Great Gatsby lives up to name

The camera zooms in across the open bay where a mysterious green light flashes slowly. The scene shifts to a hospital where the narrator, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire). He spoke in a way that reminded me of how Carraway acted in the book The Great Gatsby, and I was filled with joy.

I instantly immersed myself into the mystery of who is Gatsby? Why is he here? What is it about him that makes him “great”?

When Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) is revealed after a few scenes, an elaborate plot is launched that culminates in a story of love and loss.

The Great Gatsby takes place in the 1920s in New York City. The parties are bigger, and Wall Street is flourishing. There are three distinct, fictional places where people live: East Egg, where the rich people from old money come from. West Egg, where the rich people from new money come from. Then there is the Valley of Ashes, where the poor live.

The movie focuses mostly on the rich, so everyone but the people who live in the Valley of Ashes wear expensive suits. No one wears the same thing twice, giving viewers the feeling that everyone in New York has money to throw away.

The Great Gatsby puts a lot of effort in showing how “great” Gatsby is with opulent and elaborate sets. Despite being new to town, he is one of the wealthiest people there, throwing parties in his mansion for hundreds of guests.

Live entertainment, endless fountains of champagne, a pool, a beach, and fireworks have the people of New York making him the center of attention, although no one can really figure out who he is. Is he the third cousin of the King of Germany? A spy? A killer?

The acting is impeccable. DiCaprio encompasses the attitude of Gatsby and Maguire plays the role of the innocent bystander, sucked into the role of the narrator of Gatsby’s life. Each character played their roles just as I had imagined. I felt like I was reading the book all over again.

The music, lights, and parties will take movie-goers of this generation back to a time long forgotten.

I recommend it to everyone before starting off their summer of great movies. I enjoyed it, and I know you will, too.

Class of 2014 repeats ‘Aha Mele win as juniors

PUKALANI – For the second time in their high school careers, the junior class of 2014 claimed Ka Maka o Ka Ihe for their performance at this year’s ‘Aha Mele competition on April 26.

The class first won the award in the 2011 competition as freshmen.

“[The juniors] worked really, really hard, and all that hard work paid off,” junior conductor Madison Vaught said.

Vaught helped her class to victory by directing their song, “Kawohikūkapulani.”

Piano and choir teacher Mr. Dale Nitta helped along with his wife, middle school music and ‘Ike Hawai’i teacher Mrs. Leimamo Nitta, worked with the class with the individual class song.

The award was given to the class based on the highest combined score on their musical talent, judged by Grammy-nominated record producer Mr. Kenneth Makuakāne, pronunciation and enunciation of ‘ōlelo Hawaii, judged by Co-Kumu Hula of Nā Hanona Kulike o Pi’ilani Kumu Kapono’aikaulikeikeao Molitau, and the spirit of ‘Aha Mele, judged by 1992 Kamehameha Schools Kapālama graduate and kumu hula, Kumu Brandon ‘Iliahi Paredes.

“I’m pretty sure I jumped about ten feet up in the air when [Po'okula Lee Ann Delima] said ‘the junior class of 2014′,” junior class advisor Kalena Laepa’a said.

Freshmen performed “Puamana” under the direction of Mauliola Gonsalves.

Following that was the sophomore class with “Ka Nohona Pili Kai” under the direction of Kaiani Kiaha.

Juniors performed afterwards, and seniors were last with their rendition of the song “Nohea I Mu’olaulani” under the direction of ‘Iwalani Ka’a’a.

“Everyone did great,” junior Kamalei Batangan said. “During the rehearsals, I was kind of shocked because everyone sounded so good.”

The theme for the school year is “He ‘ohana kākou,” which means “We are family.” Every song had an underlying meaning speaking about a loved one or a family member.

Mr. Nitta and Kumu Kalei Aarona-Lorenzo chose the songs for each class. ‘Aha Mele is produced by all members of the high school Arts and Communications Academy team, but faculty and staff from the entire high school help with everything from rehearsals, to gym set-up, ticket distribution, ushering, student supervision, and the many other facets that go into a production that involves nearly 500 students.

New this year was a live stream by our Ka Leo o Nā Koa team, which was largely well received, though plagued by technical limitations. See the archived broadcast by clicking here. 

2013 Spring Concert fills theater with music

PUKALANI – Students wowed the audience with their musical talents last night during the annual Kamehameha Schools Maui High School Spring Concert, Thursday, April 11.

Mr. Dale Nitta’s high school choir class and Kumu Kalei ʻAʻarona-Lorenzo’s ʻukulele classes and Hawaiian Ensemble all showcased what they could do in front of an audience of approximately 200 people.

“We’ve been working to get to this point since the beginning of the semester,” Mr. Nitta said.

The night started off with the high school choir singing Song of the Islands and Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Next was the ‘Ukulele I class with Rhythm of the Falling Rain and Honolulu Baby.

‘Ukulele II played Guava Jam, Maori Brown Eyes, Olinda Road, Pandanus, and Europa.

Hawaiian Ensemble then sang Hanohano Helumoa, Nani Ahiahi, Nākulukulu Ka Nalu, and Toia Mai Te Waka. Some of the numbers were accompanied by hula taught by Kumu Henohea Kane.

The high school choir returned to the stage with a rendition of Avril Lavigne’s popular song, Keep Holding On. They also performed Blue Skies with campy choreography that made the audience chuckle, complete with a final pose of “jazz hands.”

Select ‘Ukulele, consisting of Tyler MacArthur, Billy Ayakawa, Kevin Goo, and Maleko Lorenzo, featured junior Mika Kane’s masterful ʻukulele skills in a performance of Spain, accompanied by Mr. Nitta on piano and Kumu Kalei on electric guitar.

As a finale, all students made their way back on stage to sing and perform Honey Baby, which the audience was invited to sing along to.

Mr. Nitta said that while the show went well, there were challenges on the way.

“It’s hard to get [the students] into the right mindset at first,” he said. “But it’s always a good outcome. They feel really good about themselves and accomplished about it afterwards.”

Band-o-Rama features four KS Maui bands

The Kamehameha Schools Maui seventh grade, eighth grade and high school bands and jazz rock ensemble held their fourth annual Band-o-Rama on April 9, 2013, at Keōpūlani Hale. The night featured a few pieces played by each of the groups.

“Overall, they did very well,” said Mr. Siuai Laufou, Director of Bands. “I was proud of the way everyone played tonight.”

Seventh grader Bailey Honda greeted the night’s spectators by introducing each of the band groups and explaining each of the songs.

Band-o-Rama was the first concert for the seventh grade musicians. They performed:

• “Dominance: A Fanfare for Band” by Matt Conaway
• “Procession (from Water Music)” by G.F. Handel
• “March Across the Seas” by Bruce Pearson and Ryan Nowlin
• “Aftershock” by Larry Clark

“I was really excited to showcase the seventh grade band,” Mr. Laufou said. “They have a lot of promise in band.”

The High School Concert Band followed up the seventh grade band. The Concert Band featured one senior, Acer Pahukoa, on the trumpet. They played:

• “Portsmouth Overture” by Robert Smith
• “Shenandoah”  arranged by Robert Sheldon
• “Fire Dance” by David Shaffer

Next up was the eighth grade band who played:

• “Looking Past the Shadows” by Richard Saucedo
• “Kilauea (The Volcano’s Fury)” by Brian Balmages
• “The Water is Wide” arranged by Julie Griffin
• “Kamehameha (The Great Warrior)” by William Owens

Jazz Rock Ensemble, the smallest band group of the night, finished with six familiar songs:

• “Peter Gunn” by Henry Mancini, arranged by Mike Lewis
• “Cubano” by Ray Bryant, arranged by Mike Story
• “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele, arranged by Mr. Siuai Laufou
• “Earth Wind and Fire Dance Mix” arranged by Paul Murtha
• “Summertime” by G. Gershwin and arranged by John Denton
• “Dance With Me” by Olly Murs and arranged by Mr. Siuai Laufou

Senior James Krueger was featured in an alto saxophone solo in “Peter Gunn,” which had to be played twice because Krueger didn’t stand for his solo the first time through.

“It was so fun,” Krueger said. “It was one of the best roles I’ve had while playing band.”

In addition to Krueger’s solo, Sophomore Destinee Murray sang vocals in “Set Fire to the Rain” and “Summertime.”

“She [Destinee] is such a great singer with a beautiful voice,” Mr. Laufou said. “She has a great ear and feel for music.”

Between Concert Band and Jazz Rock Ensemble, there were only four seniors, who were honored during Band-o-Rama, including Pahukoa, Krueger, Pololū Nakanelua, and Maleko Lorenzo.

“I really appreciate their service for being with us and helping with the music program,” Mr. Laufou said.

Mr. Laufou encouraged them to continue their work in music and to hopefully take it up as more than just a hobby.

“Look always forward, in last year’s nest, there are no birds,” Krueger said. “Basically always look forward and to the future for more musical opportunities.”

Boys volleyball keeps steady lead, bests Nā Aliʻi

The KS Maui Warriors won in three quick sets against the King Kekaulike Nā Aliʻi at Kaʻulaheanuiokamoku Gymnasium on April 4, 2013. The Warriors kept a large lead throughout most of the game.

“The results show that they [Warriors] came out to play hard,” KSM Head Coach Robert Brede said. “I was able to sit back and watch the boys play.”

Nā Aliʻi and the Warriors started going point for point until Nā Aliʻi began to make some errors. It allowed the Warriors to get ahead by a few points.

When King Kekaulike hit 13 points, the Warriors kept them there, scoring a streak of seven points before Nā Aliʻi could score again. The Warriors took the first set, 25-15.

“Having them make those errors gave us momentum,” Coach Brede said.

Both teams came out aggressively again in the second set, again starting off by scoring point for point, with the teams tying at 6, 8 and 9 points each. Errors made by Nā Aliʻi gave the Warriors the edge though, allowing them to score 20 points by the time King Kekaulike scored 13. Teams traded off points again, but the Warriors were already ahead and won, 25-15, with another 10-point lead.

Sophomore libero Walter Kaeo had some impressive serves, strong and well-placed.

“We gave them some tough serves, which disrupted their placement,” Coach Brede said.

In the absence of starter Kahiau Andrade, for the first time this season, senior Kolby Ah Sau took the spotlight blocking, tipping, roofing, and slamming the ball in the front row. Andrade was out ill.

“It feels really good to lead,” outside hitter Kolby Ah Sau said. “It shows that we played at a high level and made the other team work to make points while they gave us points.”

The third set looked like a runaway for the Warriors as they quickly built their lead to 20-10. King Kekaulike was unable to score 10 points until the Warriors had hit 20 points, with streaks of three and four points. At the Warriors’ twenty-fourth point, Nā Aliʻi staged a comeback scoring eight times by serving towards the Warriors’ weak spots in the back.

King Kekaulike came up to 21 points before Kamehameha Maui closed them out and won 25-21.

“We started to make a lot of mental mistakes,” Coach Brede said. “We weren’t completely covering their area.”

The Warriors were off to a bad start before the game with Andrade out and team members showing up late, causing the Warriors to make last-minute changes to their lineup.

“Kolby filled in for Kahiau tonight,” Coach Brede said. “He showed great intensity and consistency.”

The next boys volleyball game will be at Maui High School at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9.

Boys volleyball beats Lāhainaluna in three sets

The KS Maui Warrior boys volleyball team beat the Lāhaninaluna Lunas in three sets on April 2, 2013, at Kaʻualaheanuiokamoku Gym. This victory puts the Warriors at an even 3-3 in wins and losses. They are currently tied for second in the Maui Interscholastic League.

“A win is always spectacular,” Head Coach Robert Brede said. “However, I still think that they did not play to the best of their ability.”

The Warriors were quick to get a few points over the Lunas at the start of the first set, increasing and holding the lead by nine to ten points for the majority of the set. Near the end of the set, the Warriors made some small errors that allowed the Lunas to add four points to their score from 24-14 to 24-18 before the Warriors closed it out and won the set at 25-18.

Senior outside hitter Kahiau Andrade was the point leader for the night with 16 kills, nine of them in the first set.

“We did pretty good,” he said.

Led by some decisive kills by senior RJ Moku, the Warriors were able take another strong lead at the beginning of the second set, getting up to nine points on the Lunas with the score 19-10. However, the Lunas started to make a comeback, stopping the Warriors at 20 and closing the lead to only two points.

The Warriors narrowly won the second set 25-22, with additional kills by seniors Andrade, Manaloa Aikala, Christian Martin Chu, Kolby Ah Sau, and Kawelau Yen. Senior Kekoa Uyechi also had a string of three aces in this set.

“We lost our level of intensity and momentum in the second set,” Coach Brede said. “We need to keep it high in order to force the other team to make errors and give us points. If we don’t keep it high, we let them score on us.”

The Warriors were relentless when scoring points in the final set. They scored 21 points before the Lunas scored into the double digits. With a strong lead, Coach Brede put in two alternates.

Two freshmen on the team, Chyalis Min and Craden Kailiehu, got to play for the first time this year in the third set.

“Our goal was to make sure everyone got to play,” Coach Brede said. “Tonight, we reached that goal.”

With Min and Kailiehu warming up to the game, the Lunas took an opportunity to slowly add ten points to their score, but the Warriors ended the set and the night with another win, 25-14.

Come out tomorrow night to watch the Warriors take on King Kekaulike, currently in fourth place, on the Warrior home court at 6:15 p.m.

Kanamu brings it, but baseball loses 2-6

The Kamehameha Schools Maui Warriors baseball team lost 2-6 against the Maui High Sabers at Iron Maehara Stadium on March 27, 2013.

“We did okay,” Head Coach Brandon Kanamu said. “The boys fought ‘til the end.”

Pitcher Travis “TJ” Kanamu led the offense with solid pitching throughout all six innings on the mound.

Both teams went two innings without scoring a point. Kanamu kept the Sabers to only three at bats in each of the first two innings.

Kanamu, a junior, has played baseball since he was four years old, and was a pitcher at the age of eight. He played for the Wailuku Yankees before joining the Warriors varsity baseball team in his freshman year. He has been the Warriors’ pitcher since his sophomore year.

“I love the game,” he said. “It is my getaway from problems I have. I always loved the team atmosphere and getting to know new people.”

“He is very positive and is always working hard,” Coach Brandon Kanamu said. “He loves the game, and he loves his team.”

Though the Warriors came out strong, they started losing ground in the third inning, allowing one run by Saber Jaylan Suda.

Chase Alexander on second and Rylie Velez on third made several errors in the fourth and fifth innings, including what turned out to be a bad judgement call to throw from second base for an out at home. The throw was off target,  and the Saber was safe at home. At the same time, another Saber was able to steal second base, which had been left uncovered.

“We need to support our pitcher better,” Coach Kanamu said.

Chazz Ishikawa and Sammy Sutton scored for the Sabers in the fourth inning, while Jacob Tiu, Micah Isagawa, and Jordan Yagi-Kawaha scored in the fifth inning.

In the last inning of the game, the Warriors made it onto the scoreboard with runs by Velez and junior Chase Newton.

“Our biggest problem is not being able to pick ourselves up when we are down,” Coach Kanamu said. “We bury our heads like a turtle.”

The Warriors have two more chances to win as they play the Sabers again tomorrow and Friday, March 28-29, 2013, at Iron Maehara Stadium. Thursday’s game is at 6:00 p.m. and Friday’s will be played at 3:30 p.m.

Track earns 10 medals at 2013 Yamamoto Invitational

The Kamehameha Maui track team placed in the top three in ten events at the 60^th annual Yamamoto Invitational Finals at War Memorial Stadium on March 23, 2013.

The low clouds and cold wind did not bode good weather for the finals, but even though times across the board and for all schools were slower than in the trials, the Warriors brought home five silver medals and five bronze.

“The weather had some effect tonight,” Senior Jamal Jones said, “but I don’t think it kept anyone from doing less than their best.”

Jones came in second in the 200 meter dash and third in the 100 meter dash.

“Today was a little tough on our jumps,” Head Coach Rudy Huber said.

Senior Raven Poepoe placed second in the girls high jump with the bar at 4’11″ and third in the 300 meter hurdles.

“I think I did all right,” Poepoe said. “I did the best I could. Getting the medals was different than other track meets because it makes me feel like I accomplished something.”

At the Yamamoto Invitationals, the top three placers win a medal, unlike at the other regular season Maui Interscholastic League meets.

With some athletes out of town on Spring Break trips, not every member of the track team appeared at the qualifications on March 22.

“It’s tough during Spring Break, especially since we don’t have everyone here for the meet,” Coach Huber said. “We will get back on track once break is over. We are still slowly getting better.”

Mrs. Doris Yamamoto, wife of the Yamamoto Invitational founder, Satoki Yamamoto, was in attendance for the sixtieth annual event. She was recognized with a short speech about the history of the meet and given lei to commemorate the event.

“It was nice to be recognized,” Doris said. “I felt good inside.”

Top three finishes among Kamehameha Maui athletes:

Girls 200-meter dash
2^nd Taira Lucas 27.84

Girls 300 meter hurdles
3rd Raven Poepoe 52.48

Girls 4 x 100 meter relay Team A
2^nd  52.83

Girls High Jump
2^nd Raven Poepoe 4’11”

Boys 100 meter dash
3^rd  Jamal Jones 11.15

Boys 200 meter dash
2^nd Jamal Jones 22.50

Boys 110 meter hurdles
3^rd Kalaʻi Yap 15.63

Boys High Jump
3^rd Davis Neizman 5’9”

Boys Shot Put
2^nd Kauanoe Vanderpoel 45-01.00

Boys Discus
3^rd Kauanoe Vanderpoel 123-09.00

Click here to see complete meet results at Mile Split Hawaii.

See the full track team back in action at the next meet at 4:00 p.m., March 28, at War Memorial Stadium.

Track qualifies in seven events at Yamamoto trials

The Kamehameha Maui Warriors qualified in seven events at the Yamamoto Track Invitational qualifier at War Memorial Stadium on March 22, 2013.

Maui teams as well as Hawaii Prep and Molokaʻi High joined the competition at the preliminaries.

“Everyone who qualified tonight did well and was focused,” senior runner Jamal Jones said. “It was a good night overall.”

Jones qualified for the boys 100 meter and 200 meter dash. Jones even ran his fastest 200 with a time of 22.79 seconds.

“I had to push myself a little harder tonight,” Jones said. “I needed to be a lot faster. If I rest well tonight and focus tomorrow, then I should do even better tomorrow.”

Seniors Luke Batoon and Billy Ayakawa qualified in the boys 400 meter dash. Batoon also qualified in boys long jump.

Senior Kalaʻi Yap, who has already qualified for the state tournament, qualified in the boys 300 meter hurdles, and senior Raven Poepoe qualified for the girls in the same event.

The Warriors also qualified for the girls 100 meter dash and long jump.

Head Coach Rudy Huber hopes that the Warriors do well during tomorrow’s events.

“We were a little sluggish today,” Coach Huber said. “We need to regroup tomorrow and get competitive.”

He already has an area to focus on tomorrow.

“We need to work on our and starts,” he said.

The qualifying athletes will be competing for medals in the finals tomorrow, March 23, at War Memorial Stadium. Events start at 4 p.m.

Boys volleyball loses to Bears in close game

The boys volleyball team lost their first game of the Division I Maui Interscholastic League competition to the Baldwin Bears at Kaʻulaheanuiokamoku Gymnasium on March 19, 2013. The Warriors lost all three sets, by just a few points each.

“The game was exciting enough,” Warriors Head Coach Robert Brede said, “but it was still a little disappointing.”

The Warriors and Bears went nearly point-for-point during the beginning of the first set. Opposite hitter Christian Martin Chu scored the first kill of the game.

When the Bears started to gain a lead on the Warriors, they made small errors that allowed the Warriors to slowly catch up.

“KS scored a lot on our errors in the beginning,” Bears Head Coach Kalei Houpo said. “They did well on converting our errors into points.”

The Warriors and Bears struggled to gain the winning two-point lead at the end of the first set, but the Bears eventually came out on top, 30-32.

“They simply made fewer errors than we did,” Coach Brede said.

The Bears were able to get a four-point lead on the Warriors early in the second set by cutting down on the number of errors that they made in the first set. At the same time, the Warriors increased in the number of their errors, and communication broke down in the middle of the set.

The Warriors rallied from a six-point deficit to take the lead for the first time at 21-20. Junior libero Walter Kaeo was strong with service returns and digs, and the Warriors made nine kills, but their run stalled, and they lost the set 21-25.

“We relaxed and woke up in the second set,” Coach Houpo said.

The third set was a repeat of the second with the Warriors lagging behind by five points or so, rallying to within a point of the lead at 20-11, but ultimately losing with the same score, 21-25.

“We had some trouble with communication,” Coach Brede said. “The team doesn’t put each other down, but they get quiet when they are frustrated,” he said.

Fans also got a look at the skills of sophomore Anson Souza, who played a solid third set as a defensive specialist, on a team comprised mostly of seniors.

The Warriors play at the Iolani Invitational this weekend, but they’ll be back on Maui for their away game against Seabury Hall on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m.

Next Page »