I wasn’t born there on the island. When I say that I speak Spanish fluently, people think that I am lying because I don’t have an accent when I

speak English. Having people question my background because I don’t fit their perfect profile makes me question myself and how “Puerto Rican” I truly am. Although I wasn’t raised in Puerto Rico, I will do my best to embrace the traditions and hope to pass them along to future generations.

Uka Builds Bon ds

By Jenna Nakanishi

2019nakanishij@mililanihs.k12.hi.us

M

any of the elementary schools get into the holiday spirit by hosting festive activities for their students.

Mililani Uka Elementary School held an annual gingerbread house making activity to encourage students to build relationships with others. A big buddy from either third, our or ra e s pa re a l le buddy, a kindergartener, to help them build their own gingerbread house.

“They also look forward to all the goodies that they can eat later, but I think the number one is that they look forward to meeting their big buddies again. They really look forward to that time. They get super excited,” said Kindergarten Teacher Kathi Uyemura.

Fourth grader Ava Hernandez, now a big buddy, had previously done the event as a kindergartener. She particularly remembered the time spent between the little buddies and big buddies. “(My favorite part was) doing it with my big buddies,” said Hernandez.

While the gingerbread house making event did not originally use the buddy system, it has since evolved to include them as a way of giving the students more opportunities to meet people outside of their grade level. “It extends outside of the classroom, so the little ones feel connected to their big buddies,” said Kindergarten Teacher Shauna Ihu, “It kinda feels like a community is built.”

The event allows for the different grade

levels to interact with one another and create a positive atmosphere. “They motivate each other. ‘Cause if the little ones know that they’re going to be doing an activity with their big buddies, they’re on their best behavior. And vice versa too,” said Ihu. The gingerbread house making event allows the students to create shared memories between them. “It’s something to remember. Like they’re probably not gonna remember later on how they learned how o rea or o a u e ll e el remember making the gingerbread house,” said Ihu. While the gingerbread house building activity is primarily an event for the big buddies and their little buddies, there is still a curriculum involved. “We try to throw in a curriculum too, so like patterns,” said Uyemura. “But most of all, it’s more like a fun event for their big buddies and the little buddies to just do something together.”

In general, the learning aspect of the activity is aimed more towards the big buddies, teaching them to give back.

“Especially for the big buddies, to have them work with someone, like show them caring— you know like character pillars and even GLOs—all of those tend to coincide with our activities,” said Uyemura. “We stress to the big buddies that you’re doing this for them, for the little ones, your little buddy.”

The gingerbread house making event will take place on Dec. 13 at Mililani Uka between the different grade levels.

Front

3x3 in 5.5 in high 2x1.5 in 4 in hgih

Door

Roof

Side

3x5 in

3x5.5 in

Ginger��ead Tut��ial Cut Out a Pattern

Grab a piece of paper, a pen, and a pair of scissors. Draw out and label one of each of the following pieces.

Cut them out and put them on the side.

Cut Out

Two Roof Pieces Two Front Pieces Four Windows One Door

Ginger��ead Recipe 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup light molasses 1 tbsp cinnamon 1 tbsp ground ginger 1 1/2 tbsp ground cloves 1 tsp baking soda 2 cups all purpose flour 2 tbsp water

Mix ingredients well Preheat the oven to 375 Chill dough in fridge for 30 minutes Bake for 15 minutes

1.5x1

Mix, R�ll, Cut

Mix your dough. Roll it out and use the pattern to cut out your roof, walls, door, and windows.

R�yal Icing 2 lbs confectioners’ sugar 1 cup warm water 1/2 cup + 2 tsp meringue powder

Bag y�ur Icing

Mix icing and place in a bag.

Tie off the opening with a rubber band and cut off the tip.

Dec��ate

Use the icing to decorate pieces prior to placing them.

C�nstructi�n Glue the four walls together.

Add windows, door, and roof.

Gingerbread recipe courtesy of Beatrice Ojakangas Royal Icing recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Template courtesy of Food Network

Decorate!

Designed by Chaeley Winkler

Kamaile Fitzgerald | Mililani Times

The Most Wwonderful Time of The Year

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NEWS | Dece m be r 1 4. 2 0 1 7

New Club Shows Gratitude for Veterans

BY Connor Tribble

2018tribblec@mililanihs.k12.hi.us

This year, several MHS students chose to honor American veterans by coming together and starting the Freedom’s Cause Veterans Club.

“The Freedom’s Cause Veterans Club is an organization dedicated to serving those who served us. Our mission is to show support for our nation’s veterans that have done so much to defend our freedoms and way of life. It is our veterans that pay the price for our freedom every day.

That is the message that I wanted to spread, and I could think of no better way to do that than starting a club that honors and supports our veterans,” said President Senior Travis Afuso.

Afuso came up with his idea over the summer while working on a project researching fallen American heroes and learning about their lives as well as what they sacrificed for freedom. “Our president, Travis Afuso, seemed to recognize the lack of respect and appreciation and decided to take initiative. He recruited me and other members through club fair,” said Historian Senior Madeline Lebron.

This opinion was echoed throughout the club, giving the members a drive to spread their message. “They have served our country and deserve the respect and honor they have received. Too many people disrespect our nation’s veterans, and that needs to change,” said treasurer Senior Timothy Schiller.

As a new club, the number of members started out low, initially Afuso only had five officers, but has steadily rose. “I recognize that this being our first year, our mission is to build the club. We have a decent amount of members this year, but what excites me is the potential for the future, because who isn’t thankful for freedom?” said Afuso. “That is why we are the Freedom’s Cause Veterans Club—to remind others that by serving our veterans who have done so

Chloe Fong | Mililani Times Officers Historian Grace Lebron, Secretary Chandler Lugo, President Travis Afuso, Vice President Sierra Grucella and Treasurer Timothy Schiller, promote their message and Freedom’s Cause Veterans Club in their new club shirts. much to ensure our freedoms, we are serving the cause of freedom as well.”

Just like other clubs, they have plans to spread their message through community events and service projects. “In third quarter, we are trying to hold a community event where the whole Mililani community can come together for a big fundraiser for the veterans. We plan on sharing the event information by the means of Instagram, Facebook and the school bulletin. The Veterans Club also partners with JROTC, NHS (National Honors Society) and the Surf Club as well,” said Schiller.

Recently, the Freedom’s Cause Veterans Club had asked the National Honors Society to help them reach out to families of fallen soldiers by writing letters of condolence. “(Grace) had mentioned to me that her family had sent letters to families of sailors lost in an at sea accident. We talked

about the tragedy in Niger and the loss of those four soldiers at a previous meeting and we decided that it would be a great thing to show these families our support. We don’t know them and they don’t know us, but we honor and respect their fallen loved ones, and we wanted to let them know that the people of America stand with them in their time of struggle,” said Afuso.

They are planning similar projects in the near future to help Veterans over sea and closer to home. “We are trying to get a care package shipment going as well as a seasonal service project for our local single soldiers and sailors. We would also like to manage a fun run, but that has a lot of moving parts to organize,” said Lebron.

For some of the members, especially those in JROTC, the meaning was very personal and they hoped to spread their message through the community. “I want to leave patriotism in everyone’s

hearts and minds. I want future members to grow the true American values and emphasize to both you and the public what it really takes to make the U.S. such a magnificent and diverse country through service, because freedom isn’t free,” said Lebron.

As the club progresses through its first year, the members have already been planning for the future. “I hope to pass this on to some of the younger members in our club, and I would be more than happy to support them in anyway I can when I go off to college. That is another reason it is very important for us to work hard to empower and inspire our members to take this club to its maximum potential,” said Afuso.

The Freedom’s Cause Veterans Club will continue to host activities and events to raise awareness for their cause throughout the year, anyone is welcome to join.

I

n 2008, Senior Nicki Lee, who was in the third grade at the time, founded Kidz For A Cause (KFAC), an organization of students that host various fundraisers to raise money for kids in need. In 2008 they raised a total of $1,100, and continued their organization, raising a total of almost $500,000 up to the year of 2016. This year, KFAC is raising money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities by hosting events such as canoe paddling and garage sales.

“It excites me to motivate kids to find their passion in giving back. Knowing that has impacted my own life in such incredible ways, I love that I’m able to share that with others in my generation and younger through Kidz For A Cause. Seeing the organization grow so exponentially has also been rewarding because I truly believe it proves the power of kids when we’re inspired,” said Lee. KFAC’s Board of Directors consist of 22 high school students, including MHS Seniors Hunter Gentry, Meagan Funasaki, Mitchell Funasaki and Sophomore Asher Pilanca, while the Junior Board of Directors consists of 23 elementary school members. The Board of Directors are responsible for hosting individual fundraisers that will contribute to their eventual donation to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. “I like supporting other families and raising money, it’s just something that I enjoy. I enjoy going to the meetings and talking with people when it comes to a new event. It’s something like, ‘Wow I’m ready, I’m excited, I don’t want it to be over.’ I want to continue, and it’s kind of sad for me to be a senior and not do it again,” said Board Member Senior Hunter Gentry.

Kamaile Fitzgerald | Mililani Times

The fundraisers that the Board Members host vary in activity, but any sort of donation is helpful and appreciated. “Even a little bit of money that we fundraise might make a big difference because just like twenty five dollars can buy a kid a birthday gift and a cake to celebrate. Just the little bit of money we fundraise makes a big difference to them in the long run,” said Board Member Senior Meagan Funasaki.

Being a part of this organization has changed many children’s lives, along with the

So it’s for me to give back and show appreciation.”

Although the purpose of the program is to benefit others, the people who participate in KFAC gain a lot too. “My favorite part of Kidz For A Cause is mentoring the younger kids in the organization. I work closely with the Junior Board of Directors who are in elementary to middle school. By trying to teach them philanthropic, leadership and communication skills, I feel as if I’m ensuring the sustainability of this kid movement as they will in

Kidz for a cause

By: Taylor An n On o |

2 0 1 8 On oT@M i l i l a n i h s.k 1 2 .h i.u s

lives of the Board and Junior Board Members. “If you raise something you feel very great, like you’ve done something right.

That from the bottom of my heart feels like, you know you feel it, it’s something you can’t say, it’s just that good feeling in you,” said Gentry. “It’s a personal and very fun thing. I say personal because I was born with a ten percent chance of living and the Ronald McDonald’s House was there for my family. They didn’t have the machines to help me out, so they flew me to LA children’s hospital on a medical plane. The Ronald McDonald’s House was there to help my family and stay with me.

turn mentor younger kids in a few years,” said Lee. The organization has been such a success that this year, they’ve expanded outside of Hawaii to Orange County, California. “The expansion has been so exciting and rewarding so far. I never expected Kidz For A Cause would grow to be this big when I was first starting the organization in the third grade. It’s still hard to believe. I’ve met some outstanding California kids who are leading the charge over there, and I know that with time, Kidz For A Cause will only flourish further in the mainland,” said Lee. “I’m thrilled to be raising money for

the Ronald McDonald House Charities. They were our first beneficiary and what inspired me to continue philanthropy, so the RMHC is definitely close to my heart. They provide a home away from home for families of critically ill children so that the families can stay near their children during a trying time.”

One of the fundraisers that KFAC hosted this year was Paddle For A Cause, organized

by Gentry. This canoe paddling event was held at Sunset Beach on Oct. 1. It raised over $3,000 in donations. “I like the paddle, and being able to do a paddling event is something that I just love,” said Gentry.

“It was pretty successful, we had less than half people actually paddle but it was something, and I was happy.”

One of the most recent events was a garage sale on Dec. 2 at the MHS parking lot. “The garage sale wasn’t as a success as I wanted it to be because the weather wasn’t good. But it was still fun. Hopefully the next one is better,” which said Funasaki.

KFAC plans on hosting more events, including another paddling fundraiser in January 2018.

(L-R); Mitchell Funasaki(12), Hunter Gentry(12), Meagan Funasaki (12)

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NEWS | Dece m be r 1 4, 2 0 1 7

New Changes to MHS Curriculum Fair

to me was the teacher’s side, a lot of us probably didn’t see as many students as we did in the old way we did it. The good was that for the students who really took advantage of this opportunity, they were able to see a lot more than the old way,” said Agriculture teacher Jeffrey Yamaguchi, who presented at his own booth.

In order to make the curriculum fair run more efficiently, new changes were implemented to the fair. “So we used to have it where they would sign up and go to different classes, but when students didn’t get signed up— which happened a lot—they would just get put into all these different ones,” said Vice Principal Robin Miller. “So we wanted to make it more student-centered so that kids could actually go and look at the things

that interested them instead of being stuck in somewhere that they weren’t interested in, so that’s kind of why we changed it.”

Prior to the fair, some teachers were enthusiastic about the change and felt that it would bring a new feel to the curriculum fair. “I’m kind of excited to see how it works. So for CTE, every year we do the middle school elective fair where the middle schoolers come and it’s kind of the same idea. And I think it makes it a little more interactive and gives them an opportunity to see more electives than they would’ve with the old curriculum fair,” said CTE teacher Karla Deguchi.

After the curriculum fair occurred, some teachers thought that it was more informational than previous years’ curriculum fairs, but not all of the students were receptive to the new concept. “I liked it because I feel like it was a little more interactive than the other years where we’re just presenting and the kids are just sitting and listening, like they kind of had to walk around. But I feel like some kids didn’t take it seriously, so that was kind of disappointing. But I still feel like it’s a good idea,” said Deguchi.

Other teachers felt that the changes that were made to the curriculum fair limited their opportunities to share about their class. “The students didn’t get as much of a chance to hear about what we actually do in Japanese 1 and ask questions because I think I only talked to really about five students about what actually goes on in Japanese class,” said Japanese teacher Lori Tsukamoto.

Some students felt that the curriculum fair worked better last

year than it did this year. “You don’t really get as much information as you did last year. It’s not necessarily unorganized but we have so much extra time on our hands because the teachers are in such a rush. We all are just sitting down most of the time, so there’s really no point to curriculum fair if we all are just sitting down,” said Sophomore Ariana Kashimoto.

One issue that was brought up from not only teachers, but students as well, was the length of each session of the fair. “I interviewed students as the fair went on and the main concern— or the main thing—was that it was too long. The other thing was that a lot of students had their papers filled out already,” said Social Studies teacher David Francisco.

However, some felt that the new style of the curriculum fair favored the students that saw it as an opportunity.

“You know, there was a lot of students who didn’t take advantage of this opportunity, but I think for those that did, I think it was a lot better for the students, which is the main point of this curriculum fair. Everything for the school—it’s whatever benefits the students, and so I think this format was better for the students than the old way,” said Yamaguchi.

Although the curriculum fair had mixed reviews this year, change is inevitable. “I feel that the only constant is change. It seemed that something needed to change about curriculum fair to make it more effective for students, so it’s worth a try. We won’t know until we give it a go. Then we all can reflect on the process and go from there,” said Art teacher Danielle Erickson.

“I would say maybe we could have more stops instead of one big group going together because I think it would be too crowded, like for the AP Psychology booth there were too many people.”

Junior Janelle Nguyen

“I like that we had more time to visit as many classes as we possibly could. It just felt a little more crowded last year. You only got a certain amount of classes and that was it, but you got to visit more this year.”

Sophomore Kailee Chatters

“Well we spent 20 minutes on each section but really you only had to go to one booth and listen for five minutes and then the rest of the 15 minutes you’re just sitting around doing nothing.”

Sophomore Jerreth Diaz

Carlos Prado | Mililani Times Students were split into five groups and travelled around campus to visit various classes.

By Chloe Kitsu

2020kitsuc@mililanihs.k12.hi.us

W

ith registration for the next school year coming up, MHS hosted its annual curriculum fair on Nov. 29. However, this year’s curriculum fair came with a few changes—instead of students visiting the various classes they signed up for, there were five different areas, with each elective operating a booth.

Students were able to go to the different booths that interested them, giving them the opportunity to explore all the participating classes instead of a select few. This new system for the fair had mixed reviews from both teachers and students.

“To me—my opinion—there were good and bad points. The bad

STUDENT VOICE What Do You Think?

By Maiya Ezawa |

2 01 8ezawam@ mi li lan i h s.k12.hi.u s

F

rom Nov. 7 to Nov. 10, the MHS Marching Band took part in the Bands of America (BOA) Competition in Indianapolis, Indiana. This year marked their second time participating in the event, where they made semi finals for the first time and ranked 29th place out of 100, and won the Al Castronovo Esprit de Crops Award for a demonstration of character and passion on the trip. They performed their show, “The Red String of Fate.”

“It becomes so much a part of who we are. The show is really meant to communicate that we are who we are because of the people around us and the people that we have come to meet through the program and I think that when we performed the show, a lot of people could see and feel the bond that we all share.” said Drum Line Major Senior Giscelle Rosario.

While the bands from the mainland entered BOA after various regional competitions, Hawaii bands entered straight into preliminaries due to the geographical circumstances. “For us, we entered the competition at the preliminary stage and that’s the farthest we went last time we traveled in 2015. This time we advanced to the semi finals where we placed 29th overall out of 100 bands. The top 12 bands from semi finals then advance to finals. The competition in Indiana is very intimidating because we were competing with bands that were double our size and who had competed in BOA for several years and have made it to finals several times whereas this was only our second time competing,” said Rosario.

Improving on last year’s performance, the MHS Marching Band was able to reach the goal they had set

Photo Courtesy: Alex Nii

for themselves this season, improving on last year’s rank. “I had the honor of standing on that field and representing my band. Waiting through all 36 bands called to participate in semi finals, Miliani was called dead last. At that point we had all accepted that we hadn’t made it to semis, but suddenly everything turned around. I was shocked,” said Color Guard Head Captain Senior Kaili Garland.

In addition to competing, MHS students also represented the school’s reputation on the mainland.

“My experience as a chaperone for the band was very rewarding and I appreciated being with such a great group of students who are very well mannered and disciplined. The students were very good ambassadors of Mililani High School. The students exhibited a responsible commitment to society by showing respect and responsibility to everyone. Their actions and behaviors a true reflection of their director expectations of well discipline and productive family,” said Mililani Waena Elementary School Principal Troy Tamura.

One of the challenges in competing with the mainland bands lay in the magnitude of their program—they had more resources to pull from when creating their shows. “We all watch the finalists and the professional bands who perform things out of our wildest dreams. The biggest difference I see between our band and those that reach finals on the mainland, is sheer size and production quality. Bigger bands can have multiple directors and endless paid staff to help improve the band but we operate off a single director

and a handful of alumni,” said Garland.

However, they overcame this by focusing on the significance of their theme, “The Red String of Fate,” and the dedication of their performers. “‘The Red String of Fate’ is inspired by a Chinese proverb that we are all connected by the red string of fate and although it may stretch or tangle, it will never break. I think what our director, Mr. (Derek) Kaapana, really wanted to do this year was show the kind of relationships we form through our experiences with the Trojan Marching 2017 GRAND NATIONAL Band,” said Rosario.

CHAMPIONSHIPS The BOA competition marked SEMI-FINALIST the last performance of this marching band season.

‘Tis the Season for Christmas Desserts

By Maiya Ezawa |

2 0 18ez awam@ mi li lan i h s.k1 2 .h i.u s

C

Kamaile Fitzgerald | Mililani Times

hristmas means Santa, shopping, presents, and most prominent of all, food. In the transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s, meals are the centerpiece of family festivities and fun.

It’s the time to splurge, both in finances and in calories, so once dinner is done, it’s time for the desserts. Home-made or store-bought, it all ends up on plates and in the stomachs of the guests. From pumpkin pie to candy canes, the season brings about a wide selection of sugary delights.

Hot Chocolate Hot chocolate, the drink of winter, comes in various flavors that everyone can enjoy. There’s peppermint hot chocolate, white hot chocolate, and even strange flavors like gingerbread and Nutella. To top it off, marshmallows, whipped cream and cinnamon float atop the drink.

Santa Cookie Peppermint

Nutmeg

~40 min | 15 servings

Marshmallows

Caramel

Whipped Cream

Cinnamon

1 cup refrigerated cookie dough 2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar 1-1/4 cups vanilla frosting, divided Red paste food coloring 30 miniature semisweet chocolate chips 15 red-hot candies

Chocolate Flakes

Using a star tip and remaining vanilla frosting, pipe a pom-pom, fu hat brim, eyebrows, eyes, mustache and mouth on each cookie. Press two chocolate chips and a red-hot candy into frosting for pupils and mouth.

Bundt Cakes This ring shaped cake, which comes in a variety of flavors, is a popular choice among holiday desserts.

The ones pictured are red velvet.

Sometimes, people make fruit cakes in a bundt mold, a symbol of Christmas.

Cake Christmas is the time of fancy, expensive cakes. Unlike their bundt cake cousins, these are often store bought and give an air of elegance.

From cheesecakes to tiramisu, these desserts line the tables of company parties, brought by eager newbies trying to impress their peers.

es

ur e

Taken from tasteofhome.com

On a lightly floured surface, roll out cookie dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut out 15 ovals, using a 3-in. egg-shaped cookie cutter dipped in flour. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Sprinkle cookies with confectioners’ sugar. In a small bowl, tint 3/4 cup frosting with food coloring; frost top third of each cookie.

Cookies Cookies are a staple in the dessert community year-round, but they’re so much more festive during the holiday season. From Santa Claus to the candy cane, Christmas cookies come decorated in various shapes and colors to give the traditional sugar cookie a much needed makeover.

MILILANI’S CIARA LACY’s DIRECTORIAL DEBUT,

Out of

State Photo Courtesy: Chapin Hall

by Megan Sch end el |

M

2019Schendelm@mililanihs.k12.hi.us

oved by the story of Hawaiian men practicing their culture while imprisoned at the Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, Mililani resident and Kamehameha ‘98 alumna Ciara Lacy directed and produced the documentary, “Out of State.” The documentary followed the story of prisoners David Kahalewai and Genaro Hale Gualdarama as they participated in a program that allowed them to learn about their Hawaiian culture while imprisoned, in hopes of making it easier for them to build a life for themselves when they returned home. Her film first premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June and made its debut in Hawaii at the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) in November.

“Our goal was to give people an opportunity to see something they might not see. When you get shipped to a prison so far away, the likelihood of you having many visitors is very low so we, as a community, don’t really have a chance to understand what happens and the impact of the choices we’re making. We just wanted to give a chance to get that half of it,” said Lacy.

Though Hawaii was the ninth place that “Out of State” premiered in, it was one of the premieres that Lacy worried about most. “Bringing the film back home to Hawaii was the most important thing. It’s really great to take the film to all these cool places but the most important place is our home because this is a story about our home, and the goal is always to start conversations in our own community about what we can do and rethink what we have been doing,” said Lacy.

The premiere of “Out of State” at HIFF proved to be well received by both the judges and audience members. “I am very honored and pleased to say that the film won Best Feature in the Made In Hawaii Category at the Hawaii International Film Festival. It also won the Feature Film, Audience Choice Award,” said Lacy.

The film has raised awareness of prison systems and programs, like the one

in Arizona. “People leave the film feeling educated and also wanting to see a correctional justice system that is aimed more at rehabilitation and education rather than just punishment,” said producer Beau Bassett.

“Out of State” educates the audience and left many people thinking about the difficulties of trying to rebuild a life and finding identity through culture.

“I think it’s left a lot of people having conversations. I’ve had people say that the film haunts them—that they think about it the next day, a couple weeks later. As an artist and somebody who wants to create change in our community, I think that’s very powerful. I think it means a lot because if you’re still thinking about it, we did something—it struck a chord with you and that’s what we want,” said Lacy.

“Out of State” gives the audience insight into how the program in Arizona helps the prisoners face life after their release. “The goal with that was, we’d seen a lot of really incredible work that the men were doing with each other in the prison setting, then to see how internal and cultural identification transformation in the prison setting; how does that inoculate you against all the pressures and difficulties of trying to build your life again? Is it enough?

For us it was really important to show that half of it,” said Lacy.

The main purpose of the program was to help provide the inmates with something that they could hold on to and connect with as they returned home and attempted to rebuild their lives. “The program taught me to connect with my kupuna (elderly), ohana (family), and mo opuna’s (grandchildren) in ways that I was neglecting throughout my life. It gave me sensibility and direction in finding the path to my identity. Who I am as kane (man), what is my place, and where I am headed,” said Gualdarama.

“Out of State” is scheduled to continue screening in cities across the globe, ranging from Sydney, Australia to Kansas City, Missouri. To find out more about “Out of State,” visit their website, www.outofstatefilm.com.

NEWS | Dec e m b e r 1 4, 2 0 1 7

15

FIRST Robotics Gets 4th in Competition

By Megan Schen d el |

O

2 0 19 s c h en dalm@ mi li l a n i h s.k 1 2 .h i.u s

n Saturday, Nov. 25, the MHS FIRST Robotics team hosted and competed in a relic recovery tournament. As their last competition before states, the students competed in matches alongside 11 other teams to determine their placement and alliances for the state competition. They spent countless hours preparing to compete and were able to place fourth out of 12 teams.

“At times, we’ve performed less optimally than we would have liked but the improvements that we’ve made have been a good learning experience for our team as whole,” said electrical subteam lead Junior Ian Eshelman.

At the competition, the students competed with their robot in relic recovery. “It’s a game that’s centered around the main scoring element, a six inch cube. They have to stack it into a pattern for points. There’s an autonomous mode where they have to pre program instructions and then it goes into a driver controlled period where they’re actually remote controlling it. There’s what they call the endgame where they balance on a balancing stone— a rocking platform that they have to balance the robot on. The relic part is another game piece that they can, if they choose to, pick up and move, place it in a zone outside of the field,” said FIRST Robotics Instructor Tyson Kikugawa.

Aside from being judged on how their robot does in the competition, the teams are also scored on their engineering process. “We have to make something called an engineering notebook where we describe how we built and made the robot. That’s the biggest factor when it comes to judging,” said assistant project manager Senior Kaikoa Viveiros. The notebook is designed to demonstrate the students’ ability to think critically as they design and test their robots.

“They showcase their decision making

process and their design process— how did they come to these decisions, not only ‘does the design work’ but how did you come up with this design,” said Kikugawa.

After each competition, the team takes the time to look at how they did and figure out what they need to dedicate their time to improving. “I feel we did better than the last couple competitions,” said Eshelman. “This time we had an entirely fabricated robot, as opposed to using the modular parts as we had in the past, which allowed our robot to perform much more fluidly than using the parts that we didn’t make ourselves.”

To perfect their robots and get them built in time for competitions, the FIRST Robotics students have to commit most of their after school time to prepping their robot. “We’ve been meeting almost daily from 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays to figure out what we need to get done to make our robot competition ready, such as putting our frame together, fabricating all the metal parts, soldering all the electronic parts and programing the robot so that it can run properly during the competition,“ said Eshelman.

The students spend a large amount of their time testing their robot and trying to account for any possible errors or complications that they might encounter. “We have the members of our subteams tell us if there is any problems that they foresee and try to plan around those problems,” said Eshelman. The members who have more experience in robotics rely on their past experiences to help them in building the most effective and problem free robot that they can.

“You kind of foresee the problems that came up in the past and there’s ways to prevent that,” said Viveiros.

FIRST Robotics is a highly collaborative effort that depends on the more experienced members working effectively with the new members. “I guide and mentor the other members,”

Camille Nevarez-Hernandez | Mililani Times Senior Kaikoa Viveiros helps make small changes to the robot between their matches. said Eshelman. “If someone doesn’t and ready to keep building. “I get a know how something works—how good sense of adrenaline when I am certain electronics need to be put competing so it gets me excited to together—we’ll put an experienced see the outcome of the match,” said member along with that member that Viveiros. The competitions serve as doesn’t understand so that they can motivators for many of the students to help guide them through that.” strive to build a better robot. “I think, The FIRST Robotics competitions ultimately, competition kind of forces focus on the idea of “coopertition,” you to improve. If you’re just doing giving the students the chance to work it for fun, there really isn’t an end to together and make friends while also it and sometimes not having that end competing simultaneously. “You are makes it harder to have a goal and competing against the other teams, set targets for yourself. Competition but at the same is a good way time you want to kind of see “Competition is a to help the where you’re at good way to kind of other teams and see ways out and make see where you’re at that you can sure that they’re improve that and see ways that competing at you don’t get the best that if you’re just you can improve.” they can be playing around so that the competition is as fair as the classroom,” said Kikugawa. possible,” said Eshelman. Kikugawa With their season coming to a said, “It’s also a good networking close, the FIRST Robotics team opportunity to meet other teams, meet continues to make revisions to their other like minded people, and get that robot in hopes of putting their best friendly competitive experience.” foot forward as they compete at States The competitions are important in on Saturday, Dec. 9, at Maryknoll helping to get the students hyped up High School.

the Naked Cow & Future Farmers

By Taylor Ann Ono |

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2018onot@mililanihs.k12.hi.us

n 2007, led by farm owner Monique van der Stroom with assistance from Jenni Patten, the Naked Cow Dairy Farm and Creamery opened, becoming the only local dairy farm on Oahu. Their homemade products can be found in stores across the island, from Whole Foods and Safeway to restaurants like Alan Wong’s and Hula Grill. In order to learn about the hardships and purpose of self-sustainable farming in Hawaii, the MHS Future Farmers of America (FFA) visited the farm in Waianae on Oct. 14. Naked Cow Dairy Farm’s dedication has led to the success of their artisan cheeses and hand churned butter, along with the spread of awareness about the agricultural industry and its benefits to the isle.

“I went to school for dairy farming, so for me it’s a love of doing what I want to do, they say pick something that you like to do and you’ll never work a day in your life, even though farming is a lot of work.

But I just chose a career that I really enjoy,” said van der Stroom. “Everyone depends on farmers for living: farmers produce all the food in the world. Farmers produce all the milk, beef and vegetables, everything we eat is produced by a farm somewhere. So obviously for the perpetuation of humans on Earth, we have to farm.”

Unfortunately, farming isn’t an attractive profession for the youth, but education is a means to generate interest amongst the younger generations. “It exposed the students to a real farm; like what we do here at our school, there’s no consequences, you do a poor job, no big deal, you try again. But hopefully they saw that being a real farmer, you can not just do it half-heartedly, you have to put everything you have into it,” said Agriculture teacher Jeffrey Yamaguchi. “I love it, I’m here at seven o’clock in the morning, I go home at six o’clock in the evening everyday, because when the students aren’t around, that’s when I get to play, and I play in the dirt, that’s what I like.” Junior Chynna Chun added, “It was very inspiring that they are still willing to push through all the challenges or hardships that they face. I also like learning about the process. They take so much gallons of milk to produce a small wheel of cheese for profit, I think it’s a lot of hard work and dedication.”

One of the struggles of working on a farm is the constant care and attention that the land and animals require. There is also competition with mainland companies. Because of complications such as these, farming has become a difficult lifestyle that not many people choose as a career. “I grew up on a pig farm in Nanakuli and my dad gave it up in the late ‘70s simply because you can’t make money. When the mainland product is cheaper and of the same quality, you don’t blame the consumer for buying the cheaper product. It’s kind of sad but I guess that’s the reality of it. The good thing about it is there’s hope, hopefully there can be policy and legislation that encourages young people to go into farming because the average age of Hawaii’s farmer is in the 60s, so we need to get new blood,” said Yamaguchi. “The ones who are farmers, the ones who are 60 something years old, they’re pushing their children away from farming because it’s a hard life. I went to college in Iowa and the saying was, ‘Agriculture is not a career, it’s a way of life,’ which is very true, that you don’t do it for the money.” Chun added, “We’re taking stuff that’s really school based and we’re applying it to the rest of Hawaii or certain farms. Not a lot of people are interested in (agriculture), not a lot of people take this class, but for us, to really learn about it, we can share this knowledge with a lot of people.”

Some people don’t realize the importance of farming and the major impact that it has on the community, especially in places like Hawaii. “If you grow up in an area where there are no farms, the food just appears and kids will never ever understand what it took to get that food to the store. They don’t see the connection between the land and the farmer, and the food that’s being produced. It’s real important to bring them to a farm so they see that at a young age, and that is impressionable on children. Seeing animals and seeing farms and seeing things grow, that sticks with them through their whole life. Not everyone is going to grow up to be a farmer, but it might tap into some of those kids that will go into that direction and learn to love farming. There’s more to it than just having an animal, having a cow, so I think it’s interesting, I like teaching kids about what I know,”

said van der Stroom.

Even with the farm and creamery being the last on Oahu, the interest in its continuation has not been lost. “I think it’s important that locally, they get that recognition because a lot of the companies, they’re all mainland based, and for us to be local I think is really special. In general I want agriculture to be more popularized,” said Chun. Van der Stroom added, “We’d like to work with the high school students and bring them out to the farm to do projects or internships. We’ve had a couple interns in the past where they come from the vet school and they work with us in the kitchen or they work with us with the animals. There’s so much opportunity with the students in the high schools, the community colleges, any university. There’s a lot of opportunity for us to bring students in and show them what it’s like instead of just learning in class.”

The Naked Cow Dairy Farm and Creamery is doing a lot to keep farming alive. It has continued to spread its message about the perks of farming, offering interactive activities to the community such as tours and cheese-making classes.

FFA students like Kaileen Lardizabal (12) learned many things about managing a farm and its animals, including that kiawe beans are a cow’s favorite snack.

Pickles, a Jersey cow, is known for her friendly and outgoing personality. She is one of the many cows that provides the farm with milk needed to make their dairy products.

Camille Nevarez-Hernandez | Mililani Times

THE season of Giving

Gifts and Toys

67,674 Clothing and Furniture

22,169

What’s the greatest gift you’ve ever received?

“In 2010, my dad surprised me on Christmas Eve by coming home after being deployed for nine months.”

Junior Miriam Morgan

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever done to give a gift?

People Served

Meals Provided

80,843

429,924

Children Served with Basic Needs

Families Provided with Housing Services

2,047

604

Information from: The Salvation Army - Hawaiian & Pacific Islands

“Avoided a friend so she wouldn’t know what I got her...for days.”

Junior Jordan Blair

What are some of your Christmas traditions?

“We hide a glass pickle in a Christmas tree and the person to find it first is said to get a year of good luck.”

Sophomore Madison Kelly

NEWS | Dece m be r 1 4, 2 0 1 7

VEX Prepares for State Championship

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BY Tyler birchard

mechanical. I don’t know how to build some of the parts because it is my first year and I’m still trying to figure out EX Robotics teams 1973A some things but just looking at the and 1973B successfully success of some of the other robots, represented MHS during looking at how their robots did in the their tournament on Nov. 11 at the past and determining what’s the best 2017 Hawaii Island Robotics Expo route they can go through to get the and Showcase, held at Kealakehe High best results.”

School. Team 1973B took home third These improvements are place in the Robot Skills Challenge targeting the various problems the and competed in the grand finals of teams encountered throughout the the tournament, getting knocked out competition. Team 1973A faced after three matches against Waialua problems concerning their lift, which High. Their counterpart, team 1973A, was designed to stack cones on the made it to the quarterfinals. After their goals scattered throughout the playing competition on the Big Island, the two field in order to receive points. Chan teams are perfecting their robots and said, “Our main problem was the skills for the quickly approaching 2018 sizing of it, ‘cause we always want to Hawaii Electric Hawaii State VEX expand it as much as we can but that Robotics Championship. wasn’t an option we had for our mobile “We’re building for our mobile goal goal. Because we couldn’t fit all of it first, because that’s the main part of in, we had a very poor mobile goal lift, it that we need to do. That’s the most so that was a problem.” In addition, points we’re able to get from that. team 1973B also faced their own slew So we’re building around that and of problems. “One of our biggest using the same concept as our reverse problems is communication because four-bar,” said captain of team 1973A we all think extremely differently Senior Liezl Rae Chan. on our team. And because there are The teams, only really six using the “Since our robot is active members knowledge they our team, it’s pretty much done, on gained at the very heated, our competition, now conversation, we’ve helped the assist each other because we’re other team a lot in improving so small and so that they can with trying to get we have a lot of both move on with their ideas down.” interaction to the world each other,” said competition.

Shishido.

Captain of team 1973B Senior Team 1973B currently stands Damien Santiago said, “Since our as the thirty fourth best team in the robot is pretty much done, we’ve world in the skills challenge, a section helped the other team a lot with where teams compete individually to trying to get their ideas down. And we score the highest amount of points wanted to help the other team build they can in an allotted time. In order a robot that could compete possibly to qualify for the national competition, with Waialua’s so that even if they they must place in the top fifty, which don’t qualify in the top fifty, they can they have achieved. “I feel pretty possibly win.” Senior Bryson Shishido, confident we’ll win, place and move on who also aided team 1973B said, “The to nationals,” Santiago said. way we’re helping out the other team While Team 1973A is preparing for is, for me, more conceptual rather than the competition, they are also training 2019birchardt@mililanihs.k12.hi.us

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Timothy Won | Miliani Times (L-R) Senior Liezl Rae Chan, Senior Damien Santiago, and Senior Bryson Shishido.

The members of VEX Robotics are working diligently in preparation for their upcoming competition. freshmen first so they can do better the newer members of the club so that than us when they come up,” said they can be prepared for the years to Chan. come. “Now we’re trying to train our The work of freshmen and the two teams underclassmen “I feel pretty will be put to so they’re prepared for confident we’ll win, the test during the upcoming next year place and move on competition without us. on Jan. 13 at Because this to nationals.”

Kamehameha is our last Schools tournament, at Kapālama High School as they least they’ll be trained for next year. compete to move on to the 2018 VEX Because it is our last year, we’ll try Robotics World Championship. harder, but why don’t we just train the

Kamaile Fitzgerald | Mililani Times

By Alicia Getty | 2019gettya@mililanihs.k12.hi.us

S

enior Ja’Nae Richie put her poise to the test on Oct. 22 when she competed in the Miss Paradise Hawaii, Miss Oahu and Miss Waikiki Scholarship Pageant 2018, ultimately winning the title of Miss Oahu 2018. The competitors represented a wide range of personalities, but the opportunities for learning and growth were universal.

“It’s definitely something that I think you want to experience because it opens your eyes to connections to many new people who are different than you are. It helps you develop skills for your success in the future, as well as letting you experience many new, different things,” said Richie.

The pageant was a preliminary to the Miss Hawaii, Miss America and eventually Miss Universe Pageants. Much preparation went into gaining her crown. “Different steps we went through were preparation, a lot of practice, long hours, the driving downtown—I had school, practice and work at one point, so it was kind of difficult,” said Richie.

The girls underwent three sections of judging: walking, talent and a private interview, with contestants advocating for an issue of their choosing. Richie’s platform was strengthening early childhood education. “I do believe that we should have more early childhood programs such as ‘Headstart’ and things like that because they need to tailor to all children— like people who can’t afford it. A lot of kids, they can’t go to preschool because their parents can’t afford it. They shouldn’t be punished, necessarily, for their circumstances,” said Richie.

Despite common misconceptions regarding the pageanting industry, Richie was surprised to see how much she enjoyed the experience. “The different perceptions of how it’s stereotyped, like world peace and little stuff like that, it’s not really true,” said Richie. “All the experiences that went along with it, I was very blessed to have those experiences.”

Beauty, while playing a part in the pageant, was far from

being the deciding factor. “We all looked different, there was different body types. I think that it was more stressed the way you present yourself, and your personality and how smart you were, because like I said it’s very hard work,” said Richie.

Richie’s hard work paid off in more ways than one. She is particularly grateful for the relationships she established with other contestants. “We did a girls night, we went to Dave & Buster’s. We had a limo and dinner and all that. I made really good friends that I still talk to now,” said Richie.

Leilehua High School Senior Glynnis Brasher, one of Richie’s friends, took the contest as an opportunity to better herself. “I’ve gained a lot of confidence from this experience but also a lot of new friendships with wonderful ladies who all have good intentions. Everyone was very friendly to each other and all rooting for one another. Even though we were all going for the crown, we all wanted someone other than ourselves to win. My money was on Katrina and Ja’Nae,” said Brasher.

Miss Waikiki 2018 Katrina Ildefonso had a similar perspective on the pageant’s benefits. “This experience really abled me to build my self confidence, widen my social horizons, and bring awareness to social issues such as bullying, which is my platform,” said Ildefonso.

Richie plans to continue on with the pageant procession until she cannot advance any further. “Because it is a preliminary pageant I do still want to strive to do my best and hopefully place or win Miss Hawaii as well,” said Richie.

She has already begun seeking out financial supporters. “I’m definitely finding people from the last pageant that I have made connections with that are willing to sponsor me, that are willing to support me, like people in my church as well as different businesses,” said Richie.

The Miss Hawaii competition will take place in June 2018, but regardless of the outcome, Richie plans to put her Miss Oahu 2018 scholarship winnings towards a college degree in hospitality and hotel administration.

NEWS | December 14, 2017

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Photo Courtesy of Alea Bridge (L-R) Executive Director Phil Acosta, Sponsor Beverly Uemura, Outreach Team Member and former client Cora Rada, Founder and Director of Operations Joseph Acosta. On Nov. 13, representatives from ALEA Bridge attended the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg,“Sharing the Joys of the Holidays” luncheon at Sheraton Waikiki, where they were awarded $10,000.

ALEA Bridge Project Helping Homeless

By Chanelle Camero |

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2021cameroc@mililanihs.k12.hi.us

he ALEA Bridge Project, founded in January 2016 by Director of Operations Joseph Acosta, is a non-profit organization that concentrates on assisting the homeless around the island, with the aid of various people and groups, including Latter Day Saints Mililani Stake, Mililani Hongwanji and MHS. “We provide assistance in getting individuals and families into shelter, whether permanent housing, transitional or emergency shelter.

We assist with homeless prevention, relocation and we assist with treatment for substance abuse with the help of partner agencies,” said Office Manager Nicky Winter.

Acosta was a former police officer with the Honolulu Police Department (HPD). Both his previous job and family helped him realize the need for change. “I could see that there was

a lack of resources out here for the people in Central Oahu and North Shore. Officers weren’t equipped or trained to deal with the homeless population,” said Acosta. “After handing out cookies with my children to the homeless and to the low income areas, my daughter asked me, ‘Daddy what are they going to eat later? That was just a snack.’ I had no response for her, which got me to thinking long and hard about what I was going to do. Then it was my faith that ultimately led me to my decision of resigning from the police department and starting up ALEA Bridge.”

The name ALEA has multiple significant meanings, symbolic of his children and the organization’s purpose. “They were playing around with the first initials of my children and came up with ALEA. It also has a Hebrew meaning. To ascend, to

rise, exalted. Then ‘bridge’ was added because it’s basically what we strive to do, to be the bridge,” said Acosta.

Many of Acosta’s family members became involved with the project. “I am glad that my brother and sister encouraged me to come on board.

By working together and supporting one another, I am certain that we will be able to make a significant impact in addressing the needs of our community, and improving the lives of those in need,” said Phil Acosta.

The ALEA Bridge Project has personal significance to those involved.

“I personally know how it is to be homeless, for a short period. And I know how it is to struggle, and needing assistance. I need to make sure that ALEA Bridge continues to grow and be successful. ALEA Bridge is here for those that can’t help themselves,” said Joseph Acosta.

The importance of this project is centralized around the idea of extending a hand and resolving the issue. “The reason why we go out into the community and into the bushes and under bridges is because these people need that hand that reaches out to them. We become the bridge to getting them back on their feet, to

be self sufficient. The people in the community play a huge role in helping the homeless,” said Joseph Acosta.

Since the launch of the project, the organization has started to make connections around the island. “The community knows they can come to us and we’ll assist in any way we can, whether it be a client looking for shelter, a partner looking for an assist, or just a member of the community looking to donate,” said Winter.

“I think this project is important because we bring fresh eyes and a new perspective to an overwhelming, and often disheartening issue. The undeniable fact is homelessness cannot be ended without the community.”

By helping those in need, the people involved get a sense of fulfillment. “It’s a wonderful feeling to know that we are making a direct impact, for the better, to all the people that we encounter. It is definitely more than a job, but rather a calling to truly serve the needs of the community,” said Phil Acosta.

ALEA Bridge continues to strive toward their ultimate goal of ending and preventing homelessness. They are looking for help through donations, service partnerings and volunteers.

SPORTS

23

| d ece m be r 1 4, 2 0 1 7

JV Softball: From the Bottom to the Top

by Taylor ann o no |

2 0 1 8o n ot@ mi li lan i h s.k1 2 .h i.u s

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n Nov. 9, the junior Everyday when we prepared, it was not varsity (JV) softball team only preparing for the next game, it won the OIA Division 1 was preparing for that championship Championships against Castle High game. We took everything one step School with a score of eight to zero, at a time. It was great that all of our making a successful comeback from last coaches weren’t very negative. If we did year’s losing season, with four wins and something wrong, I mean of course we six losses. got consequences, but they always had “I’m super proud, I’m super stoked something positive to tell us,” said right for the kids. After having the kind of field Sophomore Kawailani Arasato. season we’ve had in the past, to be back Because of all the practice, the in the championship game was really girls formed a bond that not only huge for them. Our program is pretty strengthened them as people, but strong as is, so just having them be also as players. “Our team has a really put in that spotlight is cool,” said JV good bond and we just have really softball coach Glenelle Nitta. good chemistry to play together and I The team worked hard to get to think that’s why we won and it made the championships by improving their the season really memorable,” said skills, both physically and mentally.

Arasato. “I just feel like the things that “We tried to change the atmosphere a made our team was all of our jokes and little bit. We have our varsity coaching our laughs together, sharing our love staff, so to have our kids kind of know for the game. We made connections and understand our system that we with each and every person instead of do in the varsity and then bring it making a connection with just a couple down to the JV, so we can kind of have of people.” them ready for when they move up In regards to working as a team, to the varsity. I think for them, just the girls learned that although having being student athletes of the game, fun is important, helping each other and learning more about the game is just as essential to winning a game. and not just being able to play it, was “You have to make sure that you a big difference this year,” said Nitta. have chemistry with each other and “This year, I think we taught the kids a always picking up each other when lot more things, put them in pressure we’re down, knowing each other’s situations so that when they get to that weaknesses and strengths,” said first in the actual game it’s like nothing base Sophomore Lorianne Canas. because we do it so often in practice.

This win has taught the team and Just mentally preparing them to be put the coaches a lot about work ethic. in whatever “My mindset kind of is always to “My mindset is always atmosphere or try your best, to try your best, work work hard situation that they’re going to hard and whatever you and whatever be in.” you put in, put in, you’re going to you’re going Along with improving the to get in get in return...” team’s physical return. So skills, the coaches also supported them if you put in the extra work and you greatly to help with their mindsets and work hard, it’s going to come natural attitudes. “All our coaches really put a and it’s going to come easy. I think lot of motivation into our minds, and for us we kind of pressured our kids help drive us to where we want to go. a lot and we put a lot of emphasis on

Freshman Joie Baker Timothy Won | Mililani Times After losing one of their games on the way to championships, the girls worked to strengthen their team bond by going to Camp Mokuleia. This opportunity gave them a chance to enjoy each other’s company and plan for their next game. it being a team effort and learning about the game, and not just being able to play it. You can be a really good athlete but if you don’t know what you’re doing and when to do it, it’s not going to work,” said Nitta. Arasato added, “In every play you can’t dwell on your mistake in the last play—like everything’s just so quick. Another thing I learned from all my years of playing was having teamwork. I feel really thankful for all my coaches and teammates because like they’ve helped me become a very big team player so that’s why when I like think of us being champions, I think of my team.”

All of this preparation and learning has ultimately led the team to their goal of winning championships. “The win was really good, I thought the kids played really good together. They really had good chemistry off the field. The kids worked really hard throughout

the entire season all the way up from preseason through conditioning, to get them to where they got,” said Nitta.

Even with this win, the team is already planning ahead for the future season. “Our plans for the future is to keep doing what we’re doing, you know, keep having fun, keep teaching them new things about the game, and making sure that every girl keeps growing,” said Nitta. Arasato added, “Really what I’m looking forward to is us coming back together like the same team. I mean the same exact people won’t be on the team but the team will be similar. I’m just looking forward to when I’m a senior, the pressure comes up and we all come back together. This is one of the best teams that we’ve had and I just can’t wait.”

The team plans to continue working on their skills for next season in hopes of strengthening their bond even more.

Carlos Prado | Mililani Times