LIZ HAHN / KAUAI HIGH SCHOOL Kauai students practice marching heel to toe and holding their instruments high in preparation for the 7-mile Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day.

Coming up roses

100 students from Kauai High will
join the island band marching
in Pasadena

On New Year's Day, Kauai residents will tune in to watch the Rose Bowl, even if they don't follow college football. They will be focused with pride on the 7-mile stretch of the Tournament of Roses Parade as Ku Kilakila, the Kauai All-Island Marching Band, fills the chilly air of Pasadena, Calif., with aloha.

About 'Hawaii's Schools' Each week, Hawaii's teenage reporters and photographers tell us about their high school. This week's school is Kauai High School. Newspaper: Making Waves Faculty adviser: Lindsay Kamm Editors: Ashley Nonaka and Paris Mackey Next week: Nanakuli High and Intermediate School Red Raider facts Address: 3577 Lala Road, Lihue, HI 96766 Principal: Linda Smith Enrollment: 1,282 Nickname: Red Raiders School colors: Red and white Mascot: Chicken hawk Established: Sept. 14, 1914 Compiled by Kelsie Nakamura, Kauai High School

Led by Larry McIntosh, band director of Kauai High School, Ku Kilakila is made up of almost 300 student musicians and dancers from the Garden Island. Making up a large portion of the Kauai All-Island Marching Band are more than 100 Kauai High School students.

This year, 97 bands applied for a slot in the Tournament of Roses Parade, but only 17 were selected. The Kauai All-Island Marching Band will be in the prestigious company of university bands as well as the Air Force Band.

To be as good as the other bands, the group practices for hours every Sunday. They have been practicing since last April, getting serious about improving their playing and marching skills. The students will also be rehearsing every day while they are in California.

Ku Kilakila will perform "Maika'i Kauai" and "Drums of Hawaii" in front of a live audience of 1.5 million people and millions more in the television audience.

McIntosh says: "Playing in the Rose Parade brings students to a new level of discipline, both musically and physically. They leave with a pride in themselves that I can't help but share with them."

Kelcie Kawamura, a student who was part of Hawaii's all-state band that played at the Tournament of the Roses Parade in 2003, says: "I've learned that anything is possible if you want it bad enough. We went up there as 400 students and came back as a unified band."

The band leaves on Dec. 27 for a seven-day trip, which includes a march at Disneyland and visits to Universal Studios and Knott's Berry Farm. Each student's expenses are estimated to be about $1,500, and the overall cost for the seven-day trip will be about $500,000.

The group has raised money by collecting pledges for Run for Roses and sponsoring a concert by a high school band from Japan. Local businesses are helping as well; Big Save alone contributed $10,000.

McIntosh would like to thank all the parents who are working so hard to make the project a success, as well as the people who have contributed money. He also thanks the principals at Kauai, Waimea and Kapaa high schools for their support.

This will probably be the last year that a band made up of Kauai students will go to the Rose Parade, but it won't be the last Hawaii group to go. In 2006, Pearl City plans to take another all-state band.

The Kauai-All Island Marching Band is the brainchild of McIntosh, who led the all-state band in 2003. McIntosh submitted a 40-page portfolio of the band, which included letters of recommendation from the mayor, the governor, university band directors and judges from high school band competitions. The portfolio also included McIntosh's resume, along with photos and videos of the band.

Mock trial team works
to resume streak

The former champs hone persuasive
skills for the state tourney

In January, public and private high schools will compete in courtrooms across the state. Students will assume the roles of the prosecution and the defense, and will battle it out in front of a real judge. The winners from each district will compete in the Hawaii Supreme Court, where a state winner will be selected to advance to the national competition, to be held in North Carolina.

For seven of the last eight years, Kauai High School's mock trial team has dominated the competition and been named state champion. This year, Kauai High fell to Kalani High School, ending its lock on the title.

Attorney and Kauai High coach Ted Akira Chihara said, "We are like USC: We may lose a game but the dynasty still lives on."

This year's mock trial team is already hard at work, meeting with coaches after school and discussing strategies for the case that all teams in Hawaii have been given. They are taking their preparation seriously.

"Our dedication and willingness to experiment with the case definitely sets us apart," said veteran Parris Zina. "We practice more than anybody and we take risks."

In addition to Chihara, Kauai attorneys James Michael Ratcliffe and Aric Fujii serve as coaches. There are also two teacher coaches and two former mock trial team members to support the team.

COURTESY OF KAUAI HIGH SCHOOL The 2003 Kauai High School mock trial team capped a run of seven years as winners of the Hawaii state competition.

"The diversity among the coaches is great," said team member Michelle Beck. "Getting insight from so many sources helps us in making sure every angle is covered."

Last year's loss came as a surprise to many, but, as Beck said, "We never enter competition with the intent of winning, but to perform at our best, as we felt we did going up against Kalani."

Alex Sirois, another veteran, added, "The judge disagreed with us once in eight years, but next year, he or she will have no option for an alternative ruling."

More teams have entered the competition this year, which the Kauai High students say is exciting.

"We welcome the competition. We want to play against the best," stated Beck.

"There is nothing more exhilarating than beating a team that is just as good as you are," added Zina.

"Mock Trial is so much more than an extracurricular activity," said Ratcliffe. "It prepares students for life. We build strong, intelligent human beings."

Chihara added, "We love to see the lights go on in young people's heads."

You Asked...

"What do you think is the most
important issue facing teens
today?"

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Duston Kubo
Sophomore
"Drugs and alcohol, because it causes stress and problems."

Ashlyn Jerves
Freshman
"Self-confidence, because everyone is so caught up in their looks."

Liane Muraoka
Sophomore
"Reinstating the draft, because we could all die."

Tania More
Freshman
"Drugs around our community, because the percentage of kids doing drugs has gone up in the past two years."

Juno-Ann Apalla
Sophomore
"Family problems, because sometimes parents don't understand what's going on in school and don't know how their children feel about it."

Kira Boro
Freshman
"Peer pressure, because some people try their hardest to be cool and fit with a certain crowd."

Dustin Russell
Senior
"Sex and drugs, because half the people I know do it."

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Compiled by Ian Letrete, Misti Medrano, Contessa Ricci and Mathew Shibata, Kauai High School