At this year’s athletic banquet, the athletes said goodbye to athletic director Neal Takamori. He was McKinley’s athletic director for a long time.

Junior Van Lea Do said, “I’m going to miss Mr.Takamori because he’s done a lot for all sports. Without him the cheerleading team wouldn’t have been able to attend any events. He’s done a lot and supported everyone. He was a great athletic director and it’s sad to see him go.”

Two McKinley athletes were awarded the Neal Takamori Award, a new award that shows the school pride and dignity that it takes to be a good role model, a person who has taken the extra step to be a leader in their sport. The award was given out to Jared Malaga (12) and Kimberly Amori (12).

Athletes in Varsity and JV for every sport were awarded with the most inspirational award, meaning that during the year they showed dedication and hard-work, putting their teammates first. Also people with a 3.0 and above were rewarded with a scholar award . A team who won the 2013 OIA Championship award was the tennis team.

This year, the banquet was held at the Prince Hotel in Waikiki. Students were entertained by the Micronesian Club. Dinner had two main dishes, garlic chicken and roast beef, with a variety of desserts like bread pudding and assorted cakes. After a few games, the athletic banquet ended and the players took pictures and talked about the year.  Do said she enjoyed the games and food. She said, “It was a good way to socialize all the athletes together.”