Contillo and Kawana named commended students

By Amanda Thomasa.thomas@trojantimes.org

Seniors Joleen Contillo and Jessica Kawana scored in the top 5 percent in the nation on the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test

(PSAT). Both received a Letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), recognizing them for their achievement. “I hadn’t expected any-thing like that, I was very CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

excited once I figured it all out,” explained Contillo in response to receiving the letter. “Mostly, I just felt honored to be recognized,” added Kawana.

Reinventing a classicCTAA’s fall production “Anon(ymous),” written by Naomi Iizuka, debuted on Oct. 28. The play, whose cast was largely made up of new faces, was a modern twist on Homer’s “Od-yssey.” The main character Anon, played by Junior Daniel Bayot, is comforted by the goddess Naja, played by Junior Kamuela-Dawn Napoleon.

Battle of the bots: VEX robotics teams land spot in state championships

Issue 3 Volume XXXIX www.trojantimes.org janTr TimesHigh

Mililani

November 3, 2011

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INDEX

NewsTrojan LifeChosen TrojansSportsEditorialInfo

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Feature | 8

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Uncommon uses for common household items

First OIA

title in school history

By Cyanne Itoc.ito@trojantimes.org

ith over 400 different teams qualifying for the VEX Robotics World Championship last year, the criteria to qualify for the champi-

onship this year had been raised. Despite this, the Trojanbots,

VEX Robotics teams 1973 A and B from MHS, went unde-feated and placed first and second respectively at the islandwide VEX Robotics Tournament hosted at MHS on Oct. 22.

W

Sophomores Clayton Dailey and Glenn Galvizo competed in six matches and each were six minutes long. The pair, along with Ju-nior Nalani Ogata, placed first in the VEX robotics competition.

Cyanne Ito | Trojan Times Cyanne Ito | Trojan Times

The team name 1973 was established because MHS was opened that year. In honor of the opening year, the three participating teams were named 1973 A, 1973 B and 1973 C.

Sports | 7

3

By Nathan Parkn.park@trojantimes.org

In an effort to improve Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) test scores, admin-istration added a Saturday testing day to all sessions. The first Saturday session was on Oct. 22 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The optional testing day gave students a chance to take the exam without having to miss their classes. They had most of the day to focus on the test as well as to achieve a passing score of 300. “The changes we’re implementing only help students,” said Data Co-ordinator Komarey Moss, “You come with a fresh mind, a clear head and hopefully you had some breakfast and you are ready to focus on the test.” In the past, students were pulled out of their classes to take the test, resulting in them falling behind in schoolwork. “Students are killing them-selves over a week of miss-ing classes and that’s not a good thing,” explained Vice Principal Andrea Moore.

Moss agreed saying, “We all know that when we give tests it always takes away from instructional time, so in order to alleviate some of that burden on teachers and students we’ve opened up the Saturday testing ses-sion.” In addition to setting up a Saturday session, administration is trying to improve the testing envi-ronment. “We are trying to avoid using the cafeteria this year because it is hot and crowded,” explained Moore, “So hopefully we would be able to do it in H building where it’s air-con-ditioned or the L building lab where at least there is a cross-breeze.” Students were recom-mended to try their best to attend the Saturday session.There were also Thursday and Friday sessions the fol-lowing week during class time for those who could not attend the Saturday session. In addition to the schedule changes, new equipment had been pur-chased to help the testing run without complication.

In the past, proctors have experienced many technical difficulties with the Internet and even the HSA testing website itself. This year, testing equipment had been updated to prevent these problems from occurring again. “We have purchased more wireless modems throughout the campus so we shouldn’t run into those problems,” explained Cur-riculum Coordinator Robin Miller.

Students from MHS came together for Make a Differ-ence Day on Oct. 22, where they did service projects to help improve the school and the community’s environ-ment. Although the event mainly revolved around cam-pus beautification projects, volunteers still felt that they were helping to benefit the community. “(Make a Difference Day is) a time when people can give back to try and help change things to improve … the school. That’s (why) we’re having (volunteers) come and help do things that our custo-dians don’t have the time or money for,” said Associated Students of Mililani High School Adviser Gail Nishimu-ra. The participants con-sisted of members from various MHS clubs along with athletes, student council, students and even a military group that holds a partner-ship with MHS. Some of the tasks they accomplished were planting grass in the bare spots in the front of the office and repainting different parts

of the school. Keeping the commu-nity and the school in a good condition is something participants were proud of. “By taking care of the school, we’re kind of taking care of the community … in reality, if schools are littered, schools are old (and) dirty, students don’t take pride in it. So at the end of the day, taking care of the school (is something to take pride in),” said Leo Club

Adviser Marc Tolentino. Many of the students also took satisfaction in the fact that they were helping the school and community. “I have fun doing community service; I personally do it all the time … It’s a normal thing to me and I actually have fun,” said Senior Garrett Garcia, a member of Trojan Gamers. Events such as Make a Difference Day encour-

age students to participate in service projects that help improve their school as well as the community. “(People) need to give back … and, you know, it doesn’t have to be at the school, it could be if you want to give back to the community somehow,” said Nishimura. Staff members hope to see more student participation in future Make a Difference Days.

Students “Make a Difference” and come together to clean community

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Extensive preparations had been made on the equipment to make sure the testing ran smoothly. Moore stated, “We are hoping this time that we got beefed up enough. Our computers are ready to go and our Inter-net is ready to handle it.” The Saturday ses-sion has made it easier for students to balance their classes with the HSA. As Sophomore Laura Ambro-secchio stated, “I think it’s

New and improved: Saturday session added to HSA schedule

Posters inspired by the movie “300” can be seen around campus encouraging students to “Join the ranks,” meaning to obtain a passing score of 300 in all subjects of the HSA.

Members of the Pacific Asian Awareness Club (PAAC) came together on Make a Difference Day where they planted grass in the bare spots of the field in the front of the school. Along with PAAC, other clubs also helped beautify the school’s campus through various service projects.

Reagan Paz | Trojan Times

To the Point For every check-ing account opened at any American Savings Bank, schools partici-pating in the Bank for Education Program have the opportunity to receive $30 when designated; MHS is a participating school. The starting deposit must be at least $30 in order to qualify. Those who have set up an account can refer up to three people to open one as well. Each time someone is referred, MHS gains an additional $10. The school with the most designations state-wide will win $10,000. Designations will be accepted from Sept. 26 to Dec. 15. For more information, visit any American Savings Bank branch or visit www.asbhawaii.com and search Bank for Educa-tion.

Compiled by Nathan Parkn.park@trojantimes.org

By Reagan Pazr.paz@trojantimes.org

more convenient for my classes because I don’t have to miss work.” Oct. 22 was the first day of Saturday testing but it won’t be the last. There will be two more testing ses-sions in addition to the one in October, one in Febru-ary and another in April. Once a student reaches the passing score of 300 in all subjects of the HSA, he or she will not have to take it again.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

ASMHSPresident

John Delos Reyes

Greetings Trojans! Welcome back to the second quarter of our 2011-2012 school year. Time is passing by quickly. We are almost done with our first semester of high school, and before you know it, the year will be done. Before fall break, we had our homecom-ing week, Sept. 26 to Oct. 1. It was good to see the entire student body participating during our dress up days. You all put in tons of time and effort to make this home-coming a great one. Lip-sync was fantastic, and the banners were amazing. I would like to congratulate the junior class for earning the most spirit points, and our Trojan foot-ball team for playing their hearts out every game. It truly showed this season, especially against Kapolei. To end off a spirit-filled week, we had our homecoming dance on Saturday, Oct. 1, located at the gymna-sium. Recently, we just had our Make a Differ-ence Day on Saturday, Oct. 22. It was a suc-cess, repainting build-ings, planting grass and cleaning around the school. Thank you to all the students, staff and military who came out to help make our campus beautiful. Halloween has just passed. Thank you for staying attentive to the morning bulletin and the signs around campus, participat-ing in those dress up days and earning spirit points for your class!

‘Anon(ymous)’ packed with fresh faces and unique action

By Ramil Lorenzo Gonzalezr.gonzalez@trojantimes.org

Homer’s classic “Odys-sey” was given a modern twist in Central Theatre Arts Academy’s (CTAA) latest production: “Anon(ymous),” written by playwright Naomi Iizuka. The show, which ran from Oct. 28 to 29, was a chance for its budding actors to try new things and gain skill as performers. “Most of the cast hadn’t been in CTAA before or it was their first play,” ex-plained Junior Kamuela-Dawn Napoleon, who played the goddess Naja, “So it was interesting to see them first going on stage and learning how to act and project and the basic rules of stage.” The production told the

story of Anon, an immigrant refugee from a war-torn country, and his search for his mother in modern America. It featured a hand-ful of fresh faces, from MHS newcomer Senior Laura Dux, who played Anon’s hopeful mother Nemasani, to the freshmen new to play production. “I lost a lot of seniors last year, and … most of the kids are new,” said CTAA Coordinator and Director Jamie Stroud, “This year’s group of freshmen are … pretty good, pretty dedicated.” All talents, old and new, were found through open auditions. A large turnout led to a varied cast. “I want-ed authenticity … people who had a sensitivity to immigrants (and) what they might experience being new

to this country,” Stroud com-mented in reference to the play’s depiction of America through foreign eyes, “I was looking for all different types of people (with) differ-ent looks.” Among those talents was Anon himself, Junior Daniel Bayot, who had been closely following CTAA’s produc-tions. “I was able to read (the script) before audition-ing,” he said, “And I just got intense goose bumps just reading through it through-out every scene and I just knew I wanted to be a part of it.” While he nabbed the part he wanted, Bayot still found some aspects of the role challenging. “Practices are a little stressful since this character is kind of the opposite of me. It’s a very

shy and soft spoken char-acter, (while) I’m in theater so I’m really outspoken,” he confessed. Other obstacles included complicated tech-nical requirements, from the numerous sound cues to the varied sets. “They go from an ocean to a restaurant to all of these different places which obviously we don’t have a good space for,” Stroud said. Another, more exciting challenge was found in the play’s sword fight between Bayot and Sophomore Colton Truitt. “I’m sword fighting my best friend actu-ally,” said Bayot, “There’s a lot of technique to it (in) making sure you don’t hurt the other person. It’s kind of like learning a new mar-tial art (but) … in a couple weeks.” Cast members knew the result would be satisfying, including Napoleon. “There (are) some really cool fight scenes, and … battles that you wouldn’t usually see in high school plays,” she com-mented, “(It’s) very compli-cated choreography and it’s worth just to go and see the combat.” Stroud hopes that audi-ences were able to relate to the content and classical references and appreciate the hard work the cast and crew spent in making the production possible. Those who missed the opening weekend can still catch “Anon(ymous)” on Nov. 4 and 5, the show’s last two dates.

(L-R): In CTAA’s fall production “Anon(ymous),” Sophomore Colton Truitt’s character, Mr. Mack-us, provoked Junior Daniel Bayot’s character, Anon, and one of the play’s main action scenes ensued.

Mart Joshua Lopez | Na Mana o Poina Ole

“(Winning) felt good cause we’ve been working really hard on our robot. It’s good to see all this hard work paid off,” said team 1973 A’s Sophomore Clay-ton Dailey. “Their commit-ment to robotics is just a reflection of their perfor-

mance; they love it, they’re into it and their perfor-mance shows what Mililani High School can do,” said VEX Robotics Adviser Timothy Pregana. Along with Dailey, team 1973 A consisted of Sopho-more Glenn Galvizo Jr. and Junior Nalani Ogata. Team 1973 B was composed of

Juniors Ryan Taketa, Bran-don Matsumura, Justin Knaus and Joelle Arakaki, though Arakaki was unable to attend the tournament. The members of team 1973 C, Juniors Madison Rich-ardson and Jake Shirokane and Sophomore Tayler Fernandez-Dizon placed eighth in the competition as well, with a record of 4-2. The competition con-sisted of 16 schools entering one to three teams each, with a total of 32 different teams competing. There were a total of six rounds of match play. “A match play consists of 20 seconds of autonomous programming ... where students program a robot to do a specific x, y and z function over time,” Pregana explained. After the 20 seconds of pro-grammed function, there are two minutes of op-erative control. Four robots

participated in each match, two on a red alliance and two on a blue alliance, com-peting for the most points to win the match. To increase chances of winning, members of MHS’ VEX Robotics prepared by studying strategies. “We planned to be aggressive (by) picking up the pieces and (building) a fast robot, but yet still (having) power in the drive,” explained Ta-keta. “(We tried to get) new knowledge of the competi-tion, new insight, so (we could study) other people’s strategies,” added Galvizo. The competition was a part of a series called League Play and by placing first and second in this com-petition, teams 1973 A and B have earned spots in the state championships which will be held at the Hawaii Convention Center on Dec. 3 to 5.

(L-R): Juniors Justin Knaus, Brandon Matsumura, Nalani Ogata, Soph-omores Glenn Galvizo Jr., Clayton Dailey and Junior Ryan Taketa.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The 50,000 students with the top scores in the nation received a letter last school year stating that they were either a commended student or a semifinalist. Semifinalists are within the top 16,000 students and continue in the competition for National Merit Scholar. Contillo and Kawana were among the 34,000 com-mended students to be recognized, meaning they will not advance in the competition for finalists. Although Contillo and Kawana will not con-tinue in the 2012 competi-tion for National Merit Scholarships, they have received an honor that many do not. “As commended students they have been placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students who en-tered the 2012 competition by taking the 2010 PSAT,” explained College and Career Counselor Denise Yamamoto. Contillo and Kawana are hoping that their letters of commenda-tion will help boost their

chances of being accepted to their top choices of prestigious colleges. Con-tillo hopes to attend either Columbia or Princeton University, while Kawana is applying for schools such as Carnegie Mellon and Willamette University. Though Contillo and Kawana didn’t have much formal preparation for the PSAT, their challeng-ing courses throughout high school helped them prepare. “The things that helped me the most were the courses I took through-out high school. I had taken a number of gifted and talented and advanced placement courses; with these comes advanced learning as well as test practices,” explained Con-tillo of what she did to prepare for the PSAT. Although commended students do not continue in the competition for Na-tional Merit Scholarships, Contillo and Kawana have the opportunity to become candidates for special schol-arships sponsored by cor-porations and businesses.

Senior Jessica KawanaSenior Joleen Contillo

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

By Shan Yonamines.yonamine@trojantimes.com

By April-Joy McCanna.mccann@trojantimes.org

The state officers of the Health Occupations Stu-dents of America (HOSA) club were able to take a break from the more techni-cal aspects of competition and attend the Washing-ton Leadership Academy (WLA), a workshop that focused primarily on team-work and leadership activi-ties. Three MHS students were able to attend this conference, HOSA State President Senior Brianna Daranciang, State Secretary Senior Jae Yun Lee and State Leadership Intern Sophomore Brysen Pasion. The conference was held in Washington D.C. at the Hilton McLean hotel from Sept. 17 to 20. “(WLA is) basically a

training workshop for state officers from states around the nation who are involved in HOSA (that) come to-gether and we learn about leadership skills, we learn about time management (and) how to better lead HOSA in our state,” ex-plained Daranciang. At the workshop, stu-dents were able to partici-pate in numerous activities, the purpose being to teach skills that will aid them in being state officers. “There was one where we went to the Air and Space Museum and it asked us to find a destroyed spaceship kind of thing and then it was about failure and sometimes lead-ers can fail but you have to keep going and that’s what that mission was,” stated Daranciang. Students were also

exposed to a motiva-tional speaker, 1998 HOSA National President Lowell Doringo, on the opening day of the conference. Doringo gave the officers tips about leading and told them what to expect in the workshop. “He got us really excited to be leaders, he gave us good lessons,” stated Pasion. All the events and train-ing provided by WLA eventually led up to a test of skill and etiquette in which officers had to speak to their state rep-resentatives in Congress. “Talking to congressional members was very nerve-wracking. It was pretty in-timidating to think that we would be talking to such important people that represented Hawaii at the state capitol,” explained Daranciang, continuing, “They were very relatable and it was nice knowing that they supported an organization like HOSA.” When speaking to the representatives this year, officers pushed for more funding for health educa-tion in an effort to build more programs so that there can be more health care workers in the future. Attending WLA had a significant impact on the officers’ attitude and poise. “Every year I take them I find that it builds their confidence,” noticed HOSA Adviser Candace Chun. Provided that funding is present, MHS hopes to have state officers that are eligible to attend WLA in years to come.

(L-R) Sophomore Brysen Pasion, and Seniors Brianna Daranciang and Jae-Yun Lee enjoyed sightseeing at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memo-rial as a part of the Washington Leadership Academy workshop.

Photo courtesy of HOSA Adviser Candace Chun

HOSA officers attend WLA: Presentation given to congressional representatives

Photo courtesy of Junior Taylor Albete

Trojan Lady: Albete seeks to break gender stereotypes by becoming new mascot

Junior Taylor Albete has become the official Trojan mascot this year, a posi-tion that had been previ-ously held by males. Albete strives to be the best female mascot that MHS has ever had. “You just need to have that ‘go get ‘em’ spirit and be able to go in front of a crowd (and) anybody can do it, (it doesn’t) matter if you’re a boy or a girl,” said Cheerleading Coach Rene-sha Kierstedt, who worked with Albete on the basics of being a mascot. The Associated Students

of Mililani High School usually hold tryouts for the Trojan mascot every year. There were none this year, but Albete was determined to get the spot anyway. Being heavily involved in community activities, Albete gained pride and used that spirit to benefit MHS. “I have lots of spirit in school and in Mililani overall. My freshman year I was in band, so there was (a lot of) Mililani spirit from that, and in my sopho-more year I was Miss Teen Mililani World 2011 so that was representing our city,” said Albete. Being that this was her first year as Trojan mascot,

Albete had guidance from one of last year’s mascots, Senior Kenneth Anglemire Jr., who came out during the homecoming game. Anglemire is not an official mascot this year, but still wanted to give pointers to Albete and help her become a better mascot. “I told her be tough, be strong, no mat-ter how much people put you down you be stronger and tougher. Just stay in there, get the crowd pump-ing (and) have fun,” he said. For each school event Albete attends, she brings her all and uses her school spirit and pride to pump up the crowd. “She came

with a great personality so I didn’t really have to ‘take her out of her box.’ She basically came with every-thing already, so I told her what to do and she went for it,” explained Kierstedt. Albete also hopes to in-fluence other girls by being mascot. “I (hope to) inspire girls to be who they want to be, don’t be afraid and hide behind a mask and all that makeup … and to not be afraid of yourself,” said Albete. Through all the shout-ing and cheering, Albete en-joys and appreciates being Trojan Lady and plans to try out again next year.

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By Jacquelyn Perreira j.perreira@trojantimes.org

MHS fosters new experiences for foreign exchange students

Becoming a foreign exchange student requires a willingness to be exposed to new cultures. For the ones who are attending MHS this school year, Juniors Giulia Ara, Luiz Bueno and Sadaf Akhtar and Sophomore Frede Hackbart, it is this willingness that allowed them to come to the United States through The Ameri-can Field Service (AFS) Intercultural Program. “I decided to become an exchange student maybe (three years ago), and I had to fill out all the papers and I (had) to go to orientation and they (explained) ev-erything and we … learned about how to be with a family that’s maybe hard in the beginning,” explained Hackbart, who is from Ger-many. The AFS charges about $12,000 per student and al-lows them to make a pre-ferred list of countries they wish to visit. From there, where the student lives depends on the availability of a host family for that student to live with. Despite the high cost, the majority of the students decided to join the AFS program for much of the same reasons. “I would like

to improve my English and have a unique experience,” said Ara, who is from Italy. Bueno, who is from Brazil, agreed, saying, “I would like to experience another culture … especially Ameri-can culture because it’s a country and a way of living that I really admire.” Typically, the students stay in that country for the school year and a month afterwards. Being away for a year has different effects on the students. For Bueno, the distance has not been hard to cope with. “It’s kind of hard saying goodbye to your friends, your family, but (they know it’s) for a good reason, so … I guess my feeling of being excited was bigger than feeling (bad about) leaving people that I like behind,” said Bueno. For Hackbart, it has been more difficult. “For me it’s really, really hard … I miss my family very much, we love and stay in touch the whole time,” she said. Since attending MHS from the beginning of the school year, the students have noticed differences be-tween MHS and the schools in their country. “(MHS) is more bigger, more devel-oped, the teachers are so helpful, they help you out in everything,” explained

Akhtar, who is from Paki-stan. Bueno has noticed social differences. “I was in the (MHS) stadium, and stadi-ums in Brazil, we don’t sit and watch the game, you jump, you sing, you scream … and (MHS students are not that way, so) I really find it very different.” Though the students have been at MHS for a short time, they have al-ready started to gain social lessons. “Not everybody who seems friendly is really friendly and that people who seems a bit strange in the beginning can be re-ally good friends, and that everybody is really nice to you and want to help you,” said Hackbart of what she’s learned. As for what they hope to obtain from MHS, the students are remaining op-timistic. “The number one thing I hope (and am) pretty sure I’ll take from this ex-perience is friends … and I hope I have a good school year,” said Bueno. Hackbart also hopes to gain friends. “I hope to get a new experi-ence and to learn (English) better (and) to get many new friends,” she said. All of the students hope to fill their passports by continuing to travel to dif-ferent countries.

During their freshmen year, current Sophomores Clayton Dailey and Glenn

Galvizo Jr. both qualified separately for the World Championship VEX Robot-ics Competition in 2011, which is rare for first year robotics students. Now

partnered together, Dailey and Galvizo recently at-tended the Hilo VEX Robot-ics Competition at Waiakea High School from Oct. 7 to 8, where they placed fifth. “They were number one in my eyes. (The robot) was built well, programmed well. (Dailey) is a great driver,” said VEX Robotics Adviser Timothy Pregana. Dailey, Galvizo and their third team member, Junior Nalani Ogata, spent 60 days working on their robot. “(They’re here an) easy 25 hours in a week,” Pregana added. Galvizo programmed the robot while Dailey and Ogata built it. Ogata was unable to make it to the Big Island with her team, but she still shared the team’s commit-ment to building the robot. “Time spent on the robot, team dedication, learning from our past mistakes at other competitions and collecting other possible

ideas other teams presented at our competitions (were all important),” explained Galvizo. At least 18 public and private schools rang-ing from middle to high school compete in every competition. On the first day of competition they went through a two-hour inspection, which was fol-lowed by two days of skills challenges. In the skills challenges, each team was required to have a robot made entirely of parts sold by VEX that could complete the task of lifting a six-inch diameter ball into a scoring tube. “There are qualifying matches which are based on how many people are there. Then we branch off into the finals, which consist of the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Three teams take part of every alliance in each championship,” explained Galvizo. After winning their

qualifying matches and tying quarterfinals they encountered a problem in the semifinals. “The only problem we had was we lost connection in one match. That’s why we lost one (match),” Dailey said. However, both Dailey and Galvizo are satisfied with how they did in Hilo. “I felt pretty good. It’s just that you spend all this time on this robot; it feels good to get some good experience and knowledge out of it,” Galvizo explained. “Actu-ally the best thing we did was our robot worked really well. We actually didn’t have that many problems,” Dailey explained. Even as sophomores, Dailey and Galvizo have consistently done well in competitions and they hope to continue on and eventu-ally make it to the World Competition at the end of the year.

By Kimberly Yamaguchi k.yamaguchi@trojantimes.org

Former world VEX competitors compete on Big Island

“I hope to get a new ex-perience and to learn the language better, (and) to get many new friends.”

“I want to be into this school ... I want to have the spirit and I want to learn ... the subjects.”

“The number one thing I hope, (and am) pretty sure I’ll take from this ex-perience is friends.”

Giulia Ara

Luiz Bueno

Frede Hackbart

Sadaf Akhtar

“I want to learn every-thing, everything I don’t know about. Like Ameri-can kids, (and) their be-havior.”

Passion for high school athletics leads Brummel to OIA presidency

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Principal Dr. John Brummel can often be seen supporting MHS at various sporting events. Because of his passion for high school athletics and experience in leadership positions, he was elected to serve as president of the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) in June 2011. Brum-mel is the first person from MHS to ever hold this posi-tion. “I think most princi-pals, because they have so much on their plate, it takes a special principal to serve in this position,” said Interim OIA Executive Director Raymond Fujino, continuing, “Because it is a lot of added responsibility to their plate and they’re not getting paid for it, they’re doing it because of their commitment to the league and to their student athletes.” After Castle High School Principal Meredith Maeda served the maxi-mum term of three years as president, Brummel was elected to fill his seat.

Prior to this posi-tion, Brummel served on the OIA executive commit-tee for three years and held the office of vice president for three years after that. Though he has held leader-ship positions in the OIA for several years, his re-sponsibilities will now dif-fer. As president, Brummel serves as the spokesper-son for the OIA, sits in on foundation meetings, man-ages finances, leads OIA quarterly meetings and is a member on the board of the Hawaii High School Athlet-ics Association. Despite the added time commitment, Brummel firmly believes in the programs that the OIA has to offer. “The only reason I would do it is to help students. If I’m able to help students in Hawaii so that they can have quality programs, that’s the reason I do it,” said Brummel. In his mere five months in office, Brummel has already been faced with a unique challenge: the introduction of surfing as an OIA sport in 2013. “It opens up so many different questions about safety and

liability and responsibil-ity that a lot of people are asking me those questions, and I don’t have all the answers yet and that’s kind of frustrating,” Brummel explained. However, he is motivat-ed to make the transition work. “If I didn’t believe in students, if I didn’t believe in the programs we offer for students, I wouldn’t accept the position, and I wouldn’t be involved with the program.” His colleagues are confident that he’s well equipped to do his job. “I think he’s very knowledge-

able about OIA athletics and he’s very passionate about student athletes in all the leagues and all the teams in the leagues as far as policies and other things,” said MHS Athletic Director Glenn Nitta. Fujino agreed, saying, “He really cares about student athletes, re-ally cares about the league, so I think those qualities are a very big plus for us to have him as president.” Brummel is looking forward to using his prior knowledge and love for athletics to lead the OIA in his three year term.

By Jenny Parkj.park@trojantimes.org Four years ago, Junior Inoa Fields was just starting to learn the game of volleyball. Now she is finishing her third season as an outside hitter for the Varsity girls volleyball team. Fields believes that fully dedicating herself is the only way to get what she wants. “You’re going to have to push a hundred percent all the time and if you don’t, you’re just going to fall short of what you really want to accomplish,” said Fields. Her belief goes along with her personal motto, to “never back down,” which Fields exhibits in her life at home, school and on the courts. Lee Fields, father of Inoa Fields said, “She never misses practice, even if she’s hurt or sore … She helps keep unity and learning in our family … (and) helps motivate the family to never stop learning.” Inoa Field’s perseverance landed her a spot on the Varsity team for state playoffs as a freshman, her experience there allowed her to excel in the sport today. “That actually really helped me get in tune with the game and it got me to get on the Varsity team in sophomore year,” said Inoa Fields. Inoa Fields hopes to continue her volleyball career in college and earn a scholarship through volleyball.

One of Principal Dr. John Brummel’s responsibilities as OIA pres-ident is managing finances, a task he’s had prior experience in.

By Caitlin Kellyc.kelly@trojantimes.org

Head Coach Val Crabbe (far right) shares tips on setting the ball with Dig Pink participants while players help 8th-grader Kay-lee Shiohira practice bumping the volleyball. The clinic raised money for local organizations designed to support breast cancer awareness and research.

Caitlin Kelly | Trojan Times

By Kimberly Yamaguchik.yamaguchi@trojantimes.org

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer amongst women today. Nearly one in every five girls is affected by it, whether it’s through a mother, sister, grandmoth-er, or herself. For the past two years, the MHS girls volleyball teams have held

a fundraiser called “Dig Pink” to aid those affected by breast cancer. Last year they held a match, but this year they decided to hold a volleyball clinic for childern on Oct. 15. “It’s a fundraiser; my girls love volleyball. It’s a really good thing and they had a chance to improve on their skills,” said Vicki Kita-jima whose two daughters,

ages 7 and 10, participated in the event. In order to par-ticipate, children had to be between the ages of 5 and 12. “We hoped to show little kids why volleyball is fun and why we love it, just to try spread the sport to other people,” said Varsity player Senior Crystal Kaiwi. Aside from their love of volleyball, they hoped to spread breast cancer aware-ness. “It’s more for the cause. It’s about helping people give money to breast cancer awareness,” ex-plained Varsity Head Coach Val Crabbe. Due to injuries players sustained during the Dig Pink game against Leilehua last year, Crabbe decided to turn the event into a clinic for children. “Last year we had girls who got injured (during the game),” Crabbe explained, “I thought (a clinic would) be a better way to give back to the community.” The clinic costed $30 and included a four-hour court time, a t-shirt and a bento. “We split the court into three differ-ent skills on each court, like setting, serving and pass-

ing, and then rotated every hour,” explained Varsity player Senior Kaila Kikuga-wa. This year, all proceeds from the event will benefit organizations in Hawaii, whereas last year they were donated to the national “Dig Pink” organization. “Last year the money went to the organizations on the mainland. This year the money’s going to go to the local (organizations),” Crabbe said. Forty children, both boys and girls, attended the event which the team considered a success. “About half the kids at our camp didn’t know how to play volleyball nor did they even hear of the sport before and we got to give them a chance to see how it works and how fun it can be,” explained Kaiwi. The girls volleyball teams raised nearly $1,200 through this year’s clinic. They hope to continue hosting this event and spread breast cancer aware-ness spread in following years.

Kimberly Yamaguchi | Trojan Times

Dig Pink, girls volleyball holds clinic to support breast cancer

Thursday, November 3, 2011

ers pick up their game (and) support the person.” The team had a perfect record of 13-0 until they were defeat-ed by Kahuku the previous day. However, their unity helped them to make a comeback. The Lady Trojans won the first two sets with scores of 28-26 and 25-18. Kahuku

School gymnasium, where they prevailed in the fifth set against the only team they had lost to during the regular season. “Our team plays as a team and not as indi-viduals,” said Varsity Head Coach Val Crabbe, “When one person might not be having a good day, the oth-

For the first in MHS history, the Varsity girls vol-leyball team earned the OIA Red Division championship title. The Lady Trojans went head-to-head against Ka-huku High School on Oct. 22 at the McKinley High

By Jessica Fontenotj.fontenot@trojantimes.org

Varsity girls volleyball, first ever OIA titletook the third set with a score of 25-14 as well as the fourth at 25-22. “When we lost to Kahuku it was a big wake up call,” said Senior Crystal Kaiwi, “It showed us that just because we’ve been winning doesn’t mean we won’t lose eventually.” The team finally came out on top in the fifth and final set with a score of 15-13. Players had to quickly adapt, as Kahuku was at an advantage in certain aspects. “We were definitely not used to playing against taller girls,” said Kaiwi, “They blocked all our hits and they were able to hit over all of our blocks.” The team retaliated with a number of good serves and combinations of passes and sets ending with hits; all of which they had prac-ticed before the game. Because the team wasn’t playing on their home court, adjustments had to be made mentally. “They were so loud,” said Kaiwi, “It was hard to play against them with everyone in the gym cheering for (Ka-

Members of the Varsity girls volleyball team were ecstatic after winning their first OIA champion-ship title in school history against Kahuku, the only team they were defeated by this season. Now they will play in the Hawaii High School Athletic Associtation state championship tournament.

Photos courtesy of Jon LeGalley | Creative Genius Pictures

FACEBOOK.COM/UHWESTOAHU808.454.4700

New Kapolei CampusOpening August 2012Apply Today!

huku).” However, cheer-leaders and football players from MHS soon greeted the Lady Trojans to cheer them on. Since many of the girls had been playing together for years, they formed a tight-knit team and sup-ported each other through many ups and downs. “We work together very well on and off the court,” said Junior Inoa Fields, “We are all friends, which makes everyone want to help each other become better play-ers overall.” Kaiwi agreed, saying, “This year the group of girls we have is rare because all of us have known each other for years since we played volleyball together outside of school, which made it easy for us to bond.” With this win under their belts, the team looks forward to seeing their first championship banner hung from the gymnasium ceil-ing and will continue their practices as they go on to state championships.

9FEATURE

8FEATURE

ooking around our houses,

we see everything as is, so we often overlook

commonly used household items that have ingenious

uses. So the next time you’re searching for a way to orga-

nize your desk or decorate for a party, keep in mind that the solutions don’t cost more than a few bucks if they’re not al-ready within your reach. Here are six uses to start you off, from Real Simple’s “799 New Uses for Old Things:

An Encyclopedia of Innovative Ideas

for Everyday Items.”

Compiled By: Caitlin Kelly, c.kelly@trojantimes.org Jacquelyn Perreira, j.perreira@trojantimes.org

Go to www.trojantimes.orgfor video tutorials on how to do some of these yourself and to see more usesfor household items.

Plastic CupsWhether you’re looking for cheap party decorations or a way to spice up your room that’s been decorat-ed the same way since you were 5, clear plastic cups can do the trick; use them to create lanterns for any occasion. Cut X-shaped slits on the bottom of the cups and slip the bulbs from strings of Christmas tree lights through the openings. Hang them out on a deck as lighting for an outdoor party or in a doorway to add a twist to a boring room.

Hair DryerEvery one of us has been in

the situation where we’ve

tried to nicely peel a sticker

off of something only to end

up with sticker residue that

we have to try and scrape

off with our nails, then fail-

ing at that too. Next time,

try using your hair dryer to

heat the sticker, which will

heat the sticky stuff and

make it easier to peel off.

Ice Cream ConesWhen we think of ice cream cones, we

think of, well … ice cream. But it’s time to

think outside of the freezer and look the

opposite way: to our ovens. Ice cream

cones can make great, unique cake hold-

ers. All you do is fill 24 flat-bottom cones

two-thirds full with cake batter and stand

them up in baking pans with 12 cones in

each pan. Then bake the pans separate-

ly at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

You can decorate your treats and use

them for things like parties or friends’

birthdays.

Nail PolishAppearing as if mold is growing on your fingers after wearing rings is unflattering and seems unsanitary. To prevent this, apply a thin layer of clear nail polish onto your jewelry as a way to preserve the metals or plastic and keep your-self looking clean.

WatchTaking a dip in the ocean is a popular

pastime in Hawaii. However, what are

you supposed to do when you’ve just ar-

rived at Waimea Bay and you realize

that you’ve forgotten to take off your

favorite earrings? Using a wristwatch to

keep track of them is a simple alterna-

tive to losing them in the deep blue sea

or in the depths of your cluttered bag.

Take the watch and poke the earrings

through the holes on the bands. Then at-

tach the backings, and you can rest as-

sured that your jewelry will be safe.

SlinkyChances are, the Slinky that you spent hours watching go down the stairs as a child doesn’t get much use nowadays. Dig that beloved toy out from your closet and use it to reduce the pile of pens and pencils that have accu-mulated on your desk now that the school year is in full swing. Just connect the two ends to each other to form a circular shape and use it as a stand for your writing utensils.

L

Trojan Times

The Trojan Times is a monthly production of

the Newswriting staff of Mililani High School

95-1200 Meheula Pkwy., Mililani, HI 96789

To voice an opinion or any concerns, feel free to submit a letter to L205 or to c.kelly@trojantimes.org. The Trojan Times re-serves the right to edit let-ters as they see fit. Please type your let-ter and clearly state your name, grade level and pe-riod one class.

Editor in ChiefCaitlin Kelly

Assistant EditorShan Yonamine

Design EditorJacquelyn Perreira

Business ManagerJessica Antonio

AdviserMr. Christopher Sato

PrincipalDr. John Brummel

StaffJessica Fontenot

Ramil Lorenzo GonzalezCyanne Ito

April-Joy McCannKara NittaJenny Park

Nathan ParkReagan Paz

Amanda ThomasKimberly Yamaguchi

The mission of the Trojan Times is to publicize events,

share in the successes of students, promote the hard

work of the faculty andcapture the dedication of

organizations.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

A guided campus tour given by one of our current students is the best way to learn more about Hawai’i Pacific University. When you call to schedule a tour, ask to meet with one of our friendly Admissions Counselors as well as the Faculty from the program of

your choice.

Schedule Your Campus Tour (808) 544-0238

www.hpu.edu/campustours

It’s their school. Let them show you around...

Hawai‘i Pacific University admits students of any race, color, na-tional and ethnic origin, religion, gender, age, ancestry, marital

status, sexual orientation, veteran status and disability.

With constant emphasis on graduation and college being thrust at high school students, it’s easy for them to become obsessed with let-ter grades, percentages and test scores. An environment such as this causes stress and unhealthy amounts of self-induced pressure. In this big numbers race, students lose sight of the knowledge and wisdom they can gain that will prove more valuable to them later than the marks they received. “60 percent (of this year’s seniors) indicated that they wanted to go to a four-year school and 22 percent said they wanted to go to a two-year school,” stated College and Career Counselor Denise Yamamo-to. With a total of 82 percent of students from MHS alone planning to enroll in college, it’s no wonder that it’s be-

coming increasingly difficult to be accepted. This growing level of competition makes it seem that colleges will only ac-cept “the best.” For this rea-son, students put pressure on themselves that causes them to do drastic things to get an A. “I’ve talked to so many students that forego sleep for turning in certain assignments and ... now that people are trying to get that high GPA … taking mul-tiple (Advanced Placement) classes is not uncommon anymore,” stated Yamamoto. With thoughts of the future looming overhead, it’s understandable that grades become students’ top priority. “Students put a lot of pressure on them-selves for their grades and their test scores because that’s what colleges look at,” stated Counselor Jennifer Yoshizawa. The view that grades are important is not necessarily invalid; a certain amount of

pressure has the potential to evoke a sense of drive in stu-dents. “(Pressure) helps me as well because if I wasn’t pressured, my motivation to do well probably wouldn’t be as high as it is now,” stated Junior Karolyn Lam. Emphasis on grades becomes negative when it reaches the point of obsesse-sion. Students think that grades alone will stick with them throughout college, when in reality, the knowl-edge gained in high school will prove more useful. “Re-taining the material learned in class would be more im-portant when students had to use what (they) learned later on in the future,” stated Lam. Yoshizawa agreed saying, “The grades (students earn) … are going to open doors for (them) but actually learning the mate-rial is what’s going to get (them) far.” In moving on to college, retaining lessons makes adjustment simpler.

Many students enroll in AP classes simply to build their resumes. If students focused on the material cov-ered rather than just cram-ming for the College Board exams they would realize that the knowledge they gained will carry over. High school is only four years out of a student’s life and it’s important to make them worthwhile. “I always tell students that you only have one high school experi-ence and this is it right now ... Make the most of it,” stat-ed Yamamoto. To do this, students need to put effort into really absorbing things they are taught. There can be a medium between fo-cusing on grades while not overworking oneself. Students should make their objective not to exclu-sively make the grades, but to really learn the subject at hand. The knowledge gained will stick with students forever whereas grades are only temporary.

By Shan Yonamines.yonamine@trojantimes.org

Emphasis on grades causes students to miss learning opportunities

Thursday, November 3, 2011

C&CCSenior Announcements

Application Deadlines If you have not done so already, turn in your tran-script requests and/or applications! If applying online, you still need to turn in a transcript request to C&CC so we can add your list of senior courses and at-tach our school’s profile.

Application Help Day with Mrs.Yamamoto – Thursday, Nov. 17 @ 2:00 p.m. in the LibraryWe are already in November and application deadlines are quickly approaching, so I will be having another Application Help Day in the library. If you need help on your applications,

have questions or still don’t know where to begin, come and meet me in the library. Bring your apps and bring your friends. Don’t forget that you need to have your ID punched with the “M” for you to use the computers in the library. So mark your calendar and I hope to see you then!

Scholarship Award LetterIf you have received a schol-arship or financial award from a school or organiza-tion, whether you accept it or not, forward a copy of the award letter to our office so that you can be recognized in the graduation program.

Quest for Success Field Trip – Open to seniors and juniors onlyC&CC, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Mililani Sunrise, will be coordinating a field trip on Wednesday,

Nov. 16. Learn about career pathways and how you can prepare yourself for success. Also, learn about life skills at various workshops. ASVAB Testing – Grades 10 to 12 only, Nov. 16We will be offering the AS-VAB on Wednesday Nov. 16 at 1:00 p.m. This is an excel-lent assessment tool, even if you don’t plan to join the military. Sign up outside of C&CC.

PSAT Test ResultsIn October, 487 students took the PSAT. Thank you to all of the proctors and administration who helped with the PSAT. Test results will be disseminated some-time in December. Check the C&CC link on Edline for further information.

Compiled by College and Career Counselor Denise Yamamoto

Compiled by Junior Alexandria Cassell Compiled by Librarian Rieko Goo

Book ClubFaculty:

If you have ever stopped to wonder “why?” and haven’t been bothered when your question isn’t answered, “Blindness” by Jose Saramago is the book for you. A man, while stopped at a traffic light, suddenly goes blind. He yells repeatedly until a stranger stops to help the man safely home. We soon discover this good Samaritan is a thief when he steals the man’s car, but he rightfully, it seems, also goes blind. We later meet the first blind man’s wife (who eventually goes blind, as does everyone), the doc-tor they consult and the doctor’s wife (who mysteri-ously retains her vision). None of the characters in “Blindness” have names, which didn’t bother me as much as the fact that Sara-mago also uses sparing punctuation and no quo-tation marks whatsoever. These factors contributed to my feelings of disorienta-tion. But perhaps Saramago did this with the intent of having me feel like the characters; just as they learn to adjust to their condition, I too became attuned to the flow of Saramago’s prose. Whatever the thoughts of our members, we agreed that “Blindness” was a very thought-provoking book.

ASACSHere is some great news that you may find uplifting, especially since October was the month we celebrated Red Ribbon. Red Ribbon is when we pledge to be free from alcohol and drugs.

70.9 percent of Hawaii students are not currently drinking any alcohol (current use is described as one drink of alcohol on at least one day during a 30-day period).

41.1 percent of Hawaii students reported they’ve never drunk alcohol in their lifetime. 85.1 percent of Hawaii students reported they don’t engage in binge drinking (binge drinking is consuming five or more

alcoholic drinks within two hours on at least one day during the month).

According to the survey, Hawaii students are at “less risk” than the national average for alcohol use. Way to go parents and students, let’s keep up this positive trend.

MHS celebrated Red Ribbon this year with a lunchtime pledge drive from Oct. 24 to 28. We thank the staff and students for participating in this fun event.

The story of Red Ribbon can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EnriqueCamerenaOr Google: Enrique Camerena

Compiled by ASACS Counselor Mary Schwing

Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act

The book “Raised by Wolves” is a thrilling book about a teenage girl, Bryn, who is connected to a werewolf pack by both strong emotional and mental bonds. Bryn is a true “raised by wolves” girl, being both strong-willed and curious almost to the point of it being unhealthy for her. As a character, she shows human flaws that make her stronger as the book continues and her character is developed. This intriguing tale of questions and conflicts between the world and oneself connect on more than just a fictional level. In the book, Bryn has gone through a devastat-ing past and a not-so-sunny future. In her search for her own pack, she learns to rely on her own powers and to truly run with the pack. Though Bryn is still just a human surrounded by werewolves with the constant whisper of “mine” running through her mind from her pack link, Bryn shows a promising trait for her leadership. When the tale’s twists and turns start to make sense, a new factor is added making any reader want to dive deeper into this lively novel and get lost in the world where a were-wolf is a girl’s best friend.

Student:

HOROSCOPES

Thursday, November 3, 2011

HELP MR. KING FISH:

Dividing by ZeroBy Ramil Lorenzo Gonzalez

Life According to the InternetBy Cyanne Ito

Answers to puzzle:

1. The sun’s face changes. 2. Punctuation mark on shield changes.3. Rug pattern changes.4. Mr. King Fish looks to another direction.5. Mr. King Fish’s crown changes.6. Tree’s face changes.7. Fruits on the tree change shape.8. Phone changes dial.9. Shapes on the body of the unicorn change.10. Butterfly next to the unicorn leg changes shape.11. Top hat under Mr. King Fish changes style.12. The scenery in the oven changes.

Evil difference-faeries have invaded his kingdom, wreaking havoc on his citizens and changing 12 things.Can you spot them all? By Ramil Lorenzo Gonzalez

Aries (March 21- April 19) Everything will seem to go your way this week. Should you take advantage of that? What are you, cra-zy? Of course you should.

Taurus (April 20- May 20) People may be more demanding of you than ever. You don’t have to let everyone boss you around and give you orders. It’s your life, so do whatever you want.

Gemini (May 21- June 21) If you feel like life is a meaningless pattern, you should try changing things up. Start by finding new ways to do your homework. Try out some yoga between each assignment you finish.

Cancer (June 22- July 22)Things are due, and you’re not sure if you met the right requirements for that paper. By all means, ask your peers for help and go to your class and smother your teacher with questions. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

Leo (July 23- Aug. 22) It’s all about instincts and even if that little voice in your head is telling you to do some pretty far-fetched things, think it over anyway. But make sure you don’t go too far.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22) Everyone’s saying that you can do better. But can you? Take a break and pon-der over it. Once you find your answer there will be no one in your way to stop you.

Libra (Sept. 23- Oct. 22)You might have a lot of work, but that won’t be a problem. Take it all slowly and worry about one thing at a time. Then when you’re done, go have fun!

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 21) You have so much energy that you want to give all of your friends cat names. Letting it all out in a more reasonable way would be better for your relationships.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22- Dec. 21) A song about the last day of the school week isn’t exactly a good way to describe your need for a break. But if you keep your head in the game, the week-end will be here sooner than you expect.

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 19) It’s time to step it up. You’re doing fine so far, but that might not be enough for your standards. Plan out a schedule of work and rest days and get started.

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 18)Sure, you’ve been stressing out, but you can handle it. Take refuge in your friends and make a “pin-the-pencil-on-the-homework-assign-ment” poster for that party this weekend.

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20) Those close to you are saying to go this way, while the alternative seems more appropriate. Ponder this over with a trustworthy friend and pick the best decision.

Compiled by Jessica Fontenotj.fontenot@trojantimes.org