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A student-run newspaper written by and for the students of Lahainaluna High School. Ka Lama Hawai'i regularly publishes student work on student life, education, and the community of Lahaina. I mua, Lunas! Ka Lama Hawai'i Burning the torch of excellence at both ends Student Life November 7, 2025 at 8:15:00 PM Growing Up on Campus Maturity and the Road to Graduation Ashlee Hufalar To reach their goals, students need more than talent. They need a change in mindset, how they approach their goals, and the responsibilities that come with all of this. Read More Traditions November 7, 2025 at 7:58:53 PM Replanting Our Legacy Kristina Meguro Queen Liliʻuokalani was here for Arbor Day and to witness one of Lahainaluna’s specialties: the throwing of poi. Read More History September 18, 2025 at 1:03:52 AM Ka Lama Hawaiʻi Then and Now Keyla Jimenez In 1834, only three years after the creation of Lahainaluna, its principal, Lorrin Andrews, started a student-run newspaper. Read More Traditions March 23, 2025 at 8:29:46 PM In the Nation's Spiritual Center Grayson Guzman Coleman Riddell Lā Kūʻokoʻa began on November 28th, 1843, commemorating political recognition of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s sovereignty. Read More Talk Story News Opinion: High Graduation, Low Excellence Lahainaluna believes in “excellence and equity in education,” but as our proficiency rates reach new lows, and the majority do not pass their AP exams, it’s time we turn this belief into something more. Students are being asked to strive for excellence, but can Lahainaluna provide it? As I previously reported in March of this year, “From the 2020-2021 to the 2023-2024 school years, Lahainaluna students' proficiency rates in math and reading dropped. Math declined from 14 pe Maui Prep Lawsuit Unfolds, Transferred Students Question School's Morality September 2nd 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawai’i filed a lawsuit against Maui Prep claiming that the school has engaged in unfair business practices and misrepresented its commitment to “Live Aloha,” while it excluded transgender students. Recently transferred Luna's from Maui Prep are questioning the school’s sustainability and morality. The ACLU of Hawaii Legal Director, Wookie Kim, states: “The school’s stance has no place here. Hawaiʻi has a long h Homecoming Week Competitiveness Creates Tension, Division Homecoming week began with the promise of friendly competition and shows of school spirit. It ended after a series of Social media posts, vandalism, and accusations. "We’ve never held hands" It's important to acknowledge what your feelings are in a relationship. Student Life & Academics 11/7/25 Growing Up on Campus Maturity and the Road to Graduation Ashlee Hufalar To reach their goals, students need more than talent. They need a change in mindset, how they approach their goals, and the responsibilities that come with all of this. Read More 11/7/25 In the Nation's Spiritual Center Lahainaluna’s Annual Celebration of Lā Kūʻokoʻa Grayson Guzman Coleman Riddell Lā Kūʻokoʻa began on November 28th, 1843, commemorating political recognition of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s sovereignty. Read More 11/7/25 Replanting Our Legacy Boarders Replant Liliʻuokalani's Famous Palm Kristina Meguro Keiko Wegner Queen Liliʻuokalani was here for Arbor Day and to witness one of Lahainaluna’s specialties: the throwing of poi. Read More 9/30/25 Haunted Halls The Haunted History of Lahainaluna Kristina Meguro Stories of the supernatural are unsurprisingly common among students and staff at Lahainaluna. Read More 9/30/25 The Fair is Back Remembering the Past, Facing the Future Grayson Guzman The Maui County fair is back for the first time since 2019. Lunas past and present identify with the fair... Read More 9/30/25 In the end, we’re on the same island Spirit, Silence, and Conflict Ashlee Hufalar To many students, school spirit has come to represent more than simple rivalry. Read More More Student Life and Academics Articles We LHS Staff Sports The Back Page Social Media Updates Join our community on Instagram

< All Candidates Ashlee Hufalar Secretrary ⭐ PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES: Do you have ideas regarding how to provide development opportunities to students (i.e. college fairs, scholarships, and campus policies to promote clubs and student involvement)? If so, explain: I personally believe that more chances for experimental education would provide students with development opportunities by allowing them to engage in hands on, real world learning experiences. Through experimental education, students are able to learn beyond the traditional classroom lecturing style. This is implemented through lab experiments, school trips, building projects, and even clubs like Robotics. I think that more opportunities like this would enhance the engagement and understanding of certain subjects, and it could also make learning the material more enjoyable because individuals would be actively involved instead of just sitting down and taking notes. Of course, experimental education varies and there are many different ways to integrate it, but in a lot of situations it does help to both practice and improve skills. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? The school events I consider important are club fairs, spirit week, and social events such as prom and sport tournaments. Starting off, club fairs are typically in the beginning of the year and it is used to promote clubs and provide students with an idea of what each club has to offer. I think that this event is really important, especially for new students who want to get involved in clubs but are unsure on how to get started or which clubs would interest them. There are so many opportunities clubs have to offer, and club fairs allow students to get more informed on those opportunities. Spirit week is another event I deem as important because it brings everyone together and it encourages students to express themselves. Dressing up for spirit week allows individuals to showcase who they are and it also builds bonds through things like similar outfits, dress up idea exchanges, etc. Lastly, sport tournaments and prom are also great events that connect students. With social events such as those, everyone is able to gather, socialize, and connect through shared experiences. PARKING: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what changes would you want to make on the parking and car policy? I am aware that our current parking lot experiences a lot of traffic due to people getting dropped off and picked up while students are simultaneously parking or trying to get out. In order to handle this, I would try to talk with administration to get security that can help manage the flow of traffic and ensure the overall safety of students. Also, if possible, I would like to pave the dirt lot into parking stalls in order to make things more organized, however I do know that project would be pricey. ENVIRONMENT: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what changes would you want to make to the appearance, cleanliness, or safety on campus? I believe that the cleanliness, appearance, and safety of our campus is essential and something to be maintained and monitored. One specific area that needs improvement is the overall sanitation of our school bathrooms. While we are provided with the essentials such as toilet paper and soap, a lot of the bathrooms are generally just not clean. I would like to advocate for some remodels to be done as well as regular cleaning of the bathrooms so that students feel comfortable in a well maintained area. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? Our current phone policy is mainly up to the teachers and staff; some teachers allow you to have your phone during class, while others do not. During class when there is work to be done, I believe that phones should not be used. While some students are able to avoid their phone and complete their work, in most cases phones can become a big distraction. However, there are some special cases where I do think a student should be able to use their phone in class. For example, if there is an emergency and they need to contact someone or if the class is more of a make up day and the student has completed all of their work. Of course though, it really depends on the teacher and the class, and the expectations the teachers have for their students. I for sure do believe though that students should have the freedom to use their phones outside of class, as it is important for communication purposes. SCHOOL LUNCH: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what would you do to improve the quality of student lunches? I know there are a lot of mixed opinions regarding the school lunches. I feel that students should be able to express their thoughts on the servings and food provided. I know that several other council candidates have mentioned a feedback system, and I think that would be great! However, I do think that it is important we all work together--students and staff--to figure out what works best for the benefit of everyone. The school has to ensure there are servings for everyone, and it is important that whatever changes are made are practical for the entire school community. Previous Next

< Back What Can Student Council Do? Between Aspirations and Impact Jersea Borneman Student Government May 1, 2025 at 1:00:05 AM Lucia Mejia is the current Treasurer for the sophomore class. She can often be seen firing up students and stoking their school spirit. She gives motivational speeches to her classmates and encourages student participation at assemblies by throwing candy to students. Earlier in the year, Mejia and sophomore president Brianne Lazago decided to take on the task of getting better school lunches. They did this by creating a petition to be presented in a meeting with Maui County. While the ultimate impact of the petition is unknown, Mejia is hopeful. She says that she hopes “to make more strides forward with this movement considering this does affect our student’s tremendously.” Mejia was elected in April to a second term as Treasurer next year. Lucia and others are trying their best in Student Council, though some students may not know what they are doing or how they are doing it. Emma Batson says “They’re saying they're gonna communicate with us.” Yet, she adds, “I've never heard any of them coming around, talking to any of us, getting our opinions on things, asking us.” When asked what students do for our school freshman, Lyric Austin says “I don’t know, like, put together assemblies?” Austin feels “they are kind of important,” but “not really cause there are no fun events.” Mejia has faith that “Student council plays a key role in enhancing the school experience and promoting a positive environment.” One way they do this, she said, is by planning events for students like assemblies. Assemblies, Mejia pointed out, cost money. “As Treasurer,” she said, “I have access to our funds, what we do with our money, writing receipts for payments and keeping records of where our money goes.” These funds are used for events like spirit week: “as Treasurer my council and I have full power to purchase necessary supplies.” Freshman Kalea Markulis says she ran for historian this year to “help out the council and contribute to making the school better.” The role of Historian is to take pictures and run the Council’s social media accounts. In her role, Markulis plans to “make sure that all class and school events are advertised” so that everyone feels “like they want to participate because it will be fun.” “...they can't really pass laws and regulations…” “A lot of students don’t realize how much their student council can do,” says senior Bryson Aquino. “Most of the class councils have a lot of funds and money from the fire so they basically can afford to do whatever they propose. They can do anything,” he added, “as long as it is approved by Carosso.” Here is where things get complicated. “Student Council is like the Congress” said Principal Richard Carosso. “They're like the senators and congressmen.” However, he added that the Student Council is “not necessarily the legislative branch, because they can't really pass laws and regulations, but they are the representative branch of school governance.” This means that if the Student Council chose to change the school’s phone policy they would have to bring their ideas to either the students activities coordinator or Principal Richard Carosso. They could be turned down in both cases. Nicole Heinlein points to the legal system outside of the school as an explanation for the limits of students creating new rules. “We do have state laws that we need to uphold,” she said, “and so those (school) rules would need to fall within the state and federal laws.” Within the school, new rules “would need to be agreed upon by administration and maybe a democratic process.” “I have no problem with the Student Council coming and saying, ‘Hey, what about this idea?’ Or ‘what about this idea?’ Because we're adults, and we've been used to running schools a certain way,” said Carosso, who admitted that sometimes students may only have the power to make suggestions. When asked about Mejia and Lagazo’s recent petition for better school lunch he said “I can't do a lot to change lunch. And if I can't do a lot, then, you know, kids can't.” We were not able to do anything about this because “we are currently sort of restricted by the federal programs that help make lunch affordable for kids.” “...what our students are saying…” The role of the Students Council seems to be making sure that student voices and concerns are heard. The power to do something about those concerns, however, belongs to the adults. “Our focus going into next year is to look to the students more and to kind of get that input from for students.” Says Carosso. Getting more student voice will help “better solicit student voice and to better organize our campus around what our students are saying.” Heinlein agrees and recommends that Council members “gather ideas from other students and come up with some solutions and bring those ideas to administration. Then we could work together to come up with some solutions to create policies for the school.” There could be a problem with hearing student voices though because sometimes students don’t speak. As an anonymous junior noticed, “the junior class isn’t as involved as we could be.” This is an issue because “If there was more involvement we could make big changes for our school.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Jersea Borneman is a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.

Lahainaluna believes in “excellence and equity in education,” but as our proficiency rates reach new lows, and the majority do not pass their AP exams, it’s time we turn this belief into something more. Students are being asked to strive for excellence, but can Lahainaluna provide it? As I previously reported  in March of this year, “From the 2020-2021 to the 2023-2024 school years, Lahainaluna students' proficiency rates in math and reading dropped. Math declined from 14 percent to 5 percent, and reading from 57 percent to 28 percent.” Curiously, these drops have shown no significant effect on our students' ability to graduate. Between the 2020-21 and 2023-24 school years, our high school completion rates have barely changed. In the 2020-21 school year 95.5 percent of students completed high school, and in the 2023-24 school year 92.9 percent completed high school. Our proficiency rates have now reached the single digits while year by year there has been little difference in how many students are completing high school. Graduation rates have shown no difference despite all the evidence that they should. This fact implies that graduates who are not proficient in core subjects have moved on, unprepared, to higher education. Over time, it seems like we have begun to accommodate the low scores each year brings. Excellence through education cannot be asked for because an environment for growth has not been created. As Lucia Mejia reported earlier this year, the issue extends to our most advanced students: in all but one subject, the majority failed their AP exam. In 2024 only 33.9 percent of Lahainaluna AP test takers passed. It’s clear that even though students sign up for more challenging work, most have not been prepared to apply the rigor AP asks for, or the work asked from them does not meet AP standards. Lack of standards in students' education results in them lacking an understanding of the content, making it generally harder for students who want to achieve more. All this can only result in students being unprepared for their education, not only in high school, but beyond. Authors Andrea Venezia and Laura Jaeger found this experience to be shared, stating how “far too many students enter college without the basic content knowledge, skills, or habits of mind needed to perform college-level work successfully” (2). Eric P. Bettinger and Bridget Terry Long further expand this, explaining how while two-thirds of recent graduates enter college every year, many aren’t prepared for the rigor higher education requires, at times resulting in students being expelled. This is the future for Lahainaluna students if we do not find a solution. Solutions start here, with standards. Students need to be proficient in core subjects when they enter college. Based on the numbers, Lahainaluna clearly falls under this description. We can only escape this description by having more rigorous standards for the education we give our students. Expecting work from students that shows proficiency and understanding is the result of being given work that is thoughtful and based on deep expertise in a subject. Our current grade inflation, that allows students who lack proficiency in subjects to move onto more advanced thinking, does not promote proficiency. Venezia and Jager further support this , stating that adequate preparation “should take a systemic, comprehensive approach to provide students with both academic and nonacademic resources and opportunities” (16) such as “integrating academics with comprehensive support, so that students are prepared to be successful in college” (16). Implementing standards will prove to be difficult. If we create greater standards, it’s not realistic to fail everybody who does not meet proficiency. This only forces us to solve the core issue: Most of our students are failing proficiency in core subjects. We need to reevaluate how we teach in order to find a solution to a system that has proven flaws. Lahainaluna believes “that the commitment to continuous improvement is imperative, to enable students to become confident, self-directed lifelong learners.” Despite this, grades are inflated. Leaving most graduates lacking proficiency in core subjects, and a majority of our “advanced” students failing their AP exams. Is our school committed to improvement, or a failing system? It’s clear that a “commitment to continuous improvement” should not only relate to our students, but to the education we provide them.

September 2nd 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawai’i filed a lawsuit against Maui Prep claiming that the school has engaged in unfair business practices and misrepresented its commitment to “Live Aloha,” while it excluded transgender students. Recently transferred Luna's from Maui Prep are questioning the school’s sustainability and morality. The ACLU of Hawaii Legal Director, Wookie Kim, states: “The school’s stance has no place here. Hawaiʻi has a long history of embracing gender-diverse people. He adds that by excluding transgender students while claiming to ‘live aloha,’ Maui Prep is misusing Hawaiian values to create the false appearance of inclusivity.” Hula and Hawaiian language teacher, Kumu Eva Palakiko thinks similarly that “it’s not our job to judge anybody and we welcome everyone with open arms and we are here to love, to nurture, and support all of our students and our Ohana.” The controversy began in December of 2024 when Maui Prep, a private school in West Maui which hosts students from Preschool to 12th Grade, enacted a new school policy targeting transgender students. The policy prohibited transgender students from playing on sports teams, using facilities, rooming with, or using restrooms with students of the same gender. Before filing this suit, the ACLU of Hawaii sent two demand letters for Maui Prep to explain the misconduct. They said that the new policy violates state law, HRS § 368D-1, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity, sex, and sexual orientation in state educational programs or educational programs that receive state funding. In mid-December, the policy was softened due to public backlash. They removed a requirement to control studentsʻ dress and lessened the prohibition on the use of pronouns according to their biological sex. ACLUʻs September lawsuits names nine-year-old Jane Poe, a former Maui Prep student, and her parents as plaintiffs. As of the ACLU’s April press release, the policy appeared to be aimed only at Poe, the only openly transgender student at the school. Then in third grade, she had attended Maui prep since preschool and had openly lived as a girl since the age of five. She has now been forced to withdraw from the school by her family to prevent “daily humiliation and stigma.” “I think many [transgender] students just feel singled out since they are the ones that are being affected by these rules," claimed a current freshman who spent 2 years at Maui Prep, and requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal. It's like "they are saying that they can’t go to the school or act like that there,” they continued. The policy “affected them [Maui Prep] majorly because a lot of people see that rule and they're like I don't want my kids going there.” Asked at the beginning of the 25-26 school year, Ka Lama staff found out that 7-10 students from the Maui Prep system joined the freshman class this year, but students' reasons are unknown. It was not possible to find numbers for any other grade level. A Sophomore who recently transferred from Maui Prep, and wished to remain anonymous, thinks that the lawsuit is “causing a lot of people to like not go there anymore, a lot of people left.” According to a spring 2025 feature article by Brianne Lagazo, Maui Prep is understaffed as 17 teachers and faculty, 4 preschool teachers, and their College Counselor left this school year. One student who transferred to Lahainaluna this year for reasons outside of the controversy felt that the policy “was a sort of unnecessary added drama that makes the school look pretty bad… I didn't really know anyone personally that was even part of that community.” “It's very disheartening to see something like that happen at my former school” comments Senior Aiko (Ari), who attended Maui Prep from 3rd-7th grade. “I believe the parents have the absolute right to sue Maui Prep...Especially when it's against a very marginalized group of people.” Abut identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and thinks that if sheʻd known at the time “and I had that support, then I’d obviously feel a lot more comfortable at that age. Now, just having support in general, regardless of what community you are part of, is very liberating.”

Homecoming week began with the promise of friendly competition and shows of school spirit. It ended after a series of Social media posts, vandalism, and accusations that caused tensions and division among the students across grade levels, leading some students to ask: when does competition and rivalry become unfriendly?   “A Small Dis” Conflict began when posts on social media from multiple people questioned who the “real” competitors were between the grade levels. One notable post declared “the only competition is just the sophomores and juniors.” The poster responsible stated that their purpose was not to cause harm but to “recruit other people for dance fever.” Nevertheless,  according to junior class president, Brianne Lagazo, the controversy began to “take away the purpose of homecoming which was to be fun and make it enjoyable for our class and officers.” It created a “toxic atmosphere” all homecoming week, she added. After going viral among the students, one of the posts appeared in the real world when seniors printed it out and gave copies to the judges and the audience, and dramatically ripped up a copy during the event. Since the controversy, students have debated whether or not this was the correct way the seniors could have handled the situation.  Senior Ofa Sulunga didn’t think it was out of line as “it was just a small dis, nothing too harsh” and that “they weren’t spouting hateful comments towards whoever made the post or anything.” Junior Jenna Basto thinks that what the seniors have done “should have been more optimistic.” Yet, she understands where the seniors are coming from, considering “they were probably offended.”  Sophomore vice president Grayson Guzman agrees. “I understand where they are coming from, but for sure could have been handled better.” Freshmen president Seilala Samisoni states that the freshmen dance fever team  wasn’t affected by the negative posts. Instead, “we just thought about having fun.” To the freshman dancers, she claims, “it was not a competition.” The Mystery of the Vandalized Poster Social media posts were not the only cause of tension during homecoming. At some point during the week, an anonymous person or persons vandalized a banner hung up by the junior class. This resulted in more confusion and finger pointing. Some have suspected that the vandal belongs to the senior class as they wrote “class of 2026” on the poster in addition to “really inappropriate and hostile messages,” as Ashlee Hufalar, sophomore secretary, describes.  Lagazo states that although her class was calling the seniors out, she “cannot definitively say that it was someone from the senior class who did it.” The only thing she is sure about is that the incident “shows how much people refuse to take accountability for their actions.” “I put a lot of effort into the decorations and for someone to vandalize it so easily,” Lagazo said in frustration.  Candy? Anyone? Several students also reported candy being thrown aggressively at students. Sophomore Ayden Elaydo states that one of the candies “hit one of our people holding posters.” Hufalar was informed from a junior that seniors were “throwing jolly ranchers at the juniors.” ”It wasn’t necessarily good intentioned,” she said. Although many people are always throwing candy during the performances, Elaydo believes that the seniors did mean it and that they weren’t joking around. “By the look of their faces” he states, “I know they meant it.” Same Song, Different Grade Raising tensions even higher, juniors at some point began blaming the sophomores (and vice versa) for copying the songs they were going to dance to during dance fever. “People said we copied them,” Elaydo said, but “we had no idea what their song mashup was.” Because of this, juniors suggested that the sophomores change their songs but Elaydo stated that it was too late.  “We had a due date for the songs,” he said.  Past Dance Fevers Micah Kawaguchi-Ailetcher, a  drawing and painting teacher, graduated in the class of 2002. She states that in her year, there were always feelings of competition during Dance Fever. They would call it “Coed Cheerleading.” She explains that this was important as classes built a sense of “class comradery through dissing the other classes,” she added. However, she thinks new technology and access to printers has probably worsened the sense of competition. Lagazo states that “it only takes one person to see that post and screenshot it. Next thing you know, one-hundred people are talking about it on campus.” “... a friendly competition" People really did try to make homecoming "a friendly competition,” claims senior Kelani Lisseth Gonzalez Gonzalez. Other students did bad things, "so it made us students look really bad,” she added.  Lagazo sums it up, stating that even though it happened, the only thing we can take from this is “learn from it, move forward.”