Posted on: Thursday, May 5, 2005
ALL-STAR KIDS
Kalihi teenager engineers success
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Editor
Chester Centino will celebrate his 18th birthday tomorrow as Farrington High School's May Day king, a fitting title for a student who is a national champion in drill and a state champ in bridge-building.
Age: 18 (as of tomorrow)
School: Farrington High
Grade: 12 According to his honors physics teacher, Bebi Z.K. (Sewdat) Davis, Centino has contributed to 11 of 13 trophies won the past two years by Farrington.
The masters-level demilitarized armor division solo exhibition championship trophy, won Sunday by Centino at the National High School Drill Team Championships, was presented to school principal Catherine Payne yesterday when Centino returned to school from the Florida trip.
On April 23, Centino represented the state in the annual International Bridge Building Contest at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he finished in the top 30. Trophies from state and international competitions were also presented to Payne.
In addition to his prowess in bridge-building and handling a rifle, Centino dances hula. He performs with the Hilton Hawaiian Village Guard, a professional drill team, and also dances as part of a nightly show at the hotel seven days a week. The money he's earning from his part-time job is going toward his college education.
"There are times when I spread myself too thin and that's when I have to catch myself before it gets worse," said Centino, who plans to attend Kapi'olani Community College next year before transferring to UH to pursue engineering.
Drill and hula require discipline, dedication and humility, values that Centino has applied to his lifestyle. "Something I try to follow is always being humble," he said.
Centino attended Kalihi Uka Elementary and Dole Intermediate before Farrington. Lasting friendships are a product of the journey, he said. Farrington's May Day queen, for example, is Kiana Martinez, and "she's been a friend since kindergarten," Centino said.
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
The only child of Carlito and Leah Centino of Kalihi, Centino also was a member of Farrington's 2005 battle-bot robot team that placed first at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa College of Engineering competition in January.
CHESTER CENTINO
• • •
| Who helped you? "Aside from my parents, my bosses at the Hilton — (kumu hula) Maiken Cope and (drill instructor) Adam Matsumoto — have helped me by allowing me to share my problems with them. They've also shared their (life) experiences with me," Centino said.
What advice would you give to other kids who would like to follow your example? "If I'm having a bad time, struggling with something, I try to talk to a counselor," Centino said. "They're there to help so you don't have to be afraid to talk to adults. They won't put you down. You also have to take responsibility for your actions. So you do your share and they'll meet you halfway." |
