December 17, 2012

By Amy NAkAmurA

When volleyball player Aloha Cerit ‘18 dove for a ball, she collided with an-other player and struck the floor headfirst. She suffered a concussion.

“After getting the concussion, I felt like I was in a daze,” Cerit recalled. “I wasn’t aware of everything that was going on around me. I continued to have symp-toms for three weeks, and I had trouble with schoolwork. I had to read every letter of every word in every sentence, just like how you do when you’re learning how to read. I had a hard time processing words and focusing on my assignments.”

This year, for the first time, ‘Iolani required all students and parents to sign and return a Concussion Awareness form during the first weeks of school. ‘Iolani enhanced its Concussion Management Program in response to the National Fed-eration of State High School Association (NFHSA) rule change requiring that ath-letes who suffer concussion-like symp-toms withdraw from sports participation.

Many ‘Iolani athletes suffered con-cussions this past fall season. According to Ms. Louise Inafuku, ‘Iolani athletic trainer, “A concussion is when your body is moving at a fast speed and when you suddenly stop, your brain, which is still moving, hits the inside of your skull. This causes your brain and head to rapidly

move back and forth.” Having a concussion is not fun. Ath-

letes who have a concussion experience symptoms of dizziness, nausea, fatigue, headaches, and moodiness.

In order to return to athletic activ-ity, athletes must receive clearance from the school’s trainers by completing three tasks. First, they must take a written Pri-mary Care Physician (PCP) clearance test. If an athlete’s PCP test diagnoses them with a concussion, athletes must take an Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment test (ImPACT) before returning to school. ImPACT evaluates an athlete’s physi-cal abilities post-concussion. It measures symptoms, visual and verbal memory, and reaction time.

Next, they must obtain a written neu-ropsychologist clearance including scores from the ImPACT.

Finally, athletes must successfully complete the Return to Activity Plan (RAP). ‘Iolani’s athletic trainers and other professionals determine whether the ath-lete is ready to start the RAP, which in-volves seven steps to help athletes regain full participation in their sport. These steps include complete cognitive rest, light exercise, running, weight training, and finally, returning to school and sports.

Statistically, football causes the most concussions. So far this year at ‘Iolani, however, cheerleaders and volleyball play-

ers have received the most concussions. Concussions can occur in several ways.

In sports one may be hit in the head by a ball, or may fall and hit the ground head-first. But, according to the ‘Iolani Athletic Training Room website, playing sports isn’t the only way to shake up the brain. Car accidents, certain playground activi-ties, and other rapid physical movements

can also cause concussions. Students who attempt to continue their

schoolwork or sports with an untreated concussion may fall behind in school, or perform less well in sports. Students who think they may have a concussion or who want to know more about how to protect themselves from concussions should talk to a doctor, teacher, trainer or parent.

December 17, 2012 Honolulu, Hawai‘i Volume 88, issue 3

IndexEditorials--3

Features-- 1 & 2Lighter Side-- 4

Sports-- 3

IMUA ‘IOLANI A Voice for Students since 1923

‘Iolani increases concussion awareness and protection

‘58 classmates live on as characters in Sakamoto playsEdward Sakamoto ‘58 is no stranger

to the arts. Not by a long shot. For over 50 years, Sakamoto has established himself as one of the most prolific play-wrights in Hawaii, writing 19 plays thus far. He is a retired editor from the Los Angeles Times and a recipient of the Po‘okela playwriting awards for his plays Aloha Las Vegas and Our Hearts Were Touched With Fire. In 1997, then-Governor Ben Cayetano presented Sakamoto with the Hawaii Award for Literature, the highest honor for a writ-er in the state.

Since then, Sakamoto’s plays have expanded beyond the islands to venues such as East West Players in Los Ange-les. His newest play, Fishing for Wives, a story of two fishermen with women problems, premiered last month at Ho-nolulu’s Kumu Kahua Theatre, where it was sold out every night for five weeks. The play is headed for New York where it will open in 2014 at the prestigious Pan Asian Repertory Theatre.

While in Hawaii for the opening of his latest play, Sakamoto visited Creative Writing students in Mrs. Lee Cataluna’s class to speak about his ex-periences and life lessons. He said that he may have gained his inspiration for playwriting as early as his fresh-men year at ‘Iolani when he rewrote the ending to “Treasure Island.” His teacher read it aloud to the class and gave him an A+. Needless to say, Saka-

moto’s best subject was English. When asked what his worst subjects were, he responded, “chemistry, physics and geometry.”

Spirited and willing to answer ques-tions, Sakamoto revealed that he nei-ther writes outlines nor uses notes when he drafts his plays. Instead he writes many drafts, often putting in themes and adding character development as the drafts progress. However, he never reveals his plays to anyone until he is finished because it “dissipates the cre-ative energy.”

One of the most interesting as-pects of Sakamoto’s plays is that he names his characters after his ‘Iolani classmates. He reports that they have a good laugh about it while watching the play. However, Sakamoto is well-mannered and makes “a point to not make my classmates bad characters.” When asked if he has ever named a bad character after anyone, he replied that he has never done so.

Sakamoto’s visit offered the class a valuable insight on playwriting from one of the most famous playwrights in Hawaii. Marissa Uyemura ‘13, a student in the Creative Writing class, said, “It was a good experience for us to meet Mr. Sakamoto because he is a successful playwright who graduated from ‘Iolani. I think that it’s good for students to see alumni who are success-ful in professions outside of math and science.”

David Pang | Imua IolaniEdward Sakamoto ‘58, author of the play Fishing for Wives, visited Mrs. Lee Cataluna’s Creative Writing class to teach the students better playwriting tech-niques and to share lessons from his life.

CarrieAnn Randolph | Imua Iolani‘Iolani athletic trainer Ms. Louise Inafuku treats Max Maneafaiga ‘13, who is recovering from a concussion he received while wrestling.

By DAviD PANg

‘Iolani junior selected to be Senate pageBy DAviD PANg

Matthew Beattie-Cal-lahan ‘14 will serve as a page in the U.S. Senate for the spring semester of 2013. Beattie-Callahan is one of only 30 juniors from across the U.S. chosen for the prestigious program.

After applying for the position earlier this year on Sen. Daniel Inouye’s web-site, Beattie-Callahan re-ceived word of his appoint-ment in early December.

“I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to gain first-hand experi-ence and knowledge of our country’s political system,” Beattie-Callahan said.

For the full article, go to imuaonline.org.

Page 2 Features Imua ‘IolanI

By Micah Goshi

Each finger has its own story, and can be categorized from sim-ply bad ideas to occurrences that I still cannot explain.

While pressing the keyboard keys is sending a sharp pain up my hand due to my latest injury, I will start this essay of pain with

the most common way of hurting my fingers: volleyball.

My left ring, pinkie, and point-er fingers and my right middle and ring finger have all met the blunt force of a volleyball. The culprits consist of an all-state player, my teammate Tahi, and two female JV players,. Four of the five stories include minor ac-cidents with gruesome results, such as tendons ripping forty-five degrees in the wrong direc-tion. However, the fifth one is just embarrassing. During my sopho-more year, I was managing the girls JV team by shagging balls before a game. Just as I caught a ball, another one came and hit the tip of my pinkie straight on, caus-ing a minor dislocation. Looking up from my throbbing hand, I saw that the ball had been hit by the tiny libero, five-foot, eighty-five-pound Joie Wakabayashi ‘13. Since then, I have never been able to bend my pinkie correctly.

Following the common inju-ries are the, “what are the chanc-es” types.

Two years ago at the Fam-ily Fair, I played in the annual futsal tournament. Coach Mike Among was upset at me and the other players for playing a game that could have hurt us during the volleyball season. Thinking that an injury would be unlikely, we played anyways. I was the goalie at the time, and for good measure, I asked my parents to buy me gloves. However, just as my mom entered Kozuki Stadium with my gloves, Tristan Medios-Simon ‘13 kicked a soccer ball directly into my thumb, jamming it so hard that I had to tape it for the rest of the varsity volleyball season.

The spraining of my other thumb was also the result of an unfortunate turn of events. Last year my youth group was on Lana’i, standing on the hot sand and laughing at a sign that read, “Warning: Dangerous Shore Break.” At the time, the waves were only about three feet high,

but an hour later, six-footers start-ed to roll in. After I dove into the ocean, I heard my friend call out, “Party Wave!” There came an eight-and-a-half foot wave for us all to enjoy. I started swimming as fast as I could and was picked up by the surge. It looked as if we were all flying eight feet high. However, that feeling only last-ed for a short while because the wave dropped me face first into the sand and pushed my legs over my head, making a backwards U-shape. After I flipped several times in the sand, my thumb caught the ground and bent for-ward, resulting in paralysis for the next five minutes.

I would consider my right pointer and pinkie injuries as part of Lower School mayhem. Both occurred during the sixth grade but were completely different. My pointer was simply stepped on and twisted at a funny angle, while my pinkie was sprained be-cause my basketball team had a contest to see who could dribble the ball the longest with their

pinkie. Although all nine of these injuries have amusing stories, the story of how I cut open my left middle finger is the strangest. The culprits were a ceramic toilet cov-er and my own curiosity.

My friends and I were vaca-tioning in a house on Maui. Af-ter a day of relaxation, I found that the toilet was not working. At first, I was afraid that I had clogged it, but then I realized that it could not have been the case because I had only made shi shi. As I opened the top, I felt a pinch and immediately let go of the cover. Blood started to flow out of the cut like Coca-Cola and Mentos. To this day, that was the most blood I have ever lost, and I have a toilet to blame.

Although I’ve hurt all my fin-gers here in Hawaii, I will soon be exploring a new world with many more ways to re-injure all my fingers again. Perhaps I will make it my goal to keep myself from having closed fists until the day I graduate from college, though I highly doubt it.

Pain, from pinky to thumb

By Max Wei

Bag-heavy seventh graders are a common sight in Castle hallways. Their posture plummets as a result of the co-pious textbooks on their backs. Which raises the question: exactly how much do those bulging backpacks weigh?

10 seventh graders sitting around the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen statue offered up their backpacks for measurement. The average weight of their backpacks was a whopping 16.38 pounds. The weight of the bags ranged from 3.4 pounds to 23.6 pounds. According to the Ameri-can Academy of Pediatrics, a schoolbag should ideally weigh no more than 10 percent of a child’s weight.

Students’ troubles with their lockers contribute even more to the stereotypi-cal “seventh grade turtle shell of text-books.” Here are some tips for lighten-ing the load:

- Practice opening the combina-tion lock: by the time you reach eighth grade, you can perhaps open lockers in

less than 10 seconds.- Have a cycling plan: make book

groups to grab and swap out. Switching out two classes’ worth of books is easi-est. A lighter bag means you can run to class faster.

- Carry textbooks by hand: redistrib-uting the weight makes walking easier.

- Sit down outside your locker and wait for the iPads to come next year.

Packs hefty issue until iPad arrival

David Pang | Imua Iolani

Max Wei | Imua IolaniKevan Elias ‘18 lugs his heavy back-pack across campus.

By alanna siMao

Over this Christmas break, the ‘Io-lani Stage Bands will head to Germany, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland for a 15-day winter wonderland adventure filled with fun and, of course, music.

This special opportunity first arose last year when Jazz Studies faculty from the University of Texas at Arling-ton visited as guest artists for the Stage Bands’ final concert. They were so im-pressed with the band that they invited ‘Iolani to the Winter International Jazz ‘N‘ Youth Exchange Music Festival in Germany. ‘Iolani will be playing in two concerts at the festival, first in Ibben-büren, and then in the small town of Krov, where the mayor personally in-vited everyone to attend.

Students also look forward to a ski trip in Switzerland, as well as observing gothic architecture in the beautiful city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Lisa Nakayama ’13 and Taylor-Ann Katase ’13 are most excited for “snow and win-ter clothes.” Frishan Paulo ’14 is eager to see the “fireworks on New Year’s Eve in Prague.” Even though the students will miss Christmas and New Year’s Eve with their families and friends, they will still bring the holiday spirit along with them: “We’re doing a Secret Santa gift exchange,” says Nakayama.

Accompanying the Stage Bands on the tour will be eight dancers from Halau ‘Iolani, as well as guest artists Tim Ishii, Director of Jazz Studies at UT-Arlington, and professional Ger-man trumpeter Ulrich Shulz. ‘Iolani

Stage Bands director Curtis Abe com-missioned Dan Cavanagh, a pianist and the Associate Director of Jazz Studies at UT-Arlington, to write a song specifically for the European tour. Cavanagh drew inspiration for the song, called “The Owl King,”

from the Hawaiian legend of Kapo‘i, which tells of a young man who spares an owl’s eggs when hunting, and the king of the owls later saves him in reparation. The song features trills and long tones that emulate a flock of owls flying into the distance.

By lauren yaMaGuchi

Instead of performing for family and friends this year at the 28th annual Winter Dance Showcase, the ‘Iolani dancers put on a show at the Christmas party for Family Programs Hawaii.

A nonprofit agency that provides quality care and statewide services to more than 4,000 children and fami-lies involved in Hawaii’s child wel-fare system, Family Programs Hawaii first approached ‘Iolani dance teacher Cerene Okimura three months ago and asked for hula dancers to enter-tain the guests at the party. Because the party was on the same day as the Winter Dance Showcase, Okimura initially declined the offer. However, after discussing the offer with hula teachers Lehua Carvalho and Sean Nakayama, Okimura decided that, “There had to be a higher calling ... Students can sometimes get wrapped up with tests, grades, extracurricular activities, and trying to fill their col-

lege résumé. That can be self-con-suming. There has to be something more to perform for.” With that said, Okimura canceled the Dance Show-case, and ‘Iolani dancers helped out Family Programs Hawaii.

Hula 2K dancer Bailey Sylvester ‘15 said that the performance was “great and charitable because of how good it is to give back to the community.” Dance 4 senior Jamie Lee stated that the per-formance was a “good opportunity to help, especially through dance because it’s something we love doing.”

To add to the Christmas spirit, the ‘Iolani Key Club, alumni, and parents united with the dancers to produce 1,100 goodie bags containing home-made cookies, candy, toothbrushes, and toothpaste to give to the 1,000 children attending the Christmas party.

Although there is no Winter Dance Showcase this year, the dancers will still perform their pieces, excluding the Christmas songs, next January.

Winter Dance Showcase canceled for ‘higher calling’ performance

Alanna Simao | Imua IolaniStage Band players diligently prepare for their winter performance in Germany.

Christmas in Germany

December 17, 2012 Editorials & sports Page 3

By Ashley Mizuo

According to The Broadway League, the average Broadway audience mem-ber from 2011 to 2012 was 43.5 years old. Many teenagers do not attend live theater performances because tickets are sometimes more expensive than for the movies or simply because they think plays are boring.

As a result, members of the younger generation have not learned how to be respectful audience members at perfo-mances of live theater.

I get it. Watching a theater perfor-mance seems like something old people do when they have nothing better to oc-cupy their time. The stereotype is that all the plots are boring and that the sing-ing in musicals is unnecessary.

Let me say how wrong both those ideas are. The plots in live theater are certainly not boring. Most plots are ac-tually better than those of the blockbust-ers people watch in the movie theaters. What is on the stage is real talent. The actors don’t have to cut onions right be-fore the sad scene, and the director can’t edit the footage to make it seem as if the actress is crying over her dead werewolf boyfriend. Those tears on stage are real,

and the laughter on stage is real. As for the singing, imagine what

would happen on “Glee” if no one sang. I do not think the show would be nearly half as good as it is. The same goes with musicals; every song is necessary and adds even more magic to the stage. When the emotion is too big for words, the characters must break into song.

When I went to see the ‘Iolani Dra-matic Players’ wonderful production of “Daughters of Atreus” last month, I heard inappropriate laughter and com-ments from the audience. These inter-ruptions took attention away from the stage and inappropriately diverted it to the audience. Watching a live theater performance is different from seeing a movie or going to a rock concert. Peo-ple do not eat in the theater. It is rude and distracting, especially if the wrap-pers are loud. Furthermore, the per-formers can hear every laugh and every comment that comes from the audience.

Whooping and hollering during a show is distracting and disrespectful to the performers. Young people tend to forget that it is rude, mistakenly think-ing that they are complimenting the performers.

I am disappointed when I watch a

performance, and there is a group of teenagers, who look much like me, laughing hysterically during emotion-al parts of the play. I understand that when there is a high level of emotion on stage, people laugh out of awkwardness

or discomfort, but I wish those teenag-ers had tried to stifle their laughter so the rest of us could have enjoyed the show without the interruptions and dis-tractions from one or two thoughtless audience members.

Adolescents unappreciative of actors’ dedication, skill

By CArrieAnn rAndolph

A few weeks ago, Dominic Ahuna ’93, ‘Iolani’s strength and conditioning coach, ac-complished what some might call a miracu-lous feat at the American Open Masters Cham-pionships in Monrovia, Calif. The American Open Masters is the Olympic sport of weight-lifting’s competition for senior athletes out of Olympic contention. Weightlifting--not to be confused with powerlifting or bodybuilding--is the ultimate sport of strength and power. It consists of two events: the snatch and the clean-and-jerk.

Ahuna, known as Coach Dom around the ‘Iolani campus, won first place by completing six perfect lifts. He lifted 297 pounds (135 kg) in the snatch and 341 pounds (155 kg) in the clean-and-jerk.

He now is qualified for the Nationals and is also eligible to compete in the World Championships.

After training since August to compete in the American Open Masters Championships, just 13 days before the competition, Coach Dom partially tore his left pectoral muscle.

“I was in the middle of a lift and I heard it tear, like when you tear meat or chicken off the bone,” he said, motioning with his hands. A normal pecto-ral strain or tear would take several weeks to heal. Coach Dom, however, who only started compet-ing three years ago, is a Christian and asked people to pray for God to heal him.

“I decided to walk in faith, and kept training despite the discomfort,” he said. “By the third day the pain was completely gone and by the sixth day 90 percent of my strength and 100 percent of my range of motion had returned.” He competed in the contest only 12 days after the initial tear. Coach

Dom said that the previously injured muscle actu-ally felt stronger than the non-injured side.

While at the competition, he met with Olym-pic coaches and ministered to other athletes. Even though he already qualifies for the World Cham-pionships, Coach Dom is going to compete in the Nationals in order to gain experience. That com-petition will occur in March in Moorestown, NJ.

For athletes, injuries and setbacks are expected, but it is how the athletes respond that defines their character. In Coach Dom’s first weightlifting com-petition, the 2009 Aloha State Games, he broke three state records all with a torn quad muscle.

“God heals you,” said Coach Dom when asked for any advice for injured or recovering athletes. “Illness or injury never comes from Him. We can always ask Him to take it away. Even if you’re not a believer, it’s not always based on how much faith you have, if you pray or even if you go to church.”

For Coach Dom, lifting weights is a spiritual exercise

Cassie Busekrus | Imua IolaniAt last month’s performance of “Daughters of Atreus,” some audience members were disrespectful to the cast and crew by laughing and whooping.

Update: One Team Chapel

By dAvid pAng

Last spring, the middle school faculty reached a consensus to change the One Team Chapel format in order better to encour-age the Raider spirit. The teachers of grades 7 and 8 want to recognize the pos-itive behaviors that stu-dents display rather than focus on specific individu-als and awards.

For this reason, the One Team Chapel was put on hold. The faculty is working to create a new plan to encourage good citizenship. On the status of the One Team Chapel, Ms. Sara Finnemore said, “It’s not gone. It’s not can-celled. We’re developing a new way to do it.”

The One Team Chapel is scheduled to make a re-turn this coming May.

Photos courtesy of Dominic Ahuna ‘93Dominic Ahuna ‘93, known as Coach Dom on campus, recently competed in the American Open Masters weightlifting competition, earning him a spot in both the national and world championship competitions.

Illus

tratio

n by

Bia

nca

Byst

rom

Pin

o

Page 4 def Merry ChristMas! fed Imua ‘IolanI

Angie Anderson | Imua Iolani

Winter Ball: expectations vs. reality

by Ilana buffensteIn

Though past theories pinning the apocalypse to specific dates have all gone belly up, their continued existence show the creators’ comically mini-mal faith in humanity. On Jan. 1, 2000, many thought the end of the millen-nium meant the end of the world. Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobics, afraid of the number 666, all believed that June 6, 2006 (6/6/06), would be a “devil of a day.” The fundamentalist Christian Harold Camping calculated May 21, 2011, as the date of his imminent ascension to Eternal Paradise--a slight mis-calculation that left 144,000 of his followers, who had sold all their earthly possessions, broke and homeless.

The end of the Mayan calendar in 2012 is the current doomsday predic-tion. Though not the conventional “world-overrun-by-zombies” shtick, it is sure to change the way people act and think. Though many don’t take it seri-ously, their behavior is affected by the concept of an impending catastrophe.

In fact, people have already begun to react. Facebook posts, songs like Ke$ha’s “Die Young,” and that annoying religious man in Waikiki telling us to repent before Armageddon all demonstrate obsessions with the end of the world. If these weren’t signs enough, the impossible coupling of bald-ing Steve Carell and goddess Keira Knightley in the film “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” suggests our impending doom. On a more local scale, Chinatown is abuzz with plans for its End of the World Block Party. To many, Doomsday has become a joke.

And yet, what makes this next predicted date universally intriguing is the tiny but still possible chance that our everyday lives could be turned upside down. When we wake up on December 22, many of us may be disappointed that nothing has changed. But if the world does end, at least it won’t be awk-ward when people come to Winter Ball dressed as zombies.

Kekoa Morris also contributed to this article.

Are you rapture-ready?

Rachael Heller and Ilana Buffenstein

Jews on Christmas Eve Meet at the Chinese restaurant or at the movies.

Chanukah party; the ignorant goyim ask, “Where’s the Christmas tree?” Every Christmas EveI’m stooped over the toilet:way too much fruitcake. Bipolar Frosty His death inevitable He cries tears of coal. The player Santa Always hitting on my mom She’s not interested

The Imua Christmas Wishlist Rachael Heller and Ilana Buffenstein

1. “Bic for Her” pens to hold in my fragile lady hands

2. A binder for all my cutouts of female politicians 3. Hoop earrings, I don’t care if they’re Regina

George’s thing4. An Instagram account to live vicariously

through other people’s Christmases5. A free Junior Class ring6. A menorah7. An extra 12 hours of sleep (obviously)8. A zombie best friend when the apocalypse

comes.9. An iPad. Oh wait.10. To make it to the front page of Imua.11. For Kristen Stewart’s face to change.12. You.

f

d

g

e

h j

*goyim-Yiddish for non-Jewish person

Imua ‘Iolani is published by the students of 'Iolani School, located at 563 Kamoku Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96826. Est. 1923, printed at Hawaii Hochi Ltd.

Editors-In-Chief:Maile GreenhillMaya Stevens

News Editors: Matthew CallahanClaire Furukawa

Features Editors:Jaylene-Rose Lee

Alanna Simao

Arts & Entertainment Editors:Cassie BusekrusChanelle Huang

Opinion Editor:Lauren Goto

Middle School Editors:Amy NakamuraEmily Nomura

Lower School Editors:Lindsey Combs

David Pang

Sports Editors:Brittany Amano

Carrie Ann Randolph

Video/Hiki Nō:Korry Luke

Ashley MizuoSarah Zhang

150th Anniversary Editor:Max Wei

Photo Editors:Anna Brandes

Lia HoKekoa Morris

Staff Writers:Ilana BuffensteinRachael HellerPascha HokamaDaniella Kim

Kady Matsuzaki

Advisers:Ms. Lee Cataluna

Mr. John Tamanaha

Contibutor:Bianca Bystrom Pino

Imua 'Iolani accepts advertising sub-missions on a space-available basis. The deadline for the next issue is Jan. 6. The opinions herein expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the administration, faculty, staff of 'Iolani School or the Imua 'Iolani.