Mariota inspires at Trinity High

EULESS, TEXAS » In the North Texas city of Euless (population 53,000), the Polynesian spirit lives in Trinity High School.

It can be found with lei at school ceremonies, students plucking ukulele in the hallways between classes, the Caucasian principal reading a statement in Tongan, and the football team performing the Sipi Tau chant before and after games.

And inspiration now comes from Hawaii-raised quarterback Marcus Mariota, the first Heisman Trophy winner of Polynesian ancestry. Mariota will lead Oregon in Monday’s national championship game.

"Mariota’s story is great," said Alekisio Kauti, a former Trojan football player who now teaches at Trinity. "It touched everybody here. We’ve all had that struggle. To see somebody like him, a Polynesian, rise up and fight through it … holding a trophy known to everybody, it’s awesome."

The Ducks are scheduled to practice at Trinity on Saturday.

"He means a lot to our students," Kauti said. "He shows if you work hard, anything can happen. The outcome can be a national champion."

Trinity principal Michael Harris said minorities account for the majority of the 2,400 students, but there is no majority group among the minorities.

"Once you sort through the verbiage, we have a very, very diverse campus," Harris said, noting there are more than 40 different home languages.

Trinity has about 100 students of Polynesian ancestry.

"It’s not this huge number of (Polynesian) students that we have, but they have a huge impact on campus," Harris said. "We don’t have a specific Polynesian day. Every day is Polynesian day around here. The family structure and the strong family bond, you sense and feel that a lot at Trinity. … We have that island time where it’s more laid back. It’s calm. It’s peaceful. The cultural influences are felt by everyone at Trinity."

Many Polynesian families moved to the Dallas metropolitan area to work for American Airlines. Euless is located near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The area is affordable, with a 1,500-square-foot house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms going for about $150,000.

In 2005, Trinity coaches watched the viral video of New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team performing the haka before matches. Trinity began practicing the haka, a Maori chant. With the University of Hawaii football team doing the haka before games, Trinity’s performances drew reflected attention. The Wall Street Journal, CBS Evening News and Huffington Post were among the news outlets that did stories on Trinity’s haka and Euless’ Polynesian population.

"The Polynesian culture certainly is a big part of us, and it’s the one that gets us notoriety," Harris said. "Reporters don’t come to any school in Texas to talk about the Hispanic population. Having that Polynesian population certainly is unique (in Texas)."

The Wall Street Journal article was accompanied by a then-vertical-haired Kauti performing the haka. Two years ago, Trinity switched to the Sipi Tau, a Tongan chant. The haka and Sipi Tau have the same intent.

"It wasn’t to scare anybody," Kauti said. "It was to let everyone know we were one."