[ HAWAII’S SCHOOLS ]
COURTESY OF CAMPBELL HIGH SCHOOL
Eight students and six adults went on a trip to London during Campbell's spring break, visiting such sites as Windsor Castle, the Tower of London and the Globe Theater.
When 14 members of the Campbell community finally arrived in England, it was Monday morning, March 17. They had left on the night of March 15; somewhere between Honolulu and London, March 16 had disappeared into a jet-lag-induced temporal vortex. U.K. trip brings
literature alive14 Campbell students and teachers
» Bagpiper jams with London's best
enjoy the sights of London over spring break
» You asked
» School briefs
» About this pageEwa Naupaka staff
"I thought it was a dream," said Lance Ordonio, a freshman and president of Campbell's Photography Club. "It was my very first trip off the island."
To make the dream of going to England a reality, teachers Jamie Dela Cruz and Ann Tanaka first discussed the possibility of a trip to London. The concept already coincided with the Photography Club's mission statement: "To utilize school and community resources to visually document the world as we see it."
AP English teachers Tanaka and Lorna Baniaga-Lee formed the Literature Connections (Lit Con) Club, planning the trip to London to "bring literature alive and make learning more exciting."
"(The students) were able to connect with what they were learning from the classroom," Baniaga-Lee explained. "They gained a better understanding from people around the world."
The club met periodically to read and discuss various British works to supplement the experience with a solid educational foundation.
Fund raising was a major issue for the London travelers.
"We sold chili, Tanioka's, Saber Cards, brownies and had a car wash," said Photography Club secretary Cristine Miguel.
Daniel Eisen, president of the Lit Con Club, remarked, "We fund-raised everything possible. For me, I had to have everyone I knew selling stuff for me."
But time constraints restricted the number of students who could finally go on the trip.
"It was such short notice, so much of the money came out of our own pocket," explained Lit Con Club vice president and fund-raising coordinator Rowena Rivera.
With barely three months to make the first few payments for the trip, only eight students were able to raise enough money to cover the costs.
If not for the discovery of a clerical error, the group could have missed out on this chance of a lifetime. JoAnn Gumtang, a former ninth-grade English teacher at Campbell, had not received an itinerary for the seven-day trip to London during spring break.
When she examined her plane ticket, she saw that the flight was scheduled to leave on Sunday morning at 12:55 a.m., not Sunday afternoon at 12:55 p.m. as everyone else had thought. She quickly contacted the advisers, who then relayed the message to the students.
"Everyone was in a rush," Rivera said. "If we hadn't gotten that call, we would have missed our flight."
This was only one of many obstacles that the eight England-bound Campbell students and six teachers had to face. Tanaka, Baniaga-Lee and Dela Cruz served as advisers for the trip, chaperoning for students Eisen, Miguel, Ordonio, Rivera, Samantha Edu, Janice Gabriel, Kehau Kila and David Schulz. Vice Principal Sandra Kurata, teacher Gloria Sabado and Gumtang also went.
The group was led through London by EF Tours, visiting landmarks and places that included St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, the British Museum and the Globe Theater.
"It was kind of weird," Rivera said. "You've heard of all these places, but when you finally see them, it's very surreal. ... It's very different from when you see it in pictures."
They met student tour groups from Arkansas and Iowa while staying at the Alexandra Hotel in Paddington.
"They were interesting because it was like they were of a totally different culture from us, even though we were all Americans," Gabriel said.
Westminster Abbey, which contains the tombs of many prominent British authors in a section known as Poet's Corner, was one of the highlights of the trip. The Globe Theater was another such location; students enjoyed a tour and partook in an Elizabethan banquet.
"There was an actor who talked about Shakespeare's plays and how they were written specifically for the theater's stage," Tanaka said. "The stage was brought to life, and we were able to see how Shakespeare's plays were supposed to be performed in the theater."
The benefits of the trip were both educational and cultural; students and teachers alike gained new insight from the journey.
"I have more enthusiasm for teaching and literature," Baniaga-Lee said. "It was an excellent trip that the students and adults have gained more about culture. I encourage everyone to take the opportunity."
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How do you celebrate your cultural heritage? You asked
Trishele Hill
Junior"I think how I celebrate my culture is by learning more about it. By me learning more, I appreciate it more. Then I can educate those who don't know that much about my culture."
Christopher Solo
Freshman"I show pride in my Samoan heritage by wearing traditional clothing to school and teaching others the language."
Ryan Hayes
Freshman"I show pride in my heritage by celebrating Black History Month and teaching others about the African-American culture."
Desiree Joy Smith
Senior"I'm mixed. I don't have one culture, so when I celebrate anything it usually includes a large family get-together, a wide variety of flavorful foods and a hot barbecue."
Brandace Witherspoon
Senior"I celebrate my African-American heritage by sharing past events in our history with others. I feel that it is very important for everyone to know the important impacts our heritage and culture has and how it is influenced by American culture. I also celebrate my culture by supporting plays and programs about our history."
Mary Ellen Navalta
Senior"When my family attends weddings, we celebrate the occasion with specific types of foods and certain dances, like the tinikling (a dance that involves bamboo sticks)."
Jessica Tablit
Senior"I've followed the Filipino customs and traditions such as showing the proper respect to my elders."
Shay Frazier
Freshman"I show pride in my heritage by celebrating family traditions passed down through the generations."
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[ STELLAR SABERS ]
Student designs award-winning logo
Senior Grace Botanes won the Ewa Beach Association Logo Contest and took home a $100 savings bond. Botanes and her classmates had one week to create their submissions.When asked about her logo design, Botanes said, "I wanted to make something that people would want to wear, including myself."
Her graphic talents and creativity helped her to win the logo contest. "I was only put into graphics because I needed a class, but the more work we did, the more interested I became," said Botanes.
Botanes' plans include majoring in graphic design at either Hawaii Pacific University, Chaminade University or Notre Dame de Namur University. After college, Botanes hopes to open her own graphic designing company here in Hawaii.
Computer whiz makes new operating system
Current computer operating systems did not satisfy Campbell senior William Fuller, so he created his own. At the 2002 Hi-Tech Quest In December, Fuller placed first in a statewide competition, receiving $1,000 for creating Antecho OS."With the proper direction and motivation he could be one of the greatest computer figures in history," said Fuller's television production teacher, Oscar Ramiscal. "There is no one else who can make an OS at his age in the United States."
According to Fuller, the hardest part about creating Antecho OS was "knowing what to do because there are no set guidelines or steps you can follow." Fuller's self-taught project took more than a year and is still not complete. Antecho OS has basic photo and video editing programs, scientific and mapping programs, a word processor and some Internet browsing utilities.
Fuller also started his own software development and system design company in July, which he also calls Antecho.
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Each week, Hawaii's teenage reporters and photographers tell us about their high school. This week's school is Campbell High School. About this page
Newspaper: The Ewa Naupaka
Editors: Kristen Kimokeo, Nikki Salviejo and Cary Kawamoto
Faculty adviser: Jamie Dela Cruz
Next week: Mid-Pacific Institute
Saber Facts
Address: 91-980 North Road, Ewa Beach, HI 96706
Phone: 689-1200
Founded: 1961
Mascot: Saber
School colors: Black and orange
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