HAWAII'S SCHOOLS
COURTESY OF WAIANAE HIGH SCHOOL
Several Waianae High School students recently wrote letters to Gov. Linda Lingle expressing their concerns about Waianae Coast accessibility as part of a class assignment. Lingle met with the students at a dinner held March 30 at the Ala Moana Hotel.
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Raising their voices
A traffic tie-up from toppled utility poles inspires letters that draw the attention of the governor
By Chonte Fujioka
Waianae High School
Oh my gosh! It was a lot of excitement and adrenaline. Just to be able to do something not every student could do, I thought it was the coolest thing," freshman Olivia Jimenez said.
Waianae High School
Name
Ka Leo O Waianae
Faculty adviser
Lorraine Gershun
Address
85-251 Farrington Highway
Waianae 96792
Principal
JoAnn Kumasaka
Mascot
Seariders
Colors
Blue and red
Enrollment
2,101
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Many of Lorraine Jones' social studies students wrote letters to government officials expressing their opinions on an incident in March involving utility poles that came crashing down on Farrington Highway. On March 12, high winds toppled 12 poles onto the road in Nanakuli, crippling traffic in and out of the Waianae Coast for a little more than a day.
"I jumped at the opportunity of writing to her (Gov. Linda Lingle) because I feel that the west side is often ignored," sophomore Kylie Kanui said.
"The purpose of this assignment was to exercise their rights to voice their opinions and concerns to government officials representing the Leeward coast communities," Jones said.
Letters by sophomores Joshua Wicks and Kylie Kanui and freshman Olivia Jimenez stood above the rest.
"I thought I'd make my letter more factual because it was going to officials and I wanted to look professional, so I included some information about the conditions of the electric poles, such as termite damage and wind speeds," Kanui added.
"These three students really took the assignment to the next level," Jones said. "Joshua gathered over a hundred signatures from students, staff and community members. Kylie included factual data. And Olivia expressed her heartfelt concerns for the community."
Because these students did more than what was expected, Lingle invited them to the 17th Anniversary Dinner for the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc., on March 30 at the Ala Moana Hotel. Students got the chance to listen to a speech given by Lingle.
"I really enjoyed the dinner. It was nice to hear Gov. Lingle addressing some of the problems the Leeward coast faces and the plans she has in store for some solutions," Kanui said.
Though the three students had a different approach, they all accomplished their goal of being heard.
"I wanted to make it personal by sharing my thoughts and feelings about the Leeward side," Jimenez said.
This was an opportunity to be the voice for other students at Waianae High School.
"I think I am being speaking on behalf of the students because a lot of my peers have the same thoughts, ideas, and concerns as I do," Wicks said.
For now, all they can do is hope that the suggested solutions for the Leeward coast will really be taken into consideration.
"You never really know if your ideas will work or even be heard, but you can't just sit there and complain. You have to do something about it, and that's exactly what we did," Wicks said.
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Seniors moving on after graduation
Emotions will run high as graduates reflect on their past experiences
By Chelsea Okada
Waianae High School
The seniors rise from the bleachers and row by row proceed to the track. The crowd goes wild while tears of grief fill their eyes. Only dust and footprints are left behind. While they take their walk of glory, their heads fill with memories of their good times in high school.
On May 26, our 2006 seniors will take their last steps in their high school career before graduation. The Aloha Assembly honors all seniors one week before graduation.
In this final walk, a trail of tears will follow.
"Guarantee there's going to have so many people crying. I know I'm going to be one of them," junior Jaylin Ioane said.
To many seniors, this is a time of remembrance.
"I'm going to miss playing football on the field with all my fellow teammates," senior Henry Keomalu said.
As for senior Alexsis Crowell, she can't wait to get out of high school.
"I want to leave already so that I can play college ball (soccer)," Crowell said.
The junior class officers are in charge of planning this special occasion for the graduating class.
"This year, we plan to paint the bleachers so they'll look nice for graduation, Tyson Arasato and his sister and cousin will perform, the school band will play a tribute, and there will be speakers," junior class President Rachel Gonzalez said. "The speakers will be the senior class president, Student Union president and the upcoming Student Union president."
With the assembly growing nearer, the emotions of underclassmen begin to show.
"I'm going to miss the seniors because they helped me in baseball by encouraging me to work harder since I was a sophomore on the varsity team," sophomore Richard Tacgere-Bailey said.
"A lot of the seniors this year were friends of mine and school won't really be the same once they leave," Ioane said.
Graduation is getting closer and closer. For now, thoughts may be focused mostly on this year's seniors, but for Gonzalez, hers are on her own graduation.
"With the seniors leaving I feel like it's coming closer to my graduation," Gonzalez said. "Today, they're leaving; tomorrow, it's us."