Ho‘okele NewsIsland Pacific Academy’s Newspaper

I Mua Me Ka Ha‘aheoPhone: (808) 674-3523 Fax: (808) 674-3575 Email: bmurphy@ipahawaii.org March 2012

Driving Towards ResponsiblityEditor-in-ChiefJordan Hanson

“With great power, comes great responsibility.” This quote, made famous by Peter Parker, AKA. “Spider Man” is only too true for those

millions of teens getting their drivers licenses each year. For some young adults, the excitement of a license and the newly acquired freedom that comes with it inhibit reason and overshadow the necessity to exercise safety on the road.

According to a study con-ducted by the Center for Dis-ease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 1999 to 2006, motor vehicle crashes were the leading causes of death for young adults ages 12-19 years old, accounting for 48% of all teen deaths. In comparison, suicide accounted for only 11% of teen deaths and health prob-lems, such as heart disease and congenital defects accounted for 10%. These jarring statistics have prompted many state legisla-tures to enact the Graduated Licensing Program (GDL). The most frequent causes of teen motor vehicle fatalities in their state were failure to yield, speeding and tailgating another driver due to inattentiveness and inexperience, the very things that the GDL attempts to correct. This highly structured pro-gram eases young drivers onto the road by setting stringent restrictions and limitations that were non-existent even a generation before. The hope is

that the increased supervision and regulation will make teens more experienced behind the wheel. “Teens are without doubt inexperienced. It generally takes five years to become an experienced driver,” said Ha-waii Driving Institute instruc-tor Ron Aoki. “It only makes sense that in any activity we do, if we want to do it better, we would take lessons or get coaching.” In total, 48 states take part in some aspect of the Graduat-ed Licensing Program, includ-ing Hawaii. Although the program varies from state to state, it generally includes three parts: complete supervision of the teen behind the wheel, restrict-ed driving during potentially dangerous situations, such as driving after dark, and then the teen receiving a standard driv-ers’ license. Although the GDL pro-gram does claim to provide its participants with more experi-ence and knowledge, some teenagers are quick to question

the effectiveness and usefulness of the program. “To me, I don’t think it [the Graduated Licensing Pro-gram] would make a difference because it’s just common sense to follow the rules of the road,” said senior Anna Cheng. Despite some teenagers’ disproval in having to spend three or more years getting their licenses, there has been a decrease in the number of motor vehicle fatalities since 2006, only a year after the inception of the GDL program in Hawaii. This sense of misjudgment and lack of experience only increases when driving with another passenger or drinking, suggesting that the GDL pro-gram, while long and laborious, is saving lives. “Each year 43,000 people die as a result of car collision,” said Aoki. “Of that number, 16-19 year olds have the high-est percentage of death. By taking drivers education, you become a more aware driver, which ultimately leads to fewer collisions and less fatalities.”

Teen driving fatalities in Hawaii have seen a downward trend since 2005, when the GDL program was enacted. Statistics courtesy of the

CDC. Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons.

Jack is [a1000x] AwesomeEdiotr-in-Chief

Lynn Shin

For a 16-year-old in his fourth business foray, Jack Ue-sugi has a remarkably low ratio of ego to accomplishment. Ue-sugi has always had an entre-preneurial state of mind, selling produce, and later homemade t-shirts to classmates in third and fourth grade. His last-est venutre, a website called a1000x.com (a Thousand Times), launched less than two months ago and has over 2500 online followers. The site, which showcases local artists and sells merchan-dise, revolves around the phi-losophy “give more, get more.” A portion of the proceeds goes to the Hawaii art community and local charities. Artists showcased on the site submit designs for products like t-shirts and prints and in return receive a percentage of the earnings. The remaining

profit goes to both the com-pany and 808 Urban, a local nonprofit that supports art programs for teens. “We love art, and we love people who support art. One of the goals of this site is to promote creativity, highlight deserving artists in Hawaii, and give back to the community,” said Uesugi. The methodology behind a1000x is DIY-centered. Ue-sugi is both the brains and the crew and prints the shirts right out of his garage. He scouts artists, sets up meetings and acts as the one-man promoter for his site. He works alongside his father who handles most of the web design and setup. “My dad and I had talked about doing something like this for a while,” said Uesugi. “All the resources were in front of me. My dad is a graphic designer, my mom is a pho-tographer, we own a silk screen printer and we have a lot of

connection to local artists.” Talk turned to action last summer, as Uesugi built the site from the ground up. Be-tween diving trips and school-work, Uesugi set out to sign a team of local artists. Ryan Higa, a long-time family friend and the creator of Gruntled Funk art, was his first signed artist. From there, Uesugi went on to sign 20 artists, including John Koga, one of Hawaii’s most well known Modernists, and Estria, a professional graf-fiti artist. Currently the website is in its busiest stage, with Uesugi signing artists, updating the store and promoting the brand at events. Often, potential clients are surprised to find the founder of a 1000x is not yet out of high school. “Whenever I say I’m a junior they ask me what I want to major in, because they think I’m in college,” said Uesugi.

The site is still new, but the store is up and profit is finally trickling in. a1000x decals decorate almost every laptop on the third floor, some given out in promotion of the site, some sold. But publicity is minimal past the school itself. For now a1000x sells mainly t-shirts, prints and lanyards but plans to expand outward. “I want to eventually move past artists in Ha-waii to artists nationwide. I’m currently working on getting my products into stores- transi-tioning from online,” said Uesugi. The future of the website remains un-certain with

Uesugi off to college in less than two years. But Uesugi has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. “Five years from now, I hope it’s still up and going strong.” Even without me there, I want it to continue,” said Uesugi.

Staff WriterJosh Ayers

The opening of the Salva-tion Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center among Kapolei’s growth this year comes as a refreshing change to a recent stagnating development trend. Kapolei was once hailed as the second city to Honolulu. However in past years, develop-ment has been mostly shifting to a trend of shopping stores, fast food chains and an excess of new homes. There are over nine restau-rants within just a half mile of IPA listed on Google maps, and quite a few major stores in

Kapolei as well, such as Kmart, Walmart and Target. But, the essential components of a working city, such as hospitals, are lacking. So what is it that Kapolei is building? The city’s growth seems to be focused on con-structing new buildings and transportation systems such as the Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project, a mass transit rail system. The new rail, which is set to cost about $5.3 billion in total, is a costly expenditure con-sidering the present economic crisis, while an expansion of the Honolulu City Bus System would cost only millions. This would save hundreds

of millions of dollars, allowing it to be used in other areas of expansion for things such as hospitals or cell phone towers. On the other hand, Univer-sity of Hawaii at West Oahu, another recent development in Kapolei along with the Kroc center, is a developing educa-tional facility. These types of projects are the kinds of beneficial devel-opments that Kapolei needs in order to really become the second city of Honolulu. Overall, there are necessary improvements that the city needs in order to become the thriving city that it was once projected to become: additional roads and frequently scheduled

repairs, expansion of the bus system and a centrally located hospital are a few. But, from the way the cur-rent expansion plan is panning out, what is actually planned for Kapolei? Although the future plans for Kapolei may be unclear, a look at the past and pres-ent projects in the city makes clear what the city already has in abundance, and what it is lacking. Currently, the city website, Kapolei.com has an outdated list of planned projects. What Kapolei needs now is a con-crete plan for the future with beneficial developments for all.

Convenience or Crowding?

Staff Editorial

75 days of school in the first semester, 212 students in the upper school and 908 tardies. Obviously, there is a problem, and the upper school administration’s solution to the situation has proven to be con-troversial. Now, the newly en-acted tardy policy gives harsher punishments with every five tardies that accumulate. The upper school administra-tion acted forcefully, imme-diatly enforcing the policy to stop the tardies at once. Under this new policy students could face Saturday school or even expulsion at IPA. Students felt that the im-mediate enforcement scheduled to stop the consistent tardies was harsh. “I don’t mind that they are cracking down on the tardies, but I don’t like how they are starting the policy with no clean slate,” said senior Jackson Durrett. “I had 19 tardies last semester and no authority fig-ure talked to me until the new policy came about.” The policy was vague, which was the cause of most of the frustration for many students who felt that the tardy policy was not adequatley enforced nor publicized. The IPA stu-

dent handbook states: “Exces-sive tardiness may require a conference and further disci-plinary consequences,” (page 10) “There are a number of parts in our handbook that are intentionally general because what we don’t want to do is have people start to read it like, ‘this equals this,’” because sometimes context matters,” said Secondary School Princi-pal James Nelligan. With the punishments growing every five increments, students that had 10-15 tardies in semester one are already receiving punishments during second semester. “There wasn’t a warning or anything. Just ‘Hey, you’ve already done this, so here is your punishment,” said junior Sierra DuBreuil. The upper school admin-istration felt that the general statement in the handbook about the tardies was like a pre-warning. There were already rules set in the handbook that students agreed to follow. There are various punish-ments if someone is tardy; however, the biggest punish-ment that a lot of students felt strongly about was Saturday school. Saturday school is im-mediately implemented once a student receives 15 tardies or

more. Students learned that Satur-day school would not be used productively, angering them more because they felt that they could at least make it into a study hall. “I want to use it as a work, or study period, but they seem to be pretty firm on not hav-ing anything happening,” said Durrett. The administration believed that Saturday school should be time for students to “pay back” for all the wasted time they had caused when coming to school late. “My belief was that it should be awful,” said Dean of Students Cami Nihipali. “You’re taking time away when you’re tardy. Saturday school will give back that time that they have taken away.” With all the anxiety built up from the new policy, there needed to be a change because there were so many tardies. As a college preparatory school, we hold ourselves to a higher value and being late is not one of them. However, the upper school administration could have been more understanding on the enactment of the policy. With 812 tardies accumu-lated during the 2010-2011

second semester school year, tardies were not new to IPA’s school system. So why had the tardy policy not come into effect earlier? Why did the Upper School Administration decide to make such a drastic change this late? It is as simple as giving a pre-warning: students hear the warning and react. If it still does not work, then the faculty can say, “Well, we gave a warn-ing, so now this is the policy.” The tardy policy is not the problem; it is the immediate enactment and the carry-over of first semester tardies that was the problem. If the school had started the new tardy policy with a clean slate for tardies, students would have under-stood the consequences more fully of what would happen if they were late. The fact that the admin-istration was unable to com-promise with the students and have a clean slate towards the tardies is the cause of this controversy. IPA has had a history of collaboration on major school policy issues such as senior privileges and the dress code, so why not develop that same sense of cooporation towards this?

An unhappy reaction to a disciplinary action the staffof the Ho‘okele News

EST. 2010

Editors-in-ChiefJordan Hanson

Lynn Shin

Finance ManagerKalei Uno

Staff WritersJosh Ayers

Sarah BattenKianna Billman

Alyssa ChuberkoChelsea CobbJordan Dean

Royce IlarJamison Kirk

Noa Terada-PagdilaoKetan Patel

Shayna SavidgeJulie ShellyKalei Uno

Christian Yagi

ContributorsColleen Carrington

Grant JohnsonChristopher Randolph

Yearbook Staff

AdvisorBen Murphy

The Ho‘okele News is a publication of the journalism class/club of Island Pacific Academy’s Upper School. The Ho‘okele News is an open forum for students, faculty, and community.

The opinions and views expressed in this newspaper belong solely to the respec-tive staff writers and do not reflect the views of the Island Pacific Academy faculty and administration.

I Mua Me Ka Ha‘aheo

Too Much, Too LateOpinion 2

5 tardies: Letter Home Loss of free dress one month Meeting with Dean of Students

10 Tardies: Second letter home Suspension of free time from one day Meeting with Dean of Students

15 Tardies: Third letter home Saturday school Parent/Student/School conference

20 Tardies: Fourth letter home Suspension from one day of school Parent/Student/School Conference regard- ing continuation at IPA

**First Semester 2011 Adjustments 5-10 Tardies: Meet with Mrs. Cami 15+ Tardies: Meet with Mrs. Cami + Saturday School 20+ Tardies: Case by case

Tardy Policy

Don’t know the new rules? No

problem.

3Student LifeSection Editor

Noa Terada-Pagdilao

The phrase, “dear diary,” has seemingly become “dear Facebook.” Whether Facebook is being used as a form of com-munication or to record recent events, it has an impact on how many students interact with each other. Although it is one of the leading social networking sites, Facebook has had the reputa-tion for repeatedly changing its design and functions, especially when many users finally be-come accustomed to them. The website’s newest and biggest change is the “Time-line:” a total reconstruction of the user’s profile page that pro-vides a new design and more control over what information can be viewed by other Face-book users. When first intro-duced, switching to Timeline was optional. However, on January 26, Facebook announced that it

would soon be automatically changing everyone to the new layout. Designed in a standard ver-tical-timeline format—hence the name—the new profile page was created so “facebook-ers” could share and highlight posts from now to the day they were born. This allows the user to post anything, even from years before they ever signed up for a Facebook account. “It’s interesting,” said junior Jay Hart, who enjoys the big change. “You can go back and look to see what you have done in the past. It gives Facebook a new and improved look.” To some, however, the idea of being able to easily view any information from the past seems a little too invasive. But Facebook does allow a seven-day grace period. During this first week of having Timeline, the owner can delete any type of posts that he or she had on the previous profile. For others, the issue with

timeline is not about pri-vacy, but rather the design. The profile page prior to the change showed each post listed in a vertical and chronologi-cal order. Timeline uses that same order, but the posts are placed in a left to right fashion, jumbled as they go down the timeline. “I can see why people wouldn’t like Timeline,” said sophomore Brett Arakawa. “It is scattered, and it makes it harder to see what was recently posted.” Timeline not only features a new profile layout but also introduces a new feature called a “cover photo,” a larger picture chosen by the user to serve as a background, similar to a ban-ner. The cover photo is sub-stantially bigger than the user’s profile picture, and this has left some confused. “I don’t understand the point of having both a profile picture and a giant background picture,” said freshman Ceslie

Uno, who feels that the new feature conflicts with a profile photo since they both serve the same purpose. Others like the idea of having a cover photo. “I like it,” said senior Olivia Mooring. “It’s allows you to personal-ize your page more, and it helps show your personal-ity.” Despite their opposing viewpoints, there is one common feel-ing that seems to be shared on both sides. Even though Timeline is a major change for all users, it does not have a substantial effect on their usage. “Just because some may not

like it now, that doesn’t mean they won’t get used to it,” said Arakawa. “Facebook is free so they can do what ever they like, as long as they don’t charge.”

The Changing Network: Facebook Unveils Timeline

Staff WriterJordan Dean

Walking down the hall and hearing different languages is a familiar occurrence at IPA. Here, bilingual students can be found in every grade throughout the upper school as they practice speaking different languages to their teachers and peers. But, learning an entirely new language is no small feat. According to the critical period hypothesis, it is said that the best time to learn a new language is before the age of eight. After that, it becomes much harder to become fluent in another language.

However, fluency is defined differently by different people. Some see fluency as the abil-ity to speak the words of the language, whereas other people see it as being able to write the language fluently. There is also a slight difference between be-ing fluent and being bilingual. In order to be considered bilingual, “you must be able to communicate in two languages and understand multiple cultures,” said Japanese teacher Akiko Taira. Being bilingual can open doors to unique opportunities such as communicating with people around the world and being more aware of different cultures and people.

“[Being bilingual] is key in this day and age,” said Japanese speaker Bruce Hobin, who learned it as his second language. “[It allows] you to be more open-minded in the world because you can have a better understanding of not only the place you live in,e but other places as well.” A good way to learn dif-ferent languages is to practice speaking and writing it. Sarah Li, a junior, has tutored a girl in Mandarin Chinese. “We would have fun play-ing and communicating with each other,” said Li. “She taught me how to communi-cate better with children her age, and I helped her improve her speech skills.”

Do’s

1. Thou shall post pictures of your latest adventures, pictures, funny pictures and other cool things that friends might enjoy.

2. Thou shall post important news stories like if someone famous died. Most students get their daily news and gossip through Facebook. No one willingly watches the news.

3. Thou shall post great Tetris conquests. Friends want to know that you’re a Tetris con-noisseur and that you disposed all the bombs. Anything less than sixty lines sent is unac-ceptable.

4. Thou shall have an awesome profile picture. For girls, a pic-ture of you looking nice. For the boys, a good profile picture usually consists of you playing your sport. Video games are not a sport! If no one “liked” your profile picture, than change it. It means exactly what you think it means; no-body likes your profile picture.

FacebookDo’s and Don’ts

Staff Writer

Christian Yagi

Here are the 10 basic etiquettes of Facebook every high schooler should live by. Follow the basic commandments, and you’ll avoid total Facebook humiliation.

Don’ts1. Thou shalt not quote any song in your statuses. When people listen to that song, they think of your status, and it makes the song less enjoyable.

2. Thou shalt not post any hate messages for a certain person. If you have a problem, say it to their face. Preferably not at school because it will create a big scene and you’ll be the talk of the school. And not the good talk.

3. Thou shalt not post any posed pictures of thyself in front of a mirror. It sends the wrong message.

4. Thou shalt not get suckered into clicking one of those spam links. It will be embarrassing for you and funny for us.

5. Thou shalt not post any “To be honest”/”Like my status and I will blah blah blah.” People will think that you are lonely or you want attention.

6. Thou shalt not “like” your own status and/or wall posts. No further explanation needed.

Twice the Fun Billingual students at IPA

Do you like timeline? This graph is the result of an all-school survey about how students

like the new Facebook Timeline.

Primitive is a fresh new brand originating from Califor-nia. If you are looking to rock some high quality threads similar to those of the brands Diamond Supply Co and The Hundreds, definitely check out Primitive. Created by profes-sional skateboarder and California native Paul Rodriguez, Primitive boasts innovative designs that reflect California’s unique culture. Although this is a new brand, Primitive has various original designs mixed with collaborations with some of fashion’s most well-known brands. Primitive is any-thing but primitive.

Spring Back Into Fashion

GENTS This high-end Los Angeles based empire has been around for just over seven years, and The Hundreds has become, as they like to say, “HUGE.” Currently, The Hundreds clothing is stocked in over 350 major cities around the worlds, and the company is infamous for selling goods in limited quantities at only the most exclusive boutiques around the globe. Similar to Primitive, The Hundreds designs are inspired by the California lifestyle and resemble traits of California’s culture. Their most recognized badge is The Hundreds bomb logo, which depicts a cartoon-like bomb with a lit fuse. You can see their logo printed on almost all of their graphic tees, denim, wovens, fleece, outerwear and accessories. The designs are colorful and have a sense of nostalgia mixed with a modern perspective. The Hundreds focuses on the surf culture of the 1980’s, skate apparel of the 1990’s, and street wear that has become popular in the past decade. Due to the limited quantities and the exclusivity of the clothes, the low supply and high demand translates into expensive prices. Just be ready to shell out hundreds for The Hundreds. It is hard to predict what this brand will put out next, but just know that The Hundreds is HUGE.

You have probably seen many people wearing brightly colored hats that have a series of holes and pegs that connect them in the back with an iconic “snap” sound, that gives snapbacks their name. Popular because they generally cost less than fitted caps, the one great trait of a snapback hat is the ability to fit any head with any hairstyle. Snapbacks have currently been trending in the past couple of years and have become extremely popular in the past year. Snapbacks are considered retro because they were popular among football fans back in the 60’s, but today’s brands are giving snapbacks a modern twist. One of the main reasons snapbacks have gained popularity among the younger generation is because many celebrities have brought snapbacks into the fashion spot light. From rappers such as Big Sean and Tyga, to athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, snapbacks have definitely taken the fashion world by storm.

We are not talking Rolex and Seiko, but in terms of somewhat affordable timepieces, many people are rocking either G-Shock or Nixon on their wrists. These two brands make some of the highest quality watches for a price that will not leave you broke. Both Nixon and G-Shock appeal to the younger generations, making watches that boast bright colors as well as more modern designs, that many would consider something out of Star Trek. These two brands are in fact very different in the purposes they serve and the consumers they attract. I own both a Nixon and a G-Shock and can definitely tell a difference between the designs of both. Nixon has many designs with the surfer and the ocean in mind. The “Lo Down” for example, utilizes a digital screen that not only tells the time but the tide and lunar stages as well. What I really like about Nixon is their range and variety of watches they have, from simple designs mixed with endless color schemes, to high-end executive wrist watches that can compete with age-old watchmakers such as Rolex. G-Shock on the other hand I found to be very traditional in its designs. G-Shock prides themselves in making watches which are indestructible and “shockproof.” Their designs are rugged and consistent, making it easy to spot a G-Shock watch. G-Shock has created certain design elements that appear in almost every one of their watches, making G-Shock an iconic, modern watchmaker. It has created watches for various collaborations, including the US Military, as well as an array of limited edition watches.

1. Watches

2. Snapbacks

3. The Hundreds

4. Primitive

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2.

4.

3.

4

Spring is the season of flowers, and in the fashion industry this means florals. While the animal print fad is still going strong (Thanks to young ladies like myself), florals are definitely more spring oriented. “I normally don’t wear floral prints, but I have been noticing that lately they are being done really tastefully,” said sophomore Jennifer Borzilleri. If done right, prints can make a bold statement about your personal style.

While Maxi-Dresses (casual floor-length dresses) are trend-ing on the East Coast, here on the island, we have our own trend, sun-dresses. “They look really classy, and they’re good for when you’re trying to be dressed up but not too formal,” said Shelby Welinder, a former IPA student who now works as a model in New York City. Sun-dresses are comfortable and provide a classy alternative to jeans and a t-shirt.

Wedges, platforms and strappy sandals are all coming forward to replace the stiletto trend. While the thin knife-like heels will always be classic, Spring 2012 is bringing about new shoe trends. Wedges are more casual and allow you to take them from one outfit to another more seamlessly than a stiletto. “I prefer some of the new shoes that have thicker heels, they are more comfortable,” said senior Courtney Ketzenburger. As spring rolls around, it is interesting to see the type of shoe trends that are changing.

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but they are much too small to fit into the spring jewelry trend. Big and shiny is in! “I noticed everyone wears these rings and necklaces with animals on them now,” said junior Maxine Rongcal. Indeed, rings, cuffs and necklaces that feature large 3D objects are trending all over the world because of the way they contribute to an outfit and their bold appearance. Bold and chunky jewelry has become a na-tional fad, being featured on fashion shows like the Women’s Entertainment Network’s Project Accessory and worn by celebrities like Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé and the Kardashians.

One of the most popular women’s brands of this generation is Ameri-can Eagle. With a general style that has transcended time and remained popular for several years, American Eagle Outfitters buyers are tasked with maintaining a specific style that is unique to the brand while at the same time keeping up with changes in fashion. “We spend a lot of time reviewing what’s new and what people seem to be into at any given time,” said Lahela Tsukahara, an American Eagle employee in charge of visual presentation at the Pearl Ridge Shopping Center. This spring, American Eagle is passing on a lot of the busy prints in favor of solid pastels. “After having such a big Christmas season we’re really looking forward to bringing in the spring line. I’m really excited about some of the pieces in this collection,” said Tsukahara.

Spring Back Into Fashion

GALS

5. American Eagle Outfitters

9. SunDresses

8. Jewelry

7. Shoes

6. Prints & Patterns

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9.

7.

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Staff WritersKetan PatelChelsea CobbDesignKalei Uno

5

Mad Competition College Basketball Fans Get Ready for March

Staff WriterKianna Billman

The battle to be the Men’s NCAA Division I National College Basketball Champion is not taken lightly, and the unpredictability of March Madness arouses excitement from fans across the country. March 13 is the day that college basketball fans have been waiting for all year. The March Madness brackets will be released, and the fight to the Final Four begins from the second the games begin in Dayton, OH, until the second the final buzzer sounds on April 2 in New Orleans, La. “I watch it because it’s fun, and you have the brackets so you get to guess which teams you think are going to win and see how it goes,” said junior and March Madness fan, Eric Longanecker. Brackets. One of the many vocabulary terms associated with the month of March. These are sheets with the scheduled first round games, as well as blank slots for predict-ing which teams will win in every round. The top seeds are generally predicted to make it far, so many will take that into account when filling out their brackets. “I do the brackets,” said

senior and March Madness fan, Jackson Durrett. “Because its friendly competition between friends and teachers, and it’s very unpredictable.” Although expected to make it far, the top teams don’t always do as well as expected. None of the number one seeds made it to the Final Four last year. However, last year’s number one top seeds, Duke (num-ber two overall), and Kansas (number three overall), have performed well enough to rank in this year’s top ten, with last year’s overall top seed, Ohio State, ranking tenth. The defending champions, the University of Connecticut Huskies, have lost over one third of their games and may not even qualify as one of the 68 teams invited to the Big Dance this year. Number one ranked Ken-tucky has remained at the top of the charts for weeks, with Syracuse ranked number two. Dominant teams such as Kentucky are not guaranteed an easy race to the finish be-cause March Madness is known for its upsets and polarization of fans. “I think Duke always has a good chance,” said Longa-necker. “Syracuse has a good chance, Ohio State is looking

pretty dominant lately, and you’ve got upset teams like Florida State who could prob-ably pull off a couple of upsets and do pretty well.” Florida State is a potential bracket buster, which is the next need-to-know vocabulary word. This means that they could unexpectedly win against favored teams, and therefore af-fect predicted matchups in the later rounds. In the brackets, some Cin-derella teams are predicted to create upsets, and these teams are lower-seeded underdogs that create upsets by beating higher-seeded teams. Tournament games like these can be distracting during the school day because of the overwhelming excitement. When at home in March, a couch, some food and a televi-sion is not a bad alternative to watching streaming videos on a computer. IPA’s network was slow last year because of students who streamed videos and March Madness games, which affected the internet speed over the entire campus. To stay up-to-date, stu-dents should not rely on the school’s internet to watch games. Streaming videos at school uses more bandwidth, which decreases the amount of

bandwidth available for other students who are less interested in college basketball. “Last year the internet was very slow. Our bandwidth maxed out at ten Megabits per second, and video stream-ing is a real bandwidth hog,” said Director of Technology and Communications, Melissa Handy. “Every time you add a computer that’s streaming video to the network, you can see a definite slow.” These games can be excit-ing to watch because anything is possible, such as the Butler Bulldogs defeating the bracket’s number two seed, the Florida Gators, last year with a 74-71 win in overtime, which earned the Bulldogs an unexpected spot in the Final Four for the second year in a row. However, the unpredict-ability of the Bulldogs’ games started in the first round. Matt Howard’s first-round buzzer beater to beat Old Domin-ion allowed the Bulldogs to advance, and in the second round, Howard made last-sec-ond free throws to beat Pitts-burgh, the number one seed in the bracket. This goes to show that a team’s seeding isn’t all that matters, and that no one can expect a definite outcome of any game in the Big Dance.

Tournament Schedule

Selection Sunday: 3/11

Bracket Day: 3/12

First Four: 3/13-14

Second Round: 3/15-16

Third Round: 3/17-18

Sweet 16: 3/22-23

Elite 8: 3/24-25

Final Four: 3/31

Championship: 4/2

Billman’s PicksTop Teams: Kentucky, Duke, Missouri, Ohio State

Sleepers: Wisconsin, Louisville

Cinderellas: Florida State, Notre Dame

Sports

Got Spirit? Spirit Week 2012 HighlightsStaff Writer

Shayna Savidge With 2012’s spirit week wrapped up, the students of Island Pacific Academy had an excellent time with all the fun activities student government provided. From the free dress days, to field day and the spirit rally, IPA’s student government went all out to make this year’s spirit week enjoyable. “It was exciting to see how spirit week grows every year, and how it transforms in a way that every class can bond and show school spirit,” said student government president, Ciera Fleming.

The free dress days included generation day, famous duo day, tourist day and twin day. The participation throughout the upper school was very thor-ough and showed a lot of spirit. “A lot of people are partici-pating this year, and we’re all motivated to do better than last year,” said junior Zoey Araki. Each grade tried hard to involve all its classmates in the dress up days. The seniors won generation day and famous duo day, juniors won tourist day and sophomores won twin day. Field day was a hit with stu-dents. With the athleticism in the junior class, they won three out of four field day events,

with the freshmen beating out the seniors in kickball. The spirit rally brought out all the creativity and individu-ality in each class. “The senior cheer was my favorite part be-cause it was not derogatory and I really admire them for that,” said freshmen Ceslie Uno. For the first time in spirit week, the juniors beat the seniors. Through the banner, cheer and dance, the classes were able to come together and fight through all their differ-ences to bring out the best in each other.

Clockwise from upper left: class of 2013, class of 2015, class of 2012, class of 2014. Photos courtesy of

Yearbook class.

6

7SportsMicah on the Mound

Staff WriterJulie Shelly

Baseball was always more then just fun to senior Micah Witty-Oakland. At a young age, it became clear this is what he wanted to do. After years of hard work and missing countless social activities because of a game or extra conditioning with his dad, Witty-Oakland has been offered a full tuition scholar-ship and a chance to play at the University of Hawaii-Hilo. Senior year can be stressful and wanting to play sports in college can make it even worse. Now that Micah has verbally committed to Hawaii-Hilo, he can relax and enjoy playing the game. “I am relieved to know that my future is somewhat cemented in,” said Witty-Oak-land. Witty-Oakland did not start nor play as much as he would have liked last season. Most would argue that this is a testa-ment to what Witty-Oakland’s coaches claim is his raw talent.

“He had all the tools of a good ball player but just lacked the skill and finesse. Over the past year he has improved his skill and finesse, and coaches can see that,” said PacFive hit-ting coach, Jimmy Itokazu.

A lack of playing time was obviously an issue for Witty-Oakland, and he knew the only way his dream of becoming a professional basbeall player

would come true was if he rose to the challenge. Rise up he did. Through extra practice with a private pitching coach, multiple weight programs and attending two different showcases in Arizona

with Team Hawaii, Witty-Oak-land is now the starting pitcher for PacFive. “After the disappointment of last year, from not playing to

losing the state championship, something snapped in me and made me want to be the best player in the state, and once I decided that, nothing else mat-tered,” said Witty-Oakland. Pac-Five has given Witty-Oakland the chance to get to know kids from other schools, especially since they play year-round. His teammates have become more like brothers. “He was always okay, but now that he’s more mature, you can tell he’s doing everything he needs to, to become more of a polished college athlete,” said teammate Shawne Hampton. It is clear that the skill and attitude that Witty-Oakland has developed this past year will allow him to grow into a leader who will serve to better himself and inspire others. Witty Oakland has high hopes for what is to come. “I look forward to the opportuni-ties and challenges ahead, but I know with determination I can get through the obstacles.”

Better, Faster, Stronger: IPA senior grows through years of dedication

6 Things You Need to Know About Micah

Witty-Oakland

1. Received full Four year athletic/tuition scholarship to UH Hilo

2. Played baseball since he was five.

3. First name is Wil-liam

4. Third youngest person in the class of 2012.

5. Pitches an Average of 85-87 mph.

6. In contention for the most pushups done for Ms. Shlachter.

Staff WriterJamison Kirk

After a long season, IPA’s swim team traveled to Maui to showcase its talents in the 2012 Hawaii State Swimming Championships. The team successfully earned their first individual swimming state championship in school history. Junior Austin Hirstein took home gold, winning the state championship in the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 50.83. “I was satisfied with the time I got but in a way I was disappointed. I knew I could have done more,” said Hirstein, “I knew I was capable of going for the state record.” Going into states the team was as confident as ever. “I felt we were prepared and ready to take the plunge. Going to Maui was a cool experience; it was great team bonding being together for such a long time,” said senior Christian Burgos. The boys 400 yard freestyle relay placed tenth in the state with a season best time of 3:33:15. In the individual events ju-niors Jay Hart and Liz Becherer

both placed 19th in the 100 yard butterfly with times of 58:93 and 1:06:18 respectively. As a whole, the team did well this season, but it was not an easy journey. With only three senior swimmers, most of the team was green. New members, juniors, Jack Uesugi and Eric Kawatachi improved dramatically since the beginning of the season. “Although swimming was difficult, it was a good experi-ence for me because I got to try a new sport. My favorite mo-ment was when we got to swim in states and Russel’s back flip,” Uesugi said. Uesugi plans on swimming next year to continue improv-ing his times. The future looks bright for the girls swim team with most members returning for next season. Although most of the boys’ members are not returning, Hirstein and Hart hope to have a successful senior year. “Every year the team has gotten progressively bigger and better. Next year will be a chal-lenging year,” said Hirstein.

Staff WriterAlyssa Chuberko

Both new and returning IPA varsity basketball members came together this ILH season to carry on the tradition of success. Head coach Joe Payongay-ong formed this years’ varsity basketball team with a mix of students from all grades. Jason Brenner and Jackson Durrett were two of the seven returning players on the bas-ketball team. They led the team in scoring with Durrett at 17.7 points per game and Brenner at 11.6 points per game. Returning with them were Royce Ilar, Jamison Kirk, Ken-nedy Wilson, Harvey Alexan-der and Colt Wallace. To lead the team this year, Durrett applied lessons from the previ-ous year. “I learned that my actions as a senior leader really reflect-ed upon my teammates so I always tried to stay positive and pumped” said Durrett. New players joined the two returning starters to build on the team. Senior Malcolm Okeke might be a new player on the varsity basketball team but with a 8.6 point per game average, he quickly became a

valuable shooter to the team. Freshman Ian Schumaker, scored 4.4 average points per game and proved capable at handling varsity level game play. IPA’s boys basketball team ended the ILH season 7-5. In the ILH play-in tournament, to qualify for the state tourna-ment, IPA’s basketball team needed to win against three schools. IPA won the first game against Pacific Buddhist Academy with a score of 71 to 29. They lost to Le Jardin in the semifinals by a score of 44 to 42. With most of this years’ starting players leaving for col-lege, Brenner, Wilson and Alex-ander will have the responsibil-ity to lead next years’ team to postseason play. The continua-tion of the boys varsity basket-ball team rests on the shoulders of three returning juniors and a handful of underclassmen. “I believed in our team this year and will be supporting them next year as the IPA varsi-ty basketball team travels into a new year, facing new obstacles to get over” said Wallace.

Hoop Dreams IPA Makes A Splash

Micah Witty-Oakland pitching during a game. Photo Courtesy of Julie Shelly.

Varsity basketball team in ac-tion. Photos courtesy of Jackson

Durrett.

Varisity boys basketball takes third in the ILH

Entertainment 8

Oodles of Noodles: Best Ramen in Kapolei

ZIPPY’S

SUMO RAMEN & CURRY

Tokyo Noodle House

This classic and cheap saimin makes the perfect snack. With thick, chewy noodles and a salty, beef-based soup, this combination does not disappoint. The saimin-style noodles are thicker and chewier compared to other ramen noodles This location has both a restaurant and a

fast food style option to suit your own schedule, both with fast service and friendly staff. The fast food option gives you a smaller por-tion for a cheaper price but maintains the same quality as the sit-down restaurant. $2.75 small

This is an average noodle house with aver-age noodles. Although it has a good price range and a wide selection of ramen, the soggy noodles and soup were overly salty and greasy. Taking a close look at the shoyu flavored broth revealed a thick layer of oil at the surface. When picking up your ramen, it

was coated with it. It seems like the staff members are more intent on watching their Korean drama, but they remained friendly and attentive, making sure there was always water in my cup, and quickly serving my entrée.$5.75 Shoyu Ramen

The vegetable-based soup has a different, enjoyable taste. It was a great combo of salty soup and perfectly cooked noodles. The char sui was flavored excellently. The noodles were not oily which makes the dish lighter With bright light-ing and gleaming blue

glass tiles, it is extremely welcoming. The restau-rant is kept impeccably clean which really helps to amplify the great and friendly atmosphere.Sumo Ramen & Curry is the perfect place for a quick-stop meal or even an after-school snack. $4.75 Mini Ramen

A Vow to RememberStaff Writer

Sarah Batten

Boy likes girl. Girl likes boy. Boy and girl fall in love and vow to spend their lives together. Severe car accident and massive memory loss change everything. Based on the true story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, “The Vow” succeeds in follow-ing the generic movie formula for a romantic-comedy with a dramatic spin on happily ever after. Director Michael Sucsy wastes no time introducing the characters’ life stories, jumping straight into heart-wrenching tragedy. The movie begins as the couple, Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams), drives home from the theater. The husband’s sweet but tone-deaf serenade is followed by Paige’s embarrassed laughter, all of which can be expected from young newlyweds. Minutes into the first scene, a passionate kiss is abruptly interrupted by a violent colli-sion, throwing Paige through the windshield. Leo waits by her side until she finally regains conscious-ness, only to find out that his wife has no memory of their life together or their marriage. Conflicted and confused, Paige is a stranger to herself, trapped in a life she cannot make sense of. For the rest of the movie, Leo is the patient and loving husband, persis-tently fighting to make his wife fall in love with him again. To top it all off, Paige’s

parents take advantage of her situation by keeping their daughter in the dark about a shameful family secret. She has no memory of the conflicts that led to her decision to leave her old life with her family and start anew with Leo. Leo remains understand-ing as Paige struggles with her identity crisis, or what is better referred to as an internal conflict between her past and present self. Paige cannot adjust to her life as a free-spirited artist mar-ried to a small recording studio owner because mentally she is still a young and ambitious law student with a debonair fiancé on her arm. The heart-wrenching undertones are properly bal-anced with corny romance and charmingly awkward humor, from scribbling their vows on restaurant menus to Leo’s failed attempts to tickle his wife back into good humor. Paige is very similar to the character McAdams played in “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” an artsy wife troubled by marital problems. With this experi-ence, Rachel McAdams falls easily into her role as a roman-tic lead in “The Vow”. On the other hand, Chan-ning Tatum seems a bit uneasy in his male lead, but the sincerity of his character carries him through well enough and does not take away from his character’s popularity with the audience. Overall, this is an agreeable date-movie, whether for the sake of a good laugh or shed-ding a few tears.

The Hard Knock Life Hits IPA

Staff WriterRoyce Ilar

“Annie,” the story of an eleven-year old orphan and her faithful canine compan-ion, Sandy, comes to IPA this March. IPA’s fifth annual musi-cal production features a new director and the premiere of an up and coming actor. The comic strip, Little Orphan Annie, was created by Harold Gray in 1924. The popularity of the comic grew, and the title of the story was shortened to Annie when it made it to Broadway in 1977. Since then, Annie has been a popular Broadway musical and has won a variety of awards. Producer and musical direc-tor of the play, Doc Wilson, chose “Annie, Jr.” the musical to be IPA’s musical production. He had originally wanted to do “Cinderella, Jr.” but ultimately chose “Annie, Jr.” because it gave opportunities for many students to participate. Wilson is also changing the cast-ing. The production last year featured elementary, middle and high school kids, but this year, only the middle and up-

perschoolers can be lead actors because of the variety of talent. Wilson has also invited an actor to make his first premiere. Sachi, a Silky Terrier, will play the role of Sandy. Sachi isn’t the only member of his family that performs; his older sister Malia played Toto in the Wizard of Oz at Diamond Head Theater. Having an animal in the play adds a total different interac-tion on stage. “We’ve never had live ani-mals in any of our shows here, and the interaction between human and animal is unique because it adds different pres-sures on the puppy and the performers,” said Wilson. “Our Annie continues to learn how to handle a professional dog and the dog is learning how to deal with actors.” Alongside Sachi is a new director for the musical pro-duction, Brandi Dul. Dul has had 20 years experience direct-ing many musicals and plays. She has worked in a variety of places such as Texas, Saipan and Switzerland. The thing she enjoys most about directing plays is helping her students to unlock their creative side.

“My goal is to have a great rehearsal process by building an outstanding community and creating a strong work ethic to put on a show that we’re all proud of,” said Dul. Middle schooler Katie Gordon is playing the lead role. Last year she played the lead role of Charlie in “Willy Wonka” as a sixth grader. “I feel really excited to be Annie especially because I have a loving family and amazing friends always by my side and supporting me,” said Gor-don. “I can’t wait to see how outstanding the play will be, especially because everyone is working to make this produc-tion the best it can be.”

“Annie, Jr.” Showtimes are March 8, 9 and 10 in the school’s Multi-Purpose Room. There are open-ings only for March 9 at 7 PM and March 10 at 4 PM and 7 PM. Tickets can be pur-chased at the front desk in the main of-fice. For more infor-mation, go online and visit ipahawaii.org.

Section Editor Kalei Uno

Brandi Dul leading breathing exercises before “Annie, Jr.” rehearsal. Photo courtesy of Royce Ilar.