By Danielle Smith

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From food vendors and various rides, to games hosted not only by EK Fernandez but school groups and organizations as well, MHS brought back the school carnival for the second year in a row. Under the coordination of Textbook Manager Debbie Montero and Educational Assistants Ivy Ogawa and Hazel Guerrero, the carnival took place from Feb. 19 to 21. With additional space added for safety and convenience, the carnival was a successful event filled with thousands of people and fun.

“There was a lot more interest in the carnival in general. Last year, because it was our first year, (they) weren’t sure how the turn-out would be but after people saw and shared their experiences there, they became more excited,” said Ogawa.

The carnival stretched farther than just the Mililani community and attracted people island-wide. “Here, you have all your different companies, not just the typical pizza and funnel cake. You have people from Tony Nissan, selling grilled cheese sandwiches, things that are just not the typical carnival thing. You get more of a different perspective and different feel from here,” said Moanalua High School Junior Jonas Maestro, who visited MHS to take footage of the carnival for their school’s broadcast journalism class.

Along with the typical vendors were volunteers from sports teams, classes and businesses. “This year, we had quite a few more school groups that didn’t participate last year and we also had some outside groups participating who were supporting our school so there was definitely a lot more interest,” Ogawa explained.

New additions to the setup from last year, such as Keiki Land and more space, added to the overall success. Ogawa said, “For one thing, we were able to bring in more things from EK Fernandez because we gave them the whole parking lot and the BC courtyard.”

While the success was apparent, there were some factors that downplayed the festivities. “The weather, because its been kind of rainy, bothered some people. Like a family (for example), you’re really going to take into consideration the weather and you aren’t going to bring your kids where it’s rainy so that may have slowed the amount of people in the Keiki Land,” said Counselor Andrew Satanapong.

With new people filling the walkways for three days, the carnival brought a sense of community to Mililani. “You see a lot of the community coming through. We can see students running booths and faculty members helping out any way they can. Whether it’s within the school or outside of the school, we can prominently see that everyone is really trying to help out and be a part of this carnival,” said Moanalua High School Senior Tee Goda.

Whether it was selling products or experiencing the rides, many people reflect on the hard work, success and fun of this year’s carnival and hope to make the same memories—or even better ones—in the following years.