Sacred Hearts Academy CyberPatriot Team Advances to Gold Tier Regional Round

Established by the Air Force Association, the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program was created to excite, educate, and motivate students toward careers in cyber security and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future.

Led by Coach Deborah Kula, the team of students from Sacred Hearts Academy excelled in the CyberPatriot VII State Round held December 5-7, demonstrating teamwork, critical thinking skills, and technical knowledge key to a successful career in cybersecurity. The team’s performance earned it a spot in the Gold Tier Regional Round to be held January 16-18, 2015. 

Coach Kula says, “The CyberPatriot experience has been awesome for our students.  The opportunity to work with mentors active in the cyber security workforce has broadened their horizons.  The training and resources provided by the Air Force Association and program sponsors are invaluable and assist students in building real world and vitally needed skills for today and the future.”

Following the Regional/Category Round and Middle School Division Semifinals Round January 16-18, top teams in the Open and All Service Divisions’ Platinum Tier and the top three Middle School Division teams nationally will advance to the CyberPatriot VII Finals Competition in Washington, D.C.

In all, 2,175 teams registered to compete in CyberPatriot VII, including 35 teams from Hawaii.

CyberPatriot’s core program – the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition – challenges teams of two to six students across the United States, Canada, and from DoDD schools abroad, to find and resolve cybersecurity vulnerabilities in simulated environments. Top teams from the preliminary online rounds win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the live National Finals Competition, where students compete for national recognition and scholarships.

The CyberPatriot field is divided into three divisions – the Open Division for public, private, and home school teams, the All Service Division for JROTC, Civil Air Patrol, and Naval Sea Cadet Corps teams, and the Middle School Division. Based on the results of two preliminary rounds, CyberPatriot VII high school teams were categorized within their divisions as Platinum, Gold, or Silver Tier teams, with Platinum Tier teams representing the highest scoring teams.

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LEO Club Volunteers at Papa John's Hawaii Bike Giveaway

The Sacred Hearts Academy Leos helped to distribute hundreds of bikes at today's Bike Giveaway courtesy of Papa John's Hawaii and the Kamehameha Lions Club. Children ten and under were eligible to apply for a free bike, writing a brief essay as to how they had helped someone in their

community to earn this early Christmas gift. Special thanks to Jodie Mattos, mother of Leo Shelby Mattos '19; Lloyd Wong, father of Jennalyn Wong '20; and the entire Rayray 'Ohana (Taylor Rayray, '19) for their help and support!

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More photos of the event on Papa John's Hawaii's Facebook Page.

Post by Papa John's Pizza Hawaii.

Lancer Athletics attended the Breakfast with Champions

This holiday season, members of the Lancer Athletic staff attended the Breakfast with Champions hosted by the Positive Coaching Alliance. The event was held on December 12th at The Pacific Club and featured inspiring student-athletes, and a panel of coaches and athletes. The panelists were former UH and NFL Head football Coach June Jones, Super Bowl Champions Chris Kemoeatu and Ma’ake Kemoeatu, Marathon record holder and Female Athletic pioneer Jacqueline Jansen, and PCA Founder Jim Thompson. The morning was filled with inspiration and insight to the current state of youth athletics.

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Soroptimist Club Rings Bells for Red Kettle Drive

The Soroptimist "S" Club members were out in force as they helped with the Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive on Saturday, December 13 at the Longs Drug and Safeway location on Vineyard Blvd. The club members rang the bells all day and collected monies from not only adults, but children as well. Monies collected will help the many Salvation Army's community programs for the families in need.

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Select Choir Sings for Commanding General of the Army Pacific

Select Choir at Commander's Christmas Party
Photo Source: USARPAC PAO 

The Sacred Hearts Academy Select Choir performed a mix of Christmas carols and other festive songs for the annual Commander’s Christmas Party. The girls showcased their language skills by performing works in Chinese, German, Portuguese, Finnish, and Hawaiian. This is the third year in a row that the Commanding General of the Army Pacific has specifically asked for the Sacred Hearts Academy Select Choir to perform at his party -- we're building quite the reputation!

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Merry Christmas! ~ an eCard from Student Council

Enjoy the Christmas Break! 

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Loliana Hale Children Experience Christmas Joy

Santa went to Loliana Hale in an orange Jeep with elves from Sacred Hearts Academy. Gifts prepared by homerooms were distributed to the 89 children amidst the singing of Christmas carols and the jousting of a piñata. Everyone had a wonderful time sharing in the Christmas spirit.

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Phoebe Kirk, a Junior at the Academy, claimed first place in the U19 Women's Division of the Honolulu Marathon

Congratulations to Phoebe Kirk! The Sacred Hearts Academy athlete managed to finish first in the U19 Women's Division of the 2014 Honolulu Marathon this past Sunday morning. Phoebe completed the marathon with a time of 3:43:02, placing her 112th overall in the Women's Division.

Photo Credit: Lion Irwin Santos

Photo Credit: Lion Irwin Santos

Photo Credit: Lion Irwin Santos

Photo Credit: Lion Irwin Santos

Meanwhile...

32 Sacred Hearts Academy Leos managed to report for duty at 1:30 AM for the 42nd annual Honolulu Marathon. They, along with their sister and brother clubs: La Pietra, Kalani, and St. Louis Leos, assisted marathon participants, directed runners and walkers to the correct starting line, and helped to form the starting line. Leos Theresa Ginter and Kayla Galima put their language skills to use as interpreters for Japanese participants. 

Special thanks to our alumni and Lions Club members: Lion Mai Shiomi, '11; Lion Joy Moriguchi, '12; and Lion Sherry Wong, '12, for their assistance at this event! We would also like to thank parents Llyod Wong, father of Jennalyn Wong '20, and Jodie Mattos, mother of Shelby Mattos '19, for their help!

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"...it’s Christmas!” - Our Christmas Paraliturgy

“Lift up your voices, sing out: it’s Christmas!”,  the dancers proclaimed at the conclusion of Monday's prayer service. In beautiful readings, songs and dances, the story of God’s saving

work was retold. The rousing “Joy to the World” sung by the entire student body shouted out the true meaning of the season.

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Junior Mabel Cheng is congratulated by her parents for being chosen as Lancer of the Month

Junior Mabel Cheng was chosen as Lancer of the Month for November. A successful competitor in both the Sporter and Precision Air Riflery programs, Mabel finished 7th in ILH championship and 16th overall in the state championships. Mabel does an excellent job of translating her athletic skills to the classroom. She maintains a 4.3 GPA while serving as a member of the National Honor Society and the Sacred Hearts Academy marching band. Her teachers describe her as meticulous, well-prepared, generous, loyal, and a great collaborator.

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Intermediate Lancers Capture Soccer League Title

Based on their selflessness, communication, team spirit and work ethic, the Lancer Intermediate soccer team represented the Academy well en route to capturing the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) Division II Soccer Championship.

Led by Captains Leinani Lacio and Chanel Yee, the team came up just short of an undefeated season, losing 0-1 to Mid-Pacific Institute to finish 7-1.

According to Coaches Ramsey Siobal and Glenn Arakawa, what made this team unique was the leadership and mentoring provided by the freshmen and the outstanding contributions made by all the players.

The coaches remarked, “Everyone from the seventh graders to the freshmen stepped up, pushed each other, rallied, learned, laughed and as a unit was outstanding.”

These included eighth grader Eden Arthur, who was pressed into service as the goal keeper and only allowed two goals in six games; Christiann Arakawa, who scored the winning and only goal in the last game of the season; Ciana Rivera and Jordan Confair who set up the scoring; and Emily Truong and Kiely Pazcoguin, the anchors of the strong defensive line.

With the Intermediate season concluded, the six freshmen have moved to the Varsity program, making a positive impact on their older teammates.

The Varsity soccer team, lead by seniors Michelle Mestanza, Taylor Pazcoguin and Kellie Kahiolalo, have had a challenging season, but they continue to work hard and exhibit their pride at being Lancers.

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Training for the Future with the JROTC

The Academy participates as a magnet school for the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs at Punahou School and Saint Louis School (SLS).  Academy students in the program meet with their counterparts on Wednesdays.  Under the guidance of Chief Warrant Officer 4 Heath Phillips and First Sergeant Jimmy Akuna, the female SLS cadets – who boast their own company called “Foxtrot” – fine-tune their leadership and physical fitness skills during practice drills, ceremony exercises and competition training.  The SLS cadets also engage in numerous community service events, including the annual Aloha Aina Recycling Drive and the Relay for Life benefitting the American Cancer Society.  The

Punahou program cadets, headed by Lt. Col. Robert Takao and Command Sergeant Major Gary Mobley, also engage in leadership, competition and drills training. This year, they have benefited from guest speakers, including active duty United States Navy SEALs; family members of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment; and Lt. Col. (Ret.) David Pound, father of senior Cadet Hallie Pound, who shared his inspirations for serving in the United States Army and the ideals of “Duty, Honor and Country.” College Counselor Randy Fong remarked, “Military service after graduation is not a requirement for JROTC participation, and it is a valuable activity for college and scholarships consideration. I urge students to research the benefits of serving as a cadet.

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Sacred Hearts Academy Raises $10,700 for Aloha United Way

Aina Katsikas, Heather Maggini-Mackay, Cindy Adams, Remee Tam, Elyse Glaser.

The Academy was pleased to present  Executive Director of Aloha United Way, Cindy Adams, a check for $10,700 at the conclusion of  another successful fundraising campaign.

The Student Councils sponsored events such as Dress Up/Dress Down Day, and a Costume for A Cause Halloween activity in October. To add fun to the challenges, the high school also offered Teacher Fund Me challenges, which earned over $300.00 for Aloha United Way. The winning challenge, a dance performance done by the Spanish teachers Senor Rist and Senorita Cestare, was performed at the Halloween Pep Rally. In the meantime, the lower school raided their piggy banks for Coins for A Cause. The students also teamed with parents to sponsor a very successful Bake and snack sale which earned over $3,500 dollars.

Overall, it was a fundraising drive, and students noted that they enjoyed having a new variety of fundraising activities.

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Both CyberLancer Teams Progress to Gold Tier Competition

Friday's Team
Leeyannah Santos, Angelyn Tabalba, Kristen Tumacder, and Mary Kay Zhang

**1/15/15 CyberLancers Update: Our CyberLancers team will be hard at work on Saturday morning. The 6-hour Regional Round will keep them busy diagnosing and securing a Windows 8.1 machine, a Windows 2008 Server, an Ubuntu 12 machine, working a Cisco networking quiz, and building and being quizzed on networks through Packet Tracer. ** 

The CyberPatriot competition was conceived by the Air Force Association to inspire high school students toward careers in cybersecurity or other STEM fields. Practice rounds and qualification rounds ran from October through November, nationally. 

Both of our CyberLancer teams have made it to the Gold Tier of competition for the State. The State Round is a 6 hour competition with 3 computer images and a networking

Sunday's Team
Stephanie Chun, Chloe Huang, Janelle Inao, and Gaby Kim

quiz. The State Rounds will be held this week. Due to scheduling conflicts, the CyberLancers-Gold team must compete between 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, December 5th. Team members are Leeyannah Santos, Angelyn Tabalba, Kristen Tumacder, and Mary Kay Zhang. Our second team will be competing on Sunday, December 7, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Team members are Stephanie Chun, Chloe Huang, Janelle Inao, and Gaby Kim.

The teams have worked very hard to progress to this level. Let's support them through this weekend's State Rounds! 

For more information about the CyberPatriot Competition, visit their website: https://www.uscyberpatriot.org/competition/Competition-Overview/how-the-competition-works/. 

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Sacred Hearts Academy's Dance Department presents "The Nutcracker"

Celebrate with Sugar Plums and Mice! [11/18 Blog]

Maya and Jillian at KHON

The Dance Department has been busy rehearsing for this year's classic holiday performances of The Nutcracker. They have made appearances on KITV and KHON and have another appearance scheduled on Hawaii News Now. Tune into Hawaii News Now on Thursday, December 4, at approximately 8 AM to see Megan and Angel treat the viewers to a preview of Friday and Saturday evening's performances at Mamiya Theatre [Google Map].

Reserved seating is available at http://www.sacredhearts.org/tickets/.

Friday, December 5 at 7 PM
Saturday, December 6 at 6 PM 

Below is a clip from the KITV appearance.

Post by Sacred Hearts Academy.

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Leo Club at Liliha-Palama Christmas Parade

Leos and Lions began the Christmas season on Friday, Nov. 28 at the Liliha-Palama Christmas Parade. The parade, sponsored by the Kamehameha Lions Club, brought a lot of cheer to residents of the area and featured lion dances, dancing by Academy graduate Kaena Kekoa and her 'ohana, Santa, and a trolley full of Leos and Lions tossing candy to spectators. It was a wonderful night! The Sacred Hearts Academy Leos would like to wish everyone a safe, fun, and blessed holiday season!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Tour/Thanksgiving from Sacred Hearts Academy on Vimeo.

Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for your continuous support of Sacred Hearts Academy! 

http://vimeo.com/112960610

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Sharing Our Blessings Sends Hundreds of Canned Goods to Families in Need

Sacred Hearts Academy students prepare the truck that will take canned goods to St. George Parish Outreach pantry in Waimanalo.  Students from JrK to 12 held special Sharing Our Blessings prayer services where hundreds of canned goods were collected.  The boxes of food went to needy families on the Windward coast, as well as, to families in Honolulu through the Loliana Hale outreach.  

Sacred Hearts Academy students, faculty and even grandparents who were part of the high school prayer services were happy to lend a helping hand to others.

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Digital Media Club Meets Professionals

The grades 4-6 Digital Media Club was excited to meet some professional videographers from Isle Media Hawaii, LLC. They learned how to work the video camera, the different types of equipment, and what it takes to become a professional videographer. The best advice that they were given was to get their Bachelor’s Degree and to not be afraid to take risks to pursue what they love to do. By the end of the workshop, almost all of the students

raised their hands that they wanted to pursue a career in videography.

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Fourteen Delegates from Sacred Hearts Academy attended the Third Annual Pacific Model United Nations Conference

The Third Annual Pacific Model United Nations Conference took place on November 14 – 15, 2014 at the Waikiki Beach Marriott.  Fourteen delegates from Sacred Hearts Academy attended representing the countries of Libya, Qatar and Indonesian.  Each country had delegates or ambassadors representation on the General Assembly, Disarmament and International Security Committee, and the International Law Commission.  For a period of two days, students saw the world, its people, and its problems from a global perspective.  Topics for committee discussion included: Water Scarcity, Overpopulation, Weaponization of Seabed and the Ocean Floor, Overpopulation of Antarctica, International Law of the Sea, and Embassy Safety and Security.  Preparation was limited to research of their respective countries and writing a position paper on the topics selected for their assigned committees.   The real learning took place at the Conference by watching the experts and slowly moving into sub-committees.   Academy delegates quickly found their voice and discovered that their vote was needed by others to get things done – they were soon trading and discussing possible solutions with other delegates.  They learned a major lesson – there is power in numbers.    

Ambassadors became experts and activists for “pet” topics; debating rigorously with other delegates to push their views and formulate a resolution to be voted on by the body of delegates.  Working the room, building allies and compromise were the order of the day.  Some yelling and strong voices were heard; especially when issue came forward for a vote.  Clever delegates worked on their colleagues during lunch; moving from table to table gathering votes and convincing the undecided to lend their support.  In a few cases trade was taking place - not unlike the real world.   As an outsider looking in it was hard to envision the 13 – 18 years old delegates making sense of difficult problems.  Perhaps, it was their suits and ties – for they certainly looked the part – No, it was their confidence and conviction that set them apart.  

Thirteen schools across our island chain and over 150 participants participated in this year’s Pacific Model United Nations Conference sponsored by Stephen E. & Isabella H. Stevens World Peace Foundation.  Academy delegates included: Delegation from Qatar - Raelynn Chu, Alana Stroede, Shelly Aquino, Megan Backus, Kaycee Selga, and Joanne Villanueva; Delegation from Indonesia -  Ellie Ramirez, Ji-Won Ha, Taryn Wong, and Faizah Shyanguya; and the Delegation from Libya - Hudson Jones, Justine Sison, Janelle Lauronal, and Suzanne Tsukenjo.

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Celebrate the Holidays with Sugar Plums and Mice!

The Nutcracker has been a ballet holiday treat for about 120 years. The first performance of The Nutcracker was held in St. Petersburg, Russia at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. Two of ballet’s most revered classical choreographers, Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, are credited for the original ballet choreography set to the music of famed ballet composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The original story of The Nutcracker, written by E.T.A. Hoffman, centers around the journey of a young girl named Marie. The magic begins when Marie is presented with a nutcracker by her favorite Godfather Drosselmeyer. At the stroke of midnight, the nutcracker comes to life to battle a giant horde of evil mice. When the battle has been won, the nutcracker transforms into a handsome prince, and in gratitude to Marie for helping win the battle, he escorts her to his enchanted Kingdom of Sweets where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy and all of the prince’s loyal subjects.

Six years ago, The Nutcracker premiered as a 20-minute lunchtime performance in the gymnasium of Sacred Hearts Academy. It has blossomed into a two-evening, full-length ballet Christmas affair onstage at Mamiya Theatre complete with snow, fog, and a holiday-themed craft and bake sale! This year’s cast includes 53 dancers from grades 7-12 featuring senior Academy dancers Megan Garcia as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Angelique Racpan as the Snow Queen, and Jillian Anderson as the Dewdrop Fairy. Sophomores Sydney Chock and Ellena Igari will dance the roles of Clara and Marie, the two sisters who experience a magical Christmas night battling evil mice, saving Sugar Plum fairies, and dancing with delicious sweets. Performances will be held on Friday Dec. 5^th at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday Dec. 6^th at 6:00 p.m. at Mamiya Theatre. Tickets are $10 plus processing fees at www.sacredhearts.org/tickets beginning on November 19. 

*Update* Reserved seating available now!

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Sacred Hearts Academy’s Real World Design Challenge Team Competes in Washington, D.C.!

After winning the State Championship in the spring, the Academy’s Real World Design Challenge (RWDC) team is competing in the national competition from November 13 to 17 in Washington, D.C.

The original team of seven has condensed to three, with the graduation of five seniors, and  junior Aimee Pak, a returning veteran, is joined by Elle Bower and rookie Theresa Ginter.

The trio took on the phenomenal task of continuing onto the national challenge with less than a full team crew. And, their tedious preparation included preparing and submitting their Engineering Design Notebook, approximately 80 pages detailing the team’s research and design of an unmanned aerial system to be used for precision agriculture – specifically, pinpointing damage caused in an Iowa cornfield by the European Corn Borer insect.

At the National Challenge event, the trio will present their project to a judging panel of engineers, administrators from the Federal Aviation Administration and government transportation officials.

Team Advisor Deborah Kula remarked, “The team is determined not only to represent the Academy well, but the State of Hawai’i in the National Challenge.”

More about the Real World Design Challenge: http://www.realworlddesignchallenge.org/.

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West Oahu VEX competition was held at UH West Oahu on Saturday

The Academy was well represented in VEX competition on November 15 with four Lancer teams participating at various meets around the Island.

Two VEX IQ teams comprised of sixth graders participated in the aio Waialua-Windward Community College VEX IQ competition, and the team of Shari Ho, Fiona Sun and Emma Kauhane won the Sportsmanship Award.

Also, two teams of High School students from the “Introduction to Engineering” and Robotics classes attended the West Oahu VEX Competition at the University of Hawai’i–West Oahu. This meet was the first competition experience for these participants, who used the opportunity to test the robots which were built in class.

The Academy’s Robotics Team attend the first four VEX competitions of the school year, and the Introduction to Engineering and Robotics class students will have another opportunity to compete in the next VEX robotics competition.

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