High School-Issue 5 - Winter 2025
Look Back, March Forward
Though the school year quickly flew by, looking back on our history is just as important as looking forward into the future. As we approach the end of the school year, we honor history through events such as the Culture Fair and National History Day, whilst creating new traditions on campus that will continue to shape the future of Mililani High School.
TWriter Jullia Young Designers Kalli Tanita
he first musical that I was ever introduced to was “Hamilton.” It was back in sixth grade when my friend showed me a YouTube video on her iPod Touch. She told me that she found a cool show that I might like, so as we sat on the couch in her living room, she pressed play and I watched the scene unfold. In an instant, orchestral backing mixed with modern-styled percussion boomed through the small speaker as actors clad in 18th-century attire lined the stage. I had no idea what to expect before watching it, but the unique, catchy music and charismatic cast had me entirely hooked.
Before I knew it, I was listening to the entire soundtrack of “Hamilton” and watching a bootleg recording of the live show on repeat 24/7. Back then, if you asked me to recite the entire lyrics to “Guns and Ships” then I’d do it without a single stutter. But now, looking back at my “Hamilton” craze, I realized that the musical was much more than Lin-Manuel Miranda rapping in a tailcoat and bloomers. To its core, “Hamilton” was a story of perseverance and dedication, a ballad that marked the importance of leaving a legacy for future generations.
With that being said, it doesn’t take instituting a nation to leave your legacy on this planet. As students, leaving a legacy could mean making an impression on those around you by doing good deeds, being a mentor to others and contributing overall to our community. No matter how small the act, we have the power to pave the way for the future and to change our culture. By leaving a small part of ourselves behind, we are forever bound to the places that we make an impact on, and thus becoming a part of history ourselves.
cuts and executive orders.
For me, the day that I must part ways with my Trojan Times staff draws closer, but I hope to leave my mark and legacy behind, helping to mold the class culture for the future writers, designers and photographers in our team. History is what defines us, but it is also something that we can continue to create. So from the Trojan Times family, please enjoy the issue!
The lives and experiences of those who precede us shape the present that we live in today. Take Alexander Hamilton for example: without the efforts of the founding father, our American financial system would be a lot different than it is currently. Though he has been long gone since 1804, we still remember him through the impact that he had made on our society, while still benefiting from the actions that he had taken in the past.
2 • Trojan Times • Feature
With these ideas in mind, I wanted to bring up the importance of history and legacies at the forefront of this issue, highlighting stories that both look back in the past and look forward to the future. On the playing field, sports teams carry on consecutive wins made possible by the contributions of previous players, while mentors and teachers build up future career opportunities for the Career and Technical Student Organizations students in the work field. To honor the significance of history in our lives, we celebrate through events such as National History Day, Culture Fair and even the Met Gala.
Mililani High School has a rich past, with a long line of former students who have walked the halls, eaten school lunches and participated in similar exchange programs that we have. As time moves forward and new chapters of history begin, we see new classes, slang and eras of journalism take shape. History can also be very political, which is why it is important to have conversations about federal budget
National History Day, also known as NHD, is a competition that showcases dozens of projects produced by students interested in history and its impacts on the present day. This year, students got a chance to develop their projects and present them in different forms as a way to bring certain topics to light, some of which students may not have been previously familiar with.
“The reason why I chose my topic was because I thought it was a really interesting topic. For me, when I choose a new topic, I go through archives and I kind of look for things that are less known, because I’m sure a lot of people haven’t heard about my topic, and I try to find things that are kind of interesting and would have a lot of information that hasn’t been looked at before. So this topic that I chose, there’s only ever been two things published, so it’s very, very new research to speak up on,” said junior Catherine Desneiges-Lauzon.
Lauzon focused her topic on Duties to Kill Mercifully and Rights to Live Painfully: The American Euthenasia Controversy of the Early Twentieth Century.
“I wanted to tell the story to hopefully send the message that it’s important that we protect the rights
Writer Jaylenn Jay-Abe
of children because they are one of the most vulnerable group of people in the world, and that it’s not just one government’s responsibility and that protecting the rights of children is a shared responsibility of everyone in the world. I think that my topic and the village that I focused on really highlights that,” said junior Ainsley Coullahan.
Coullahan titled her project ‘Kinderdorf Pestalozzi’ which revolved around Pestalozzi’s Children’s Village, a Swiss non-profit organization created after World War II to house displaced children as a way to provide them with a safe environment to grow up in.
At the beginning of the year, the majority of Mililani High School students in classes like Modern Hawaiian History, World History, US History or Advanced Placement (AP) history courses, started off by brainstorming topic ideas they wanted to research. In order to start, students had to consider a topic that revolves around this year’s theme which was Rights and Responsibilities.
“Well, I think it’s important for a few things. One of which is that it teaches them really crucial research and critical thinking skills. So the process by which they have to gather their information is going to be something that they use when they go to college
to kind of dive into a topic and then to synthesize information together. In a final project is something that they’ll have to replicate many times when going on to college. Because when you go to college, you write several papers; research based papers. So this gives students a solid foundation and what that process is going to look like,” said MHS history day coordinator and history teacher Jason Duncan.
To research, students needed to meet requirements such as primary sources, secondary sources, a historical argument, a process paper and an annotated bibliography. Students would conduct their research through the use of different databases, books, research tools and even history.com. From their research, the most important factor revolves around the impact of the event from the past and also its current impact in the present day.
“I think it’s important because oftentimes STEM is becoming a much more important part in school. They’re pushing STEM and I feel like humanities often gets left behind. So doing national history, it recognizes how important humanities are and how important it is that we teach these values and the skills for next generations. So it gives students a chance to learn about something and be passionate about something in history and it also gives them the research skills that you need,” said Desneiges-Lauzon.
After students have conducted their research, consisting of long and short term impacts, along with their primary and secondary sources for evidence to support their topic, students organize their research findings all together in the preferred category. For NHD, there are five categories which consist of a documentary, an exhibit, a paper, a performance or a website. For each category, students were made
to follow certain requirements like a certain word count, a certain amount of images and more.
“I wanted to focus on the rights of children, especially children in war, and I found it interesting how they were able to address the rights of children when governments failed to do so,” said Coullahan.
On Feb. 8, the district NHD competition took place on MHS’s campus, mainly focused in the cafeteria, N building, O building and the library. From there, students would be judged by a number of people, some of which included two alumni from MHS, historians, professors from universities, retired teachers, members of the community and generally anyone who has an interest in history.
“What these topics do is really bring history alive. I think there’s a tendency to think that history is static, it’s just so much of dates and figures, etcetera. What these students did was take information, they created a project to help people understand the in depth relevance and the current significance of this topic, because at the end of the topic, they always have to talk about why this topic is important today. ‘Like why is it relevant?’ Because history impacts our world today. So I think in that sense it can be very powerful,” said Duncan.
After the competition judges announced that the majority of the winners consisted of MHS students, securing their place in the state NHD competition which will happen on April 5 at Windward Community College.
For more information on the District NHD Competition, email Duncan at jason.duncan@k12.hi.us or visit his classroom at O103.
FWriter Brandon Shimazu Designer Isabel LeFebre
or the first time in five years, Mililani High School’s robotics team is traveling to California to compete in a regional event at Orange County Fairgrounds, taking place from Feb. 27 to Mar. 1. Since the beginning of January of this year, the team has been putting together a fully functioning robot made to complete various tasks at the competition.
“I’m really, really excited for our team because it has been a while, especially coming out of the pandemic,” said senior and president of MHS’ robotics team Jaycee Hasegawa. “This is a really big step forward for us in terms of being able to push ourselves to compete in not just our Hawai’i regional, but also in California, which is a really competitive regional.”
The competition is a part of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics, a global organization that offers robotics programs and competitions for students. At this competition, each team’s robot is put through matches that last two and a half minutes long. Every team is grouped up with two other teams, and these larger groups are called alliances.
The matches consist of two alliances facing each other with three robots on each side. The robots are either run with code or controlled manually, and they are tasked with completing different scoring objectives that are centered around a theme, where this year, the matches involve two major game pieces. The robots will have to pick up a 4-inch PVC pipe and set them onto metal poles, pick up large kick balls and place them in holes that are low to the ground and the robot will also need to be able to pull itself up a metal cage. There are also judges present at these events, and although they talk to the teams about the design, software
and hardware functionality of their robots, one of the main elements that are judged is on community outreach which is the impact that the team is making in the community.
“For this competition, I am the coach, so what I would do is I’ll guide the drivers through strategies. I’ll tell them, ‘Pick up this piece and score it in this goal,’ or things like that,” said senior and vice president of MHS’ robotics team, Leesa Takara. “The rest of the team is gonna be looking at the other teams, trying to figure out strategies and also coordinate with the other teams in our alliance to score as many points as possible.”
MHS’ robotics team has had about seven weeks to prepare for this competition which is one week less than normal due to the need to travel. At the beginning of January, the team started by determining the strategy they wanted to approach the games with. From there, they brainstormed
design ideas and came up with the first rough design concepts for the robot. After testing with the game objects, the team created a practice robot which was the first full draft, and after more testing, they developed the final version, focusing on the details of the form and functionality.
“To make [a robot] that doesn’t work the best is, you know, the difficulty is lower,” said co-advisor of MHS’ robotics team John Sandvig. “But to get [a robot] that realizes your design at hopefully its fullest potential, that’s really difficult to do in seven weeks. It’s very difficult.”
Uniquely, instead of shipping their entire robot as a whole to California which would cost a lot of money, the team has opted to disassemble the robot and bring it with them in their own checked bags and suitcases. However, one of the problems that the team currently faces is that they are without any sheet metal plates, something critical
to their design, and something they would otherwise have for free had their sponsor, Universal Manufacturing, not been busy with orders.
“We’re hoping to order them up in Cali so that we have them when we assemble our robot next week. Right now, we’re just trying our best to get as much done as we can, given that we’re not gonna have our plates right now,” said Hasegawa.
The competition at Orange County has a total of 50 teams, and with MHS bringing eight new members to the event, gaining experience and learning from the teams in California is one of the bigger focuses. If the team is able to do well, they can go to the world competition at Houston.
For more information on the Orange County regional competition, email Sandvig at john.sandvig@k12.hi.us or visit his classroom at G103.
Writer Desmond Ramos
Only weeks after assuming office, President Donald Trump has expressed his near unconditional support for Israel, going so far as to say that the United States would take control of the Gaza Strip and relocate its people. As an Advanced Placement History student, I recognize that though it is too soon to be certain if Trump will really take action, the message that he sends is detrimental to the future of our country and peace on Earth.
Soon after World War II, The United States created the state of Israel in the former British colony, Palestine. The creation of Israel would spawn decades of conflict between the US and the Middle East as well as mark the sudden increase in tensions between the West and the Muslims living in the region.
Without taking into account its global impact, the biggest problem with Trump’s statement about Gaza is that it is completely contradictory to his America First Policies. His mass deportations and tighter border policies are designed to keep the country closed to outsiders, shutting out those in distress. His tariffs initiated pointless trade wars with Canada and Mexico to make America less reliant on them even though the 25% import tax (AP News) would be an insane burden forced onto the American citizen. He has left many third world countries stranded by cutting funding to the United States Agency for International Development (AP News).
But what makes Israel so special? Why should we be made to support a nation that is trying to force their way into a territory that most Americans would not even be able to point out on
Designer Anela Reese
a map? Israel is neither under attack by a massive superpower attempting to annex it, nor is it a buffer state between the West and one of its biggest enemies like Ukraine is.
The War on Terror declared soon after the attack on the World Trade Center has shown how extremely difficult it is to wage war in the Middle East. Official FBI records report that it took ten years after the start of the military campaign to finally take down Osama Bin Laden, leader of al Qaeda, in retaliation for 9/11. Despite this, America still faces the threat of many other terror groups. Trump made a deal with the Taliban during his first term to withdraw all Western forces from Afghanistan (AP News), ultimately leading to 20 long years, billions of dollars and thousands of American deaths being wasted (Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs). Former President Joe Biden’s botched execution of the retreat resulted in completely avoidable casualties and left military equipment perfect for the taking (AP News). Sending American troops to fight for Israel will almost certainly end in more money, time and blood squandered trying to eliminate terrorist ideologies that are complex to defeat. Direct involvement in Gaza sends the message to the Muslim world that America is their enemy and they will prepare to resist.
There are many diplomatically recognized Muslim countries that do not support the complete takeover of Palestine. Seeking to push back against the West, Arab countries that are a part of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) stopped shipments to America during 1973 and 1974, causing the worst energy crisis in
the country’s history (America’s History for the AP Course Eighth Edition). While America’s dependence on OPEC has since lowered, angering trade partners is the last thing that anyone would want in a time when prices at the gas pump are already high today.
To be sure, many of his supporters praise Trump for his isolationist platform which promises to end foreign intervention and lower—if not completely eliminate—the costs of war and aid on the American people. He and the Republican Party believe that the problems of other countries are not our problems and that we should not be their piggy banks. However, despite his claims to “Make America Great Again,” Trump wants to go against his own isolationist policies and campaign values by sending Americans to fight another land war in foreign territory. Our country should be upholding global peace, not fueling conflict, and as citizens of the country it’s important we hold our government representatives accountable. As tensions with Russia and China continue to rise, the United States of America must remain dedicated to protecting its
allies in Europe and Asia instead of realizing Israel’s single state dream. We have been involved with the Middle East far too long, and the American people should be opposed to Trump’s furthered alignment with Israel.
Trump is obligated to prevent Israel from crumbling as they are a designated US ally. However, he needs to understand that he is no longer just a TV personality that can say what he wants without repercussions. The ideal politician must maintain a professional image so as to manage relations between themselves, their country and foreign nations. Claiming to take over Palestine—which many believe to be a sovereign nation—shows not protectoral strength, but unfettered aggression. His rhetoric polarizes the country and makes the fine line between liberals and conservatives much thicker. As political tensions—both domestic and foreign—continue to rise under Trump’s rule, the possibility of even more conflict becomes apparent. Should the US overextend to further erase Palestine, there will be devastating consequences that will last for generations to come.
Writer Kaira Williams
About 10,000 road accidents happen each year in Hawai’i. This is caused by speeding, distracted driving, drunk driving, inexperienced drivers, road rage and mechanical failures.
Staying alert and following the traffic rules is always the best option. Never take your eyes off the road and limit distractions like texting or calling. Drunk driving is never the answer; if intoxicated, either ask a sober friend to drive you, stay at a friend’s house or take an uber.
Maintain a safe distance from other cars: follow the 3-second following distance. Make sure to be prepared for cars swerving, speeding or abruptly braking. Always check your mirrors and blind spots before switching lanes, use your blinker lights to inform other drivers on where you are going.
Regularly check your brakes, headlights and tires to make sure they are in working order. Brakes should be fast and responsive, lights should function to alert other drivers and tires should be well-inflated and not overly worn. If these parts are not up to date, then an unexpected action could happen, causing you to lose control of your car.
Bad driving can be prevented if everyone is sharing the responsibility of a safe drive.
For more information on traffic safety, check out https://www.nhtsa.gov/ ten-tips-for-safe-driving or @mililani_hs_student_activities for more information on Mililani High School’s Stop If You Love Me campaign.
Words of rhythm bounced off the walls of the classroom as English teacher Christopher Sato’s creative writing class articulated their slam poetry. This semester, the novelist students focused on producing and reciting slam poetry to fellow classmates as a part of their learning.
“I knew that students like poetry, like expressing themselves, but they often don’t get to do it. That’s where I felt the need to set up that class,” said Sato.
The elective class was recently created, with this school year being its first term up and running. Sato constructed the new creative writing class because he knew that there were some boundaries that prevented students from being able to communicate their emotions. Sato hoped that they would be able to clearly express themselves verbally. The English elective introduces various verbal literature projects such as slam poetry, podcasts and storytelling.
“Most slam poetry has a lot of personal meaning to them, or something behind it, and it’s very expressive, so we use a lot of our hands and a lot of our voice to tell emotions through our
poetry,” said junior Mischa Carman.
Carman joined the English class expressing interest in the storytelling projects that the class offered. Although the class is a one-year elective, Carman wished to retake the period once more.
“The hope was to get them to have confidence and to express themselves in public. Especially in slam poetry, I know they’re able to express themselves in poetry, but it’s more of a solitary thing,” said Sato. “The intention was to at least be able to express themselves in front of people, and be creative and express their feelings- express their art.”
When introducing slam poetry to the course, Sato had high hopes to push his students to do their best and experience public speaking hands-on.
Public speaking is something that isn’t really incorporated into regular academic lessons. Because of this, Sato’s students would be stepping out of their comfort zone when announcing their poetry. This would happen as the project progressed, and writers were allowed to perform their poetry to fellow classmates, and students from other English classes.
“I was nervous, but luckily I got
a teacher that I knew already and I knew her class, so it wasn’t that bad, and it was a lot of fun actually,” said Carman.
Overall, there was a mix of emotions and feelings regarding performing slam poetry in front of other people. Some felt uncomfortable at first, like Carman, while others, like Angeline Dimaya, did not feel prepared for the performance.
“My poems weren’t really meant to be for that kind of audience, and so when I was pitched that we were going to tell it to other classes, it kind of scared me,” Dimaya said. “The general idea of presenting to other classes poetry was actually a very good idea, but just wasn’t for me.”
Performing the slam poetry in front of unfamiliar faces made many of the writers feel awkward. Dimaya, for instance, was especially surprised, but eventually accepted and supported the idea of presenting the poems. Despite the challenges, the class overall was receiving positive feedback from its students. Not only was the structure of the course receiving an enthusiastic reaction from students, but the environment itself was positive.
“I like the creative freedom that we have with everything. He doesn’t really give us much structure, it’s basically ‘here’s the topic’ or ‘here’s the idea, have fun with it,’ and I really like that creative freedom with my writing,” said Carman.
A welcoming environment helped the students feel more comfortable in the classroom. The constant support allowed them to enjoy their hobbies.
“I like that everyone is not judgmental there, they’re all accepting. Everyone’s there to make poetry, whether it’s about emotional things, or writing poetry about rivers,” said Dimaya.
As of now, the poets have only performed in front of a few of their fellow peers. The goal for the future is to create a slam poetry open-mic night.
With this event, it will allow students, staff and families to come together to support the writers, their aspirations and their hobbies. This English elective is a great example of the countless opportunities offered at Mililani High School.
For more information on the class or slam poetry, email Christopher Sato at christopher.sato@k12.hi.us or visit his classroom at L201.
TWriter Brooklyn Oseni Designer Skyler Leffew
he history of Okinawa and Hawai’i has long been intertwined. Both are Pacific nations that have assisted each other culturally and economically. Throughout history, they have been linked due to the political disruptions they faced from stronger political powers. Their locations make them lucrative locations for military endeavors, which can be cited as reasons for them being invaded, and eventually annexed.
Modern day Hawai’i and Okinawa reflect these unique experiences of cultural exchange, which continues to be encouraged. This was a goal when creating the Hawai’i United Okinawa Association (HUOA). Established in 1951, the organization aided in providing relief for Okinawa post World War II, creating a relationship between the people of Okinawa and Hawaii’s Okinawan population.
Hawai’i-Okinawa Exchange Program
This connection is strengthened through opportunities brought by the Hawai’i-Okinawa High School Student Exchange Program (HOSEP). It was established by the State Legislature, and is a partnership between the Department of Education and the Hawaii United Okinawa in 1990.
“It started off as a celebration of the relationship between Hawai’i and Okinawa and creating a program that perpetuates that relationship and it has for 35 years,” said Executive Director of HUOA Jon Itomura.
The program is organized through two phases: phase one consisted of 15-25 Okinawan high school students travelling to Hawai’i to homestay and attend local schools and phase two had 15-25 Hawai’i high school students–with preferential treatment given to those who hosted Okinawan students–travel to Okinawa to attend class and take day tours of Okinawa. The Hawai’i schools that participated
in the program consisted of Mililani, Leilehua, Castle, UH Lab, Kalani, Le Jardin, Moanalua, Iolani, Punahou, Damien, Mid Pacific, Kaiser, Pearl City and Aiea.
“They’re coming over to be a part of your family. And it takes some training and talking to family members, including the adults in the family to say, you’re not their tour guide. You’re their parent. And the students, you’re basically their brother and sister while they’re here,” said Itomura.
A host family provides accommodations and meals to exchange students, essentially becoming their home away from home. Families are recruited at HUOA’s booth during the annual Okinawan Festival or can apply online. They are responsible for the Okinawan students and participate in workshops to become prepared.
“I had to get everything out of my room and prepare my room because our house is kind of small. I had to move into my sister’s room and so that was kind of one way we accommodated,” said senior Mollie Moore.
Some challenges included learning and assimilating to a completely different educational system and integrating into the lives of their host families.
“One of the things they worked on for the aloha party was to write two songs and one of the songs was actually about [a girl from Okinawa’s] brother who passed away as a twoyear-old…they both went on stage and the Okinawan girl played the piano and the Hawai’i girl sang with her,” said Itomura.
This is a demonstration of the connection developed between exchange students and their host family, allowing them to foster lifelong familial ties, leading students from Okinawa to return to Hawai’i and vice versa.
“I think so many people are so different and come from different backgrounds, and so kind like Okinawan
people. Students are quieter here than I thought. They’re more quieter and less rowdy than Japanese students,” said Okinawan exchange student Alina Ito.
The benefits of doing exchange programs is the experience it provides to students to step out of their comfort zone and learn directly from their experiences, breaking stereotypes and introducing new ideas to countries that participate in the exchange program.
“Hawai’i, most people are very proud to be in Hawai’i. And Okinawa, we are proud to be as an Okinawan, but we don’t say it much. But Hawaiian people say it a lot, so I think we should learn from that and say it a lot, that I’m proud to be an Okinawan,” said Okinawan exchange student Micah Divis-Reimer.
Exchange students bring back a sense of unity to their community, changing the way people think. This creates a cycle of cultural exchange which may continue to be repeated throughout future HOSEP phases.
The History of Okinawa and Hawaii Okinawa’s annexation can be traced back to the invasion of Ryukyu in 1609. This independent kingdom prospered as a trading state, becoming known as a period of the “golden age of trading.” The Naha Port became a center of connection between Japan, China and Southeast Asia,
and the cultural diffusion between the various regions resulted in Ryukyuans developing a diverse identity. By 1879, the Meiji government abolished the kingdom and the islands were joined together, becoming the Okinawa prefecture of Japan.
Hawaii’s invasion can be cited back to the late 18th century. In the mid-1800s, Hawaii’s economic and political system became dependent on the United States. A rise in sugarcane plantations became an economic motivator for American businessmen to gain control in Hawaiian politics. The sugar plantations were prosperous, opening new jobs for Hawaiian natives, and bringing in new ethnic groups. In 1896, President William Mckinley was elected and encouraged the annexation of Hawai’i which had been proposed by Sanford B. Dole. By 1898, Hawai’i was annexed through a joint resolution.
“Okinawans, especially during World War II, they were told not to use their language…they look at Hawai’i and Hawaii’s emergent schools and our emphasis on Hawai’i ‘Aina . And they’re hoping that they can do the same because their culture and their language are completely unique from mainland Japan.” said Itomura.
For more information on participating in HOSEP, email Jon Itomura at jon.itomura.ed@huoa.org or visit the HUOA website at www.huoa.org.
Writer Jaylenn Jay-Abe
CPhotographer Isabel LeFebre Brooklyn Oseni
Designer Sarah Yamamoto Savitri Dube
ulture appreciation; an opportunity to acknowledge not only your culture but also cultures around the world that may not be as known. On Feb. 19, Mililani High School hosted the yearly culture fair where students ran booths on the culture they were representing, displaying different things like foods and games as a way to help students engage and learn more about that culture.
“To me, I really used it as a way to showcase Palau and their culture. While it’s very close cousins with Hawai’i, it’s not very well known or versed. The only people who really know it are those who have lived there. So it is a really good way to showcase my culture, so that it’s better out there,” said junior Oliana Greenlaw.
During culture fair, Greenlaw was a part of the booth that represented Palau. As a way for people to learn about her culture, Greenlaw incorporated foods like deluldiokng which is a tapioca that can be dipped into a coconut cream.
Joining Greenlaw were other booths that represented cultures like Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, German, Turkish, Korean, Canada, South Korea, Hispanic, Vietnamese, Panama, Samoa and Chile.
“I think [culture fair] did positively impact students because there were other groups other than the (student-run) Filipino booth. There was the Filipino curriculum project, which is an organization promoting putting the Filipino history culture course into high schools here. There was also the Filcom center, which is a place in Waipahu where they also promote Filipino culture. So I felt like having those two corners of the tent was really nice to have, because last year it was just a course made by a student that asked all her friends to help her,” said treasurer of the MHS Fil-Am club and senior Erin Jorden-Carlos.
Carlos, who is also one of the 10 • Trojan Times • News
cofounders, just recently introduced the MHS Fil-Am club, representing Filipino culture. For Fil-Am, students in the club participated in a performance called Tinikling. Tinikling is a dance where students danced with PVC poles, but usually involves two people moving two bamboo poles with the poles tapping against each other and the ground as two other people dance in and out of the sticks. It was originally inspired by the movement of the tikling bird.
Aside from the Tinikling performance, other performances consisted of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, the Siva Dance and Wing Sing Lion Dance. The Lion Dance is a tradition in Chinese culture where more than one individual mimics the movement of a lion costume and essentially brings good luck wherever it goes. For the Siva Dance, it belongs to the Samoan culture where women dance in a slow and graceful manner as a way to tell a story.
“I think because of how many different ethnicities there are here and how many different people there are, culture fair just gives an opportunity to not only share your culture, but also to learn about other people’s cultures as well. So it can just bring a community together,” said senior Kayla Prieto.
For Prieto’s booth, the Chinese booth, Prieto included activities such as calligraphy writing where students got to write different characters on a lantern or couplet. Students also got red envelopes as an opportunity to hand out to the performers in the lion dance performance.
“When we were figuring it out, it definitely took a little while. We had to figure out what foods would be good here. Definitely since it’s its own thing, and a lot of things don’t really fall into the morals of other people, we had to find more of what would be more of an acceptable and not offensive thing to showcase. We had to find what we had
on this island here and then we had to have a lot of stuff shipped from Palau. But we showcased a lot of things for cultural significance, especially our beaded necklaces, which are used to represent the wealthy,” said Greenlaw.
For other booths, students included different activities for students to participate in such as arts and crafts for the Korean booth where students made their own Ddakji, a game where players slam folded paper tiles onto the ground to attempt to flip their opponent’s tile. Other activities included origami making for the Japanese booth, a traditional arts and crafts of folding pieces of paper into different forms of figures like animals, flowers and more. The Filipino booth also showcased wooden tops and mancala.
“I really enjoyed answering people’s questions. It made me really happy to see other people very interested in something they didn’t know and having people want to learn about it was probably the best part,” said Greenlaw.
Another activity to celebrate culture fair was the passport card challenge.
Students were encouraged to visit every booth and received stickers to place on a paper. Students who completed their paper won a small prize and were entered into a raffle for a larger prize.
As a way to support MHS’s culture fair, other vendors and organizations attended as well. The organizations consisted of Mililani Hongwanji, Filipino Community Center, Hawaii’s Plantation Village, Hawaii United Okinawa Association, Pu’uhonua Society, Obama Hawaiian African Museum and the Caledonian Society of Hawai’i. Vendors providing food and drinks consisted of Kona Ice, Blue Truck Teppanyaki, Perefoti Island Fixx, HI Cravings and Sama Sama LLC.
“I think students should participate in culture fair because it’s fun and there’s such good food and there’s just a bunch of students that just really want to represent their own culture,” said Carlos.
For more information about this year’s culture fair, visit @mililani_hs_ student_activities.
Trojan Community at its Finest!
MHS students participate in a variety of events like Culture Fair and Character Counts Fair, volunteering to represent something they are proud of. Foods, crafts and activities all help to bring a community together.
The loud boom of the gavel filled the gymnasium as the bailiff prompted the opening of the court session. On Dec. 10, 2024, the Hawai’i Supreme Court held the 21st Courts in the Community event at Mililani High School, where nearly 400 students were present to witness an oral argument of a real case. As part of the Judiciary Court’s outreach program, students from Mililani, ‘Aiea, Mckinley, Leilehua, Radford and Waipahu high schools were given the opportunity to experience the justice system in action.
“When I went to school, I never had the opportunity to go to court or witness a court proceeding, so for me to have kids at least just to witness it and see what goes on, I think it broadens their horizons and it gives them an insight as to what the court actually does. So I find it to be a really beneficial program for each high school student that gives them some understanding as to the court’s role in our community,” said Associate Justice Vladimir Devens.
At the event, the MHS gym was set up to appear like an authentic courtroom, with a stage covered in black fabric, a lectern and attorney tables. Students sat in bleachers dressed in their best business casual, and the Hawai’i Supreme Court Justices were clothed in their traditional black gowns. Although the court proceedings were a part of a learning event for high school students, the oral argument was by no means staged. With anything discussed and disputed during the proceedings being able to affect the case at hand, the stakes were high for all of whom were involved.
“It was a real case, what the program does is that they allow the opportunity for students to observe an actual court case with the state supreme court…everything that hap-
pened at the event, they were real and the questions that the judges were asking were genuine, it wasn’t scripted or anything,” said social studies teacher Micah Benavitz.
The oral argument that was observed was for the Bell vs. Hawai’i Public Housing Authority case, in which a tenant was evicted from a public housing unit after being a resident for 40 years. The tenant’s son-in-law, who was visiting the unit at the time, attacked and severely injured a neighbor, so the eviction board determined that her guest’s act violated her rental agreement and issued a notice of termination. The tenant was provided with a grievance hearing, however, she was not able to cure the violation as the eviction board argued that there was no way for her to undo the assault of her neighbor. After several hearings, the case was eventually transferred to the Hawai’i Supreme Court.
“When the lawyers go to campus and they do mock arguments with the students, I hope sometimes that the students realize that maybe a question they ask when they did the practice argument is something that one of us asked,” said Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald. “I actually had a student come up to me and say, ‘I asked the same question that Justice Acoba asked,’ at one of our very first one of these events.”
To prepare for the case, participating classes studied under a curriculum developed by the Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center and the Students for Public Outreach and Civic Education of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa—William S. Richardson School of Law. Under the guidance of volunteer attorneys from the Hawaii State Bar Association (HSBA), students were given a debrief of the case and engaged in a moot court activity, where the attorneys acted as a panel of judges that oversaw students who
argued the case themselves. From there, students had the opportunity to be given feedback from the attorneys to further their understanding of the legal system.
“I think that getting to see the justices afterwards, after they took off their robes and were in their casual wear, was interesting. I don’t know if it was for everyone, but my volunteer lawyer would talk to us about each justice and their history. So he was like ‘Oh, these two girls played softball,’ or whatever, and even though I didn’t talk to them, I got to know specific things about them,” said senior Lanei Tarango-Velez.
Following the conclusion of the proceedings, students were given time for a question and answer session with both the attorneys and the justices. Questions touched on topics such as educational backgrounds, work environment and past cases, allowing students to interact with the team of legal professionals on a more personal level. A window of time was also made for the justices to take part in a one-on-one interview with student journalists from participating schools.
“It’s kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity for Mililani High School to host an event like that, because I think it’s like once every five, six years,” said Benavitz.
For more information, contact the Communications and Community Relations Office at pao@courts.hawaii. gov.
Vladimir
The Hawai’i Supreme Court is the highest court in the state, and is used as a last resort for unresolved cases seeking justice. Made up of a chief justice and four associate justices, the court holds the power of judicial review and exclusive jurisdiction over rules of practice and procedure of all state courts. The justices are nominated by the governor from a list of names submitted by the Judicial Selection Commission and are appointed for a ten year term or longer. Here are the current members that compose the Hawai’i Supreme Court.
The youngest member of the Supreme Court, Vladimir Devens was sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court on Jan. 12, 2024. Prior to his appointment, Devens has had 30 years of experience in law, focusing on civil litigation in various areas of the law, and was previously a director of the Hawai’i State Bar Association Board. He is a 1980 graduate of Kalani High School.
“I was involved in trial type cases and those are always a struggle because it’s very intense. There’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of hard work that goes into it and a lot of sleepless nights. But if you consider that a struggle, that’s what I was looking for the last 30 plus years and here I am now on the Supreme Court, which is an immense honor and privilege,” said Devens.
Mark Recktenwald - Chief Justice
On Sept. 14, 2020, Mark Recktenwald was sworn in as chief justice of the Hawai’i Supreme Court after serving as an associate justice since May 11, 2009. Before joining the Supreme Court, he held the title of chief judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals and the director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Due to the 70 year old age limit of the court, 2025 will be the last year that he will be able to serve as chief justice.
“If we need to explain publicly what we’re doing, all of those are things that I’m accountable for, how whether we have enough resources in our courts, whether we’re deciding cases fast enough and have the right resources in the right places. Those are all things that I spend the other half of my day worrying about, but it’s a great opportunity because we can do things that really help people in the community,” said Recktenwald.
Lisa Ginoza was sworn in as associate justice of the Supreme Court on Jan. 12, 2024. Prior to her appointment, Ginoza served as Chief Justice to the Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA), and was an associate judge on the ICA before that. After graduating from the William S. Richardson School of Law, she served as a law clerk and practiced civil litigation for over 14 years. Ginoza is a Kailua High School graduate.
Todd Eddins was appointed associate justice of the Supreme Court on Dec. 11, 2020. He had also served as a part of the Circuit Court of the First Circuit judge since 2017. After graduating from the University of Hawai’i William S. Richardson School of Law, he became a law clerk for Justice Yoshimi Hayashi of the Hawai’i Supreme Court. He later served as a deputy public defender, where he was lead trial counsel in 125 jury trials.
McKenna was sworn in as an associate justice on March 3, 2011. Prior to her appointment, McKenna was a Hawai’i state trial court judge, civil litigator, corporate counsel and law professor. When she began serving as a trial court judge in 1993, she presided in district, circuit and family courts. She is the first openly gay judge to serve on the Hawai’i Supreme Court.
On Feb. 17-19, students from all across the island came together for the Career and Technical State Organizations (CTSO) Convention. At this convention, participants were able to showcase the fruits of their learning through Career and Technical Education (CTE) related activities. Organizations including DECA, HOSA - Future Health Professionals, Future Farmers of America, Family Career Community Leaders of America and SkillsUSA hosted various competitions for students to take part in.
“I think it’s a really great event that the students have the opportunity to participate in. I think a lot of the students really see the value of what they did, and they understand the importance of what they’re learning in their classes to their future careers. They get to meet industry people who are their judges, other students, and they get to broaden their perspective on things,” said CTE Work Based Learning Coordinator Janise Kim.
These events simulated different environments that students may encounter in the future once they have pursued the careers they are interested in. The competition let students test their skills and see how other students in the same field performed.
“I really felt that the best thing CTSO did for me was showing me what I was good at, and what I needed to work on. Specifically for me I realized that I needed to review network protocols and industry standards for computer networking,” said senior Dylan Cooper.
The CTSO convention also gave contenders the chance to meet and connect with other people in the competition, as well as specialists who gave advice to attendees. These specialists taught others technical skills and also talked about how they got to where they were.
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“CTSO is a great networking opportunity because it allows you to meet with people from all over the state. It’s a very rare opportunity that you’ll get to meet with all of these people who have the same interest as you in one place. I’d say it’s better to network with as many people as you can because you never know when you might see them again,” said DECA competitor and junior Daniel Oka.
SkillsUSA held events that tested participants’ computer technical abilities. One such event was the Internetworking Competition, which Cooper took second place for. This event had three main components. The first part was a written quiz with multiple choice questions and a network subnetting problem. The second part involved the use of Packet Tracer, a program that simulates a computer networking environment, and required participants to configure routers and switches. The last part was a mock tech support call.
“My favorite part of the [Internetworking] Competition was the mock tech support call. I really enjoyed having my problem solving and troubleshooting skills being put to the test,” said Cooper. “I also felt like this part of the competition was the best for seeing how comfortable I would be in a professional environment.”
DECA held events that tested participants’ business skills. The Sport and Entertainment Team event required students to work together to create marketing ideas under a time constraint in order to boost sales for a major business, making sure to meet all the performance indicators to make their campaign succeed. As with other events, professionalism was critical to their success.
“Presenting what we created whilst speaking clearly, holding eye contact and maintaining overall good body language was an obstacle we had to overcome,” said Oka.
All systems clear! Junior Matthew Vivas wins first place in the Career and Technical State Organizations Convention’s Internetworking Competition. This convention gave students the opportunity to network with others and exercise various Career and Technical Education skills.
Practice and preparation is also important in determining success at the convention. The limited time provided to students to make decisions and give answers meant that they needed to understand the content they were consuming in order to perform to their best ability.
“I think it was hard because I didn’t have prior knowledge, and I didn’t study beforehand. I didn’t have all my materials, I needed to be able to go in there and crush it,” said DECA competitor and junior Kaz Harada.
“There’s an app called DECA+, and you’re able to look at a lot of the cases that they present at CTSO competitions, and because of that, I could have just went in there and studied them and come up with responses and found ways to improve.”
Mililani High School’s participation would not have been available without the help of the advisors and CTE coordinators. Both CTE coordinators, Jamie Ludwig and Kim, helped to manage funding which provided students with lodging and transportation. Kim, Ludwig and other advisors helped to judge events and made sure the event went smoothly.
“Our advisors work really hard at the convention. A lot of them are running the events. They’re chair people for the actual events. We are there to, in addition, provide supervision and help if they need so students have someone they can ask, ‘I need a band aid,’ you know, things like that,” said Kim.
For more information about the CTSO Convention, visit bit.ly/mililaniCTE and select ‘CTSO’ from the dropdown menu.
From skibidi to gyatt, the words we use are constantly changing.
Today, the young generations use a variety of slang fueled by the internet and social media in everyday conversations. Look in any social media comment section and you will find a plethora of slang words that leave older generations confused. Some argue that this constant change in language isn’t just evolution, it’s brain rot. Has slang become so bizarre that it’s harming the way people communicate, or is it simply taking linguistic creativity to the next level?
“Slang to me are terms that are sort of generational that mean certain things to people in that generation… But usually it’s like the young people in a generation and words they come up with to communicate with one another,” said history teacher Kimberly Lauzon.
Many of the words students use today are slang that has been normalized and added to everyday language. This applies to more than brain rot words; it applies to words and phrases such as “my bad,” “going out” and “whatever.” New words get added much more frequently in this generation compared to before, and the internet and common use of social media amongst teens could be a cause for this.
“I think that social media can make the spread of slang happen much faster. It makes it easier for people to collaborate and make new slang words up,” said freshman Ephraim Aoki. “It causes more creativity but also more nonsense.”
Social media exponentially speeds up the rate in which slang words are pumped into the community. Especially with mainstream apps such as TikTok and Instagram, the younger generation is constantly receiving information through their phones. This allows slang words to go viral and
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quickly be used in everyday life.
“A good word for [this] might be etymology–it’s the study of words. I follow this guy who’s an etymologist, and he talks about how word trends happen and how they happen faster, but then they also disappear quicker too. One of the things he also likes to do is kind of how words have changed in their meaning over time, how when it first started, it meant this and then today it means this. In some cases, with most like sort of explicit language, they tend to get less and less explicit and more commonly used. In this case, it’s not necessarily a swear word, but it might have meant something inappropriate, but now it’s perfectly fine to say that today,” said English teacher Kyle Monette.
With language changing so fast, it can cause people to feel left behind. Slang, though a way of communication, could also be seen as one large inside joke among a generation. People who don’t have social media can easily be confused by slang or feel left out when their peers use such words. This also makes it difficult for different generations to communicate with one another, especially with older generations’ language becoming outdated and new language being pumped out so quickly.
“It can hurt people’s feelings if they are not up to date on the slang or if they use something incorrectly. I think sometimes it can make them a little–I don’t want to say disrespectful–but unaware of the correct social kind of use of certain words,” said Lauzon. “I just feel like there are so many made up words.”
However, even with this strange vocabulary floating around and being used, it can create a stronger sense of identity and culture between students. Sharing and using these words can allow people to feel like a part of a group, allowing for a stronger under -
standing and connection between students. This leads to stronger friendships, a higher sense of belonging and better interactions between students.
“I think that if both people know brain rot it can make it easier to communicate because they can relate to certain words and jokes,” said Aoki. “But if one doesn’t know the slang it could create a barrier between people because they don’t fully understand what they’re talking about.”
One slang word that is commonly used is the phrase “lock in.” It means to hone and put in full focus onto an activity, usually involving sports or academics. Some teachers like this phrase because it is simple and calls for complete undivided focus and attention.
“I loved the phrase lock in,” said Monette. “It ended up being probably one of the most effective classroom
management tools in my entire career, because all I had to say was ‘lock in’ and people got to work. I was like, wow, there’s no more battle. There’s no more struggle. There’s no more, ‘Hey, do you want me to call your parents or do you need to come in after school for detention to make up this work that you’re not doing?’”
Slang has a large influence on the current generation. Though older generations tend to misunderstand what students are saying, it creates a stronger bond between students. Though words have gotten more strange over the years, slang still shares the same purpose it held in generations before. For more information regarding slang, you can visit https://thelibertylivewire.com/9465/features/discrepancies-in-the-classroom-generational-slang/.
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TPhotographer Alastair Domingo
oday’s journalism is different from what it was 40, 20 or even 10 years ago. Journalism has always been an ever-changing and flexible medium for reporters to tell people’s stories and truths. Even today, it continues to transform with the continued growth of the internet and social media, which can almost be like word-of-mouth sources. When taking a look at the history of journalism, after every advancement in the industry, it often felt like print news was finally losing its place. But, journalism hasn’t died out easily, and it continues to this day with a new generation of reporters.
“From my perspective, right now with the media landscape, it’s so diverse now. We see print newspapers even transitioning online, for example, even for Hawaii Public Radio, we have not just the broadcast version that you hear on the radio in your car, but you
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also have the online platform. And even Star-Advertiser also has an online platform, so if you miss it in the print edition, you can go online, so people have different ways of consuming. Some people wanna watch Hawaii News Now, KITV, KHON, that’s how they consume their news or they can go online to their websites too,” said Hawaii Public Radio Culture and Arts Reporter Cassie Ordonio. “So, when it comes to print and online, I think right now, what I’m seeing in the media landscape is that newspapers across the nation are dwindling because newspapers and other media industries have built their own websites.”
The Trojan Times did a survey with 203 Mililani High School students to find out where they primarily get their information about global events. It showed that 67% get from social media, 18.7% get from family/friends, 6.9% get from TV broadcasts, 2.5% get from online stories, 2% get from newspapers/magazines and the last
2.9% from other sources. Without even factoring in online browser searches, there is evidence that for a majority of students at MHS, their news is typically from online sources.
“Digital journalism is quick, it can reach audiences that might not have been reachable, but a lot of times it gets drowned out by entertainment, and media has changed so much in the sense that journalism can be compromised when they’re trying to just get your attention and keep our attention at their sight. So what gets the attention of the reader are true for print journalism to a certain extent. Like what would be the headline and maybe how bold or how big the titles would be on certain articles to grab your attention. But now, journalism and entertainment has been blended so much that I worry about the integrity of getting the truth in facts out sometimes,” said Principal Fred Murphy.
Physical newspapers have been fighting for a place since the dawn of
AM radio and the affordability of television in homes, and now this decline seems to continue with the boom of the internet and social media. When the radio came onto the scene—despite being a lesser advancement than the internet—many thought it was going to outright kill printed newspapers. However, at the time newspapers still had something distinct from radio news: the feel of paper, the ink lining the article and printed images. When television broadcasts hit, newspapers lost their edge of images, but its unique characteristics remained, in addition to its portability and convenience that television didn’t yet have. When looking back at what seemed to keep newspapers afloat, it was the attributes that the newest technological advancements didn’t quite replicate. The internet and social media have virtually everything physical newspapers have besides the quality of physical paper, yet they remain distinctly different from one another. Physical newspapers have survived because people have preferences and some may still enjoy physical news.
“This was a pretty big kind of issue or concern for us when I was working at Ka Leo. There was a big debate about whether we should even keep printing things, or just go all online. A lot of people, a lot of us fought hard to keep it print as well as the digital, just because, I feel like we had a lot of newsstands all around campus that students could pick up the issues at. And we did see that, especially at the Stan Sheriff–for lack of a better term–that old people would always pick up our issues because they still like to read the newspaper. Being able to work towards that physical product design, writing, photography wise was all pretty important to us and to my advisors,” said MHS Alumnus and Former Ka Leo and Trojan Times Editor-in-Chief Anna Kim.
According to the same survey done at MHS, 98.5% of respondents have seen fake news online, and 57.9% have believed it at some point. Possibly one of the most prominent issues with online news is that it’s not exclusive to big news companies, who are overall more obligated to fact check and post credible news. Anyone can hear something and post it online, and online searches pull from a variety of sources. The top search result for many Google users is an “AI Overview” which has had some notoriously inaccurate results.
“But I just feel that print media is a different media altogether and it’s a different vehicle to put news and information in front of the people in a different room that they may not have navigated into on their own. So there is a power to localize media and print media . . . to bring communities together and to inform targeted audiences. So, journalism is essential in an online platform because our job is to disseminate the real news from fake news. Our job is to make sure we
practice the code of ethics, our job is to be sure that we get the most accurate information out there in an online platform,” said Ordonio.
Many modern news outlets that are synonymous with printed paper like the Honolulu Star-Advertiser are also going online, while still keeping a physical print. In the same way that some newspapers bought radio a century ago to keep up with the changing times, many news outlets have been building online viewership and presence. The growth of the internet and social media doesn’t mean the end of credible information, but it’s certainly an expansion of free voice and people’s ability to spread information, which can be both good and bad.
Journalism at Mililani High School
“Well, my long-term intent is to have more opportunities for our journalists to cover stories, not just at Mililani High School, but within the greater Mililani community. And print media is something that can be mailed, it’s something that is harder to ignore. If you don’t navigate to a certain screen, you won’t see [online news], but when something comes to your mailbox, and it’s a newspaper, it is more likely that our greater community will read it. We also can incorporate fundraising by incorporating advertisements by things to free the costs,” said Murphy.
The Trojan Times is committed to a printed newspaper, despite struggles with the closing of The Hawai’i Hochi, its previous printer from last school year. A physical school newspaper gives the opportunity to report on local news, news about what’s happening at Mililani High School and in the Mililani Community.
Writer
With hundreds of students being accounted for, school lunches serve an important role in keeping students nourished and healthy throughout the day. Since elementary school, the majority of students have eaten school provided food close to everyday, and today it has become a staple in their lives. However, a lot more goes on behind the scenes when it comes to school lunches such as menu changes, dietary restrictions and more. One example of this would be the recent implementation of meatless Mondays at Mililani High School.
“[State] Representative Trish La Chica helped pass a bill with the senate or the legislature to create a more sustainable cafeteria meal option utilizing local farms and local produce, but also there was a demand from students for the cafeterias to also provide options where there is no meat in their school lunches,” said Vice Principal Reid Nonaka.
Some of the meatless options include cheese bites, cheese pizza, three bean chili and the meatless tenders. There are also foods used in substitution for meat, including beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, grains and vegetables. These open the door to school lunches for students who do not eat meat, and also provide a more environmentally friendly and sustainable option.
“It’s inspiring and encouraging to see young voices advocating for change. It shows that people, especially youth, are becoming more aware of how their choices impact both their health and the environment. Their efforts to make a difference demonstrate the power of the younger generation to shape the future, promoting sustainability and healthier practices
within our community. It’s a reminder that when young people come together, they can drive meaningful change,” said La Chica.
Jennifer Kuwahara’s environmental science students brought to La Chica the idea of a bill featuring vegetarian meals. The bill was introduced and eventually died, however, Mililani High School leadership still implemented it in response to the students’ advocations.
“It’s important to recognize that initiatives like Meatless Mondays are not just about one meal a week—they represent a larger movement where young people are stepping up to make a positive impact. Whether someone participates for health, environmental reasons, or simply out of curiosity, it’s a powerful way to encourage more conscious and sustainable eating habits. The real message is that every small action counts, and youth are leading the way in pushing for change that benefits everyone,” said La Chica.
With so many options provided on the school menu, students are bound to pick out their likes and dislikes. Despite this, the cafeteria works to serve students with sanitized, clean and fresh food, all at a low price.
“The way my team works is they put everything into those meals, we make sure that it’s clean, fresh and do it every day. We don’t cook the item the day before or two weeks before–we do it every day. So every meal is treated special,” said Cafeteria Manager Gloria Pilar.
But these successes don’t come without struggles. With the recent hit of COVID-19, school lunches struggled due to a lack of students in school. This led to less sales of school lunch, and put the positions of cafeteria
workers in danger.
“So during COVID time, the participation of the students was low. That gave us stress in our team because in those cases we can lose our spots and positions. But when COVID slowly disappeared, the number of participants went back. So also last week, our numbers are still really high,” said Pilar.
Another major event within the cafeteria was the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, signed by President Barack Obama. This reformed school meal programs to include more nutrition in meals and introduced the idea of the food pyramid–a visual representation of how much food from each basic food group a person should eat each day. Though introduced 15 years ago, it caused changes within school cafeterias.
“Michelle Obama’s program was about more vegetables and more fruits to our students. I think our school, Mililani High School especially, is still implementing those programs. We’re still telling our kids, ‘take your fruits and take your vegetables.’ I know
for Mililani High School, I personally choose fruits and vegetables for our school and still up to now, we don’t have any processed or canned fruits, we still do fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Pilar.
These fresh fruits and vegetables allow for nutritional meals being provided to students, examples being apples, pineapples, lettuce, tomatoes and coleslaw. That being said, student preference is still a factor with lunches.
“One thing I like [about the cafeteria] is they serve lunches that are popular. I remember in elementary school they would give us lunches nobody liked, but they still served it anyways, but at the high school they know what we like so they can continue serving it,” said sophomore Alexis Yamane, “My favorite is the barbecue pork sandwich.”
For more information on school meals and the implementation of meatless Mondays, email Cafeteria Manager Pilar at gloria.pilar@k12. hi.us or find her in the cafeteria before school or during recess and lunch.
As winter sports come to a close, the community got to witness Mililani High School’s boys and girls varsity soccer teams overcome their challenges to win the O’ahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) Championships. The girls were able to secure the trophy after last year’s loss from James Campbell High School and the boys pushed through to their fourth OIA win in a row.
On Jan. 25 at OIA championships, the boys were down 1-0 against Campbell for the first half. This was the first time the boys were down a point all season. Although they felt the pressure, they were unshaken and able to continue their reign as OIA champions.
“I think our OIA championship against Campbell really stood out to me because it was the first time we did go down a goal in a game, and especially with three previous OIA championships on the line, there was definitely a lot of pressure to perform and come out with the win, but we stayed pretty composed and we ended up pulling off the win in overtime,” said senior Kalen Toguchi.
In addition to the MHS Trojans’ OIA
Matthew Lamborn.
The boys were able to develop connections with each other off the field that helped them dominate on the field.
“I think the most important thing I got out of my high school soccer experience is just meeting so many different people, even the boys that graduated when I was a freshman. I still keep in touch with them here and there. It’s just really tight knit, and we’re all friends. When you have that much chemistry and you’re that comfortable around the other boys, winning is just a byproduct of what happens from that,” said Toguchi.
a team’s progress and success, which was especially demonstrated by the girls team. Having been on such a skilled team for so long let the athletes learn to make connections with people and translate that to their performance on the field.
“I am so grateful for all my teammates. I either grew up with or played against most of my teammates, so being able to grow up with each other like this is so special, not to mention it made it really easy to play on the same team as them,” said Kunihisa.
win, they went undefeated the whole season and were also able to take down JCHS for the second year in a row at OIA’s.
“This win felt great because ever since we came to high school, we have won every year and it just felt good to go out with the same thing, four years in a row. It doesn’t happen often. We knew we were gonna be there and it was our duty to win that game, which we did,” said senior and boys varsity captain Tyler Tamashiro.
Once the season began, it was clear to the team that there were specific challenges they had to overcome. During practice they had to power through the mental obstacles of constantly running and conditioning, as well as creating good synergy with newcomers.
“I just moved here and I wasn’t part of this team last year so I had to develop chemistry with this team being brand new and it was very rough at the beginning, for me at least. But as the season progressed, I started to get goals with the team, I got assisted by different players. So I think we definitely started to bond more towards the end,” said junior transfer student
Alongside the boys, the girls also had their fair share of challenges to face and overcome. Dealing with rigorous hours of practice and conditioning, the girls’ determination kept them going.
“One of the biggest challenges we faced this season was getting through the conditioning. We had to run the ‘Aiea hill three times and do the beep test over five times. Although it was really difficult to finish these tasks mentally and physically, we were able to push through it together,” said senior and captain Camryn Kunihisa.
In team sports, chemistry on and off the field play an important role in
With another victory under their belt, the soccer team takes the time to appreciate their wins as well as set their sights on new goals for upcoming seasons.
“It’s not normal for a high school to score as many goals as our team has this season. For the next season I really wanna see our team build off the chemistry we made this year to go into OIA’s next time, win that, then go into states and bring home the trophy since we weren’t able to do that this year,” said Lamborn.
For more information and updates about soccer, visit them on Instagram @mililaniboyssoccer @mililanigirls. soccer.
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Sarah Yamamoto
s of now, the community of the Central Theatre Arts Academy (CTAA) and Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) departments continues to grow. However, its future was in jeopardy just a few weeks ago. The proposed budget cuts were a funding plan by the Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) to eliminate the state level funding for learning centers statewide. If passed, it would directly affect Mililani High School’s Science Learning Center (SLC) and CTAA.
“They weren’t necessarily eliminating the learning centers, they were just moving the fiscal responsibility around because the learning centers themselves are state funded, they are standalone state funded educational programs. So the Board of Education and legislature every two years do this song and dance of how much money are we allocating to fund these learning centers,” said SLC Coordinator John Sandvig. “It became this weird issue of, well, if it’s not being independently funded at a state level, how is it fair for one school to front all of that cost while other schools get benefit?”
The proposed budget cut, approximately 1.7 million, was proposed by the Board of Education (BOE) as a form of relocating the funds and putting the responsibility to pay for the learning centers at the school level. Statewide, 1.7 million dollars would be taken out of the yearly budget for all 29 learning centers, meaning the budget changes
Designer Skyler Leffew
would be in effect all over Hawai’i.
MHS’ CTAA program would cost Esguerra’s half-time position and 17,000, which is considered the yearly cost for each learning program in order to maintain the CTAA program. The SLC receives the same $17,000 for supplies, as well as the funding for half a teacher position (~$35,000) annually. This money goes towards For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics and the Science Club. If this large cut of money were to be taken away, both CTAA and SLC coordinators would have difficulties managing their programs and ensuring opportunities for their students.
“I was devastated as the Mililani SLC and its funding is integral to our FIRST Robotics program. It was terrifying to think of the possibility that it wouldn’t survive past this year,” said senior and president of FIRST Robotics Club Jaycee Hasegawa. “The FIRST Robotics program has become my second home and is undoubtedly the most meaningful thing that I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the Mililani SLC, and I hope that generations of students will get to have a similar experience. The budget cuts would have taken away a community that provides many of us with a sense of belonging at MHS.”
The purpose of the proposed budget cuts was to relocate those funds to different initiatives or activities HIDOE wanted to open up, some of which include funds for summer learning hubs that address learning loss due to
the repercussions of COVID-19. Other initiatives included funds for workforce readiness, tutoring programs and funds to establish flag football as a new girl sport in alignment with the title.
“It’s not just [the CTAA] program, it was our robotics STEM program. Other schools have agriculture programs. So it’s a bunch of different programs underneath the learning center programs that their funding would have been cut,” said CTAA Learning Center Coordinator Geneva Esguerra.
After discovering it less than a week before the BOE meeting, SLC coordinators Sandvig and Tyson Kikugawa had to take action. With the little time they had, they pushed out the idea of testimonies to their students. Esguer -
ra and students of CTAA started by giving out a website link to students, faculty, and community members, reaching out to representatives and social media as a way to gather testimony.
“We rallied all the students we had, community members, teachers, anyone associated with our program like alumni to at least send in written testimony, just to try to show the board that that decision is a little misguided and that they shouldn’t move the funding and cut our funding, and it was successful,” said Sandvig. “By the day of the Board of Education meeting, there were over 1,200 pages of written testimony from anyone and everyone.” By the next two days, members of MHS and even alumni of MHS, came together at the Queen Liliuokalani building where they rallied by filling
up the room and hallway to testify against the proposed budget cut. Esguerra even went as far as to reach out to local news publications, and articles aired on Hawaii News Now and Civil Beat regarding the topic.
“An obstacle that we faced before the protest was the fear of the outcome. None of us knew how this was going to turn out, so we were definitely scared,” said Isabelle Enriques, President of Hawai’i High School Democrats of America.
The following schools that were affected by the proposed budget included Baldwin, Campbell, Castle, Hilo, Kahuku, Kailua, Kaimuki, Kaiser, Kalaheo, Kapolei, Lauai, Lahainaluna, Leilehua, Maui, McKinley, Mililani, Moanalua, Nanakuli, Pearl City, Radford, Roosevelt, Waiakea, Waianae and Waipahu. These cuts went alongside the courses being affected which included performing arts, STEM, business and agriculture.
“I was really shocked and worried for the future of these programs and the future of the coming generations,” said junior Mimi Carman.
For CTAA specifically, the budget cut would pose a major issue. CTAA coordinators and students need the money to fund things such as material needed to make props and sets, which can range up to $100. Another thing CTAA needs the money to fund is the right to put on shows. In order to fund shows, coordinators would require approval, which costs $25,500. To add onto that, it would also cost $200,500 to put on musicals or $700 to put on plays. Hosting their new
show, Hadestown: Teen Edition, cost them up to over $2,000.
“So all of our performing arts kids who have a passion for theater or like not just on stage, but backstage, gravitate towards this program. And they’ve created a home here and the hardest thing I had to do was inform the kids of this, and the possibility that in two years the program would be gone. What made the kids even more sad is our younger schools like our elementary kids. They know about Central Theater Arts Academy, and they know that when they get to high school that’s what they wanna do. And the thought that these kids, third grader, fourth graders are like, ‘Oh, Central Theater Arts Academy is so cool. I can’t wait to join this program,’ for that to be gone. And what would have replaced it? I don’t know,” said
Esguerra.
With the many testimonies from students of a variety of schools, along with the help of various politicians from the district, their stance was heard by the BOE. In the end, the proposal was thrown out, and this secured that these learning centers would continue to be funded over the fiscal years 2025-2027.
“I was really happy to hear that the learning centers would receive funding for the next two years. I’m so grateful that our voice was heard by the BOE and that our robotics program is safe. I can’t imagine how similar that feeling must be for so many others at MHS and across the state. On the other hand, I am still worried as the DOE does intend to carry out the budget
cuts to learning centers after 2027,” said Hasegawa.
For more information on the CTAA protest, visit Geneva Esguerra at P25 or their Instagram @centraltheatrearts.
For more information on the budget cuts and how they affected the SLC, please visit Sandvig at G103 or email him at john.sandvig@k12.hi.us.
he Met Gala may be one of the biggest and most glamorous fashion events to take place in the United States, with a long list of famous figures making an appearance in extravagant outfits created by fashion powerhouses. The event is held to fundraise for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City, and a different themed dress code is given into the department’s annual spring exhibition. Recently, the 2025 Met Gala theme has been announced, titled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which will be featuring Black dandyism and the cultural significance of defiant Black menswear. Although the thought of such a big spotlight on African American history in mainstream media is very exciting, we’ll only have to wait and see if this novel theme will become a fashion do or a fashion don’t.
As a person of African American descent who grew up surrounded by Black culture, I believe that the representation of dandyism at the Met Gala
is an important step to further diversify the fashion industry, but extra precautions must be taken to showcase Black history in a way that does not cause problems or controversy. With fashion also being a significant part of who I am and what I stand for, it is imperative to me that we acknowledge the impact of the African diaspora on fashion culture and history.
Inspired by the book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Dysphoric Identity by Monica L. Miller, the Costume Institute’s “Superfine” exhibit examines the history and formation of Black identities in the African diaspora, from the first emergence of the Black dandy to the modern day revival of dandyism. It will be segmented into 12 parts to further delve into the sartorial fashion movement, each section telling the story of the Black dandy through garments, photographs, film excerpts and more. The dress code for the Met Gala, “Tailored for You,” is much similar to the exhibit theme because it focuses on menswear and suiting, which is interestingly one of the few times that menswear will be the focal point of the event.
Let’s talk more about dandyism. In short, a dandy is a person—usually a gentleman—who places particular importance on physical appearance and grooming. This was specifically imposed on African men during the 18th century trans-Atlantic slave trade, when a trend of fashionably dressed servants being used as status symbols became prevalent amongst those with affluence. However, as they began
to incorporate their own cultural flair into their outfits, these Black dandies became more than mere objects of wealth, eventually leading to a movement that allowed Black identities to push the boundaries of social and political norms through expression, creativity and clothing. By making fashion statements that redefined their self-image and autonomy, Black dandies rebelled against systemic oppression and the otherwise harmful stereotypes commonly associated with the African diaspora.
This aesthetic is often characterized by the use of classical European mens-
wear such as three piece suits, top hats and tweed; mixed with African elements such as bold colors and flamboyant prints that contradict the typical image of an “English gentleman.” Black dandyism is not only about presenting oneself extravagantly, but also a celebration of cultural heritage, conveying pride in one’s identity whilst also subverting racist tropes. These ideals have been preserved throughout the centuries, influencing pop culture and fashion, and is reflected amongst several modern figures that have resuscitated the style of dandyism. Some notable figures include Janelle Monáe, Dapper Dan and of course, late fashion editor André Leon Talley.
With how much attention African American history has been receiving in recent years, it is refreshing to see how the Met’s costume institute is actively seeking to diversify its curations, especially in an industry that is known for its less-than-inclusive ways. Inclusivity is also demonstrated in the organization of the Met Gala this year, as the co-chairs of the event including Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams are all arguably quintessential modern examples of Black dandies. Most importantly, Miller, the guest curator for this year’s exhibit, is a Black woman whose work is being recognized by the masses, which is nothing short of an accomplishment.
The theme “Superfine” gives celebrities the opportunity to collaborate with African American fashion houses and stylists, shining a spotlight onto a historically underrepresented group in the fashion industry. The cultural significance of both the African diaspora
and dandyism has long been underappreciated, as Africans have held a deep-rooted history of the sartorial that forever changed fashion around the world. By having the Met Gala magnify the importance of recognizing Black culture and its overall impact on America as we know it, we can create greater discussions of equality in the world of fashion and find ways to ensure that Black voices in fashion are not marginalized.
Although the ultimate goal of the theme is to bring inclusivity to the Met Gala, it will be challenging to execute the idea without witnessing controversy, especially with the event’s track record. The gala’s dress code in 2024, “The Garden of Time,” for example, was criticized by many as being tonedeaf, especially because it was based on a short story that described willful ignorance of wealth inequality. With the one-percenters hosting what is fundamentally an elaborate pageantry against the backdrop of political
unrest in America and the Middle East, the irony of the entire situation was baffling to say the least.
Though “Superfine” is celebratory of African American heritage and identity, concerns for issues such as cultural appropriation and the exploitation of Black culture can be very much a possibility if not approached properly. Based on a celebrity’s interpretation of the theme and dress code, there may be many ways where their attire can be seen as insensitive, whether by disrespectful stereotypes or the commodification of Black culture. Through the perspective of status and class, the elites dressed in fashion that has been historically associated with rebellion against systematic oppression among the working class could rub one the wrong way. Participating in an event with a theme such as this, we would also need to acknowledge the lack of current African American representation in fashion and the curator industry.
The Met Gala is a prestigious event that has the potential to amplify the presence of Black identities in the fashion world, such as Exhibit Curator Miller, but can also be detrimental if represented in ways that are harmful to Black culture. For this theme to successfully achieve its intended re sults, guests and stylists must do their research prior on Black dandyism and the history of the African diaspora, while also keeping in mind the inclu sion of the Black community who are being highlighted by the event.
Writer Jullia Young Jullia Young
Designer Anela Reese
Test your MHS Trojan knowledge! Don’t forget to check your answers below.
1. What position did Mr. Murphy have before becoming principal?
a. algebra 2 teacher
b. baseball coach
c. performing arts assistant
d. band rifle captain
2. What is our school motto?
a. Excellence. Tradition. Pride.
b. Hail to the brown and gold
c. Try your hardest, try your best
d. Education conquers all
3. Which is NOT one of our class mascots?
a. phoenixes
b. koi
c. sea dragons
d. sharks
4. True or False: Mililani is one of the largest public schools in Hawai’i
a.true
b. false
5. What year did H-Building open?
a. 2019
b. 2011
c. 1994
d. 2005
answer key: d, a, c, a, b
