The Student News Site of Mililani High School

Trojan Times

The Student News Site of Mililani High School

Trojan Times

The Student News Site of Mililani High School

Trojan Times

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Carnival ringleaders Guerrero, Montero, Ogawa create family-friendly event

By Harlan Rose
[email protected]
(Harlan Rose | Trojan Times) (L-R): While planning the carnival, Educational Assistants Hazel Guerrero and Ivy Ogawa and Textbook Manager Debbie Montero spend much time together and rely on one another for advice and support.
(Harlan Rose | Trojan Times) (L-R): While planning the carnival, Educational Assistants Hazel Guerrero and Ivy Ogawa and Textbook Manager Debbie Montero spend much time together and rely on one another for advice and support.

Last year, the Mililani Carnival returned to MHS for the first time in 20 years and it was considered to be a tremendous success due to the efforts of the planning committee, headed by Educational Assistants Hazel Guerrero and Ivy Ogawa, as well as Textbook Manager Debbie Montero. In preparation for this year’s carnival – which will be held from Feb. 19 to 21 – the committee is making various changes to make the event more accessible to families and vendors alike, as well as to alleviate some of the spacing issues experienced last year.

“It is an all-encompassing feat,” said Montero. “It is something that doesn’t just happen during the school hours; (we’re) constantly thinking about it because there is many aspects to the carnival that you gotta key in on. Plus, there’s many people that are affected by the carnival, so tons of stuff.”

Once the committee was assembled, rather than assigning each other specific roles, the three chair members gravitated towards their strengths. “What I did was I solicited for sponsors. (I) talked to the people that I was hoping to get sponsorship from, contacted some of the food truck people that I knew were not only Mililani residents, but did very well at the food truck event that I plan, and I know would do very well here at the carnival,” explained Montero. Ogawa continued, “I arrange who participates, the assignments for them, you know, making sure we don’t have any duplicates, things like that.”

Attendance at last year’s carnival was overwhelming, so much so that the committee felt they had underestimated the turnout they received. “We definitely were not expecting the crowd and success of last year. We were really happy with that, and that’s why we’re expanding the footprint this year, and we want to offer more rides and more space to the community because it was really busy,” expressed Ogawa.

Perhaps the biggest change being made to this year’s carnival is the expansion of the venue’s footprint. “Last year, EK Fernandez made a point of telling us because the venue was so packed, people could not move around and in essence couldn’t spend their money,” explained Montero. “So taking that, our small-mindedness, and expanding on that into (doubling) the footprint of last year’s carnival to make it safer and more enjoyable, especially for families with small children.”

One addition is that of a separate area for younger kids and families known as “Keiki Land,” which will be located in the B and C Building courtyard. “One good thing that I really like about this year’s is the kiddy land, the Keiki Land because it would be safer,” said Guerrero. “It gets all those little guys out of the way so that they don’t get hurt.” Ogawa added, “It’s just so busy and so hard to navigate with strollers and things like that. So we figured it would be a lot more safe and convenient if (the children) had their own section.”

Furthermore, the food truck and booth area is being moved to various dining areas on campus to alleviate the tight spaces experienced last year, and the cafeteria will be utilized to host a farmer’s market. “In the cafeteria we’ll have sort of a little store set up, so we’re going to have the Trojan Store in there as well, the farmer’s market, little things for (guests) to kind of browse around and do while they’re also eating on the other side of the cafeteria,” said Ogawa.

After spending countless hours preparing for this year’s carnival, the committee hopes that it will be yet another resounding success, believing that spacing out the event’s footprint will help maximize potential profits. “We may have the same amount of people (come), but we’re going to have a higher earning because we’ve spread out the venue now,” explained Montero. Guerrero added, “One thing is too, we have three scrip booths, not one, and they’re placed where (guests are) going to need to spend them, so it’s more conducive to sales and not such big lines, hopefully.”

With the Mililani Carnival just around the corner, Guerrero, Montero and Ogawa are in the last stages of finalizing and planning an event that will attract people from across the island for three days of fun and school spirit.

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