[ HAWAII’S SCHOOLS ]

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

Next week: Baldwin

COURTESY OF PEARL CITY HIGH SCHOOL Pearl City High School students got into the spirit of Homecoming Week Sept. 23 to 27, adorning themselves in the school's colors and taking part in spirited assemblies.

Students charge into Homecoming

Spirit Week activities included
a dancing competition,
theme days and a parade

School facts and figures
Student Q & A
New feeling of ohana drives Pearl City football

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By Brian Rivera, Nicole Kissinger and Nicole Manuma
Pearl City High School

Anyone who has ever been involved with teenagers knows that getting a teen to take interest in anything is an accomplishment in itself.

This year, Pearl City High School seemed to have the magic formula to get the student body interested in their school: Homecoming Spirit Week, held Sept. 23 to 27. To truly enjoy the week and keep the tradition alive, everyone at school had to show their spirit and pride in different ways.

Monday, Sept. 23, was Chargers Day. On this day, people wearing the school colors of purple and white displayed their spirit in creative ways. Some wore clothes, some dyed their hair and some painted their faces and body parts.

Also taking place Sept. 23 was the Homecoming Kickoff assembly. This year, a dance competition was held among the classes.

The freshmen got prehistoric, going back to Bedrock and the Flintstones, with a special appearance by Spongebob Squarepants. The sophomores had a battle almost reminiscent of "West Side Story." The juniors were simply groovy with their tribute to Austin Powers.

But the class that really made it to the top was the senior class. With their tunes from the famous musical "Grease" and their incredible dancing, they won the competition.

Sept. 24 was Local Tuesday, in which aloha attire was the theme. Many people wore aloha shirts, Hawaiian-print pants and slippers.

Sept. 25 was Wacky Wednesday, where students used different materials to make themselves look weird and unusual. It looked as if Halloween had come a month early.

Sept. 26 was Look-Alike Day, in which both staff and students got involved. Some staff played jokes on their students by having their "twins" teach their class for them.

Sept. 27 was the end of a long and exhausting Spirit Week. Some students wore their class shirts for dress-up, while others wore purple and white.

COURTESY OF PEARL CITY HIGH SCHOOL Among the week's activities was a dance competition on Sept. 23, won by the senior class dancing to tunes from "Grease," below.

The week's end brought another special assembly that was even grander than the first. Another high-energy dance performance started off this assembly, performed by the pep squad and ending in an incredible towering pyramid that drove the crowd crazy. The JV and varsity football teams who would battle later that evening also received some well-deserved recognition.

With everyone still in a frenzy, the first spirit competition of cheers among the classes was held. The cheer was, "CHARGERS! Spirit! Let's rock it! Yeah!" with each class replacing "Chargers" with their class name.

After each class took its turn with the cheer, the assembly was turned over to Kutmaster Spaz and the Universal DJ Crew, who had some great games for the crowd and awesome giveaways. The junior class won the cheering contest, but everyone got involved with screaming their heads off.

One of the most prestigious of the Homecoming festivities is the annual Community Parade. The 3-mile-long parade, which started at Pearl City High School and ended at Pacheco Park, is a time-honored tradition.

The parade, led by the famous Pearl City Marching Band, Homecoming king Anthony Agustin and queen Holly Ann Miwa, worked its way through blistering heat.

All the classes worked hard on their floats, and it showed in their themes. The freshmen won the Best Float & Banner award with their "Flintstones" theme.

The sophomores used a "Medieval Times" theme, while the juniors went with "'60s Flashback" and the seniors used "Grease."

As the parade went on, Pearl City teachers marched and passed out candy. The community and students from Momilani Elementary's A+ program lined the sides of the streets, holding signs and cheering on our Chargers as they marched.

Behind all the hype and chaos of the Homecoming festivities at Pearl City, it is above all a time when Chargers past and present come together. If the week's activities didn't spark interest in students, maybe nothing can.

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Pearl City facts

Newspaper: PCHS Messenger
Editors: Brian Rivera, Nicole Kissinger and Nicole Manuma
Faculty adviser: Brian Y. Kawauchi

Address: 2100 Hookiekie St., Pearl City, HI 96782
Phone: 453-6500
Date founded: 1971
Principal: Gerald Suyama
Motto: "Excellence with Honor"
Enrollment: 2,149
Mascot: Charger
School colors: Purple and white

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You asked

If you were to be a contestant on the next "Survivor" series, what would be the item that you would take with you?

LoriAnn Fukuda
Freshman
"I would take a picture of my family because it can motivate me to do things to survive in the wild. It would help me to think about what is important in life."

Jennifer Aycock
Sophomore
"I would take a video camera to capture the experience through my perspective. The TV cameras wouldn't catch and show everything that happens. This way I have proof of what went on."

Kevin-Charles Ford
Sophomore
"I would take a journal to write down my thoughts so I remember. That way I can write a book when it's all over and make millions of dollars."

Sharilyn Concepcion
Junior
"I would take a hatchet so I can cut wood to make a house, split open coconuts for food and drink, and make sparks to make fire to keep myself warm."

Brad Hasegawa
Junior
"I would take along a stick of deodorant so I wouldn't be all stink and stuff. It is very important to keep sanitary and not smell."

Stephanie Say
Senior
"I would take my blanket for security and warmth at night. I would also be able to use it as a wrap for clothing if I run out of clean clothes. I could also use it for shelter and shade. And finally, I could make a parachute and escape danger if I needed to."

Jonathan Valdriz
Senior
"I would take along a clean pair of underwear. You kind of feel dirty in the wilderness, so a clean pair of underwear would make me feel great. And besides, like mom always says, you never know when you'll be in an accident."

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