Waianae folks
support on-campus
graduation

They argue against having
the high school ceremony
at Aloha Stadium

By Harold Morse
Star-Bulletin

Should Waianae High School hold its year 2000 graduation at the school or at Aloha Stadium?

Some 350 residents came out last night to argue the point.

They jammed the school cafeteria, and about 25 speakers, most favoring the Waianae site, made their points as school administrators both listened and explained why safety concerns favor the move to Aloha Stadium.

Administrators said drinking and rash behavior got so out of hand last time that they feared a riot with people getting hurt.

The issue may be settled at a 6:30 p.m. school/community-based management meeting tomorrow, also at the school cafeteria.

By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Waianae High School seniors cheer remarks made by parent
Richard Miller last night at a meeting in the school cafeteria
to discuss a proposal to move the graduation
ceremonies to Aloha Stadium.

Administrators told the crowd that 250 volunteers are needed for crowd control and other tasks if graduation again takes place at the school football field and asked advocates of the Waianae site to show up at tomorrow's meeting with that many volunteers or close to that number.

"If you can get your 250 people here on Wednesday night, then we can start talking about it," said JoAnn Kumasaka, Waianae principal.

She slammed the idea of having graduating seniors pick the site through a student vote.

"I don't want them to be pitted against each other because you voted this way, you voted that way," she said. "Start getting your 250 people so we can start talking."

This was after more than two hours of at times heated discussion. Kumasaka credited Eva Galariada-Rosa and others in Lokahia a Lanakila o Waianae (Stand Together in Unity for Waianae) with coming up with innovative ideas on traffic and parking but said there's more to it.

"There are other things that have to go on at graduation, and we need the bodies," she said.

Hazel Sumile, Leeward district superintendent, was equally determined.

"I think what Mrs. Kumasaka is looking for is a commitment," she said. "It's only a start. There's a lot of detail that we need to share with you folks."

This must be done over a long period, together as a team, as an ohana, Sumile said.

Some speakers said Aloha Stadium can be dangerous,too, with troublemakers lurking about and the danger of older people falling on steep stairways.

Traveling to and from the stadium poses traffic dangers, they said.

Cal Domen, a retired businessman whose grandchildren go to Waianae, said residents can tell one another to cool it and not get boisterous at graduation.

"If Waianae can't secure itself, I don't think anybody else can," he said.

"We need to police ourselves," agreed Angela Zangerle, a parent.

Others called the controversy a failure in communication or misguided attempt to move graduation to Aloha Stadium without sufficient community feedback.