Alex Hutchins
Opinions Editor
1. Support your local animal shelters!
As you may remember from those rainy days in Kindergarten sitting in front of the television, Stitch comes into the lives of Lilo and Nani as a “dog” who is in an animal shelter. Lilo then proceeds to adopt Stitch and the rest is history so to speak. If there’s anything to take away from this is that getting involved in local organizations and charities is not only a great way to help out but is also an integral part of our high school experience whether it be through SLOBs, NCL, or even Senior Service Day.
2. Elvis Presley is King.
While it can be argued that this is simply a fact of life, the love is definitely real for the King of Rock and Roll in “Lilo and Stitch” as Lilo constantly refers to him as a “Model Citizen” and even makes Stitch act as a record player that plays “Hound Dog”. Following in the same vein of this obsession, music in the form of spotify playlists, Sirius Radio stations and various other music outlets are at the center of my existence. Plus, as my Spotify playlists can attest to, music doesn’t go out of fashion after they drop off the charts. For instance, it is not at all surprising to hear a remix of an Elvis Presley song mashed up with the soothing verses of rapper Notorious B.I.G.
3. When in doubt, eat everything in sight.
This one shouldn’t even need to be put in writing. It is a well known fact that one of Stitch’s most endearing characteristics is his refusal to stop himself from consuming anything within a 20 foot radius. Simply said, Stitch eats everything. Much in the same way, while maybe not quite as endearing, there is little in this world that can prevent me from eating through anything remotely filled with sugar, fat, or salt(except for bacon, which I admit is one of my flaws as someone who calls themselves an unhealthy eater). While my probable freshman 15 self will most likely not be admiring Stitch’s perpetual hunger, I have to give at least some of the credit for my current eating habits to experiment 626.
4. Fitting in isn’t everything.
Amongst other things, one of the biggest challenges that Stitch finds himself facing in the movie “Lilo and Stitch” is his inability to fit in on planet earth. While it can be argued that Stitch pretends to be a dog in order to be adopted, for the most part Stitch doesn’t hold back when it comes to showing his true colors. Take for example, when he eats a dog for being overly annoying, you know, stuff we all do on a daily basis. In classic Disney fashion, this acceptance of who Stitch is at heart is similar to how in our everyday lives, and especially high school, the tendency is to conform to what will prevent us from getting scrutinized by our peers. However, the head honchos at Disney are making sure that you and kids all over the world understand that it’s ok to be any kind of person that you desire.
5. “Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind.”
While this is a central theme throughout “Lilo and Stitch” it has literal implications in the public school system following the 2001 “No Child Left Behind Act”. That is, teachers, faculty, administrators are actually required by law to ensure that you don’t fall through the cracks. But beyond this, the idea of family and not getting left behind is also surprisingly relevant in the life of a senior in high school who is about to leave their family for a longer amount of time than they ever have in their lives. In this sense, not getting left behind means that wherever you go or whatever problem you might find yourself in, your family will always make the effort to support you in any way they can. In a real life scenario, this might look something like what led to the creation of this article: a post-midnight, wikipedia page search frenzy with your Dad and sister in an attempt to fit an entire high school experience into a kitschy theme about Disney programming of years past; eventually landing on making a listicle about Lilo and Stitch. Ohana indeed.
