The first week after Fall Break is one that everyone’s been waiting for: Homecoming! This week will be filled with exciting events from Arthur’s Cheer to the Homecoming football game, as well as the Homecoming Court 2024!
Homecoming Court is a longstanding tradition in the United States. Here at Waipahu High School, students had the opportunity to vote for a Homecoming King and Queen for 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade. The nominees for Homecoming Court must reach school standards for academics, behavior and participation. Nominees often showcase friendliness, leadership and school spirit.
This Friday, October 18, is the Homecoming Football game against Farrington and the Homecoming Court ceremony! During this ceremony, four winners will be crowned our new Waipahu Royals!
Now, get to know some of the nominees who ran for Homecoming Court.
Freshmen Nominees
First, we have Princess Dorde. Dorde is in the Academy of Health and Sciences (AHS).
“I have decided to compete for Homecoming court because I want to represent Valiant Vipers, Class of 2028. I believe that there is pride in this school, and I want to step out of my comfort zone and excel in different types of activities,” she explained.
An interest she has is meeting new people. She is an extrovert and she enjoys listening to others’ thoughts and opinions. She enjoys surrounding herself with the staff and students at Waipahu High School. She feels a sense of belonging here.
Mayumi Lyn Aconcel is in the Academy of Professional and Public Services (APPS).
She decided to run for Homecoming because she wanted to “try something new.”
A hobby Aconcel has is dance, and her goal is to earn a college degree and live a successful life. She enjoys the teachers and activities Waipahu High School provides.
Marc Daniel Agcaoili is in the Academy of Arts and Communication (AAC). He decided to run for Homecoming because it seemed fun and he wants to experience different things in his four years of high school. Agcaoili likes to play games, like Roblox and Valorant. He likes to listen to the artists Tyler the Creator and Frank Ocean.
He said, “A goal of mine is really to just maintain good grades throughout my high school years. I will do this by pushing myself to study and prepare myself for the work I will have.”
Agcaoili likes how welcoming people are at Waipahu High School.
“All of the teachers and upperclassmen I have met have made me feel like I can be myself and be talkative,” he said.
Sophomore Nominees
Benjamin Beasley is in AHS, and he is running with Rhianna Monton.
He decided to compete because, he said, “It honestly just looked really fun and cool. And around HOCO, I’m always super pumped because there is just so much marauder pride.”
Beasley loves to dance and he is a part of our school’s dance team, The Block. He also said he loves Waipahu High School.
“The community that is here. All my amazing teachers and friends that do extraordinary things every single day. And all the opportunities that are based here,” Beasley stated.
Rhianna Rozhell Monton is in APPS.
She decided to run for Homecoming to try something new, get out of her comfort zone, and represent her class. Monton has been a part of Mock Trial for a year now and has also been part of an out of school law program.
Monton hopes with this experience she can, “pursue law as a major to be able to help others.”
She also has interests in cooking, baking, helping people and writing. She loves Waipahu High School because of all the opportunities we have, her teachers and seeing her friends and classmates.
Alana Lei Pascual in AHS and she is running with Caelan Abrigo. They decided to run together because they are a couple that many people compliment. Alana enjoys baking, cooking, listening to music, and going on walks. A main goal she has is to become a labor and delivery nurse.
Pascual said, “Waipahu High School is an amazing place. I love the amount of school spirit and diverse opportunities that our school offers. Everywhere that I go everyone is super supportive and friendly!”
Caelan Abrigo is also in AHS.
He said, “Some of my hobbies are spending time with loved ones, playing basketball, and reading. I’m very interested in the medical field and construction. The goals that I have are to be successful in life and a good paying job so I can happily live stress free.”
Abrigo values how friendly and welcoming the people at Waipahu High School are. He appreciates the many extracurricular activities offered here.
Junior Nominees
Iris Soriano is in AAC. She decided to run for homecoming court because she wanted to uphold Waipahu’s legacy.
She said, “In my previous school on the mainland, we never had a tradition like this and I became so fascinated by the courts last school year that it motivated me to try it out.”
Soriano enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends. She wants to attend her dream school on the mainland, travel the world and meet new people.
“What I like most about Waipahu High School is the enthusiasm and community it has. I was extremely amazed at how welcoming and spirit oriented everyone and the school is, especially Arthur Awards. I enjoy how everyone interacts and supports each other, and the diversity as well,” Soriano explained.
Malaea C. Pereilni is from APPS.
When asked why she ran for Homecoming she said, “I figured “why not?” At the end of the day it’s high school and whatever the result turns out to be, HOCO is always fun regardless.”
Pereilni added, “I haven’t seen a pacific islander be on the HOCO court since I’ve gone to Waipahu, so I hope this situation regardless of the outcome will give others with similar background more of a chance to try out for these kinds of things.”
She also sells cookies online. If you want to buy it you can follow @raeascookies on Instagram. Pereilni values the determination our school has to become better. She believes that every year our school gets better and better.
Pereilni is “grateful to attend such a proud school.”
Kason Rosete is in the APPS, and he ran with his girlfriend Krystal Coloma.
He decided to run for Homecoming because he thought it would be a fun experience partnered with Krystal. Some of his hobbies are basketball, listening to music, and cooking. He likes the community we have here at Waipahu High School.
Krystal Coloma is also in APPS. She decided to run because she wanted to do something with Kason and Homecoming seemed fun. Her hobbies are dancing, makeup and arts and crafts.
Coloma likes, “how supportive the people and teachers are when you attend this school.”
Senior Nominees
Kurt Remigio is in APPS and ran with Ava Gianna Hills.
He said, “ I thought of running for homecoming with my best friend would be a fun and new experience since I haven’t done anything like it before.”
Remigio likes to, “go to the beach with my friends, specifically looking for shells and freediving to the bottom to see all the sea life!”
He hopes to one day be a real estate agent and a computer scientist. Kurt enjoys the school spirit that Waipahu High School has.
Ava Gianna Hills is also in APPS. She decided to run because Remigio wanted to, and she thought it would be fun. Hills plays basketball, runs track and will be trying out for cross country.
She is part of the following clubs: “NHS, PTK, NTHS, Model UN, Mock Trial, Chamber Choir, and APPS Executive Council.”
Hills speaks Indonesian and is learning Spanish. She also plays the piano. In the future, she wants to practice law or diplomacy. She also enjoys the school spirit here at Waipahu, as well as the many clubs offered to students.
Lastly, we have Toa Panapa, who is in APPS. He decided to run because he didn’t want to let down the person who nominated him. He enjoys working out, drawing and singing. He is interested in going to the mainland for college, somewhere like California.
Panapa’s goals are to, “be financially stable by 20 and have people I can count on in the future.”
He wants to either be a real estate agent or an athlete.
“What I love about Waipahu is the good energy I get in return from all the people on campus. I love seeing people laugh and everything and the support they give students and the staff,” Panapa said.
These nominees are great representations of Waipahu High School. Whether they win or not, Waipahu is grateful for their participation. Make sure to go to Homecoming! It will be super fun, and definitely a memory you will remember! If you see our Homecoming Royals, make sure to congratulate them on their awesome achievement!
