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The Back Page Filter by Category Select Category Number of recipes found: 6 Painting A Step into the Mind of Peace A painting of a fountain that never existed. Painting How We Believe The World Sees Us In today's society with the growth of social media also comes higher beauty standards. Sculpture Panliligaw "The process where a man tries to woo a woman into dating, eventually leading to marriage." Painting Memory of the Disaster From a collection of pictures about the Lahaina wildfire. Philosophy The Downfall of Human Competence How AI Threatens Our Thinking Comics "A shame I had to deactivate her..." A comic short about love and androids.

< Back Panliligaw Lyndsay Sultan Sculpture The Work My theme is about Filipino courtship, called panliligaw . Panliligaw is the process where a man tries to woo a woman into dating, eventually leading to marriage. There are many different customs and disciplines that are part of Filipino tradition. Usually, the man tries to show his commitment by giving gifts, writing letters, and even performing harana. The woman remains disciplined, showing no emotion until the man demonstrates an act of true love. In my theme, I often showcase harana because it is very common, where the man sings to the woman outside her balcony or window. I chose this theme to highlight more of my culture. During an art comic project I created in my sophomore year, I watched a documentary about harana. I learned how older generations still remember the songs they sang to their significant others. However, they mentioned how panliligaw has largely faded because our generation is more reliant on technology. I wanted to illustrate the contrast between the past and present in Filipino courtship. The Harana The Harana project is made out of cardboard, modeling clay, ribbon, colored paper, and acrylic paint pen. I was trying to interpret how harana is shown as (without the balcony). I wanted to interpret how harana is shown. Fun fact, there is an option to have either one or two friends to play an instrument while the man can sing to the girl who he is courting. The harana project is made out of cardboard, modeling clay, ribbon, colored paper, and acrylic paint pen. I was trying to interpret how harana is shown as (without the balcony). I wanted to interpret how harana is shown. Fun fact, there is an option to have either one or two friends to play an instrument while the man can sing to the girl who he is courting. The Bulaklak Shop The Bulaklak shop is made out of cardboard, acrylic paint, air-dry clay, ribbons, and marker. I wanted to make this project to create a small replica of the flower shops in the Philippines. I traveled to the Philippines this summer and saw multiple bouquet shops stuffed with flowers. I decided to look more into the costs and the translation to have it put onto the display. The Bulaklak shop represents a good place to get flowers for the person you are going to court. The Aroma The Aroma is a project I made out of modeling clay, cardboard, ribbon, colored paper, paint, and an acrylic paint pen. I wanted to show a girl receiving a bouquet, which is one of the acts of Filipino courtship. I learned that it is one of the ways, and I wanted to show it in a little showcase box. She is leaning closer to the bouquet to smell the aroma. Maniligaw For this project, I decided to go back to using traditional clay. I used the pinch technique on most of the parts and blended them together. I added more clay to sculpt more of the head. I wanted to show the top part of the man wearing traditional clothing. I also wanted to use traditional clay to emphasize the “traditional” aspect. I aimed to create a head sculpture with the top part featuring the man’s traditional clothing. Online Ligaw I decided to make a present project showcasing how dating is now in the present. I used air-dry clay, watercolor paper, ribbon, cardboard, and acrylic paint. Online ligaw means online dating. I wanted to showcase the connection between two phones connecting across the earth, especially with the two points of view where the girl is talking during the day and the guy is talking at night. I was also trying to interpret what long-distance relationships are like. About the Creator I am a Lahainaluna student who strives to think outside the box. As an artist, I experiment with new mediums such as ceramics, drawing, painting, and more. I enjoy exploring different techniques to create art pieces with meaning, often showcasing that meaning indirectly through my work. My goal is to become an animator and share my culture with the world. Previous Next Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Send Email

< Back Ariel Pakela Cabrera Custodial Staff Ariel Pakela Cabrera is part of the custodial family at Lahainaluna. Soft-spoken and caring, Pakela, as he’s called, is a former Lahainaluna student who ensures the school grounds and classrooms are clean and that the environment is conducive to learning. One of his favorite memories from Lahainaluna is the lip sync battles. “Our class was pretty good, but we still lost to the seniors,” he laughed, adding that the seniors always seem to win due to their experience. Pakela has fond memories of the teachers at Lahainaluna. “The teachers made it fun. They were lenient but also made sure you got your work done and earned good grades,” he said. He recalled having good grades, with his highest GPA being around 3.6. “I was a naughty boy, but I did my work,” he admitted. Despite being a handful, he managed to complete his assignments and graduate. He reminisced about his freshman year, describing how large the school felt compared to the intermediate school. “I got lost all day. At one point, I sat in a class for about 10 minutes and wasn’t even supposed to be there,” he laughed, noting that the teacher didn’t notice his mistake. The most challenging part of Pakela’s job is dealing with “naughty kids” who create messes or graffiti. Additionally, he finds cutting and maintaining the grass to be a tedious task. Cleaning the cafeteria is also important to him, as he believes “kids need a clean environment to eat in.” Before the birth of his one-year-old daughter, Pakela enjoyed fishing for octopus and riding his dirt bike on weekends. Now, he prefers to spend time with her, saying, “I like to spend time with her the most.” He noted that, like him, his daughter is a handful. Pakela’s goal in life is to provide for his family. Pakela's message to Lahainaluna students is to “enjoy your high school years. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. There is no going back, only forward. So make the most of your high school years.” He explained that in high school, students don’t have to worry about adult responsibilities. “With school, you can miss a day or two, but with work, you gotta go to work.” His hope for Lahainaluna is to see “all the kids enjoying life and finishing off strong.” “This is mainly why we do it,” he said, referring to himself and the other staff on campus. “We do it for the kids here.” Trinity Guiza is a staff writer at Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back What Can Student Council Do? Copy link Between Aspirations and Impact Jersea Borneman May 1, 2025 at 1:00:05 AM Student Government Previous Article Next Article 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.” Jersea Borneman is a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< All Candidates Lake Tavernese President ⭐ 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: My main idea to promote student led activities would be to start a volunteer program where students can use their time during lunch and/or after school to assist in a campus cleanup to make our campus cleaner and safer. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? If I was elected into the student council the main school events I would deem most important would be graduation, senior ball, and senior luau. These are the most impactful events the senior stuco hosts almost every year and I find it very important to plan these events to make our final year of high school as memorable as possible. 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 do believe that the parking situation is very out of hand, my plan would be to talk to admin about regularly enforcing the parking pass policy in which the punishment for parking in the main student lot would be a detention hour. Students pay for the parking pass and they should be secure in the fact that if they arrive at school on time, there will be a spot for them to park. 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? If I was elected as class president I would start organizing student led clean-up crews during lunch periods or after school. If possible, I could also communicate with admin and see if these campus clean-ups can also be used to get rid of detention hours as a way to incentivise students. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? I wouldn't change the policy much, I believe that if the student is being productive or has all work done they should be allowed to have downtime on their phone; as many teachers allow. SCHOOL LUNCH: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what would you do to improve the quality of student lunches? For school lunches I would improve them by seeing if we could lead a school wide fundraiser to allow for more funding towards school lunches specifically. If our school had a large budget set aside with the sole intention being to improve the food quality the produce and meat used could go up in quality and encourage more students to eat lunch daily. Previous Next

< Back A Step into the Mind of Peace Cath Apilado Painting The Work When I was painting it, I wanted to paint a fountain, I guess. I was looking through Pintarest to find inspiration--to see how people painted fountains. I found one. There was grass, like in my fountain picture, but the Pintarest fountain was nothing like what I painted--it was a different kind of fountain. I used watercolor because I like painting with watercolors. I painted a butterfly because I like butterflies. And I guess I just like painting nature stuff. About the Creator Cath Apilado is a sophomore at Lahainaluna High School. She has been painting for 8 years, but she sees painting only as a hobby right now. Cath's favorite kind of media is watercolor and her favorite color is purple. Previous Next Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Send Email

< All Candidates Lucia Mejia Treasurer ⭐ 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 believe that providing development opportunities for students is vital for not only their academic growth, but also their personal growth. Students need to be further informed on college and career opportunities. I feel that hosting college fairs on our campus will inspire more student initiative because it will be an easily accessible opportunity for them to learn about colleges and what they offer. Currently (that I know of) there is only one college fair offered to all grade levels by our school and it is not during school hours at Kamehameha Schools Maui which is at least an hour away from Lahaina. Another opportunity that may provide more college and career readiness is mentorship programs for all grade levels. If we can establish opportunities for internship or job shadowing students will have firsthand experience which may help them prepare for their future. Thirdly, providing more literacy to financial support, scholarships, etc. is so important to students wanting to apply to college. We need to ensure that financial barriers do not hinder students involvement and ability to attend college. Lastly, promoting clubs and student involvement is so important for our students and campus overall. Implementing campus policies that require or strongly advise in joining a club will encourage involvement. Promoting clubs through events open to anyone whether in the specified club or not may allow for students to get a feel for how the club works and whether they would be interested in joining or not. Leadership workshops also foster skills for students wanting to lead clubs or for students in student council. These are just a couple ideas regarding these subjects on our campus. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? I believe we need more school events involving our campus life and our community. Lahainaluna has so much pride and I believe we need to strengthen that by providing events that tie our community (whom many are past alumni) and our students together. Looking at schools across the island and on other islands I have garnered ideas that we may possibly want to look into in the upcoming year. For example, King Kekaulike is hosting a Spring Pa’ina in late March. I believe something similar to this would be an excellent event for our campus and community. It could also be a creative fundraising opportunity. I am running for treasurer for our junior class which means I will have the role of our finances for our junior prom. Keeping receipts and records for our purchases and creating fundraiser opportunities are very important steps to ensure a successful junior prom. Not only do I find importance in having a victorious junior prom I also believe it is equally important to create fundraiser opportunities to help finance this event. These are the three main things I deem most important for next year.I would like to make parking more organized and fair to students. Although there is a policy in place to reserve permits for the parking many students do not have a permit. Whether this be because of the cost, not wanting to sign up for one, or not having their license. By regulating that people have parking permits we can ensure safety when parking and driving through our parking lot. 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 would like to make parking more organized and fair to students. Although there is a policy in place to reserve permits for the parking many students do not have a permit. Whether this be because of the cost, not wanting to sign up for one, or not having their license. By regulating that people have parking permits we can ensure safety when parking and driving through our parking lot. 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 am very interested in the beautification of our campus. I believe we do have a littering a problem and I aim for that to change. I am not entirely sure on the details but I did sign up to be informed on the creation of the surfriders club (excuse me if I am wrong about the name) which I believe is an environmental club focused on cleaning our community and campus. This club could be amazing for service projects focused on the beautification of our campus and I would love if student council could partner with this club to bring attention to this issue and the importance of it. I don't believe our safety is an issue that should be worried about on our campus considering we have a fairly safe environment. We have an extremely beautiful campus and the way we treat and respect it should be a priority. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? If elected, I would work towards a balance phone policy that acknowledges benefits and distractions accompanied by phone use in class. While I do understand the value of having access to phones for educational purpose and emergencies, I also recognize that they can be a major distraction, including for myself. However, simply enforcing a stricter policy may not be the best solution, as students may not follow the rules (especially if it is such a sudden jump from no phone policy to a strict one). I feel the best approach is classroom based. Therefore teachers have the flexibility of managing phone use according to their teaching style, student behavior, or lesson plan. SCHOOL LUNCH: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what would you do to improve the quality of student lunches? Our school lunch is a vital issue that I have closely looked at with another fellow student council member, our grade level president, Brianne Lagazo. This is in response to Bryson Aquino's earlier article in Kalama Hawai'i that discussed our school lunches and what can be done to improve them. Sophomore president Brianne Lagazo and I created a petition (that garnered student council signatures) to ask for more nutritious, bigger portioned, and more appetizing lunch. I hope to delve deeper into this issue this year or in the next year to ensure our students are provided a good lunch! Previous Next

< Back Senioritis Copy link More than just laziness? Bryson Aquino January 13, 2025 at 5:44:59 PM Student Wellness Previous Article Next Article The first use of the term “senioritis” appeared in a 1907 article published in the Chicago Alumni Magazine . It offered the first diagnosis of the condition: “When we were freshmen, we looked forward to being sophomores; when we were sophomores we desired to be juniors; when we were juniors we wished to be seniors; and now that we are seniors we long again to be freshmen.” As students step into their final year, many lack motivation and drive. They wish to go back to simpler and less stressful years. Seniors may also fear what is to come: the unknown. As freshmen, we have four years ahead of us; as seniors, we face the entirety of our lives. When senioritis hits, student grades start dropping. Ambitious students start missing deadlines, zoning out in class, and losing interest in loved extracurriculars. People usually chalk it up to laziness, but there could be a deeper reality to senioritis than we usually know. According to students, counselors, and mental health experts, there's more going on than simple slacking. Environmental Causes Some students feel like senioritis stems from mental illness. Yet, as senior counselor Darcie Webber notes, those on the outside looking in may find it “difficult to make that distinction between mental issues and laziness.” Webber suggested that some of the symptoms may be attributed to fatigue as well as connected to things in the environment. “Junior year is what should have been your (seniors’) most academic year,” said Webber. Instead, she continued, “It became your most emotionally learning year. Students were incredibly distracted due to a community torn apart, the fires.” “It's a lot to pile on a kid. It's an awful amount to pile on anyone. A lot of these responsibilities are intended to set up students, but in reality, it can really bring one down.” In the wake of the fire, many students are having to work harder than before to put themselves out there. “I wouldn't call it traditional senioritis,” said Webber. For what it is, it may be fatigue – and it's justified.” Seniors themselves at Lahainaluna are split on the issue. “Senioritis can be a lack of motivation for sure,” said senior Kayla Mabalot. But, she added, “the main factor that causes it, is the mental toll school has on us.” While senioritis lacks a formal medical definition, the symptoms of senioritis are real, says researcher Adenna Young-Jones who characterizes senioritis as the “lack of enthusiasm, fits of irresponsibility, and a generally depressed affect punctuated by occasional outbursts of irritability.” Looking at the effects of environmental senioritis, they note an optimal learning environment is critical to provide “conditions that support students as individuals,” as that will “help them feel in control of their own achievement and more likely to achieve academic success.” Science teacher Jackie Ellis notices that “seniors typically will have more of a sense of urgency.” Acknowledging the variety in students' personalities, she continued: “you have a mix of students that are usually scrabbling to make sure they have enough credits to graduate. Then you have the students who are already set – that tend to think about the minimum effort they can do to get by. That tends to be the laziness.” Senior Tyzo Kaska agrees. He feels like he has what he needs to graduate. “I don't think my lack of motivation is from something deeper than anyone thinks, I'm just lazy.” Kaska explained, “I’m not that pressured, as long as I'm getting decent grades.” “Senioritis is caused by laziness and a lack of motivation,” said senior Dhennico Cabading. “But I think it has to do with fatigue from school for me. I am just tired of constantly doing work.” Causes Senior Vi Nguyen goes back to the fire to explain the seniors’ lack of motivation. “In terms of workload, everything was a little bit postponed because of the fires.” But getting back to normal is a struggle. “Now we’re at a normal pace, …some seniors might be struggling with keeping up because we were so used to slowly getting back into things and now that we are, it’s like we’re still trying to find that normalcy that we used to have.” “I’m still displaced and I am still trying to find a stable living situation, which causes a bit of anxiety and unrest within me,” Nguyen stated. “On top of that, I have to focus on schoolwork and college applications.” “It's definitely laziness and a lack of motivation but it can go deeper than that,” said Senior Alexa Torres Perez, who said that seniors may feel “We aren't given the same opportunities as the class of 2024, which unmotivates people to complete things like senior projects--especially since we were also still suffering the effects of the fire.” Cures? It's important to be able to differentiate between laziness and deeper issues stemming within when it comes to senioritis, as well as understanding why it happens without undermining the consequences. While not a formal diagnosis, the fatigue, anxiety, and motivational struggles are real. With the help of a support system, consisting of counselors, teachers, and peers, students can find strategies to manage stress and maintain focus. Dhennico adds, “I noticed the amount of effort I have put in has decreased over the four years, but being surrounded by friends and making my family proud have kept me going.” Bryson Aquino is a senior at Lahainaluna. He’s a student reporter interested in shedding light on and writing about problematic issues on campus. He likes to interact with school institutions. A movie that he really resonates with him is called Not Without My Daughter because its main idea is how one person will go so far just for someone they love. A funny fact about him is that high blood pressure is hereditary in his family, so don’t make him mad!

< All Candidates Xeila Santiago Vice President ⭐ 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 do have ideas regarding how to provide development opportunities for students. I would try to invite more colleges and universities to our school to talk to students about their options. I also think creating a list of available scholarships and sharing them with students will also help introduce them to new opportunities. For our clubs and organizations, I would love to help them find advisors and give them more space to meet and plan events. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? Some school events that I deem important are spirit weeks, cultural events, guest speakers, community service events, and dances. These events matter to me because they help unite us, celebrate diversity, inspire growth, give back, and ultimately, create memories. 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 the traffic can get pretty backed up both before and after school, so a few changes I would want to make on the parking and car policy is finding ways to add more parking, maybe by using empty spaces or looking for parking spots off campus and going over this with administration. I would also work to keep parking lots safe, making sure the lots are clean and maintained. 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? One idea that has already been discussed with the current council to enhance the appearance, cleanliness, and safety is to plant more native plants around school, especially in the drier areas. I'd team up with teachers and clubs during Po'okela to make this happen. Another idea I would love to do is organize regular clean up events, something like beach cleanups or campus cleanups, to keep our school and community beautiful. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? With changing our phone policy, I think just working with teachers to establish clear guidelines for phone use in class, like keeping phones on silent or using them only for educational purposes. Another idea would be having specific hours or periods as "phone-free" to encourage students to focus on their work but still be able to go on their phones afterwards. SCHOOL LUNCH: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what would you do to improve the quality of student lunches? To improve the quality of student lunches, I would start off by working with staff to provide larger portions or specialized meal plans for student-athletes who need extra nourishment for their activities. As an athlete myself, I know that food is of the utmost importance when it comes to providing fuel for sports. Another idea is to create a system for students to vote on menu options or provide feedback on the food. This would help ensure that the meals we serve are ones that students actually enjoy. I also think meeting with students, cafeteria staff, and/or administrators to discuss concerns and ideas for improving our school lunches may be beneficial as well. Previous Next

< Back Mr. Carosso Principal I met Principal Carosso at lunch around the beginning of second semester. Despite having just come back from break, he seemed like he had a lot on his plate. I was nervous interviewing the principal of our school. However, before we began, he asked me if he should be the one who “should be nervous.” This gave me a slight boost of confidence and lightened the mood. I was expecting the interview to be nerve-wracking; after all, Principal Carosso is one of the tallest people on campus and is in charge of everything at Lahainaluna. Yet, after stepping into his office and sharing a firm handshake, I came to the realization that he was just another person. For instance, our Principal also listens to music and has a favorite movie. Mostly music spanning the 70s through the 90s, Mr. Carosso’s playlist is heavy on rock and roll, like the Eagles. When asked what his Spotify Wrapped looked like, he responded that he was “too old for Spotify” and that he uses Pandora. Mr. Carosso did tell me what his favorite movie is, but he seemed unable to tell me more about that at the time. Our interview was briefly interrupted when three boys barged into his office to report something. I got the idea that his whole day was like this. After he let me back in, he just said that he likes The Godfather. Despite moments like this, Principal Carosso assured me that he liked his job. He said that he likes to work with high school students and that he thinks “kids at this age are very fun and joyful.” Specifically, he mentioned that he likes “how we are at [our] age,” an age when “we are most fun.” Mr. Carosso reflected on himself at our age. “I didn’t make the most out of the opportunities in high school,” he said. His advice to high school students? “Be confident, be adventurous, and do not be scared to chase something because you think you are going to fail.” Regardless of this, he doesn’t regret anything now because he’s doing what he loves, being a principal at LHS. He has fallen in love with the place and says he “wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” Mr. Carosso also makes sure to go to as many sporting events as he can. At these events he gets to see one of his favorite things about Lahainaluna: that we “have a lot of school pride.” For the same reason, he likes going to all our graduation days, and ceremonies. I asked our principal what he would do if he had unlimited resources. He thought hard about it and I waited a while for him to respond. But when he did, the first thing that had come into his mind was that he “would pay everyone a lot more.” “Everyone’s working hard,” he said. “A lot of our teachers would go above and beyond for our kids.” He added that he wouldn’t want our teachers having to go to a second job just to pay for a living; and with an unlimited amount of money, teachers would be able to put all their energy into teaching kids. I also asked if, with “unlimited resources,” he would do anything to the school itself. To this he said that he wouldn’t change anything. He wouldn’t try to make the school seem more modern. Our school is “unique,” he said, and he wouldn’t “want to change the feel.” Keeping Lahainaluna’s old stuff preserved its “charm and lore.” Other things that our principal thought to do with unlimited resources included finding new ways to make opportunities for the students. We should “not have the lack of resources be an obstacle,” he said. A bigger and safer kitchen for our culinary classes was another idea, as well as better transportation for students trying to get to and from school, better equipment for teachers and staff, and the money to get more help cleaning and landscaping our campus. Mia Palacio is a contributor to Ka Lama Hawai'i and the Vice President of the Lahainaluna News Writing Club.

< Back BJ Alvarez Head Custodian He’s a chill man riding around in a golf cart, in a red t-shirt, blue work jeans, work boots, camo hat, and sunglasses. He's calm and familiar. He’s BJ Alvarez, the Head Custodial Supervisor at Lahainaluna High School. Since 2009, the year he began working at Lahainaluna, Mr. Alvarez has woken up before his children. He now has three: 3, 6, and 11-years-old. Two of them, his 6 and 11-year-old, are enrolled in Hawaiian immersion. As Head Custodian, Mr. Alvarez directs the custodial crew of 6 who maintain the cleanliness and sanitation of our school. When he’s not at work, he’s probably at the beach, a barbeque, or both. He’s also a musician and enjoys the fluid and laid-back feeling of island reggae music. For Alvarez, playing music “helps with coping.” In turn, listening to music “helps other people cope.” Alvarez described music as “medicine.” Alvarez is the keyboardist for the local band, Lahaina Grown. Their self-titled 2005 “Lahaina Grown” took on a new significance for Lahaina locals after the recent wildfire. Alvarez grew up listening to Lahaina Grown and is now one of their newest members. Alvarez said that, to him, “Lahaina Grown” “represents home and the struggles people are going through. If you listen to the “ Plantations ” song in the Lahaina Grown album, you can see that this song still has meaning in current problems, we are still fighting our fight.” His favorite song to play is “He Iwi” from the same album. Mr. Alvarez has a few gigs lined up with them for graduation parties, so if you want a sick graduation party when you graduate, then try getting Lahaina Grown to play. In 2021 Alvarez received the Kimo’s award for his outstanding work managing the cleaning and sanitation at our school. He was also acknowledged for his positive attitude, hard work, and for caring for the community. He graduated in 2004 from Lahainaluna, where, according to him, he was just a “normal local boy, you know, getting into trouble now and then.” He remembered two teachers from his school years, Mr. Fujii and Mr. Pizano, who were both part of the SMC (Special Motivation Center) for students who misbehave. SMC was before the ALC (Alternative Learning Center), a program designed to promote the success of at-risk students. The SMC program was housed in P12. Alvarez claims he “never got bad enough” to advance to the ALC program. That’s probably because Mr. Fujii was “a scary guy.” Despite that, he still remembers his number. When asked about the students in our school and if they are respectful, he said “they're awesome, but you will always have a few disrespectful ones now and then who make a mess.” This just makes more work for Alvarez and his staff who are also required to handle the landscaping on campus. Between this chore, he said, in addition to “cleaning the bathrooms, landscaping, and irrigation, there isn't enough of us to pick up after the disrespectful students.” He proudly said that this school is one of a kind and he wouldn't change a thing, but he wouldn't mind having more custodial staff to maintain the school. Speaking as a former student and an employee, Mr. Alvarez has a message for current Lunas: “try and be nice to one another, you might not know what they are going through. Do the basic things like cleaning up after yourselves and respect the rules like no eating in the classrooms, that's just more trash in the rooms.” The next time you see Mr. Alvarez or any other custodial staff around campus don’t forget to say “hi.” Trinity Guiza is a staff writer at Ka Lama Hawai'i.

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