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The students of the Lahainaluna Band & Choir (BAC) held their annual winter concert on Saturday, December 13. This year, the winter concert featured three ensembles: concert choir, concert band, and symphonic band, who all performed new sets of holiday-themed songs after rehearsing for only a month and a half. They usually need to rehearse for two months or more. The director of the BAC, Jalen “Mr. B” Baraoidan, described the challenge. “We had 4-6 songs per group but only had 6 rehearsals to prepare.” Students use their personal time in order to attend rehearsals because “not every kid in band or choir is in the class… trying to hit that balance between those who are in the class versus not in the class… and to get them caught up is challenging within a short amount of rehearsals.” Another big challenge was the song list, which featured unique, harmonic, and newly introduced melodies. Nevertheless, the concert band students were pleased with many songs. They talked about “Serengeti Dreams” by Robert W. Smith, and the majority of the symphonic band members said “March Chagu Chagu” by Satoshi Yagisawa was their favorite piece. Most of the choir members said that they enjoyed the harmonic song list and didn’t have a single favorite, but “Katakataka” by Santiago Suarez, arranged by Donald Dilley, might be the most liked. Precious “Zen” Pante, a junior and president of the BAC, is in all three ensembles. She is also a student conductor who conducted two concert band pieces for the winter concert. Pante worried about her performance, noting how conductors influence the band through their stature. During the performance, she said she worried about her self-presentation and wanted to seem “a lot more confident.” Yet, Pante says she was able to pull through the concert and presented herself as confident as a conductor should be. The time crunch was only worsened by the number of new pieces presented to the BAC this year. Senior Thrisean Japh “TJ” Lorenzo compared this year’s lineup to past winter concerts and notes that “the pieces are much more mellow in difficulty but there is a plentiful amount.” When they perform throughout the year, the ensembles wear their formal attire. During the winter concert, though, they add a holiday twist. Students donned Santa hats, reindeer antlers, and elf ears. Brielle Ramelb, a freshman and a first-year in band, said, “I feel like it gives us more freedom to express Christmas and the holidays.” Baraoidan added that the winter-related additions make everyone “very enthusiastic, cheehoo!” In addition, the officers of the BAC decided to decorate the audience railings this year. They arrived early that day and wrapped garlands, taped bows, and added a bow to Baraoidan’s podium. To Kelani Gonzalez-Gonzalez, a senior, the decorations were festive. “It’s Christmas!” she exclaimed, adding that these touches are what makes the concert special. Before and during the concert, Baraoidan repeated his need to give credit to the students who are “working really hard… I hope people come to our concert to see that, see how much they’ve grown. People take it for granted, in my opinion.” “Come to the winter concert!!” said Ramelb, adding, “Although this is gonna be published after.” If you couldn’t make it to the concert, the videos of the winter concert are up on the Lahainaluna Band and Choir YouTube Channel: @lhsmusic1

Lahainaluna High School held its annual Kalikimaka Craft Fair on Saturday, December 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Boarder’s Field. The event brought together students, families and local vendors for a day of food, entertainment, and holiday shopping. The fair also served as a major fundraiser for Papa Hula o Lahainaluna, which is raising money for a cultural exchange trip to New Zealand in March 2026. This year’s fair was the first one organized by Papa Hula advisor Kumu Ewa, who helped coordinate vendors, activities, and student-run booths. She explained that the event’s success depended on people coming together to support the school. “Anything that we do here at Lahainaluna can only be successful through community support, so everyone can thrive in our community,” she said. The funds raised will help Papa Hula travel to New Zealand, where students will learn through a cultural exchange and experience what it is like to be around native Māori speakers. According to Kumu Ewa, opportunities like this are rare and meaningful for students who want to deepen their cultural understanding. Papa Hula performer Mina Nagasako said she enjoyed seeing the fair bring people together. “I’m excited to see everyone share aloha and the community come together,” she said. Mina explained that the fair helps show what Papa Hula contributes to Lahaina. “This event is important because it puts our name out there and shows what we contribute to the community, which is our culture, and showing what aloha is,” said Nagasako, adding that it felt “really fulfilling” to see so many people show support. Many vendors participated, including Lahainaluna alumni. Nohili Hong, who graduated in 2019, sold her handmade clay pua kenikeni leis. She said events like this help keep the community connected. “I think it’s great to be a part of the community, especially in Lahaina.” Current students also joined as vendors. Cy Yasutake, president of the Lahainaluna Aloha Club, sold handmade Christmas ornaments like painted wooden designs and crocheted ornaments. He says, “I think events like this matter for Lahainaluna because it acts as an opportunity for our vendors to get together and make an impact.”   According to Yasutake, a significant number of  alumni participated. It was meaningful, he said,  “to see current students meet those who have made an impact on our school.” As the day went on, the fair offered live entertainment, food trucks, giveaways, and dozens of craft booths. Even though the event only lasted a few hours, it brought the community together in a strong way and helped Papa Hula move closer to their 2026 New Zealand trip.

Jean Martin Alternado’s “Kids in The Cafe” (5/13/24) points out the pros and cons of having classes in the cafe here at Lahainaluna High School. At one point he includes a 2021 Study by Hansen and Quintero that reported that for every teacher’s absence, students have a reduced 3% chance of not taking the course information. Yet, overall, the article seems to suggests that most students favored being in the Cafe as a way to have a study hall. Those opinions have come from just a handful of students whilst the article does mention that so many students spend time in the cafe not doing their course work. From data gathered on the 2022-23 Smarter Balanced Test, Lahainaluna has been scoring below the national average with most students scoring in the 30% percentile. As of 2022-2023 U.S News has reported that at Lahainaluna only 84% of enrolled students end up graduating; for the 1,037 students enrolled at the school only 871 would graduate. With an increased amount of teacher absences, classes are increasingly held in the cafeteria and are given online materials rather than in-person instruction. The information is conflicting in itself since a student-paced study hall in the cafe is determined by what the students do themselves. Classes in the cafe are not a reliable solution. The only solution to a part of the problem would have teachers accommodate big classes--but a lack of teachers is part of the reason why students are in the cafe. This solution would only be temporary as it would only increase the already heavy workloads of Lahainaluna’s teachers.

Dear Kaia, I wanna try out for football season next year. I am a girl and I am worried that next year I will be criticized by the boys. I am also nervous because I would love to do football but I barely know anything about football. What should I do? Puamana   Hi Puamana, You want to join the football team, which is great! It’s important that you are one hundred percent committed when doing this sport. Football requires very hard training. You need to make sure you are fully committed so that you can do your best. The best thing to do is to watch some videos about football. If you are wondering what the positions are, they depend on your body size, mobility, and the coach's preference. Football has a spot for everyone, including you. Now, if you are big(ger), you will most likely have a lineman position. If you are fast and medium-to-large, you might be a linebacker. If you are small(er) and fast, you probably would be a wide receiver, running back, or corner back. For almost all these positions, you must know how to read your plays and apply them in the game. You should watch and study these positions or study at least the basics of football. You should also watch football games, whether they are school games or NFL games; watching football will help you a lot when trying to learn it. And when it comes to you being worried about the boys criticizing, you shouldn't care about what the boys say. When it comes to your tryouts or the training, prove to them that you should be there with them. And if you do the training and find that you don't like it and it's not for you, then that's completely fine. All in all, study and watch football. It helps if it's your own NFL team or high school team so it gets you interested and involved with what you're watching. Lastly, don’t let the boys make you nervous or worry you. Just focus on the actual game and training. Sincerely, Kaia

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.”

Dear kaia, My name is In Love Lana, and my boyfriend and I have been seeing each other for five years now and we’ve never held hands, hugged, or kissed. WHAT DO I DO!!! I love my boyfriend so much and I know he loves me too. I really just don’t know if I can keep going without him showing me affection. How do I bring this up without ruining my 5 year relationship??? Please help me. Hi Lana ,  It sounds like you love your boyfriend a lot and you want affection. You seem upset because he isn’t giving you any.  It seems like you love him and want his affection, and that's okay. It's important to acknowledge what your feelings are in a relationship. Affection is an important thing to want in a romantic relationship especially if it has been going on for a long time. The best approach to this situation is to have an open conversation, an honest one where you tell your boyfriend how you feel. It would be best if you chose someplace you both feel safe and comfortable. To start the conversation you should tell him how much you love and appreciate him and the relationship that you two share. Once you both are comfortable in the conversation you should tell him gently how you have been feeling about the lack of affection. You also need to listen to his side of the story too. He may not want physical affection because he could have other ways to show you his love. He also may have other reasons, but that is why you two should have a conversation.  Once you have finished talking about how you both feel, you should come to a middle ground or a compromise that fits what both of you need.  Make sure you continue to converse and talk about each other's needs and wants.  Overall, make sure you both are comfortable with what you both need and that you always talk to each other if you have troubles. If you do that, you both will continue to grow in your relationship.

On September 10, the Lahainaluna Band & Choir held an induction ceremony at the Samuel M. Kamakau Library for 26 members, marking the return of the Tri-M Music Honor Society after 61 years. Most students at Lahainaluna High School get recognition through academic or athletic honor societies. Organizations such as the National Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, or the National Spanish Honor Society are formally recognized societies that can help prepare students for college and provide unique leadership and service opportunities. For the first time since 1964, Lahainaluna will add a music honor society to the lineup. The Tri-M Music Honor Society is a program of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Tri-M was founded by Alexander Harley and his wife in 1936 at Maine Township High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. Before being called Tri-M, it was called the “Maine Music Masters,” but the name was later changed in 1983. The Tri-M Music Honor Society is the sole national honor society for student musicians and performers in the United States. There are over 2,100 chapters across all 50 states. Lahainaluna High School was originally affiliated with a Tri-M chapter in 1964, but the reason behind the loss of that connection is unknown. Tri-M advisor and Lahainaluna High School Band and Choir director, Mr. Baraoidan, explains that the society “can highlight the students who work really hard, and, going the extra mile for our program will benefit how they are seen. Students can show it by their academics, behavior, and music ability.” “I think future members of Tri-M can find this program to be beneficial to their leadership skills. Being in Tri-M means to also carry the responsibility of setting a good example within the music program,” said Precious “Zen” Pante, Band & Choir and Tri-M President. Kristina Meguro, Band & Choir and Tri-M Vice President, added that, “Being in an honor society is something that should strengthen and set higher expectations for our community and members of the band.” According to the NAfME website, Tri-M has more than 84,000 students from grades 6 through 12 who collectively contribute over 750,000 service hours to their communities annually. It offers opportunities for students who have proven their musical and academic potential, such as leadership development, scholarships, and community engagement. Tri-M member Jeremy Langaman explained, “I think community service is important as it's a way to get Tri-M more known to the community and get more people interested.” He added, “It also helps build skills like leadership and teamwork.” “Students deserve all the accolades they work for, and Tri-M will help with that,” Mr. Baraoidan said regarding the members.

This school year, student council members are navigating a new system with a combined poʻokela class, a change that has brought both improved communication and new challenges for students trying to manage their academic workload. Starting this school year, all student council and ASB members—excluding freshmen—were put into the same poʻokela class, instructed by the Student Activities Coordinator, Auntie Cass Jacinto. This system is relatively new, and class discussions revolve mostly around council priorities. “It's absolutely different, but I personally enjoy the time to meet together to plan,” says ASB vice president Lake Tavernese. Junior class president Brianne Lagazo has similar feelings and enjoys “having poʻokela with my council.” In poʻokela, she says, “I can communicate better in person rather than online and only having meetings during lunch.” According to several council members, including sophomore Vice President Grayson Guzman, this change was implemented so that ASB students wouldn’t need to give up a class for leadership. Last year, there was a lack of ASB signups, and Tavernese explained that “people did not have room in their schedule for the leadership class and therefore were not signing up.” A More Productive Class Many council members like the new change, as they find it enhances communication and makes planning more efficient. Lagazo likes that the council can “communicate better and get things done in a timely manner.” Similarly, Mina Nagasako, the junior class Secretary, feels “more productive,” as all the council members together in one po’okela lets everyone “create better ideas and it makes it mandatory for us to be present.” “We’re all there instead of hosting meetings and having people not show up,” said ASB President, Kelani Gonzalez, who also notices the council getting more involved. She thinks the period helps them plan and organize things easier. Po’okela helps “keep us on track with our activities and whatever we have planned,” Guzman notes. A Time Crunch Reactions aren’t completely positive, however, and some students note that they've lost the opportunity to work on other assignments and other things they need to complete. The entirety of the class, they claim, is taken up with discussions about campus events, assembly plans, and other council activities. “Our time that we have to do our po’okela work is limited,” Guzman mentions. After StuCo business, he says, “we got around 10 minutes or less to ourselves to do work for po’okela.” “So far it feels like there’s very little time for it,” said Tavernese about the PTP assignments that students would usually work on during poʻokela period. PTP, or Personal Transition Plan, requires the completion of certain material for a portfolio—and it’s a requirement needed to graduate. This has a particular impact on seniors, says Tavernese, as many were “unaware of what PTP they had to accomplish and need it all done by the end of the semester.” Gonzalez agrees: “there’s 3 grade levels and we all have different things to do,” emphasizing that seniors have a lot going on. Especially with senior project, PBA’s, and graduate preparations, she added. Freshmen Feeling Left Out “I'd look at my GroupMe, and then I'd look at my HowAbout, which is just a calendar that I'm in with the rest of the student councils,” says Freshman council candidate Harana Peralta. These are the two main resources freshman council members use to stay informed and connected. Because the freshman council isn’t included in the same po’okela as other council members, they mainly get their information through online communication and occasional lunch meetings. This seems to be going okay so far, though the freshmen do miss out a little since they aren’t involved in council discussions during poʻokela. “I don't know how much the freshmen are caught up with us. Since they're separate, it might be hard to keep them up to date,” says Nagasako. When freshman Brielle Ramelb was asked if she felt like she understood what the council was currently working on, she said “I think so—sometimes,” before adding “not really, though, since we're freshman, so I don't get that much information.” She mentioned that it would help her feel more included by “having better communication with the other councils like other than Groupme.” “While they do miss a lot of important discussions, they are still filled in,” Lagazo asserted. Monthly meetings show the freshman council what is being planned. Tavernese says this should “hopefully keep them up to date for most of the year.” Guzman notes, however, that “we need to work more on prioritizing the important information” when it comes to those meetings. He explained that in the last meeting with freshmen, they got “sidetracked” with less important plans. What This Can Accomplish for Student Council Challenges aside, there is quite a bit of evidence that the new leadership po’okela has given the council more opportunities to be actively engaged with each other. Sophomore Eli Hegrenes has noticed a difference on social media where StuCo has “been a lot more active.”

Compared to previous years, the cafeteria has been busy, says Cafeteria Manager John Alexander. It’s “almost back to before covid.”  The reason that lunch is back? Itʻs probably better food. This year, “the state has finally updated the menu.” Alexander notes. “So we're having some newer stuff.”  Yet, there’s a new problem: food waste.  The problem is not just that students waste the food on their trays. Students arenʻt picking up lunches that have been prepared for them, so the cafeteria staff must throw it away. Wasted lunch costs the school a lot of money. School lunches, Alexander said, have become 42% more expensive to make compared to costs in 2020. According to Alexander, the school pays for roughly $7,000.00 worth of food each week. When I interviewed him, he mentioned that he had just spent about $3,500.00 worth on just fresh vegetables and fresh produce, like fruits and vegetables. He was sad to say that during the first week of classes, “I threw away about $2,500 worth of product. These last couple weeks have been a lot better because more students are eating.”  “The biggest thing that's helpful,” said Alexander, “is if the students are just consistent in eating lunch.” “It is a bit concerning how much food goes to waste,” said Brianne Lagazo, junior class president. “I often think about the people out there who need food and there are some people who toss away food like it’s nothing.”    “...they have got some alfredo going on…” Last year, Lagazo’s Council helped to advocate for improved lunches in regards to portion size, physical appearance, (to make it more appealing or appetizing), and to implement local foods and local businesses to provide food more familiar to students.  In the fall of 2024, they organized leadership from every class to sign a formal letter to Don Saito, our menu committee member who represents Maui County Schools. Alexander commented that, “I do think it made a difference. I think it will continue to make a difference.” This year, new menu items like the grilled chicken pasta, orange chicken, and the chicken and cheese burrito, have students looking forward to eating at lunch. If there are more lunches like this, students say that they would eat more often.  Before the change, senior Alexander Romo says he “barely ate it at all.”  But now, with the new menu, “Imma eat it more,” he said. Students are generally commenting positively on the quality of school lunch since the menu change. In a recent Ka Lama  survey asking students to rate lunches such as the orange chicken and grilled chicken pasta, many students rated lunch highly.  Freshman Lily Hardy said, “I feel like last year's lunch (at Lahaina Intermediate) wasn't that good, but this year (at LHS) was definitely better.” Junior Keyla Jimenez agrees. “They've been better, honestly, like they have got some alfredo going on. It's definitely improved from last year.”   On a scale of 1-10, freshman Keely Benson rated the lunch 9.7. “Yeah, it was really good,” she added. Juniors Daren Bagusto, Dayson Duque, and Jireh Lunes rated the lunch, “10/10,” “100/10”, and “1,000,000/10” respectively.  While many are positive, some students still think there is room for improvement. Romo said, improving the quality of the dishes would encourage him to eat school lunch more. “ I know it's good now, but like it can always be better.” Along with that, multiple students remarked that if the lunch looked more appetizing, they would be more likely to eat it. Bagusto said “Just seeing the food that it improved. Better looking food you know better quality food.” Freshman Sasha Miller said the lunch was “Very bad–jk–itʻs okay.” She added, though, that “sacred hearts was better.”    Solutions? Several students have suggestions on how we could reduce our waste on our lunches.  Sophomore Ayden Elyado suggested “we could go back like (Lahaina) intermediate, we can have those compost bins and reuse them for like the soil and stuff.” Junior Liam Dagupion similarly said to “give it to like the animals, like composting and stuff.” According to Gretchen Losano, co-founder of West Maui Green Cycle at LIS, “instead of throwing everything away in trash bins, they sort drinks, food, plastics, cardboard trays, unused and unopened items, and non-recyclable trash. Food waste is then carried in buckets to the Zero Waste Station, where it is converted into compost.” Lagazo mentioned other ways to reduce student-driven food waste, such as having self-serve lunches and educating students more on the importance of reducing food waste.  Alexander thinks that knowing student preferences will ensure that the cafeteria and students waste less. “At some point in the school year, be honest with me,” he said. “Tell me the stuff that you like and the stuff that you don't like. Because that's ultimately, in my opinion, what's going to make the change.”

A sudden schedule change caused confusion for dozens of early college students in early August, threatening the cancellation of a core advanced placement class.  In an email sent August 5th to all sophomores enrolled in the Early College Program (EC program), Early College and Career Counselor Kristy Arakawa announced that a scheduling conflict had occurred with an early college course that required a sudden schedule change for 25 EC students. Hours later, the students were scattered into various classes they hadn't registered for.  EC students were taken out of various classes including electives and core classes to fix the scheduling conflict with the early college History Course, HIST 151, which had originally been scheduled for period three.  Ms. Zupancic, the Curriculum/Title 1 Coordinator, explains that the school uses Infinite Campus to make a schedule and that can create issues. She also added that the process is difficult since there’s someone who manually goes in to re-examine the schedule and “move the puzzle pieces around to make things work”. “I had to switch my band class with the HIST 151,” said EC student Jake Albiller.  “I wish they asked instead of just emailing us and dropping classes.” Following the schedule fixes, another EC student, who chose to remain anonymous, was put into two classes for period three. “Where am I supposed to go tomorrow?” they said at the time. “Do I not go to a class?” Maui Villanueva, a junior in the EC Program, says that she was pleased about the schedule change. Before the change, the HIST 151 course conflicted with a CTE course she had been taking since freshman year. Her schedule had a conflict that was actually resolved by the change.  An ELA 10 research class, AP Seminar, was particularly impacted. Ten out of the fifteen AP students enrolled were suddenly removed, leaving only five enrolled. AP Seminar requires a minimum of six students, so the class was set for cancellation.  Gisele Miller, an EC and AP Seminar student, was put into a general education ELA class to replace AP. After the switch, she was disappointed at the loss of AP as she was looking forward to using that class “to improve my skills for writing, researching, and working together with my classmates.” Fixed? Staff decided on a solution to the AP problem in a meeting the following day. They swapped the Hist 151 period with the AP Seminar period, saving the class from being cut. Yet, five students who weren’t part of the EC program continue to feel the effects.  Currently, AP has been moved to period 1, and Students like Erica Domogma, who was only enrolled in AP and not part of the EC program, was suddenly called to make a choice between Algebra 2 Honors, her period 1 class, and continuing on in AP Seminar in its new period. “If I kept those two classes, I would’ve had to switch my entire schedule,” she said. “That would confuse me since I already adapted to my schedule that was given before school started.” Christopher Apilado, an AP Seminar student in the same situation as Erica, also had to choose between AP Seminar and Algebra 2 Honors. Choosing Algebra 2 Honors would have meant he would be moved to general ed English to replace AP. Instead, he chose to keep AP because he feared that, in a general education class it would just “be like a review of what we’ve done in 9th grade honors.” Hanan Oleiwan, another AP Seminar student, says that although the change caused her Ceramics elective, AP, and Geometry to be altered, she thinks that the schedule change wasn't so bad since it only affected her and a small number of students.