NewsInsIde

Editorials

Sports

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Photo courtesy of Colin Cross

Kona hosts Ironman WorldChampionships Triathlon

Moena Café serves resort-style breakfast

Photo courtesy of Cougar Connection

Teachers collaborate to align curriculum

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Photo by Haley Suzuki

Photo courtesy of Karen Wells

Bring back recycling program to Kaiser

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Lady Cougars take softball OIA White championship

Photo by Ed Young

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Photo courtesy of AlternateEnergyKaiser’s football weight training coach, Chad Ikei (second from left) receives a thirty-two thousand dollar donation from AlternateEnergy.

Cougar ConnectionHenry J. Kaiser HigH scHool Honolulu, Hawaii

Volume 42 · Issue #2october 2012

Let’s face it. Kaiser had a good run. After winning seven consecutive games and only losing its season opener to Ka-laheo by a point, Kaiser was well on its way to becoming champions of the OIA White division. Too bad Nanakuli came.

Over 3,000 people watched the Cougars deci-mate the Golden Hawks in the first half, leading 14 to noth-ing. But, in the second half, Kaiser’s star player, Kai Gon-da, suffered back problems and was sidelined.

The final score was 28-21

Generous donation highlights seasonBy Sam ChalekianTechnology Coordinator

with Nanakuli winning by seven points.

Even though the road to victory for Kaiser has col-lapsed, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a silver lining. Kai-ser’s seven game winning streak has turned the heads of several prominent organiza-tions, each of them with large sums of cash in hand.

At the Kaiser versus Ka-lani game, the representatives of Carole Kai Charities, orga-nizers of the Great Aloha Run, shook hands with John Sosa at halftime and presented him with a check for $2,000.

Alternative Energy Inc. followed suit with a gener-ous $32,000 for additions and

improvements to the weight room.

“Donations help us do what we do,” said Principal John Sosa. “It helps us build partnerships and there’s a mu-tual benefit for both.” Kaiser alumni Chad Ikei was respon-sible for working with Alter-native Energy Inc. to secure a donation. “Chad approached Kaiser and was interested in using Kaiser’s facilities to train professional athletes,” said Principal Sosa.

It was a short time later that the school agreed and Ikei began to use Kaiser’s campus for his Speed and Quickness clinic. Ikei has been working with athletes to help them

improve their agility, balance, and movement through his Speed and Quickness program for a total of nine years.

Alternative Energy’s do-nation not only allows student athletes to have access to state of the art weight equipment, but also to UH football play-ers who can help them realize their potentials.

So even if Kaiser may not be at the top of the pile in the OIA White Division, the dona-tions from their success will benefit Kaiser’s facilities and students.

Principal Sosa believes this fully. “It’s great to see peo-ple in that point of life where they can give back.”

Kaiser High School lost a bit of color this year as school clubs removed the bright pa-per and bottle recycling bins around campus. Effective June 30, 2012, the public school recycling program with the Department of Environmental Services (ENV) came to a close,

taking Kaiser’s white multi-material recycling bin in the parking lot along with it.

In 1990 the Department of Environmental Services began its recycling program with only 20 bins. That number grew to approximately 100 bins within the last 10 years. However, in 2012 the number of bins was downsized to 30 when ENV deemed that “a lot of bins were

underutilized.” These bins are maintained by the Honolulu Disposal Service, free of charge to the collection sites.

As part of an effort to save money and promote the use of the curbside recycling pro-gram, the City and County of Honolulu chose to stop col-lection to save an expected $1.5 million per year. The de-cision to end the community

recycling program was not un-founded.

It was estimated that near-ly 70 percent of all items that were once brought to the large bins are now going into the blue bins designated for curb-side pickup.

Over 90 percent of house-holds surveyed said that they

Please see Recycling, Page 3

Kaiser’s recycling program haltedBy Dylan RamosNews Editor

Features

Riflery team lacks funds

October 2012 News Page 2

Cougar ConnectionThe Cougar Connection is the official school newspaper of Henry J. Kaiser

High School, 511 Lunalilo Home Road, Honolulu, HI 96825.The Publications Office is located in room A202. Phone: 394-1200 Ext. 2261. The Cougar Connection is published eight times during the regular school

year. It has an open forum policy and will publish letters to the editor.

By Tianzhen NieFeatures Editor

Member of Hawaii Schools Publications Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, and

Quill and Scroll.

Photo courtesy of Cougar ConnectionEnglish teachers from Kaiser High and Niu Valley Middle School meet to discuss curriculum mapping.

KHS and NVMS teachers meet to align curriculum

Photo courtesy of Kelly WashinoCommunity members taste an array of foods cooked by Kaiser dads and community members.

Co-Editors in Chief: Jung Won Choi and Dan JuAssociate Editor: Haley Kandler

News Editor: Dylan RamosEditorials Editor: Jenna KaitaFeatures Editor: Tianzhen NieSports Editor: Cleston TeixeiraChief Illustrator: Anela LingPhotographer: Sarah Belbas

Advertising Manager: Lydia KimTechnology Coordinator: Sam Chalekian

Illustrators: Soul Ahn, Alexa Climaldi, Natalie Koon, Kayla Soma-Tsutsuse, Haley Suzuki

Staff Writers: Aena Bennett, Chloe Chalekian, Kendrick Chang, Tina Craveiro, Spencer Ellis, Ji Min Joo, Kingsley Koon, Jenise Lam, Cyrus

Ma, Sierra Ondo, Kevin Pham, Austin Tasato, and Riley WellsAdvisor: Pam Ellis

Principal: John P. Sosa

Students are being re-leased early at 12:30 pm four times this school year as a result of joint faculty meetings between Kaiser High School and Niu Val-ley Middle School. Students were already released early on Sept. 19 and Oct. 17, and will be sent home early on Jan. 16 and Apr. 17 as well.

The goal of these con-ferences is “to give teach-ers [time to] discuss with colleagues [on] curriculum mapping, alignment, and assessment,” said Princi-pal John Sosa. Alignment applies to all subject areas regardless of programs, courses, or grade levels.

In the past, teachers had Professional Develop-ment (PD) or Planning & Collaboration (PC) sessions. “We have done collabora-tion days with Niu Valley, and sometimes with the el-ementary schools,” said for-mer curriculum coordinator Lori Uetake. “[The school also] brought in speakers in brain research, teaching strategies, and curriculum mapping [for teacher train-ing].”

Because teachers are not offered these sessions anymore, Principal Sosa asked for extended faculty

meetings. To accommodate the longer meetings, instruc-tion periods are cut down four times this school year. “Within the constraints we have, giving faculty time to articulate is important,” said Principal Sosa.

Teachers sometimes might not exactly know what students did and did not learn. “Everything I cov-ered in Japanese 1, I learned in Niu Valley,” said junior Daniel Kim.

Teachers from both schools are meeting to solve such problems. “By creating an aligned curriculum with Niu Valley middle school,

Who said men can’t cook? On Oct. 20, over twenty men prepared dishes at the Kaiser cafeteria to raise money for Project Grad 2013. The event, “Real Men Can Cook,” con-sisted of a dinner between 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm, and raised $600 with approxi-mately sixty adults and twen-ty children who attended.

Real Men Can Cook pro-vided a variety of dishes from fathers of Kaiser students and local businesses. Adults paid $15 for a takeout box, which they could fill with over 40 choices in a buffet-style set-up. For children, $6 allowed them to eat from the Chil-dren’s Menu, which consisted of fried rice and hot dogs.

Among the supporting restaurants were Aina Haina Chop Suey, Bubbies Home-made Ice cream, Le Bistro, Roy’s Restaurant, Kona’s Brewing Company, Outback Steakhouse, and Gyotaku Res-taurant. The selections they served were orange chicken, mochi ice cream, short ribs, baby back ribs, chicken wings and pizza, seared ahi tuna, and boneless chicken karage, respectively.

“I felt we had good com-munity involvement [for this event.] It’s important this is not just limited to the school but the whole community of Hawaii Kai,” said Jessie Fer-nandez, father of senior Ma-yumi.

Apart from the members of the community, Kaiser fa-thers played a tremendous role in the event’s success. “I was really fascinated by the great variety of dishes, showing that real men can cook,” said Roy Mashima, fa-ther of senior Cindy. Some of the creative dishes included chocolate covered bacon and pumpkin nimono, named for its association with Hallow-

een, which was made with shiitake mushrooms, chicken, and squash.

Other notable mem-bers of the community who cooked at the event included Kaiser Principal John Sosa, Niu Valley Principal Justin Mew, District 18 representa-tive Mark Hashem, and Kai-ser Vice Principal Cody Ki-kuta. They served Mexican enchiladas, beef stew, chili, and somen salad. Addition-ally, Kaiser seniors and culi-nary class members assisted with the event by serving the dishes of cooks who were un-able to attend, such as in the case of Principal Sosa or Vice Principal Kikuta.

The 2013 Project Grad committee, which began plan-ning the event in April, had to accommodate last-minute adjustments, when the foot-ball schedule was revised, an-nouncing the Varsity playoff game would be occurring at the same time as “Real Men Can Cook.” Due to the foot-ball game, it was more diffi-cult for people to find parking if they were not planning to attend the game.

Football fans however, were able to enjoy the best of both worlds. “[The school] was very supportive, lifting the concession of one-time entry so people could at-tend,” said event coordina-tor Kelly Washino. “People might not have known that Real Men Can Cook meant food, so it could have pre-vented them from coming to check it out.” People who took the time to walk up from the Kaiser Stadium, they were rewarded with a variety of cooking by fathers who supported an excellent cause. “[Real Men Can Cook] was like killing two birds with one stone: you get the father involved in the child’s education while rais-ing money for the school,” said Fernandez.

students can have a suffi-cient amount of exposure to foreign language,” said Jap-anese teacher Satoko Ragan. “Our goal as IB schools is to have a stream lined cur-riculum that starts from the middle school level.”

Beyond curriculum alignment, the school aims to combine the visions of the programs offered at Kaiser, which are IB, AP, AVID, and CTE along with the DOE vision to achieve the goal of creating life-long learners. “It is the philoso-phy, not the program we are working with,” said Princi-pal Sosa.

Real Men Can CookFathers showcase talent for Project Grad 2013

By Jung Won ChoiCo-Editor in Chief

October 2012 News Page 3

Every year, Kamiloiki Elementary School hosts its Keiki Karnival to pro-vide entertainment, prizes, and food for students and parents of all ages. This year, to ensure an enjoyable time at the Karnival, the elementary school included attractions such as a rock-climbing wall, bounce houses, and X-treme slides. Booths containing food donations ranged from Panda Express, Teddy’s Bigger Burgers, to Kiko’s Ha-waiian Food, just to name a few. The

Karnival also included a silent auction with prizes such as an overnight stay in a suite at the Hawaii Prince Hotel and gift cards to Koko Marina The-aters, Bishop Museum, and Blue Water Grill.

Kaiser High also played a large part in the Karnival this year. Students from the high school were asked to vol-unteer and help with different booths. Jobs included passing out food, work-ing the silent auction, manning the rides and parking lots, and passing out food and drinks. Even Kaiser’s foot-ball team volunteered by running the

Continued from Page 1

recycle to some degree and of the 180,000 or so households on Oahu, only 20,000 are not yet a part of the curbside recycling program. They are expected to be accommodated by the end of the year. Condominiums and community associations are also being encouraged to form recycling programs of their own, with plans for the city to reimburse each building up to $2000 for the startup costs of a program.

The loss of Kaiser’s recycling bin comes with mixed reactions. Some were not disappointed, noting that “they do not see pieces of paper strewn over the field and parking lot because of papers stacked in front of the bin whenever it was full.”

Others, like Environmental Sys-tems and Societies teacher, Joshua Lawrence, thought the removal of

Chloe ChalekianStaff Writer

Kaiser student volunteers helpKamiloiki Karnival raise $15,000

their classroom recycling and collec-tion bin hindered what they once saw as progress. “It is sad that [Kaiser] took a step backwards away from the environment and made the school less about sustainability,” said Law-rence. Some did not notice the dis-appearance of the bins at all. “When were the bins removed?” said Yu-memi Enomoto-Tomishima. “I didn’t even notice they were gone until now.”

For those concerned about where to go with their recyclable material that cannot fit into their blue bins at home, there are three multi-material bins still remaining in East Oahu. They are located at Kahala Elemen-tary, Kaimuki Middle, and Kapiolani Community College.

Meanwhile, Rolloffs Hawaii has begun a trial program at three schools, hoping to expand to serve the recy-cling needs of all public schools.

Photos courtesy of Donn TakahashiChildren enjoy the exciting activities, rides, and food at Kamiloiki Keiki Karnival.

“Angry Cougars” game booth where kids were allowed to test their aim by throwing stuffed toys at the football players. “The team had a blast work-ing with the kids,” said senior football player, Jacob Pollard. “It’s never been so much fun to have kids throwing things at you.” Overall, more than 130 Kaiser High students were able to vol-unteer at the Karnival.

The Karnival is also Kamiloiki’s prime fundraiser. This year the elemen-tary school was successful in meeting their goal of raising $15,000 from the Karnival. The proceedings made from the event go directly to helping 393 stu-dents from kindergarten to fifth grade. “Teachers were happy to get the funds earlier this year because the Karnival was originally in March,” said Taka-hashi, the Kamiloiki PCNC who coor-dinated the event. This year the school is using the funds for necessary train-ing needed to become a part of the In-ternational Baccalaureate program, to

Photo by Dylan RamosA student removes one of the school’s many recycling bins.

improve their MAST program (Math, Science, and Technology), to provide teachers with supplemental classroom supplies, and to upgrade the school’s technology equipment and software.

Each year, Kamiloiki Elementa-ry works to improve and expand its Karnival. By including more attrac-tions and receiving more volunteers from neighbor schools and commu-nity members, the school was able to become a huge success in both raising funds and providing good entertain-ment to all who visited. Kamiloiki’s Principal, Susan Okano sums up the Karnival best with her words to the volunteers from Kaiser: “I’m deeply indebted to Kaiser High for the tre-mendous help with our Karnival. We couldn’t have done it without the caf-eteria staff, JROTC, Leo Club, NHS, the football team and the Kaiser students pitching in with the games and rides. Kaiser High School was very visible that day on our campus.”

Recycling: City and County halt collections at Kaiser

November 16, 2012 to Kaiser Library

Photo courtesy of Colin Cross

Triathlete rides bike ahead of hundreds.

October 2012 News Page 4

By Alexa ClimaldiStaff Writer

Ironman World Championships pushes triathletes to their limits

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Lights! Camera! Action! Brought to you by the Learning Center is the Film Academy. Kaiser’s Film Academy pro-vides experience for those who wish to enter the field of video production.

The academy’s vision is to offer ex-periences designed for a new genera-tion of visual storytellers who share a passion for motion pictures and want to learn by working on projects in a hands-on, intensive environment. In Film Academy, projects include short films and music videos. “It’s a great jumpstart to all the aspects of film work if you want to make that your ca-reer,” said talent Nick Myers.

To start a project, the production members must first have their pitch, a short preview of their idea, and get it approved. Once approved, the fiom script is written. No script means no project. When the script is done, audi-tions for acting talents are held. Then, the team can actually start filming. Post production, editors piece the video to-gether to make it perfect.

“I think it is fun to have new ex-periences with video production,” said Kai Queener, a student of Film Acad-emy.

If anybody is interested in joining, please see Mrs. Misi or Mr. Aaron in room K203.

By Aena BennettStaff Writer

Film Academy offers video experiences for students

No journey is without its chal-lenges, pitfalls, and struggles. The Ironman World Championship, held in Kona, Hawai’i, in Oct. 13, 2012, cel-ebrated the determination of the hu-man spirit, with swimming, biking, and running races.

According to race director, Diana Bertsch, each of the 1,900 participants in the triathlon, about four percent more than last year, was required to finish the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike race and the full marathon run in 17 hours or less.

For some students at Kaiser, someday finishing the Ironman is on their bucket list. “I would love to one day [participate in] the Iron-man because I enjoy all three parts of a triathlon: swimming, biking, and running. [They] are all great forms of exercise,” said junior Brock Balmoja.

The race is difficult to enter. To qualify for the Kona Ironman cham-pionship, an individual must place in the top ten of their age group at any Ironman competition, either through-out the nation or around the world. If an athlete cannot place in their age group, they must enter and win in a drawing in the United States. Hawai’i residents, however, are privy to a spe-cial drawing, as the Championship occurs in Kona.

Training before the event requires

an early start. For participant John Climaldi, it began five months before the race, where each week of train-ing built upon the last. Although the training is tough and time consum-ing, achieving the goal and tasting victory is sweet. “I don’t really take it as that big of a deal,” said sophomore Stephanie Spear. “As a swimmer we train yearlong anyway. Training in all three different aspects would be a bit more challenging and time consum-ing, but I think it’s definitely doable.”

The theme for the 2012 Ironman Championship race was “Aa Na Maka O Na Aa,” which means “the sparkling eyes of my roots” in the Hawaiian language. “I’ve done other local events, and I thought it would be a great achievement to complete an Ironman in Hawai’i. I’ve done oth-er local events, and I felt a connection to the history of the Ironman,” said Climaldi.

At this Ironman race, where over 60 countries were represented, the slogan “Anything is Possible” proved itself true. “The guy next to me…was a double amputee missing one leg below the knee and one at mid thigh. [He demonstrated] the Iron-man phrase-anything is possible,” said participant Rick Klobucher. For Klobucher and all future aspiring athletes, having the courage to strive for the impossible differentiates one from the ordinary and truly extraor-dinary.

As the Kaiser marching band was about to head up unto the field to per-form at the Kapolei Marching Band Festival, emergency sirens went off. A tsunami warning was issued at approx-imately 7:00 pm on Oct. 27, predicting the first waves would hit the Hawaiian Islands at 10:28 p.m.

When Kaiser’s band first heard the news of the warnings at Kapolei High School, band directors Michael Bata-luna and Lee Ikeda instructed students to board three school buses to return to Kaiser High. Students had mixed reactions to the sudden cancellation of their first complete performance of their Beatles themed marching show. “[Not performing was] disappointing, but a tsunami is a tsunami; you can’t do anything about it,” said junior, Ma-lia Swartz. Among all students, a com-mon sight was calling or texting their parents. “I was kind of freaked out be-cause it was the first time I wasn’t with my mom in a tsunami warning,” said junior, Tess Griffin.

About halfway through the 33.7 mile bus ride back to Kaiser, students were informed that Kalanianaole

Highway would be shutting down at 9:30 p.m. Fortunately Kaiser students returned home safely in time. Others, not so fortunate, were stuck in traffic before the predicted time of the tsuna-mi. Mayor Peter Carlisle announced at 10:14 pm that those stuck in the traffic might want to evacuate on foot. Addi-tionally, as a tsunami inundation zone, Waikiki was closed for incoming traffic.

Despite the advice of officials, peo-ple were still filling up their cars with gas—in fact a few gas stations ran out of fuel—and some were watching the waters for activity. Fortunately for Ha-waii residents, the tsunami, which ar-rived shortly after the predicted time, was not severe. At most, the waves were five feet high when they hit Maui.

By 1:04 a.m. the tsunami warning was downgraded to a tsunami advi-sory. The advisory itself was cancelled a few hours later, ending concerns of destructive tsunami waves. The reac-tions towards the initial warnings were mixed, from worried to nonchalant. However, in the end, by the following day, things had returned to normal. The Kaiser marching band was back at practice on a Sunday afternoon, pre-paring for the next moment to premier its show.

By Dan JuCo-Editor in Chief

Tsunami shuts downKapolei Band FestivalEarthquake results in three small ripples

October 2012 Editorials Page 5

faculty form a close-knit community where everyone is involved. Profes-sors are easily accessible for help and even friendship. Students’ needs are heard; their ideas are respected. Stu-dent support is tremendous. But a smaller student body means a lesser degree of diversity, while in national universities you can see people from every corner of the world. There is less variety in terms of sports and ath-letics offered. Columbia University consists of 500 clubs and student or-ganizations. On the other hand, Am-herst College (the U.S. News ranked it second among liberal arts colleges) has 104 of them.

The acceptance rates of liberal arts colleges are usually higher than other universities. According to the U.S. News Ranking, Harvard Univer-

sity, first among national universi-ties, accepts 6.3 percent of its

applicants, while Williams College, first among lib-eral art colleges, accepts 17.3 percent. They aim to provide the best educa-tion to as many students as possible. The belief is that a good high school GPA and SAT score de-fine one as a good college

s t u d e n t .

How-e v e r ,

they focus on personal quality and com-

mitment as well. They admit students that they think can

flourish in the unique academ-ic environment they provide. Therefore, late-bloomers and those who need nurturing also have a chance, as long as they

can show that they are a good fit for the school. On the other hand, fa-mous research universities are highly selective. The best students are con-verged to one place in order to maxi-mize research efficiency and intellec-tual vigor.

The student-faculty ratio of most liberal arts college is below 10:1. The average class size is usually smaller than 20. Classes are discussion-based and interactive, rather than the pro-fessor speaking to a hundred students in a lecture hall. Undergraduate edu-cation is the primary focus, instead of graduates, as in research universities. Professors are not occupied with their graduate students. Undergraduates have opportunities to conduct their own research under their supervision as well. Therefore liberal arts college is an excellent choice for preparing for graduate school.

Not only name-brand schools can provide a worthwhile college expe-rience. The best school may not suit you, but the school that suits you is the best.

Illustration by Anela Ling

Kaiser needs unified recycling system

Which colleges are you going to apply to? This is the most important decision for most college-bound ju-niors and seniors in high school. In fact, there are more choices other than the Ivy Leagues and state universi-ties. Liberal arts colleges offer an edu-cation at least as competent as those traditional schools, and offer a unique college experience that perhaps suits you.

Liberal arts education originates from ancient Greece and Rome. In the classic antiquity, it consists of the Triv-ium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) and the Quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy), studies that dif-ferentiate a free man from a slave. In modern times, it means a broad curriculum that covers core subjects that are essential to understand the soci-ety and the world. It includes literature, science, mathemat-ics, philosophy, language-skills, and knowledge that ap-ply to all aspects of life, not a particu-l a r

profession or career. The emphases are critical thinking, writing and communication skills, and interdisciplinary stud-ies. After acquiring the “ba-sics” (each school has a dif-ferent definition for it), the students then decide which academic path they want to fo-cus on. The idea is not limited to liber-al arts schools only, some name-brand schools, such as Harvard, University of Chicago, and Columbia University also have a liberal-arts style core cur-riculum.

Liberal arts colleges, as their title suggests, take a more liberal stance in terms of curriculum planning. For example, New College in Florida has no core requirement, but each stu-dent negotiates contracts of academic goals with their advisers. There are no grades or credits. Professors rate student performance as “satisfac-tory”, “incomplete” or “unsatisfacto-ry”. Furthermore, if a student cannot find a class that interests him, he can propose a self-designed course.

Liberal arts colleges are charac-terized by a small-size undergradu-ate student body--usually fewer than 1,500 students--compared to that of research universities (University of California at Berkeley has 25,885 un-dergraduates. Stanford University has about 7,000). All students and

Liberal arts colleges Are they your best fit?

One day, I was sitting in one of my classrooms and noticed that de-spite the elimination of the recycling program, my teacher still had bins to recycle cans, bottles, and papers. Curious if my other teachers contin-ued to recycle as well, I went from class to class searching for recycling bins. I discovered that out of my eight teachers, only three of them continue to recycle, but two of the three only recycle cans and bottles. What really concerned me was that five out of my eight teachers didn’t do any recycling at all.

After this realization, I began to wonder how many other teachers actually recycle on campus. I con-ducted a survey on 103 teachers and faculty members. The survey sought to discover how many teachers re-cycle in their classroom, what they recycle, and how they dispose of the recycled items. Only 35 people responded to the survey, and out of the few, 27 said they do some form of recycling. However, what was interesting was the ways in which teachers recycle their items.

One teacher said, “On the sec-ond Saturday of every month, I take papers, magazines, and E-waste to drop off at the Hagadone recycling center near the airport.” Most of the teachers who responded said they take their recyclables home and put them in their blue bins, while others said they take their cans and bottles to the Athletic Department, which has their own recycling program. Some stated that they did not recy-cle because they didn’t have any re-ceptacles, and even if they did, they wouldn’t know what to do with the collected recyclable items.

Another teacher wrote on her survey that she simply gave up try-ing to take care of the students’ re-cyclables. The teacher mentioned that with the lack of an organized recycling program at Kaiser, most teachers and faculty members be-come less involved in taking care of their recyclables and, in turn, stu-dents stop recycling. Due to this,

the awareness of the importance of recycling becomes lost among the Kaiser population. Recycling is im-portant because it conserves our nat-ural resources, saves landfill space, conserves energy, and reduces water pollution, air pollution, and green house gas emissions that cause cli-mate change. By removing its recy-cling program, Kaiser is indirectly contributing to these environmental issues.

It would be ideal for Kaiser to develop another organized recy-cling plan to encourage students and faculty to recycle more. Kaiser could provide each classroom with three recycling bins—one for alu-minum cans, one for plastic bottles, and a third for paper. With research I found that City Mill sold 45-gal-lon aluminum bins for $35 each and plastic bins run between $16-$24, depending on the quality of the plastic. Although the bins may cost between $48-$100, the money re-deemed from one or two turnovers would cover the amount for the re-ceptacle. A 45-gallon bin can hold approximately $15-$20 worth of cans and bottles. If a bin contained 200 bottles, it would bring the school $10. So as you can see, it wouldn’t take long for the redeemed amounts to recover the cost of the bins. Over time, the cost of the bins would pay for themselves.

As for what to do with the col-lected items, we could have differ-ent organizations properly transfer the materials to recycling centers. Another alternative is to ask faculty and students with licenses to vol-unteer to take the recyclables to the nearest redeeming centers.

Despite the many obstacles we might encounter along the way, one of Kaiser’s mission statements is to “be caring and productive mem-bers of our local and global com-munities.” To honor this mission, we must recycle. In my opinion Kaiser has the capability to fund and oper-ate its own recycling program with the will and motivation of our Kai-ser community. All that is missing is the organized effort in which we all can participate.

By Jenna KaitaEditorials Editor

By Kingsley KoonStaff Writer

October 2012 Features Page 6

First dates: do’s and don’tsWhen taking your significant oth-

er out on a first date, you must keep in mind several things. You want something fun and entertaining to do together. But, you want to do it with-out being awkward. The death of po-tential relationship after relationship comes from that awkward span of silence.

So, let’s rule out one place that

would be an awful idea to go. Contrary to how the media portrays it, it’s definite that the number one place you SHOULDN’T go to for a first date is the movies. Unless you’re already very close to the person you’re going with,

By Cyrus MaStaff Writer

you don’t want to go somewhere with little to no social interaction. Imagine this. Two hours of sitting and eating popcorn and watching the screen does not leave much room for talk-ing - unless you want people to give you the stink eye. There might be an awkward grasping in the dark for the other’s hand. Sweaty, nervous palms clasped together in an unforgettable

moment as Batman once again saves Gotham City. Then,

during your next date - if you get one - you won’t have anything to talk about. Well, besides Batman.

So, what are some good places to go for a first date? Well, here is one:

the carnival. Going to something fun that

you can do TOGETHER with your partner is always

a good idea. The swarms of people, the thirty minute waits

for a two minute ride, the seeming-ly impossible to win games, what’s

there not to love about the carnival? All jokes aside, the carnival allows for a festive, competitive environ-ment, where you can interact and get to know your date. Additionally, the carnival offers escape routes in case

the date becomes awk-ward. You can go to the various food vendors, play a few games, go on a few rides, or just walk a r o u n d in mu-tual com-p a n i o n -ship to avoid that awful si-lence. In fact, the carnival is such a loud place, you’re going to be yelling at each other just to talk.

Now, what if there aren’t any carnivals in town? Another option is go-ing to Ice Palace. In contrast to the carnival, the atmosphere is a tad bit more romantic and relaxed. You and your date can en-joy a day together in the frigid, arctic conditions of the palace. Also, a gold-en opportunity arises if your date doesn’t know how to ice skate. Pic-ture him or her falling down over and over and over again. Guess who’ll be

there to give them aid? Well, if no one else will, you can help them--maybe

even teach them, holding their hand until he or

s h e c a n

s k a t e without you.

Wouldn’t that be nice? A day of skating, enjoying

each other’s company, and laugh-ing when the other falls.

The number one rule to keep in mind during a first date is you want to make things feel natural and com-fortable. This means that you should avoid long periods of silence.

So, choose a place where you and your date can talk easily and just have fun, unless you want to find another date.

With the opening of a new breakfast restaurant, Moena Café, Hawaii Kai residents can now enjoy re-sort-style breakfasts within the area. Located in Koko Marina, Moena Café stands out with its bright interior to help its customers begin their day with a fresh start.

Chef Eric Chang worked several years at the Moana Surfrider as a dinner chef. His experience cooking at the hotel is integrated into the menus served at Moena Café. “We wanted to cater the hotel’s food to the local people,” said co-owner Ni-cole Chang.

One of my favorite dish-es on the menu is the Sausage Omelette ($9.50), which is chopped up Portuguese sau-sage and melted cheese blan-keted in fluffy eggs. Topped with slices of avocados and fruit, the ingredients were amazingly fresh, the sausage was juicy and full with flavor.

Sometimes, I forgot I was eating breakfast. Some of the servings went outside a typi-cal breakfast, and into what I would consider rich, yet light. For example, the Choc-olate & Banana Crepe ($7.99)

By Haley SuzukiStaff Writer

Moena Café’s Chocolate & Banana Crepe ($7.99).

Moena Café’s Sausage Omelette ($9.50).Moena Cafés Petite Stack. Comes with choice of breakfast meat ($8.95).

is stuffed with fresh bananas and sweet chocolate syrup, oozing out of the middle and drizzled on top.

If you are a Nutella addict like me, you will sure to love the Nutella & Banana Crepe ($7.99).

And although not on the regular menu yet, one of Moena Café’s top sellers is the sweet Banana Chantilly Pan-cakes.

A unique dish is the Short Rib Loco Moco ($13.95). Ten-der braised short ribs are served instead of the usual hamburger patty.

The Eggs Benedict ($10.95) is also popular, mainly because of its home-made hollandaise sauce. New batches are made fresh each morning. “Real hollanda-ise sauce isn’t from the can,” said Nicole Chang, co-owner of Moena Café. “You can tell from the flavor whether it is homemade or not.”

Most of the ingredients used are bought from the farms behind Kaiser. “We like to support the local farmers,” said Chang. Moena Café is open for breakfast and lunch. The restaurant hours are from 6:30 am to 3 pm. You can rent out the space for private func-tions, and they also offer ca-tering.

Moena Café serves brunch

Photos by Haley Suzuki

October 2012 Features Page 7

Top five classic horror movies around the world

This is an old famous Korean movie based on the legend of the nine tailed fox. In the movie, Mes-senger No. 69 is an office worker in Hell who is mistakenly chosen to go on a mission to earth to kill the last nine-tailed fox spirit, Harah, who has taken a human form temporarily. Wanting to be-come human permanantly, she searches for a man whose energy and liver she can consume. As Mes-senger No. 69 begins his pursuit of her, Harah saves a man, Hyuk, who has been badly injured by thugs. Harah and Hyuk then fall in love. How-ever, though their love for each other appears to be growing, Hyuk is completely unaware that Harah has decided to eat him. Full of suspense in every scene, The Fox with Nine Tails keeps the audience on its toes.

The Ring (1998)

The Fox with Nine Tails (1994)

The Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Don’t watch this movie if you want to sleep tonight. The Nightmare on Elm Street is about a lunatic killer who goes into other people’s dreams and murders them brutally. It all begins when Tina Gray, her boyfriend, Rod Lane, her friend, Nancy Thompson, and Nancy’s boyfriend, Glen Lantz all have the same nightmare about being chased by a severely burnt figure with a bladed glove on his right hand. Tina believes that this is more than just a nightmare because after she wakes up, she finds four slashes on her night-gown, identical to those that were giv-en to her in the dream by the figure. One by one Tina, Rod, and Glen are killed while asleep. Nancy, believing

that it was Freddy (the burnt figure) who killed her friends in their dreams, decides to go into her own dream and arrest this cold-blooded murderer. The fascinating point of the movie is that the audience often cannot distin-guish if the characters are in reality or in their dreams, keeping the audience in horrible suspense.

The Exorcist (1973), might be old, but it’s eeriness has not lost its touch. Something beyond evil is happening in a little girl’s room. Regan, the possessed little girl, dramatically changes both the way she looks and the way she acts, with violent outbursts toward every-one who comes in contact with her. Her mother, desperate to find the cause of the problem, contacts a priest who con-cludes that Regan is possessed by the Devil. The top priest who can perform exorcisms, Father Merrin, is called to help save Regan from the demon inside of her. But this is no ordinary demon, and both Regan and Father Merrin suf-fer through horrors beyond their worst nightmares. Based on a real exorcism

case in 1949, the movie is a must-see for those who want to experience the original demon-possessing-girl flick.

The Exorcist (1973)

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)This is a romance-horror comedy based on a short story from the Qing Dynasty. A timid but good-natured debt collector, Ning Choi-san, is forced to lodge in a deserted temple because he cannot afford to lodge in town. There, he meets a beautiful maiden ghost, Nip Siu-sin and a powerful Taoist priest, Yin Chik-ha. When Ning learns that Nip is bound to servi-tude to a sinister Tree Demon, Ning is deter-mined to free Nip from her suffering. With the help of Yin’s power, Ning battles the Tree De-mon and other supernatural powers in the un-derworld and finally frees Nip’s soul. While it is not the scariest movie, the sad love story be-tween a human and a spirit is definitely worth watching. The action choreography is also a notable feature of this movie, with thrilling fighting scenes of supernatural powers. The cinematography also received a lot of compli-

ments when it first came out. Based on historical settings, this movie is perfect for folklore ghost film lovers.

Warning: this movie will make you afraid of your own TV. According to legend in the movie, if someone watches a certain video at a certain time of the night, the phone will ring right after, and the person will die in a week. Imako, the first victim in the movie, heard this story but didn’t think much about it. Then one night she watched it with her friends, and guess what? She died. Reiko, a television journalist and Imako’s aunt, later discovers that even Imako’s friends who watched the video died. Curious, Reiko also gets a copy and watches it herself. The video consists of strange, spectral images floating on the screen, and then the phone rings. Thinking she only has a week to live, Reiko tries to find the solution to the mysterious

video and the killings. This Japanese version of the Ring has been imitated many times but never equaled. It is considered one of the best horror films in history and is not recommended for people with faint hearts.

By Lydia Kim and Natalie KoonAdvertising Manager and Illustrator

October 2012 Cartoons Page 8

Flavor of the Month: Eat My Liver By Alexa Climaldi

Mario Bros: If it was Real

Bipolar Angels

By Detrique Vang

By Kayla Soma Tsutsuse

School Days: Math Class Nightmare By Dan Bi Kim

Mr. Iguana: The Ring By Natalie Koon

Halloween: Take Only One By Haley Suzuki

The Other Kind of Chicken By Haley Suzuki

Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21 to April 19)Now is your chance to shine. Make good use of your

positive energy both at school and home and you’ll see an improvement in your relationships.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20)Don’t let fear rule your life. When an opportunity

presents itself, go through with it. Chances are you will enjoy yourself. Take risks this month and good things may come from them.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20)Remember your goals for this month. Obstacles

may appear to deter you from your path, but don’t let them stress you out.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Don’t let your insecurities prevent you from being

yourself. There’s a difference between being confident and arrogant, so don’t obsess over other people’s opin-ion of you.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) This month may seem like a good time to relax,

but don’t let laziness overtake you. Slacking off and procrastinating will lead to more difficulties and stress at school.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22)This month, you may be asked to leave your com-

fort zone. In order to stretch your potential, learn to stretch your boundaries, and remember that you are not alone.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22)Overanalyzing your situation will only add to

your stress. Take a deep breath, and stay calm. Find a healthy way to blow off some steam, and know that in the end, every little thing is going to be all right.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21)Miscommunications can cause a bit of confusion in

your life. Try not to make assumptions too early, and your problems may be resolved. Put yourself in anoth-er person’s shoes to understand them better.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21)Don’t let your emotions interfere with seeing things

objectively. Take a step back and make an effort to un-derstand both sides of the story, and remember to think before you act.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19)You may be inspired to act on your biggest ambi-

tions this month, but remember to pay attention to de-tail. Stay organized, and everything should be fine.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18)Let your imagination flow through art! Use writ-

ing, drawing, or music as productive creative outlets. Be proud of what you create.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20)Life may seem pretty stressful right now, but don’t

take it out on others. This will only lead to a mental breakdown and could put all those around you in dan-ger. Don’t do it. You have so much to live for.

October 2012 Sports Page 9

Kaiser football loses season ending match to Nanakuli

By Cleston TeixeiraSports Editor

This 2012 Kaiser Cougar varsity football season ended abruptly on Oct. 20 with a devas-tating, first round Oahu Interscholastic Associa-tion (OIA) elimination playoffs game loss to the Nanakuli Golden Hawks, 28-21. “It was a horrible way to end our season after win-ning seven consecutive games,” said senior run-ning back and team cap-

tain, Kai Gonda. Kaiser clinched the top seed in the OIA White division playoffs, placing first in the division with a near undefeated regular sea-son record of 7-1.

The Kaiser high school athletic program, under the direction of athletic director, Rod-ney Iwasaki, brought in Kaiser alumni and 11-year National Football League (NFL) veteran, Rich Miano to coach this year’s Cougar football team. “Kaiser had been

Photo by Ed Young

The Cougar football team huddles together during halftime against the Pearl City Chargers on Aug. 24.

in the losing slump for the past two seasons,” said Gonda. “Bringing in a new coach brought change to Kaiser, and that’s what we needed.”

On Aug. 10, Kaiser traveled to the west side of Oahu, in a pre-sea-son opener, against the Campbell Sabers. “This game was important,” said senior linebacker and team captain, Jus-tin Isobe. “This was our very first game play-ing together, with our new team and our new

coaching staff.” After a first half of exchanging the possession of the ball with an interception by Kaiser junior defensive back, Jeshua Bitanga, and a fumble recovery in the end zone by Camp-bell senior linebacker, Solomon Leaeno, the Cougars went into half time down six points, 12-6. “We got a few un-lucky breaks.[Campbell] scored with 32 seconds in the half,” said Gonda. “We should’ve made a stop.” Kaiser was shut

out in the second half, resulting in a preseason loss, 34-6. Campbell ju-nior quarterback, Isaac Hurd threw for a 15-yard touchdown com-pletion to senior slot back, Brannon Banto-lina. Campbell lineback-ers, Leaeno and senior Donovan Poniatowski contributed two fumble returns for touchdowns to guarantee the Camp-bell victory.

The following week, on Aug. 18, Kaiser went on to play their regular season, season opener against the Kalaheo Mustangs. “We needed to win,” said Gonda. “In a way, your season opener sparks the out-come of your season. The first game is very important.” Kaiser se-nior quarterback, Maka-na Lyman threw for 254 yards on 19 of 36 com-pletions, contributing two touchdowns, one of which was executed off of a quarterback sneak for two yards. The Cou-gars managed to shut out the Mustangs in the second half, but unfor-tunately, fell one point shy of a Cougar victory, 21-20, due to a failed extra point attempt in the first quarter of game play. “Kalaheo played a good game, [but] it was frustrating to lose by

one point,” said Isobe. Later in the season,

on Oct. 11, Kaiser chal-lenged the Kalani Fal-cons in a rivalry Falcons homecoming game, which was televised on OC16. Within the first half of game play, the Cougars had already run the scoreboard, 52-6. Gonda rushed for 177 yards on 17 car-ries, as well as scor-ing four touchdowns. Senior linebacker and team captain, Leimana Chong-Gum was re-sponsible for a 48-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and Lyman threw for 284 yards on 14 of 21 completions, and two touchdowns. Kaiser went on to win, 52-12. “[When I was running the ball] the blocks were forming real nice,” said Gonda. “I just found the holes and ran the ball.”

Although the Cou-gars fell one game shy of making an OIA white division champion-ship game appearance, they managed to have an overall record of 7-3 and a league record of 7-1 to place first in the OIA White division. “It was a good season,” said Isobe. “The team is going to continue their offseason training and come back ready to play next year.”

Owen and Tetsutani compete at OIA soft tennis finals

After a relatively short season of only four weeks, the doubles team of Owen and Tetsutani competed on Oct. 29 at Kaiser High School in the eight-team Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) Soft Tennis Championships. The duo had to beat down both their nerves and their opponents while making their way to the finals.

Arriving at 6:30 am, the duo warmed up and then played against Campbell, winning 5-0. Both girls weren’t under stress until their second game with Roosevelt. “I feel antsy be-cause our next match is tough. They’re number one east side and we’re num-ber three east side,” said Owen.

Despite Owen’s nervousness, she and Tetsutani beat Roosevelt by a com-fortable margin, 5-2. In the end, Roos-evelt’s duo began to weaken, failing to keep the ball in the court throughout the game. After the match, both of the Kaiser girls reflected on their perfor-mance. “We can’t conserve. You go all out, you regenerate, and you go all

out [again],” said Anna. Before the third match, Owen and

Tetsutani went to watch their next op-ponents play their match. They talked to each other, quietly discussing the Kalani duo’s strengths and weakness-es. “Yup, that’s the trick. We’ll make up strategies around their weaknesses,” said Lisa.

During the third and final game in the semifinals, Kalani started with the first serve and managed to win the first game. Although there were a few faulty serves from Tetsutani, Kaiser took the next two games with Owen managing to win a game through a decisive re-turning stroke. But Kalani fought back, gaining two more wins, the second due to an out by Lisa. Following a break, Kalani took the lead with a score of 4-3. In an effort to finish the game once and for all, the Kalani’s net player at-tempted to run up to the net and rush a spike, but ended up hitting the ball out of bounds. Despite this error, Kaiser failed to stop Kalani, ending the game with 5-3.

Owen noticed the tension dur-ing the match as the players struggled

to stay on their toes. “You don’t have time to adjust. If you’re playing bad, you need to fight for every point.” Even though Tetsutani struggled with her serves, she appeared calm after the final match. “That was a good way to

By Austin TasatoStaff Writer

end the season and for senior year soft tennis in general,” said Tetsutani. Both Owen and Tetsutani accepted their second place awards with smiles, and are looking forward to the spring sea-son of regular tennis.

Photo by Erika NoelSenior soft tennis player, Anna Tetsutani prepares to hit the ball across the court.

October 2012 Sports Page 10

Riflery team aims for more fundsAlthough established

only last school year, the Kai-ser High School Air Riflery team is preparing to send one of its athletes, se-nior Riley Wells, to compete for the OIA title. “I was kind of surprised be-cause I pushed myself pretty hard to do well, but I didn’t think I was ever good enough to compete for the OIA title,” said Wells. Wells started the sport in her sophomore year at the Academy of the Pacific before joining Kaiser’s riflery team. “I'm personally very proud to know that she at least has a shot at this because she was a great shooter when I was her teammate last year and she has improved this year,” said as-sistant coach Kira Matsumura.

But the road to the OIAs was not

without its bumps. “The guns that our riflery team uses are refurbished. At nearly every practice and match, at least one of the guns broke. The amount of functioning equip-

ment affects how many people can shoot and how well they do,” said Matsumura. Each

a t h -lete has

t w e n t y m i n u t e s to shoot

t w e n t y times. While

the gun is being fixed, time con-tinues to tick, and the af-fected shoot-er can only wait. There are no extra guns to sub-stitute for the

ones that need repair.

At one point in the season, en-

tire practices had to be cancelled because the team ran out of ammu-

nition and target sheets. When prac-

tices did occur, supplies were conserved. During practice, either a few individuals opt-ed not to shoot or the entire team took fewer shots. This was done so that on match days, everybody would have enough pellets and targets to shoot the full match.

“We’d have to pull money out of our own pockets to supply for

these things,” said head coach Russell Matsumura, “And be-cause both coaches are brand new, we didn’t know what resources were available to us - so the funding for our sport this season, or the lack there-of, had a negative impact on the team. It held back poten-tial.”

Some of these road bumps were bypassed with creativity. Matches occur in stages; standing, kneeling, and prone. Typically, each shooter has a shooting stand. Pellet boxes are attached to these stands. At each stage, the stand adjusts to meet the height of the shooter. Shoot-ing stands are costly, so the team uses tripod stands. From stage to stage, the tri-pod stand is adjusted manu-ally to match the shooter’s height. Pellet boxes attached to these makeshift shooting stands with either Velcro or

duct tape.The financial problem

carried over into the OIAs. Kaiser was under-equipped. Wells was the only shooter from Kaiser who qualified to compete. Other schools had 10 or more representa-tives. Even though the other schools needed more sup-plies, they had rifles with bet-ter sights and guns that didn’t require pumping. They had professional scopes mounted on a stand, allowing shooters to simply turn their head to check on a shot, maintaining a comfortable shooting posi-tion throughout the match. Wells competed with binocu-lars. Every time she wanted to check on a shot, she had to put her gun down and break her position, posing another challenge for her during com-petition. Wells also competed with the makeshift tripod stand while all other competi-tors had a shooting stand.

Although Wells did not advance in the OIA competi-tion, Matsumura commends her for putting Kaiser on the map. “She was the first indi-vidual to represent Kaiser in the sport of Air Riflery at a state level. We are the fledg-ling school in the competi-tion,” said Matsumura. “But we are going to be a school to

By Cyrus MaStaff Writer

contend with in the future.”Despite the financial

problems, Matsumura re-mains optimistic for next sea-son. He hopes that more fund-ing will come in for the team. “If we had better equipment, athletes would have seen Air Riflery as a more developed sport rather than a joke. Up-to-date equipment is better for a marksman. It comple-ments their marksmanship abilities and helps to mitigate error.” More money is needed to cover necessities, such as replacement gun parts. Then, if the budget allows, there are plans for a new range.

Currently, the team prac-tices in the courtyard beside the band room. Before and after every practice, the team must set up and break down their eight-lane range. This season, the team consisted of twenty shooters. Since only eight students could shoot at a time, practices and matches typically lasted for four to five hours. Matsumura’s en-visioned range would have more lanes and wouldn’t have to be set up and broken down at every shooting session.

As this Air Riflery season comes to a close, the team will continue to meet in the off-season, working towards pro-gression for next year.

By Sierra OndoStaff Writer

Photo by Ed YoungSophomore second baseman, Hannah McDermott slides to third base against the McKinley Tigers on Sept. 20.

The Nanakuli Golden Hawks might have had a backfiring win against the Kaiser Cougar football team this year, but they stood no chance against the Lady Cougar ju-nior varsity softball team.

Taking their rightful place as the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) White Division champions,

the Lady Cougars ended this season with a 12-1 overall season record. “We had an excellent season,” said Matsumoto. “Our goal was not to win the championship; our goal was to develop our players, teach them to work hard, practice hard, [and] play harder.”

On Oct. 17, the Lady Cougars by-passed the visiting Waialua Bulldogs, 11-0, clinching their OIA champion-ship game appearance against the

Nanakuli Golden Hawks, who previ-ously defeated the Na Ali`i of Aiea.

After weeks of hard work and determination, the Lady Cougars were prepared to compete in the OIA White Division championship game, held on Oct. 18 at the Kaiser softball stadium. Kaiser opened the game off of a strong start, scoring two runs in the first inning of game play, and adding four more in the second in-ning. The Lady Cougars fed off of the

Lady Cougars claim OIA White Division champs

intensity of the game, continuing to score runs in the following innings. “Throughout the season, it really has made us into more of a family than just a team,” said sophomore second baseman, Hannah McDermott. “I think that played a big part in why we won; we learned how to work to-gether.” The Lady Cougars shut out the Golden Hawks, with an aston-ishing 10-0 victory, claiming the OIA White Division championship title.