Each week, Hawaii's teenage reporters and photographers will tell us about their high school. This week's school is Mililani High School.

Next week: Lutheran High

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COURTESY OF MILILANI HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK STAFF The freshman class of 2004 won first place in 2000 with their Homecoming float. Since last year, classes have made banners instead of floats, a move that has met with mixed reaction in the school community.

Reactions mixed
on banners

Student officials last year ended
a tradition of Homecoming floats
in favor of banners

MHS: By the numbers
Agriculture program lets kids earn education
Poll: What's the coolest thing about Mililani H.S.?

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By Elizabeth Hartnett
Mililani High School

Homecoming floats have been a campus tradition for over 20 years. However, the intricate designs of vibrant tissue-paper flowers shaped into creative sculptures have vanished, replaced by a less complex version. Some argue that the float custom is gasping its last breath and that in a few years may not even exist.

As one of the main attractions for Homecoming celebrations, floats embody school and class pride, making them almost vital to the overall character of the event.

Student Activities Coordinator Gail Nishimura believes the significance of building such an ornate display is "to get your class to be more cohesive and willing to work with each other."

Sophomore class adviser Cindy Mochida agrees. "It is about the class coming together, getting to know each other, interacting, compromising and learning to do things that are going to make them productive citizens," she said.

Last year, the Associated Students of Mililani High School and other student council members altered the traditional idea into the smaller concept of banners, an idea adopted from Leilehua High School during a leadership camp.

Banners must be no longer than 18 inches wide, down from the original float width of 10 feet. In addition, students now build the projects on campus instead of searching for a house to host the float's construction.

Nishimura explained: "We like the banners because it's still kind of three-dimensional, like a float, but not as big. It's not as labor-intensive, and it can be done in the classroom."

Mochida said: "It would take a lot less coordination because everything would be here on campus. We wouldn't have to worry about how we get the stuff to the parent's house and how we get stuff back."

At first, many applauded the decision. "For our class, it was better because our banners turned out to be a lot nicer than our floats," said Senior Class President Linsey Gwin.

Others asserted that on-campus construction allowed easier access to students and teacher chaperones.

However, general opinion seemed to change as participants realized that banner-building was not as easy as expected.

"It ended up to be just as time-consuming as floats," junior class adviser Kathryn Fugman said. "Only 5 percent of the class participates."

Senior class adviser Jennifer Sayegusa said that while working in school may provide a more central location, students actually prefer a volunteer's residence.

"Going over to someone's house is an incentive to hang out, so it brought more people there," she said.

The complaints have led some to contend that further action must be taken to simplify the tradition. As a result, advisers are considering an even less complicated banner style for next year.

One option is a banner that can be held on poles instead of rolled on wheels. This banner would most likely be mounted on cloth, with more of a two- dimensional design. Another alternative is decorating golf carts a day prior to the Homecoming Parade with streamers, posters and the like.

"Everybody seems to be pressed for time," Nishimura said. Changing the banner idea into an easier version will open opportunities for students to participate in other activities.

"It's easier for the classes since the requirements aren't as stringent," Nishimura added.

Several cite a lack of school spirit as the root of the problem. Most classes have less than 10 students regularly working on banners.

"We make announcements, we do class assemblies, and we get from a handful to a dozen students," Mochida said. "I don't know if it's just that these students have too many things going on, or if they have other priorities."

Others see an absence of participation on the part of the faculty. However, they say this is not due to laziness or an unwillingness to help out; teachers simply have too heavy a workload.

"To teach 180 kids a day is a lot to begin with, and then to have additional responsibilities that seem to take away energy from what you're really called to do; it's hard," Mochida said.

Now the student council and advisors are faced with a decision: Should the school continuously lower the standards of float-building requirements, or should it be kept at a certain level in an attempt to force classes to leap up and meet that criterion?

"We're trying to figure out where to adjust and where to still hold that bar up as the standard," Mochida said.

There are those who believe the bar is too out of reach. Junior class adviser Kathryn Fugman contends that in the past, there has always been a sense of apathy on campus and is a tough habit to break.

Nevertheless, students remain hopeful about the tradition's future. Freshman banner-building chair Genesis I said: "Everyone has school spirit! You can tell by their faces when they come onto campus. They're ready to come to school, just by all the smiles on everyone's faces."

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By the numbers

Address: 95-1200 Meheula Parkway, Mililani 96789
Phone: 627-7747
Opened: September 1973
Faculty remaining from opening day: Paulette Chun, Glenn Nitta and Edward Sawada
Mascot: Trojans
Colors: Brown and Gold
Newspaper: Trojan Times
Editor: Colleen Verleye
Faculty adviser: Faye Tanaka
Yearbook: Na Mana'o Poina 'Ole
Principal: Robert L. Ginlack
Vice Principals: John Brummel, Leighton Kawai, James Petersen
Class Mascots:
2003 -- Cougars
2004 -- Tigers
2005 -- Vipers
2006 -- Warriors
Homecoming Game: Sept. 27

Now and then

2003 marks the 30th anniversary of the opening of Mililani High School. Here are data from Mililani's first day in 1973, compared with today's numbers in parentheses:
Student enrollment: 42 (2,150)
Faculty: 14 (124)
Sports: 1 -- flag football (17, with 49 teams in girls and boys varsity and junior varsity)
Student groups: 16 (20)
Marching band members: 61 (168, with a high of 224 in 1994)
Buildings: 1 (11, plus 24 portables)

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You asked:
What is the coolest thing about Mililani High School?

Keri-Ann Oshiro
Sophomore
"Gymnastics is an elective course. Some schools don't have this. Also we have memorial plants for students who passed away."

Darrell Ota
Industrial Arts teacher
"The students. We have high caliber kids here and they make the teachers look good. We have a terrific teaching staff. With the combination of the two, we kick butt!"

Arlene Kuwahara
Sophomore
"Mililani is a pretty sheltered place, where you don't have to worry about drugs, racism and other things that may be found at other schools unless you go looking for trouble. The school is lucky to be located in such a great community, where you can find generous, kind and generally lovable people in and out of the school."

Nick Puzon
Junior
"The marching band. We have more spirit then half the people in the school and we do fun stuff together. I'm a BG (Band Geek)."

Trenton Niino
Senior
"We have a really good principal, he's so awesome. Good school lunches sometimes ... We also have a really good sports program. We have a nice campus and a clean environment."

Janice Monson
Junior
"The mixture of people. There's different cliques and different people you can hang out with. Everybody seems to get along."

Jennifer Li
Junior
"The kind teachers who are willing to take extra time out of their busy schedules to help students."

Kathryn Mitchell
Science teacher
"The people! The administration, the office, the library, the students, the custodians, EVERYONE. I could work at any school in downtown, but I drive so far to go to Mililani High School because of the people."

Westin Saito
Sophomore
"The baseball team, because we practically won every game last year."

Brooke Dombroski
Senior
"The little Filipino janitor."

Kristan Perry
Sophomore
"The school is really secure. They're very protective and caring for the students. I feel safe when walking around campus."

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