[HAWAII'S SCHOOLS]
Crazy for opera If you believe the typical activities of opera clientele are wine sipping, ballroom dancing and yacht sailing, then you should look to Roosevelt High School to dispel those stereotypes.
Student interest grows in a
multicurricular program with
the Hawaii Opera TheatreTeam effort cleans up Roosevelt campus
YOU ASKED
ABOUT THIS PAGEBy Kyle Karioka
Rough RiderStudents from all grades and walks of life attend authentic Hawaii Opera Theatre (HOT) productions through their Opera for Everyone program. For 10 years this program has allowed students to experience a dress performance at an affordable price, and Roosevelt students take full advantage of the opportunity.
"In the past two years, Roosevelt students have composed about 25 to 30 percent of the total audience," said Erik Haines, educational coordinator for HOT."It's a great way to expose students to things that they would probably never venture into on their own," said French teacher and Opera Club advisor Karen Matsunaga. "Nobody's forcing anyone to go, and it's cheaper than a movie!"
At first, HOT limited students' viewing of opera rehearsals to English-language comedies, excluding foreign-language operas and tragedies.
"People believed that students wouldn't even sit through an opera, much less come back to one," said Matsunaga. As the years progressed, however, the demand for more diverse performances grew, causing the Opera for Everyone program to expand. Soon, students filled the Blaisdell Concert Hall for performances of French, Spanish and German operas with complex plots.
"You grow to appreciate all the effort that they put into an opera, considering that they have to remember so many lines in another language," said senior Melissa Sato. "Then, when you look at all the scenery and costumes, you get a feel of how much work goes into making all of it."
The opera craze at Roosevelt inspired the formation of the Opera Club in 1996, the first such club in the state. Together, the club and HOT give members the unique opportunity to work backstage in various aspects of production, including wardrobe, lighting, makeup and wigs.
"The Opera Club offered me a myriad of opportunities in helping on and off stage," said former club president Meredith Yang.
Students and teachers have also participated onstage as supernumeraries or "extras." Two years ago, Roosevelt student Tom Bang was given the opportunity to sing in the performing chorus for HOT's "Barber of Seville."
"It was nice to see someone our age singing in an opera," said senior Blair Shirakata. "It was something different and refreshing."
Opera has also been integrated into the curriculum as teachers from the art, English and foreign-language departments have teamed to form Red HOT, Roosevelt Educators and the Hawaii Opera Theatre. This program allows students to better their understanding of opera through the combined resources of various teachers within all three departments.
One year, the integrated project resulted from a proposal made by the Opera Club president to incorporate mask-making with an opera called "The Masked Ball."
English and art were joined as students designed their own masks to suit their personalities and interests while displaying their creativity. The result was a rich array of masks that not only were magnificent pieces of art, but also a reflection of the elaborate writing process that preceded the mask-making.
"In English we study character traits in literature," said English teacher Carol Takaki. "This was something that transcended that. The students had to take a look at their own traits and analyze themselves."
Teachers have also coordinated field trips to the Hawaii Opera Theatre and the Blaisdell Concert Hall that allow students to explore backstage.
"I was fascinated by the intricacies and expertise of the prop and lighting people," said senior Elyse Kurisu.
Haines offers voice lessons free to students and teachers Mondays at lunch. "We're trying to offer another avenue for students to pursue an element of music that under normal circumstances they wouldn't have access to," said Haines.
Through this inclusive program, wine-sipping rich folk will be enjoying the opera alongside Roosevelt students with a sincere interest in the genre. Opera is indeed for everyone.
Team effort cleans up "It takes a village to raise a child," but at Roosevelt High School it has taken a team effort consisting of parents, alumni and community members to tackle the backlog of maintenance that exists in our system.
Roosevelt campus
Parents, students, alumni and
the public paint, plant greenery
and fix equipmentBy Jenna Takenouchi and Crystal Yamasaki
Rough Rider"It really takes community and parental support to get the job done," said Karen Shimabuku, RHS alumna and parent.
Shimabuku and parents Gerwin Miyamoto and Alan Oshima are the backbone of the task force attempting to improve the conditions at Roosevelt.
Last year, a group of parents wanted to improve conditions by painting the restrooms and doing other maintenance.
It was originally planned as a welcome-back surprise. After some discussion, the parents decided it would be better to get students involved.
"After you've painted or taken care of something, you feel ownership and pride; you want to continue taking care of it," said Oshima.
The project also involved America's Promise, a federally funded volunteer program started by Colin Powell, now secretary of state.
Last December, more than 350 RHS students as well as military, professionals and public officials volunteered to participate in the campuswide cleanup.
Working with America's Promise, student coordinators were able to get free materials plus professional help for some of the more challenging projects.
Dingy bathrooms were painted and refurbished. Palm trees and other greenery were planted. Sprinkler systems were installed or fixed.
The locker rooms were in horrendous condition. "When the students go to other schools for away games, they compare their locker rooms to ours. ... It's really embarrassing," said Shimabuku.
Video footage of the mess and master plans to fix it led to another grant, called the 3 R's -- "Repair, Remodel, Restore" -- which works with America's Promise to tackle the $640 million backlog for repair of public school facilities.
The total cost of the project comes out to $141,000. Roosevelt is responsible for matching and exceeding $25,000 of the grant in donations or "sweat equity."
"The neat thing about 3 R's is that the community needs to get involved," said Principal Dennis Hokama.
In order to qualify for these grants, the school must identify a project and the process and volunteers to be involved.
Renovations will include the boys' and girls' locker rooms, training rooms and other sport facilities located beneath the field bleachers.
In addition, Roosevelt has received $6 million from the Legislature. This will ensure the renovation of the auditorium.
Oshima hopes the new auditorium will bring the community back to the school by providing a venue for band rehearsals, drama productions, movies, assemblies and community events.
Head Custodian Willard Gouveia attributed the tremendous support for the improvement of school facilities to the parents.
Principal Hokama agreed that strong public involvement, including parents, community leaders and other organizations, can make a difference in upgrading facilities.
"This is not something we can do by ourselves," he said.
YOU ASKED
We asked alumni, "How did your experiences at
Roosevelt contribute to your success?"
Kent Keith
Author, Harvard graduate and Rhodes scholar "Roosevelt was very challenging and academically tough, so I was able to compete and succeed at Harvard, which was a good way to lead into my career. I was also very involved in extracurricular activities and learned a lot about leadership, working with people." Shawn Ching
KITV 4 anchor and former UH football star (The coaches) "taught me to give something back and that character is what you do when no one is around. They taught me the power and value of hard work, determination, self-respect, a positive attitude." Carol Fukunaga
State senator "Ms. Setsu Okubo taught American history. She was a real dynamo and a progressive teacher. She taught us to think beyond the box, not what we were used to. Many of her students went into public service." William Hong
Executive director, Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council "The caliber of teachers and teaching methodology was very conducive to my learning experience. The student body was offered a pleasant and positive experience for learning." Sharon Hicks
Owner of Hicks Homes "The bonding experiences that happened with our classmates (were crucial). For our three years at Roosevelt, we were football champs. No one could beat us. The attitude of being unbeatable permeates our lives still." Lex Brodie
Small-business owner and Board of Education member "I had a very superior English teacher. She was very strong on behavior and lived by example. She always used to say, 'Without good behavior, you'll never make it.' You have to get along with others to make it in the world." Bert Kobayashi
Attorney "RHS was an irreplaceable experience. Most of my friends today are the friends I had then. My education was great; it helped me through college and graduate school, and I believe in giving back to the school." Denby Dung
Miss Hawaii "Before I came to Roosevelt, I was really overweight and shy. Holding leadership positions, like drum major, helped me to come out of my shell. Also, joining track and field was one of the most difficult things for me to do. It helped me overcome a mind-set and realize I could achieve anything I set my mind and heart to do."
Asked by Emily Oshima
Each week, Hawaii's teenage reporters and photographers tell us about their high school. This week's school is Roosevelt High. ABOUT THIS PAGE
School newspaper: Rough Rider
Editor-in-chief: Kyle Karioka
Faculty adviser: Lori Hamel
Next week: Kahuku High
Roosevelt High
Address: 1120 Nehoa St., Honolulu, HI 96822
Phone: 587-4600
Principal: Dennis Hokama
Vice Principals: Mary Diaz and Nancy Scarci
Founded: 1932
Motto: "Preach not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life." -- Theodore Roosevelt
Vision: We believe in the inherent worth of each student and that every student possesses a potential for learning, creativity and personal success.
Colors: Red and gold
Mascot: Rough Rider
Class mascot, colors:
2002: Wolves, red and black
2003: Sharks, blue and silver
2004: Dragons, black and silver
2005: Tigers, red and silver
By the numbers
1556 Students
787 Boys
769 Girls
96 Teachers
22 Teachers who are alumni
1932 Year of first graduating class
1935 Year that the famous tower was erected
18 Clubs
364 Stairs in main building
21 Soda machines on campus
1 TV production taped on campus ("Fantasy Island" in 1999)
21 Sports offered at Roosevelt
1 out of every 6 Students achieved Honor Roll status in 2000-2001
28 Years as Hawaii's only English-standard public high school
7 Advance placement courses offered yearly
80+ Number of college representatives who visit our campus each year
130 Colleges that have Roosevelt alumni as past graduates or enrolled students in the past five years
Compiled by Asiana Ponciano and Taryn Takashige, Rough Rider
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