COURTESY OF WAIANAE HIGH SCHOOL Waianae High School's Marine Science program raises fish, shrimp and ogo seaweed to sell at community markets. Several students tend to one of the tanks.

Good view from outside

Visiting students to Waianae High
see the opportunities available

After many years seeing the same old Waianae High School, many students may feel it isn't much to look at. But two Kapolei High School seniors saw the school from a much different perspective.

Waianae High School Name Ka Leo O Waianae Faculty adviser Lorraine Gershun Address 85-251 Farrington Highway, Waianae 96792 Phone number 697-7017 Mascot Seariders Colors Blue and red Principal Joann Kumasaka Enrollment 1,945

Brittany Montilliano and Juan Gonzalez, who toured the campus with the District Council Student Exchange Program, saw firsthand several programs available to Waianae students: the JROTC program, Searider Productions, Marine Science, and the Health Academy.

"I really enjoyed the SP (Searider Productions) program because it was interesting to see the programs they have made and the hard work that was put into creating it," Montilliano said.

Searider Productions is a multimedia program with five different components: video, audio, print publications, digital media and motion graphics. The program is one of the biggest in the state.

Classes in video production, newswriting and cinematography produce public service announcements commercials and even a weekly half-hour news show aired on cable and network television.

Print classes publish a monthly newspaper and the yearbook, both of which have received local and national recognition.

Digital media students produce the Searider Productions Web site and animation and Flash macromedia projects and repair computers.

"Not many students would put in the amount of effort that all the students here do to make such great works, and that is why I admire it," Montilliano said.

Searider Productions isn't the only successful program. The Health Academy, Marine Science, JROTC, and Hawaiian studies programs have all been honored as well.

The Marine Science program, in raising fish, shrimp and ogo seaweed for market, values respect, responsibility and teamwork. As part of the Natural Resources Academy, students get experience working with aquaculture. At the beginning of each school year, students learn how to use monitoring equipment and work as a team with classmates.

"This is my first year in this class, and it's a great opportunity for me because not everyone gets to experience what we do," senior Joshua Green said.

Teamwork is also the vision of the Health Academy. Starting with just four students in 1999, it has evolved to a class of well over 90. With weekly visits to Tripler Hospital, the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and Kapolei First Aide, students get plenty of hands-on training.

"The program has set examples for other schools," said Health Academy teacher Phillip DePorto. "Several of them have visited or called for advice on how to model their program off ours."

A vision of opening students to future opportunities is the main goal of JROTC. The program takes part in community services like retirement home visits, reading aloud to elementary students, and attending leadership camps.

"We want the students to build life skills so that they may have a direction for when they graduate," JROTC instructor Sgt. Smith said.

Waianae student body President Nalei Halemano was present at the tour and realized she never knew much about the school and its programs.

"After touring the school I learned a lot about programs here and how much they have grown," she said.

It wasn't until two students from Kapolei gave a fresh viewpoint of the programs that Seariders take for granted that some students realized how much the school has to offer.

Hard work puts finishing
gloss on literary journal

Waianae students are getting up and shining.

Seniors from the Arts and Communication Academy produced Iluna Loa ("Rise Above"), a literary magazine in which they expressed positive thoughts and feelings on life. It is an anthology of student work based on subjects like art, poetry, science and math.

"This project was very important because I wanted to show everyone that our school can do quality work, too," teacher Lisa Tsuruda said.

Principal Joann Kumasaka came up with the idea for the magazine.

"For years and years she's been bothering me, 'I want a magazine, I want a magazine,' and because this is my last year, I finally decided to do it," Tsuruda continued.

The title has great meaning "because it was nominated from one of my student's poems, 'Above All,'" Tsuruda added.

The Arts and Communication Academy seniors not only judged the "vivacious and robust" entries, they also played key roles in showcase performances.

Hours of planning made the magazine possible. It was sold at a showcase in the school library on March 9.

Editors Cheri Garguilo, Ashley Ako, Kayla Yost and Nicki Manivanh put the magazine together. Other Arts and Communication teachers and students contributed.

COURTESY OF WAIANAE HIGH SCHOOL A literary showcase held March 9 featured performances linked to articles written by students.

Groups were divided and assigned to separate parts of the magazine.

"The stories that my group and I were assigned to were interesting because they were personal essays and it was like getting to know my classmates again," senior Christine Barajas said.

"My group and I worked hard to revise science work; it was a good experience," senior Chelsea Halemano said.

All the profits from the showcase will go to the Arts and Communication's Scholarship funds.

It will also be used "to make more activities and to provide scholarships for this year's seniors, as well as upcoming seniors," Tsuruda said.

Performances were produced in conjunction with the pieces chosen from the magazine. Writers that produced the articles were awarded certificates and received a free magazine. Exhibits displayed various student art pieces including ceramics, paintings and photography.

"I am very proud of my students because this was a chance for them to show others that they have the ability to rise above all the hardships that they go through in life," Tsuruda said.

You asked...

"What do you think makes
Waianae High School different
from other high schools?"

Kanoe Tuvale
Senior
"Our school has more upgraded programs; such as our SP program and Marine Science."

Kaleo Westbrook
Campus security guard
"Students ignore security but take a lot of pride in their school."

Risha Navarro
Junior
"We're more unified and defy the stereotypes more than what people generally think."

Kisha Silva
Sophomore
"There's only one way to get here and one way out, and sometimes it's a drag."

Sam Colon
Senior
"There's many different ethnicities compared to where I come from, the mainland."

Glenn Tokunaga
Athletics director
"We have a community that is based on the philosophy of family, or ohana, and we feel a strong loyalty of helping each other."

Kalena Waiolama
Sophomore
"Our people are more down to earth than other schools."

Jennifer Belen
Freshman
"We are the only high school with the freshmen separated from the rest of the school."

Daniel Lawrence
Freshman
"We're the only school trying out new academies."