New building enforces community, learning systemBy Diana Thompson

After many long years of planning, H-Bldg., the new-est addition to the school’s campus, is finally in use. The building features an enclosed workspace with “open” classrooms, has a sense of community within and utilizes that, as well as technology, to enhance one’s learning experience. The biggest difference between H-Bldg. and the others within the school is that it is completely encom-passed in walls. Also, with-in the building are several open areas that form class-room spaces. While it may

be cleaner, the noise factor makes educating a challeng-ing new experience. “… I re-ally give them a lot of credit because … the teachers in a pod, they are just so posi-tive and they’re really work-ing with each other …” said Social Studies Teacher Judy Taparra, who owns a single classroom. Several teach-ers who are educating their students in different courses are placed in the same room. They try to keep the noise level down so as to not dis-turb the others. “The parents were very upset about the noise level. ... They have re-alized that it’s a huge distrac-tion,” said Science Teacher

Sandra Webb in regards to Open House. Despite how much of a negative it may seem to be, the sound is actually just a part of the environment of the building, which has de-veloped a community within. Vice Principal Jim Petersen said, “This is new territory. And one of things about the teachers in the new building is that the environment it-self requires them to be pio-neers. And it requires them to learn and develop new ways of doing the business of education. And you don’t just take people out of one environment and drop them in another one and expect

everything to be instantly different. It’s a learning pro-cess.” Besides affecting the teaching, friendliness has spread throughout, causing a sense of community with-in the building. Webb said, “(The custodians) helped me move about eighty boxes across the campus: an unreal amount of effort. The stools came in ... the second day of school so they put them together. But they can’t put together everything in five seconds so my husband has helped me. He lowered the stools six inches so they’d be more comfortable. (Tech Coordinator David) Fran-cisco was over here help-

ing with the technology. (Science Teacher Eric) Tong came over and helped me assemble some stuff. People have helped each other carry stuff upstairs. People have helped each other carry stuff upstairs. … But just, like, (Special Education Teacher Sean Hamamura saw) me carrying something upstairs and just ripped over here. So there’s a real feeling of helping each other out.” The teachers themselves have begun to bond with one an-other as well. Taparra said, “… I … never went out and took a lunch break or any-thing, ever. I always worked

Continued on Page 4

During the Welcome Back Assembly hosted by the ASMHS Council, Senior Colton Hironaka and Juniors Jenna Meligro and Ken Wallace, members of the music department, “Move the Crowd” with their eccentric dancing and cheering. At the assembly, students who had gone out and accomplished feats over their summer were given honorable mentions. The event also featured many activities which both the student body and the faculty participated in.

Andrea Matsumura | Na Mana’o Poina’ole

National CTSO convention successful for SkillsUSA, HOSABy Kelli-Anne Ho

This past May, students from Family Career Commu-nication Leaders of America (FCCLA), Future Farmers of America (FFA), DECA, Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) and SkillsUSA participated in a statewide competition. The 2008 CTSO (Career and Technical Student Orga-nizations) Convention gave students throughout the state a chance to meet and interact with other students in the same club. “It allowed

(students) to compete with other students their age in their field of interest. Each club addresses these differ-ent interests to help them ex-cel and broaden their skills without the use of textbooks and tests,” explained Se-nior Keynon Kong, current Skil lsUSA state president, who also advanced to na-tionals. Students who placed first, second or third in their category moved on to the national level and from Skill-sUSA and HOSA, many stu-dents qualified. The national

competitions took place dur-ing the summer and were held in different states, de-pending on the club. The National SkillsUSA Convention was from June 23 - 27 in Kansas, Missouri. “I had such a phenomenal time being there and ... (be-ing) able to compete with so many of my peers on such a high level. It was a re-warding experience...,” said Kong. Other SkillsUSA stu-dents also made it to the national convention: Senior Cristina Sale and Alumni

Leanne Sakamoto, Court-ney Ro, Zachary Villanueva, Trent Tamate, Andrew Pez-zulo and Todd Taomae. The National HOSA Convention was held in Dal-las, Texas from June 22 - 31. Four girls placed in the com-petition: Alumna Chelsey Ann Nakanishi placed fourth in Dental Terminol-ogy category; Alumna Cait-lin Kubota placed eighth in the Concepts of Health Care Knowledge Test; Senior Kate Kawamoto placed ninth in the Clinical Speciality cat-egory; and Junior Jenna Ma-

ligro placed third in the Ex-temporaneous Health Poster category. Students from DECA did not proceed to nationals, but several received an hon-orable mention during the state competition. The conventions were a good experience for the competing students to ex-pand their knowledge in their specific club and also gave them the hands-on op-portunity to improve within groups and individually.

TROJAN TIMESThursday, August 28, 2008 Mililani High School VOL. XXXVI NO.1

NEWS FEATURE

SPORTS

The “Twilight” se-ries has taken book stores by storm with its newest release, “Breaking Dawn”

Page 6

Three part-time curriculum co-ordinators, Arai, Guerrero and Kaneko to replace two full-timers

Page 4

Hawaii Olympi-ans represent US in number of sports at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Page 7

INDEX

EDITORIAL

New policy teach-es students to give altruistically rather than for the sake of credit

Page 5

Lauren AbeMath

If could have any su-per power what would it be?Maybe to fly. Don’t ask me why but it seems kind of neat - you could just go anywhere really fast.

What made you change your mind to go into math instead of vet med?I don’t know; both of my parents were teach-ers and then my mom actually taught here ... she was here when the school first started and she was a math teacher. So that probably had some influence there.

Quinn AverySpecial Education

Why did you become a teacher?I became a teacher be-cause ... when I was in third grade we had a student (who) was in a wheelchair and she had muscular dystro-phy ... and from that point I always worked with students.

What do you find most rewarding about your job as an educator?My relationship with the kids ... I really en-joy talking with them, you know, saying, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ ... That’s the most re-warding for me.

Iris AwaScience

Do you have any pet peeves?Kind of like ... orga-nization. Sometimes I have to have not all the ducks in a row, but most of the ducks be-cause I cannot come to a room and not know what I am doing today. So sometimes ... my kids call me anal.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?Like I drove a car with-out a license ... I drew a duck with four legs ... see that’s crazy! Usu-ally Halloween, we dress. I was Cruella.

Christopher BlauveltIndustrial Arts

Do you have any hid-den talents?I do a lot of body boarding ... and a lot of the students are kind of surprised that that’s something that I like to do.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever eat-en?I’ve eaten alligator tail before.

If you could be any animal, what would you be?I would say some kind of high-flying bird ... like either a hawk or an eagle.

James BurwellSocial Studies

If you could travel to any period of time, which would you go to?One hour before De-cember 7, 1941 and warn Pearl Harbor that they were about to be bombed.

What made you decide to teach history?Well, I love history and I like to talk about his-tory. So teaching is the only place to go where people will listen.

If you could be any superhero, who would you be and why?I always liked the Green Lantern ...

Kahealani DavidScience

Do you have any hob-bies or interests?Not at this moment. Mostly just hang-ing out with my fam-ily, especially with my daughter and I like to go to the beach.

What do you think of the school so far?I like it. Everybody’s friendly and the stu-dents are pretty good, so I’m just taking my time to get used to meeting everyone.

What are your expec-tations for this school year?Well, to survive.

August 28, 2008NEWTEACHERS

August 28, 2008

Jennifer LaxtonEnglish

Why did you choose to teach English?I always knew that I wanted to work with kids somehow some-way, and English litera-ture – that kind of stuff – is my passion in gen-eral so I knew that was a perfect way to kind of marry those passions.

Bottled or tap water?Bottled. Yeah, kind of a snob about the water, but that’s probably just because we’ve moved around a lot with the army and sometimes the water’s really not good but here it’s pret-ty good.

Ryan MasakiIndustrial Arts

What is your favorite store to shop at?... For clothes ... It used to be Macy’s only be-cause I worked there so I used to get stuff for dirt cheap.

What’s your favorite song to sing in the shower?I don’t know if it’s in the shower, but I actually sing “Take A Bow” to my daughter to go to sleep.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?... I don’t know the Fili-pino word for it, but it’s basically the blood from pig and it’s cooked ...

Robin MillerEnglish

So do you like the school so far?Yeah I do, it’s big! It’s so big. I kind of can re-late to my freshmen ... We’re kind of learning the ropes the same, in the beginning. We’re trying to figure out lunches and bells.

Who is your favorite superhero?I think definitely Bat-man. I haven’t seen the new Batman movie, but Batman’s kind of the dark hero, he’s got a lot of depth to him. ... And his sidekick is Robin, and that’s my first name, so...

Mary Miura-AquinaldoScience

Why did you decide to become a physical sci-ence teacher?I actually wanted to be an astronaut when I was little. But I wanted to be a pilot for the shuttle program, but I’m not rich so I couldn’t af-ford to have private fly-ing lessons and so my only option ... would be through the military and I don’t have 20-20 vision so I decided that teaching was the next best thing … for me.

Do you have any hid-den talents?I can make a shaka with my toes.

Dayle Lee-RocheTeen Care

What inspired you to become a counselor?Basically the reason why I chose to go into the counseling field ... was after 9/11, and I was originally working in the airlines business ... I just went back to school and I just ended up going into counsel-ing. It was the right fit.

What is your favorite beach and why?... It doesn’t have a name. It’s actually a friend’s backyard. It’s a private beach because it’s actually where my husband proposed to me.

Jennifer LiuEnglish

Why did you choose to become a teacher?I think two experiences led me to want to be a teacher. One was my experience as an A+ af-ter school group leader. From that experience I realized I liked work-ing with kids ... The other ... was my experi-ence studying Spanish abroad in Mexico ...

How has teaching changed your life?I think that it has made me a better public speak-er ... And it also helped me to realize what a strong impact a teacher can have on a student.

Lori TsukamotoWorld Languages

What’s your life motto?If you’re going to work, do something you love.

If your house was on fire, name a non-living thing you’d go back for.Photos.

Why did you want to be a teacher?I was volunteering teaching Japanese lan-guage with elementary school kids and I liked it. But teaching Social Studies, English and Math a day would be too much so I decid-ed to work with high school students teach-ing Japanese language.

Aimee NakamaSpecial Education

What made you decide to teach this subject?Well, I like working with kids, and you know, making sure they enjoy class and get excited about the subject and want to learn more.

What philosophy do you live by?Never give up, always try your best.

What was your favorite superhero growing up?Catwoman I guess or Wonder Woman.

What is your pet peeve?People who talk behind each other’s backs.

Crystal MiyamotoMath

What is the most reward-ing thing about teaching math?The most rewarding thing about teaching math is seeing the change that occurs when stu-dents go from confusion or even hatred towards the subject to gaining understanding ...

What is your favorite math concept?I think one of my favor-ite parts of math that I don’t actually currently teach now is trigonom-etry. It was one of my favorite topics when I was in high school, so I enjoyed it.

Noelle StewartTeen Care

Why did you become a Teen Care Service Spe-cialist?I just finished school and graduated in the field of human ser-vices and this is an age group that I’ve always wanted to work with.

Why did you decide to work at Mililani High School?It’s close to where I live; Mililani has a real-ly good reputation and it also had an opening.

What would be your ideal pizza?Mushrooms, olives, ex-tra cheese.

WELCOME TOA NEW YEAR AT MILILANI

HIGH SCHOOL

Dear fellow students,

Welcome to the 2008 - 2009 school year at Mililani High School. To returning students, welcome back after a long summer. We wish you all the luck as you take on either your second, third or fourth and final year of high school. To those who are new, we hope you will be able to find a place where you can be yourself on campus, and take advantage of every opportunity - in-cluding technology, clubs and sports - that this school has to offer you.

A month of the school year has al-ready passed by quickly, and it’s not going to slow down. That is why whether through academic achieve-ment, involvement in sports or other organizations or the relationships with your peers and friends, make the most of this year and spend every second doing something important for your future - something worthwhile. Make this year at Mililani High School one to remember.

Sincerely,The Trojan Times

NEW TEACHERSMililani High School August 28, 2008

Lailanie Del MundoSocial Studies

Who’s your hero?Actually my hero is ... my mom, just because she’s been through re-ally great struggles, but despite that, she’s kept a really positive outlook and she holds no personal grudges ... That’s what I try to emulate.

What irritates you with almost no exception?My students are going to see this ... I kind of got a little bit of OCD in me, and I need things to be straight. But I’ve learned to live with it ... little things like that, they bug me.

Stephanie Grande-MisakiEnglish

What did you want to be when you were a child?I wanted to be a veteri-narian ... But ... they had to take care of other an-imals other than dogs so I didn’t really want to do it anymore. I also found out that they had to put animals to sleep and I didn’t think I could handle that.

If you could travel to any period in time, which would you go to?I’d probably go back to the 1930s ... because I’d like to go back to a time when my grandma was in her prime.

Holland HendersonEnglish

How do you feel about the students presented to you in your class this year?I think the students have been wonderful ... a lot more academic and well-behaved. Just sorta smarter than the kids I worked with in other schools.

If you could be any-thing else in the world besides a teacher what would you be?... What do you call that, uh, I guess a stay-at-home-mom but my daughter doesn’t even stay at home anymore. So, unemployed.

Tyson KikugawaScience

Why did you choose to teach physics?Well for me ... I had a lot more fun when I was in physics. ... the first year I took phys-ics I didn’t like it that much and it was actu-ally a little confusing to me. (Retired Science Teacher Pauline) Higa talked me into taking AP Physics ... and after that physics was just too cool.

Do you enjoy any sports, whether it’s watching or playing it?Yeah, football and base-ball.

John KnutzenSpecial Education

Why did you decide to become a teacher?Well I really had a pas-sion for science ... I had a teacher that made it a lot of fun actually; she taught us stuff about the environment and ocean.

So you like to surf?Yeah, I love to surf. I go diving and fishing too. Places like Waimea; I go to the beach a lot. I like to scuba dive for shells and stuff. I don’t kill anything.

What’s your most hat-ed vegetable?Sweet pickles.

Eric KubotaMusic

What is one of the weirdest foods you have eaten?I had cow brains be-fore ... I ate it and I was like, ‘Oh this is gross, what is this?’ And one of my friends spoke Japanese and was like, ‘Oh it’s cow brains.’ ... I don’t want to eat that anymore.

What was your fa-vorite subject in high school?Since she is still here ... AP Psychology with (Social Studies Teacher) Judy Taparra. That will win me some brownie points.

August 28, 2008

By Diana Thompson

The fact that many don’t know what goes on behind the scenes at schools does no justice to the hard working faculty who call themselves curriculum coordinators. To contrast last year’s two full-time workers, this year the school has three part-time coordinators: Librarian Betty Arai, Social Studies Teacher Katrina Guerrero and Eng-lish Teacher Lisa Kaneko. After only a little more than a month as curriculum coordinators, all three of them have experienced the rush of work that the posi-tion entails. “Just to give you a glimpse, we are in charge of so many different school-wide initiatives that [focus] on school curricu-lum. It includes but [is] not limited to: Advisory, Senior Project, Personal Transi-tion Plan, Data Collection and Analysis (for the entire

New building in use (cont. from page 1)

through my lunch-es. But it’s just that they’re right here. And so, I eat with them … and it’s a bonding.” One of the most outstanding quality of the new building is the in-corporation of tech-nologies such as the SMARTBoards and the Senteo quiz sys-tems. Taparra said, “(With the Senteo,) they’re taking a quiz, as opposed to the pa-per pencil they have this ma-chine ... this generation now is all high tech so they’re putting in their information and what it does it that it give instant feedback.” Even simplicities, such as air con-

ditioning, make the biggest difference in one’s learn-ing experience. “You know, when you’re hot and miser-able and tired? I don’t see that in my students,” said Webb. With all of this and more expected to come, the building itself is still expand-ing its utilities and will soon feature more state-of-the-art

school), [Focus on Learning] FOL groups, Professional Development days, etc. Al-though we work together on many initiatives, each of us are lead people in different areas. I, specifically, concen-trate on Advisory, Personal Transition Plan, Character Counts, A.U.P., and Edline,” said Guerrero. Even though these teachers were involved with the school’s activi-ties before achieving their new positions, they never clearly understood how ev-

erything linked together to form what is Mililani High School. They have made it their goal to share with the faculty membership exactly how it all works together to help the school function ac-cording to its basic structure and so it can perform well during evaluations, such as accreditation. It may get stressful knowing that the results of their work will directly af-fect the school as a whole, but they feel that, together, they make a very strong

and unique team. “... I think we make a good team be-cause we each have our own strengths and I think that’s what make the team really work together,” said Arai. They have managed to become good friends af-ter enduring much together. “(Arai and Guerrero) are very fun to work with, it’s always exciting to talk with them and plan and to hope-fully make improvements. And we always have a lot of fun, no matter what the situation is,” according to

Kaneko. In order to take on the position, the three women had to make sacrifices to their everyday lives. “Time, I believe, is the biggest sac-rifice that I’ve had to make. In addition to being a Cur-riculum Coordinator, I split my time between being Se-nior Advisor and a part time teacher. Personally, I am also planning a wedding and working on getting my Mas-ters,” said Guerrero. Kaneko believes spending less time at home and not having as many students were her greatest sacrifices. Although they face many challenges and have made changes to their regular rou-tines, Arai, Guerrero and Kaneko continue to try their hardest to benefit the entire school, including the faculty and the students. They’ve come to show that three heads, though part-time, are still better than two.

Soda Machines With the start of ev-ery school year, there are always changes or new additions to the school. This year, the soda ma-chines located by the of-fice and under the lanai have undergone product and price changes. Each soda machine

will now include Propel Fit-ness Water, Diet Pepsi Max, or Diet Mountain Dew, along with bottled water. The change is due to the need of healthier food and drink selections at public schools. The product change has gone statewide with ev-ery public school. Also the price of each vending machine drink has

been raised. The price has gone from $1 to $1.35. The price increase has also been implemented statewide for all public schools. Now when you go to purchase a drink, expect to pay a little more, but anticipate new beverage options.

Compiled by Cameron Ogle

teaching tools in ad-dition to new desks and chairs. “The important thing to realize, and the important thing for teachers to real-ize, is that the tech-nology is not the point. Technology is the tool. The point is the content, the curriculum. And

To the point

the technologies that are available to the teachers and students are just ways for getting to the curriculum,” said Petersen. The building will hopefully be finished and completed with all the new facilities around Christ-mas of 2008. Until then, the students are sure to continue to enjoy learning.

H-Bldg teachers ate lunch together during their first “H-Bldg Hooey” as a way to bond with each other.

Judy Taparra | MHS Teacher

New curriculum coordinators share common vision

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Faith Brown | Trojan Times

August 28, 2008NEWS

44August 28, 2008

Around Campus...

The “M” in stadium. Alumnus Jensen Takara recently de-signed the mosaic piece for Boy Scouts. He created this proj-ect as an act of service in order to receive his promotion from a regular Boy Scout to an Eagle Scout. With help from his pack leaders and fellow scouts, the project was completed during the weekend of July 12-13. Surrounding the “M” are small flower bushes, which add a decorative effect.

ASMHSPresident

Leanne Sunahara

Welcome Trojans to a new school year, and for the freshmen, I hope you are enjoying high school so far. My name is Leanne Sunahara and I am the ASMHS President. This will be my second year in of-fice and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I am open to sug-gestions to make this year a blast. Since the first day of school, there were several events that took place with the first be-ing the Welcome Back Assembly. With the help of all the students, you made the assembly fun and enjoyable. Club Fair just passed. It was held on Wednesday Aug. 27, after school. This gave everyone a chance to see the different kinds of clubs Mililani offers and it is a great way to be involved with the community. It was also a good time to sign up and help your class or ASMHS. Class assemblies were also held on the first week back to school so everyone should be informed of all the upcoming events throughout the school year. The biggest event of every school year has started: Homecoming. This year’s theme is “Going Green.” Don’t forget banner building began on Aug. 21. All banners must be made of 25 percent recycla-ble items. Be sure to help your class win the Homecoming trophy. Homecoming week is from Sept. 22 - 27. The Homecoming game is on Sept. 26, and Mililani is challenging Nanakuli. All the upcoming events are going to take place soon, so be ready for what is expected to come. Have a great school year and do the best that you can do for the school and your-self.

The Trojan Times is a monthly production of

the Newswriting staff of Mililani High School

95-1200 Meheula Pkwy., Mililani, HI 96789

Editor in ChiefCaitlin Kuroda

Assistant EditorDiana Thompson

Sports EditorFaith Brown

Business ManagerArianne Cablay

AdviserMr. Christopher Sato

PrincipalDr. John Brummel

StaffShayna DiamondFrancis Empeno

Suzu FairKelli-Anne HoValerie Inafuku

Kellie KawamotoPreston Miyashiro

Lauren MottleyCameron OgleMarissa Pang

Noah Perales-EstoestaKristen SawadaAngelica SewakeVeronica Sims

Elizabeth SpallaCyrus TakahashiAmy Takayesu

Kylie Yamamoto

Trojan Times

The mission of the Trojan Times is to publicize events,

share in the successes of students, promote the hard work of the faculty and cap-

ture the dedication of organizations.

Welcome to a new year! We look forward to work-ing with a new senior class and everyone else who wants information about their post high school plans. C&CC is open to all students, parents and staff. Services include post-high school planning, process-ing of college applications, information on financial aid and scholarships and coor-dination of college speak-ers, ASVAB and PSAT.

General AnnouncementsCommunication: Keep abreast of weekly informa-tion via the C&CC Bulletin. All teachers have a hard copy, and it can also be found at www.mililanihs.k12.hi.us or on Edline.Career Assistance: Mrs. Hamamoto is available to help with occupational/college searches, connect you to a military recruiter and help with scholarship information. Appointments: Mrs. Yama-moto is available to discuss college options. Everyone is welcome. College Speakers: All stu-dents are welcome to at-tend speaker sessions. Sign up on the C&CC bulletin board. Fill out the informa-tion on your planner. On the session day, check into your class and have your teacher sign your planner. PSAT Testing: The PSAT

will be held on Oct. 18 here at Mililani High School. It will be free to students grades 9 - 11. Sign-up will be in C&CC – Juniors from Sept. 2 – 15; all students Sept. 15 – 30.

Announcements for SeniorsSenior English Class Visits: Mrs. Yamamoto visited all se-nior English classes in August. If you don’t have an English class or missed the presenta-tion, stop by for information. College Planning: Please make an appointment to see Mrs. Yamamoto if you have questions or need help. How to Apply to Colleges: Applications are available at most colleges’ websites. The college may have an “apply on-line” option or provide an application that can be down-loaded and submitted in the traditional manner. Even if you apply online, you need to submit some parts in pa-per form. Application fees may need to be sent by check if not paid through a credit card. SAT/ACT scores may need to be sent directly from the testing agency. Complete your applications carefully and meet all deadlines. Keep a copy of all applications sent and the dates they were sub-mitted. Testing: Sign up immediate-ly! Test dates/sites will close up quickly. If you forgot our CEEB Code (120-197), it is listed under Mililani TOWN on the web. Send your scores

directly to your colleges.UH System Common Ap-plication: Turn them in ASAP. UH Manoa and Hilo applications require a $50 fee and transcript request form. See Mrs. Yamamoto if you do not fulfill Manoa’s requirement and she will give you the special recom-mendation form to accom-pany your application.Application Deadlines: Ex-cept for those with earlier deadlines, most applica-tions should be turned in to C&CC by Dec. 1. ASVAB: Those interested in the Armed Services should take the ASVAB on Sept. 18. The test starts at 8:00 AM and lasts about four hours. It is also an excellent occu-pational test for those un-sure of careers that suit their strengths. Financial Aid: Continue to check the web page or scholarship bulletin board for announcements. Use FAFSA4caster to get an es-timate of your eligibility for federal student aid and get an early start in the fi-nancial aid process. When ready to apply, much of the information you enter in FAFSA4caster will populate the FAFSA on the Web. Go to www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov for more information.

Compiled by Career and College Counselor

Denise Yamamoto

By Caitlin Kuroda

The very first few days of school are wonderful because teachers are still spending class time going over their syllabi, the homework load hasn’t piled up yet and - un-til recently - turning in a box of Kleenex meant getting an easy five or ten points. How-ever, with a new Department of Education (DOE) policy, no credit can be rewarded to students for giving supplies. While the policy does take away a source of classroom donations, in place it provides a valuable opportunity for students to learn about giving without expecting to receive. The budget teachers re-ceive to purchase necessary classroom materials is mini-mal. As such, many teachers

Career and College Counselor Announcements

Policy teaches to give without gainend up paying for a lot of sup-plies out of their own pock-ets. The student donations of small things like tissue and paper towels were greatly ap-preciated and lessened a bit of the financial burden. To the students, it benefit-ed them in two ways. For one, supplies they donated went back to them. Second, they could receive credit. Now, because of the policy, most teachers have not asked their students to give. But maybe they should ask. For example, Social Stud-ies Teacher Judy Taparra has asked her students for what she calls “a sincere donation,” and she has received. Try to think of the new policy not as a limiting regula-tion, but as a lesson on citizen-ship and volunteering. Other

service projects exist where students are required to com-plete a number of hours of ser-vice for a grade. Projects like these still encourage students to do something helpful only because their grade depends on it. But with the policy, if students decide to give, it is more for the sake of the teach-er rather than themselves. Thus, the policy should be taken advantage of in a way that benefits both teach-ers and students. Teachers should not have to cut down on their supplies or use more of their money to purchase them. Rather than require, they can ask the students to give. And the students on their part should do this small favor in return for everything the teachers do for them.

Letter to the editor

To voice an opinion or any concerns, feel free to submit a letter to L205 or to mhs808tro-jantimes@gmail.com. The Trojan Times re-serves the right to edit letters as they see fit. Please type your letter and clearly state your name, grade level and period one class.

August 28, 2008EDITORIAL

55August 28, 2008

Bella Swan moves to the small, damp town of Forks, Washington to live with her father. The slow, predictable lifestyle she adopts quickly unravels with the appearance of Edward Cullen, a myste-rious boy of godlike beau-ty who, upon their first meeting in biology, has a fit of rage he can barely control, tries to switch out of the class and stops coming to school for a while. But the next time she sees him, he claims that he’s going to stop be-ing “good” and be Bella’s friend, even if it’s bad for her. As Bella becomes in-creasingly curious about him, she also realizes that, whatever he may be, hu-man or monster, she is in love with him.

“New Moon”

Following the danger-ous events of “Twilight,” Edward believes that his presence poses nothing but a threat to Bella’s well-being and resolves to leave Forks with his family. For months Bella is in a zombie-like state. What offsets this is her new friendship with Jacob Black. However, when he becomes “sick,” rejects her phone calls, grows larger every day and loses his care-free personality, she knows something is wrong. Mean-while, people have been mysteriously disappearing, leaving nothing but blood behind, and are also trying to reach Bella. Victoria, the vengeful mate of a vampire that attacked Bella and met his death when Edward showed up, is behind the at-tacks, but is thwarted.

With Edward’s return, tensions quickly escalate between him and Jacob over their feelings for Bel-la. Victoria, still at large after failing to be captured by Jacob’s werewolf pack in “New Moon,“ plans to retaliate against them and begins forming an army of newborn vampires. The Cullen family and werewolf pack temporar-ily put aside their differ-ences to fight against the army side by side. Just as Jacob leaves for battle, Bella realizes that she also loves him more than a best friend, and must make an agonizing deci-sion between her love for him and her love for Ed-ward.

Compiled by Caitlin Kuroda

The events leading up to Breaking Dawn...

Dawn breaks as series comes to an endBy Faith Brown

The much anticipated finale to Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” Saga, “Breaking Dawn,” was released at mid-night on Aug. 1, to much fan-fare as bookstores across the country held midnight par-ties in celebration of the end of the three years Meyer has kept the populace in suspense as to Isabella Swan’s fate.

An estimated 3.7 million copies of “Breaking Dawn” were sold after 12:01 AM ac-cording to usatoday.com, a new first-day top seller re-cord. Since its initial release a few weeks ago it has been re-ported on many number one best seller’s lists.

The “New York Times” also commended Meyer on her series, reporting that the Walden and Borders Group expected “more than 100,000 fans at 900 Twilight-themed parties at its Waldenbooks and Borders stores,” a stag-gering number.

Senior Justine Gampong deemed the book’s success in Isabella’s main love Edward, stating, “... All the girls I know that have read the book are all in love with Edward and the whole love story.”

The series immediately made a mark on the map with the first installment “Twi-light,” which held 49 weeks on the “New York Times” Best Sellers List. From its main

audience of teenage girls to a few boys and middle-aged women, the saga has capti-vated millions.

The plot tells of a seem-ingly commonplace theme for a Young Adult genre about a teenage girl facing life, with the choice of whether or not to end her life in place of one as a vampire. Another clas-sic theme the book holds is a heart-wrenching decision between two suitors, in this situation between a vampire and a werewolf. The scenario Meyer creates is so realistic that many readers feel a fa-miliar relation to the scenes or the characters. Senior Madi-son Cole, avid fan, stated, “I like that in some ways (Bella) kind of reminded me of me and, well, of course, I liked the fantasy stuff with the vampires and all the mystical creatures.”

Cole attributes this unique blending of genre to the book’s wide appeal, commenting, “It made me interested in reading it and it made me want to keep go-ing and read the rest of the books.”

As demonstrated by the overwhelming demand ex-pressed for the “Twilight” Saga, these books really sink their teeth into you. It is easy to fall in love with Meyer’s powerful narrative character-ized by her simplistic writing style yet compelling plots.

Students get taste of Japanese culture on summer tripBy Caitlin Kuroda

The aim of a language class is not only to teach stu-dents to speak the tongues of another country - it is to allow them to experience the culture and gain the confidence to survive in that country. With that in mind, World Language Teachers Claire Ichiyama and Jo Ann Kanda took about 20 students enrolled in Japanese to the land of the rising sun for 12 days during summer. The trip took the group from the highly-populated streets of Tokyo to the scenic shrines of Kyoto. Although they went to places like the Meiji Shrine and Toyota Fac-tory, the trip wasn’t focused solely on tourist attractions. The amount of free time given to familiarize with the places surrounding the hotels they stayed at was very unique. Students had ample time

to explore. Many ate dinner at nearby restaurants and shopped at the multi-level department stores. Senior Kelson Pai initially shares, “(It was fun) just hanging out with my friends in a different country,” and then adds, “Ac-tually, it was fun to get lost.” It wasn’t uncommon for the students to get lost. This was just one example of times when they were put in situa-tions where they had to use their knowledge of Japanese language. This was actually what Kanda wanted: “… We teach (them) a lot of things …” she says, “(But in Japan they’re) put into situations where (they) have to prob-lem-solve on (their) own.” One day, the students were shown how to buy train tickets, locate the plat-form and get off at the right stop. “(They gained) more confidence with being able

to ride the trains on their own … I think after that if we gave (them) more free time (they) would be able to do a lot.” The constant interac-tion with Japanese citizens also proved to be a benefit in terms of grasping the lan-guage and being able to use it outside the classroom. “… It kind of helped me to think faster and interpret the lan-guage better,” says Junior Macie Chun. Pai agrees, add-ing, “… It was more practical than the textbook (and) class-work.” According to Kanda, the trip left many students wanting to go back. With new knowledge and real-life conversations to add to their experiences, those who re-turn will be able to go back knowing just what to expect from the country and how to get by.

Caitlin Kuroda | Trojan TimesThe streets of district Harajuku are flooded with Japanese citizens who have their Sunday off. Students were able to take the trains by them-selves to Harajuku to explore this highly popular shopping district.

August 28, 2008FEATURES

66August 28, 2008

“Twilight” “Eclipse”

Prospects for football high as practice increasesBy Faith Brown

Preparation to excel in the state championship is well underway for the Trojan foot-ball department as both the Varsity and JV teams make their first marks on the score board through an intensified practice regime and instruc-tive pre-season scrimmages.

Defensive coach Ma`a Tanuvasa stated one of their main goals, ”Every year, off-season, we plan and our goal is to make it to states and hopefully bring ban-ners to our school. That’s the same goal that’s been here for as many years as I’ve been coaching here and it hasn’t changed so hopefully we put some banners up in the rafters of our gymnasium.”

Conditioning to acheive such goals began for many dedicated players unofficially six months ago with train-ing sessions and a season of spring ball, which allowed the coaching staff to scope out the strengths of their players while keeping the team fit and prepared for the fall sea-

son. At the start of the official season practices redoubled in both length and routine.

Senior Sitiveni Manu, defensive-end, commented that since practicing began they have been doing, “A lot of running and we’re learning new techniques and stuff, got some new plays.”

Also, further exemplify-ing the team’s dedication to win, the Trojans have been exceeding everyone’s expec-tations by practicing long hours every weekday, which represents a longer practice time span than in previous years, to better perfect their skills and strengthen not only their chances of winning but also their team relationships.

Junior Zachery Quinez, defensive linebacker, com-mented on the team’s relation-ship, “We get along at times. There might be some bicker-ing; but as coach says, ‘We’re brothers.’” Manu consented stating that, surprisingly, the team relationships were, “Ac-tually really good. Everyone gets along on the team.”

After the successful sea-

son last year with a record of five wins and two losses, to Waianae in the first season game and then the OIA Red Division playoffs to Leilehua, the team has high hopes to take it all the way to the end, despite the results of the re-cent practice scrimmages.

On Aug. 8 the Varsity and JV football teams host-ed a scrimmage against the Moanaloa football teams. The JV held strong and were vic-torious, while, unfortunately, the Varsity team was not. Quinez remarked on their expectations before the scrim-mage against Moanalua’s, “I thought they were going to be not as strong, but they came out pretty strong.” Manu agreed stating, “We all expected them to be a little easier.”

“I feel like we have a long way to go. We weren’t really playing as a family ... I think the season will go good be-cause we always start out a little rocky but we pull it together later,” commented Manu with confidence.

The following day “later”

came as another scrimmage was held at Kahuku, where both teams were successful.

The first pre-season was on Aug. 15, against Castle. It was close, ending with a score of 21-28, with Castle winning in the last minutes.

Tanuvasa stated, “We’re still trying to find our conti-nuity here with our team. We have a lot of new faces, a big-ger group. I think we have a

team that can do it, but it’s up to the players to believe and kind of buy in to what we’re trying to coach these guys to do.”

With the coaches and the teams pulling together to make this season even more triumphant than last year, it is undoubtable that many victories will be achieved as the dedication of both teams remains unwavering.

Aug. 28, 2008SPORTS

Sophomore Nainoa Pihana, JV starting quarterback, perfects his winning talents under JV Coach Ian Ah Mook Sang’s guidance. Increased practice tempo prior to the first interleague game against St. Louis on Aug. 23 equipped both teams for rigorous games.

Olympians with Hawaii ties fare well at 2008 games On Aug. 24, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games official-ly came to a close. But during the games, which lasted six-teen days, several Olympians with ties to Hawaii represent-ed the US either individually or as part of a team.

Track and Field A 1998 graduate of Castle High School, Bryan Clay ex-celled at Athens in 2004, and was expected to do just as well or better at Beijing. Clay participated in the Decathlon and placed in the top three for his first three events. He ranked first in the 100-meter race and the Long Jump, and ranked second in Shot Put.

Volleyball The US Women’s Vol-leyball team consisted of 12 members and a third of this number proudly represented Hawaii and UH - Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Lindsey Berg, Heather Bown and Kim Wil-loughby. The US team won four of their five preliminary matches, defeating China, Ja-pan, Poland and Venezuela and losing to Cuba. On Aug. 19 they defeated Italy in the quarterfinals, but were swept

3-0 by Cuba in the semifinals. Ah Mow-Santos was starting setter of the team and was ranked the sixth best setter in women’s volleyball. Bown tied for the tenth best scorer and Willoughby took thirty-sixth. Representing Hawaii in for the US Men was Clay-ton Stanley, who was born

in Hawaii and is still a cur-rent resident. In the prelimi-nary rounds, the US played against Bulgaria, China, Italy and Venezuela, and was beat every team. Their quarterfi-nal match against Japan and semifinal match against Ser-bia also ended successfully. Stanley was ranked the num-ber one spiker and the num-

ber seven server, as well as the second best scorer.

Water Polo On a team of 12 Califor-nians, Brandon Brooks, a 1999 graduate of Punahou School, stood out. He competed in the Olympics for his second time, and was the goalkeeper for the US Men’s Water Polo

team. Their matches began on Aug. 10. In the preliminary rounds, they challenged Chi-na, Croatia, Germany, Italy and Serbia, triumphing over every team except Serbia.

Wrestling Named the second small-est US Olympian, Clarissa Chun (a 1999 graduate of Roosevelt High School) stood tall on Aug. 16, her single day of competition. She completed three matches in the Women’s Freestyle 48 kg. She defeated Sofia Mattsson of Sweden and then Vanessa Boubryemm of France in the quarterfinals. She faced Chiharu Icho of Ja-pan in the semifinals and lost 3-1. In the final standings of her category she ended up in a tie for fifth place with Tatya-na Bakatyuk of Kazakhstan.

Compiled by Caitlin Kurodafrom en.beijing2008.cn and

www.honoluluadvertiser.com

7August 28. 2008

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DISCLAIMER

All information in this story is accurate up until

Aug. 20.

Elizabeth Andres | Na Mana’o Poina’ole

8.7.6.5.4.3. 2.

horoscopes Because fate willalways be inevitable

Aries(March 21 - April 19)The stars are vague for you this month, but if I’m not mistaken, I think they want you to start collect-ing rocks, specifically an explosive volcanic one, for that rock collection you’ve always secretly wanted. But remember to hide it somewhere safe because people will be jealous and might steal it. The back of your closet is a good place.

Taurus(April 20 - May 20)As you read your horo-scope, something super spectacularly special is happening at this very in-stant! Don’t have a clue as to what’s going on? Well, no one said it was for you. Better luck next time, champ.

Gemini(May 21 - June 21)In order to figure out what

it is you want, reconnect with your childhood. Listen to a few 90’s hits like the Back-street Boys’ “I Want It That Way” and then belt it out all around school. Or find an episode of “Rugrats“or “Doug” and watch it with a dog to help you. When you decipher what you desire, something big will finally hit you smack dab in the forehead. Lucky numbers: 12, 47, 78.9; not relevant, just a side note.

Cancer(June 22 - July 22)Try not to slip on any ba-nana peels today - it’s time to make an impression on that special someone. If you happen to trip, don’t drop your school books. There’s not really any philosophical reason why, just that a dirty book will surely upset your teachers.

Leo(July 23 - Aug. 22)For all you lions out there,

it’s finally time to put your rainbow-colored thinking cap to use because soon an accquaintance will su-prisingly come to you for a piece of advice about his second cousin’s step broth-er’s daughter’s mother’s sister-in-law’s cousin, twice removed.

Virgo(Aug. 23 - Sept. 22)Jupiter - or it could possibly be Saturn - will just so hap-pen to be aligned with the North Star on this upcoming Sunday night at approxi-mately 11:59 PM. Because of this strange coincidence, it is 0.004% likely that the fol-lowing Monday will be your lucky day. Keep your fingers crossed!

Libra(Sept. 23 - Oct. 22)For the rest of the week avoid stepping on any cracks in the sidewalk and flush-ing the toilet with your left hand. Also, be wary of black

ants and raindrops stuck on leaves. No one knows why; just be cautious.

Scorpio(Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)Listen to a song that re-ally pumps you up. Then go dance around in the ice cream aisle at Costco for at least two minutes on a Sat-urday. People might give you funny looks, but you’re used to it.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)Step outside of your shell and do something daring. Impress those who doubted you by building a spaceship. Then plan the fastest and safest route to the moon and fly there. Take one small step and one big leap for man-kind!

Capricorn(Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)Today is the day to try some-thing new. For example, do a good deed for the day.

Helping an old lady cross the street is especially ad-vised. You never know what your little goat heart is capable of until you try.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)You know exactly what you want, you just don’t know where to find it. Ei-ther that or you’re look-ing in all the wrong plac-es. (Hint: A past science teacher may point you in the right direction.)

Pisces(Feb. 19 - March 20)Gaze at the stars with a close friend tonight. If the sky is cloudy, then brush your teeth and go to sleep. If the sky is clear, name a few stars. After all, they’re all yours until the next night when you can’t remember what they looked like.

Compiled by Kelli-Anne Ho

1.I am only one color, but not one sizeI am stuck at the bottom, yet I easily flyI am present in sun, but not in rainI am doing no harm, and feeling no pain

Until I am measuredI am not knownYet how you miss meWhen I have flown

I am so fragile that when you say my name you break me

I can be formed from these letters:

If you have me, you want to share me

I am as light as a feather, yet no man can hold me for long

I am not alive, but I growI don’t have lungs, but I need airI don’t have a mouth, but water kills me

I am the beginning of eternity

I am the end of time and space

I am the beginning of every end

And I am the end of every place

EEEELLPNSSSSS

1. A shadow2. Time3. Silence4. Sleeplessness5. A secret6. Your breath7. Fire8. The letter E

Compiled by Kelli-Anne Hofrom trickyriddles.com

If you share me, you haven’t got me

August 28, 2008

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