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< Back Student Sells Artwork Inspired by the Fire A Symbol of Strength Sequoia Pelletier-Yamasaki Student Life May 28, 2024 at 6:42:18 PM Following the Lahaina wildfire, Devyn Gruber, a senior at Lahainaluna High School, decided to “turn that grief into art.” She made two vases decorated with memories of Lahaina, which she sold for $900. Lahaina Town “was where I grew up, it was my entire childhood,” said Devyn, who was so heartbroken after the fire that she didn’t know what to do. She had made paintings and other things in the past. Though it was unclear why she finally chose to make the vases. Nevertheless, the process, she said, “really helped with my grief so much, it made things come to their senses.” Her first vase, Remembering Lahaina , is covered with representations of Lahaina: people's houses, the rock wall that goes through front street, the “Welcome to Lahaina'' sign, Nagasako’s, the Banyan tree, and many other things that made Lahaina Lahaina . At the top of the vase there are 101 crosses, representing everyone who was lost on August 8th. The second vase, Unity , has an upside down Hawaiian flag. There is an L with a hole in it, representing “the hole in our hearts that will forever be empty for Lahaina town and the memories we made.” Devyn also added a beautiful poem in Hawaiian that Kumu Jamie Palakiko helped her translate. The poem reads “We Together, are Lahaina Together we are one We are the people of Lahaina And together we will rebuild.” By making the vases, Devyn didn’t just hope to heal her own pain, but all of the community’s pain as well. “I want my vases to touch everyone’s heart and help them relive the memories of Lahaina.” She had her vases displayed at the student showcase where she had everyone write down their memories of Lahaina and put them inside the vase to keep forever. “It’s just like a keeper of our memories.” The details Devyn included on each vase are things from her personal experiences in Lahaina. “There’s not a single little part that isn’t meaningful to me,” she said. The first vase took Devyn around 5 months to make, and the second vase took 6 months. “It is definitely my favorite piece of art I’ve made. It has touched so many hearts, including mine.” Devyn’s auntie bought her first vase for $500. The second vase was bought for $400 by a woman named Holly, who saw Devyn’s speak about her work at this year’s student showcase, an event attended by students from several Lahaina schools. Devyn donated $450 to Lahaina Strong, and the other $450 went towards her college fund. In the future, Devyn plans on opening a ceramics studio or a space where people can do ceramics. “I want to make an entire business to help people grieve for the loss of our town. I want to help the community through ceramics.” She hopes that others can make art for Lahaina to help them grieve and heal, the way making the vases helped her. Devyn’s beautiful vases have touched the hearts of our Lahaina community, and hopefully will continue to touch more hearts. Previous Article Next Article Copy link Sequoia Pelletier-Yamasaki is a contributor to Ka Lama Hawai'i and was a junior at the time she wrote this.

< All Candidates Edgar Ortiz 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 believe in creating a brighter future for all students. One way to do this is by organizing college fairs on campus where everyone can meet representatives and learn about exiting opportunities for their education. I also want to help make known scholarships for those who need a little extra help, so that every students can chase their dreams with having to worry about finance. Finally, I will support clubs and activities by looking for spaces they can gather and share their passions, I will make sure every club has someone to talk about any inquires. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? If I were elected to the student council, I think hosting honor ship assemblies would be super important. These events would celebrate students achievements and recognize their hard work, which can inspire others to strive for greatness. I'd also like to add a fun twist by allowing everyone to nominate their peers for categories like "most likely to Strat they own business" or "most likely to be a plastic surgeon." This was, everyone gets to feel included and appreciated for their unique qualities. It would create a fun and positive atmosphere where we can all come together. 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? Since I'm not a student who drives or parks at school, I don't really have a strong opinion on the parking and car policy. I think it's important to listen to those who do use the parking areas, though! They would have better insides on changes that might be needed. Am here to listen and help work on these problems that need to be heard tho. 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 think our campus is really nice overall, and it has a great atmosphere! However, something I would maybe want to work on is improving the bathrooms. Making sure they are clean and well-stocked would enhance everyone's experience in how comfortable we feel on campus. Even just walking in real quick and just checking. It's those little things that can make a big difference in how comfortable we feel on campus. I believe that everyone deserves a clean and welcoming space. Finally I want to thank our hard-working and loving workers who try their best to make sure we have a nice clean school. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? I personally believe our phone policy is actually great! it helps keep us focused during class, which is so important. However, I think it would be nice if we could let the students who have no work to catch up on, use their phones while still in class. This way, we can take a moment to relax without disrupting the learning environment. balancing focus with a little downtime could really make our school experience smooth. SCHOOL LUNCH: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what would you do to improve the quality of student lunches? If I were elected, I'd like to make school lunches better by having more local dishes or maybe even diverse. Also maybe we could have a student feedback system to suggest new meals or overall opinions! Previous Next

< 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.

Explore the latest sports updates from Lahainaluna on our news magazine page. Stay informed with engaging content on all things sports at Lahainaluna. Sports at Lahainaluna Football Wrestling Wrestling At King Kekaulike Read More Lahainaluna vs. Leilehua Lunas Ready for Playoff Clash Against Leilehua Read More Lunas v. Maui High Sabers If they win, the Lunas have a chance at the state championship. Read More Lunas’ Fighting Spirit Overcoming COVID Challenges Read More

< Back Lahainaluna to Implement Strict Phone Usage Policy Students hate the idea Trinity Guiza Student Life April 1, 2025 at 10:46:20 PM Lahainaluna High School, known for its relatively lenient phone policy, is set to implement significant restrictions on student cell phone usage in a couple of days. Teachers will be required to collect phones at the start of each class period, during roll call, and return them only at the end. Jarrett Chapin, an English teacher at Lahainaluna, confirmed the upcoming policy, citing its potential to "benefit student learning." Chapin noted that his classroom's phone collection box has already "improved student participation" in his classes. The school's current phone policy, as stated on its website, emphasizes that: "Cell phones are considered personal property and shall be brought to school at the student's own risk. The use of cell phones that interfere with instruction or school activity is not allowed. Cell phones shall not be used to video or record any unauthorized activity... Misuse of a cell phone in the classroom shall be reported via the teacher to the office." The new announcement has gotten strong reactions from students. Mary Joy Velasquez questions the timing, stating, "Why now, when school is almost over? That’s ridiculous!" Sunny Galarita expressed disbelief, saying, "I didn’t believe it was true, but then one of my teachers announced it in class and told us to prepare." Owen Hegernes voiced his opposition, calling the policy "an absolute violation of our personal rights," and suggesting, "if teachers don't want us to use them, they should make their classes more interesting." Lahainaluna's move aligns with a growing trend in U.S. school districts, where cell phone bans are being implemented to minimize classroom distractions. Some schools are using Yondr pouches and requiring students to store phones in lockers or designated areas. When asked about the storage of phones, Principal Carosso stated, "Students' phones would not be kept far away from them. The main goal is to limit access." He did not provide specific details. While some students are resistant, others see potential benefits. Talaofa Sulunga believes the policy offers a "beneficial solution for both staff and students," as it encourages students to engage in class and allows teachers to "gain that attention they’ve been yearning for." Oliana Schur, who expressed a general dislike for phones, suggested a return to "telegrams like real people." "We need less screens and more good old fashioned morse code," she said. She also questioned the policy's effectiveness, arguing that "since our phones are in our pockets and not on the ground, then technically it’s never ON school grounds." *Principal Carosso was not interviewed for this article. Previous Article Next Article Copy link Trinity Guiza is a staff writer at Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back Monique Blando Custodian For Monique “Mo” Blando, a custodian at Lahainaluna High School, her job is more than a way to earn a living—it's a way to connect with her roots. A proud graduate who was born and raised in Lahaina, Blando followed in the footsteps of her mother, who was also a Lahainaluna alumna, and her uncle, who previously held a custodial position. "I'm proud to be from here," she says. "I look forward to making him proud." Her passion for family is clear. The seventh of many siblings, Blando has embraced her role as a doting aunt. “I have all older brothers and sisters, and I don't have any kids, thank goodness, so I just take care of theirs,” she shares with a laugh. Her day begins with a clear routine: “take the doggy for a walk, make sure my mom's got her meds and eats a little bit,” and then it's off to work. Once on campus, her goal is to “make sure that everything’s around is clean, looks good and safe for you guys.” This sense of responsibility extends beyond her official duties, as she also tries to “make sure the students are in the right areas.” While she likes her job, she finds that “communication between the generations is probably the most difficult.” She's learning that kids on campus today are different from when she was in school. "We got to learn how to talk to you guys differently," she says thoughtfully, "because you guys don’t always respond the way we were taught to.” Blando's deep community ties are meaningful, but there are some drawbacks to being so connected. A self-described "big talker," she says she's always trying to "make sure I don't embarrass any of my nieces and nephews while I'm working.” Jersea Borneman is a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< 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.

< Back Do you have a work of art or a piece of writing to share? Write for Ka Lama Hawai'i Ka Lama Hawai'i Education May 11, 2024 at 12:30:21 AM Submit an article to our Student Life & Academics section, a piece of written or visual art to our Back Page section, or a short opinion to our Talk Story section. Have something important to share about Lahainaluna sports? Submit an article to our sports section. We will consider all submissions as long as they are: student-authored, appropriate, and, for articles, in some way relevant to student life. All submissions to Ka Lamaʻs Campus Life section: must report rather than make or advance opinion; must begin with an engaging lead; must be focused on something relevant to campus or student life; must be grounded in the voices of/interviews with LHS students and community members. Topics are not limited and may be focused on art, entertainment, education, school administration, etc. All articles are subject to a thorough review process. Any submission may be rejected if it fails to meet quality standards established by Ka Lama student staff and faculty advisors. Submit to the contact form on this site or send it to kalamahawaii.info@gmail.com . Previous Article Next Article Copy link This was posted by the editorial staff of Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back The Soul of the School is Spirit Lahainaluna Celebrates a Powerful Return to Normalcy Seilala Samisoni Arts and Entertainment October 1, 2025 at 7:41:52 PM Lahainaluna has just concluded its 2025-2026 homecoming week after students of all grade levels came together to participate in school-wide activities. After the Covid pandemic of 2020 and the Maui Wildfires of 2023, isolation and then trauma hindered student morale, but with time, students are experiencing a rebirth of school spirit. Speak to any student, teacher, or alumni, and chances are they’ll have a story to tell about the impact school spirit had on their lives. Spirit encourages community engagement and gives students a sense of belonging. “My experience in high school all came down to my peers and I’s school spirit,” says Linda Ortiz, a 2018 Lahainaluna Alumnus. Ortiz remembers dance fever and that there was “a ton of participation,” which “bettered the experience.” Yet, right after Ortiz graduated, Lahaina experienced the Covid pandemic and devastating Maui Wildfire, leading to decrease in student participation and student morale. Noah Dela Cruz, 2024 Lahainaluna alumnus reflects on the impact of “the trials class of 2024 had to endure.” According to Cruz, this resulted in “an extreme lack of school spirit.” “Honestly,” he said, “our participation sucked and our class felt so distant.” According to student Council members, this year’s participation rate reached an impressive high across all grade levels, an impressive resurgence given the turnout in recent years. The successes of homecoming week are proof of how committed our school leaders are to reassembling the Lahainaluna community. Compared to previous years, this one feels like “we’re coming back to normalcy,” junior Class Treasurer, Lucia Mejia, said. Last school year, the freshman class only had one volunteer for the Dance Fever event. This resulted in the sophomores and freshmen creating a combined team for the activity, due to the lack of participation. The spirit that one freshman leader showed seems to have had a powerful effect on their peers and this year the sophomore class had all the volunteers they needed to win first place in the Dance Fever competition. Sophomore, Constance Kaniho is proud of herself and her class “for building up the courage to perform in front of the whole school.” Confidence like this is contagious. Freshman, Khloe Dela Cruz said “I will definitely participate in the next dance fever,” and Freshman, Ferdinand Palacio admitted “imma join next dance fever,” despite the fact that he “was lowkey scared to join this one.” Despite this success, students still tend to back out of school-planned activities fearing embarrassment or the inability to juggle busy schedules. Though once they manage to overcome these initial doubts, they will note that the experience was valuable. The benefits they receive from participating in these activities outweigh their fear. Freshman Shantelle Semillano spoke about how fear held her back, though she feels proud of everyone who participated. “I wish I would’ve joined, but I was too scared.” Similarly, freshman Shari Silao regretted not being more involved after the performance, saying “Man, if only I weren’t so busy.” The performances of Homecoming Week may have recruited new participants. “Bro, im so glad I joined dance fever last minute,” said freshman Lindsay Saturnio who danced to Disney hits, trending songs, and pretended to be characters from nostalgic shows. Students watching also approved of the choice of music such as “Falling For Ya” from the iconic “Teen Beach Movie.” Some in the audience even felt that they had missed an opportunity. “I regret not joining, I didn’t know it was gonna be that fun,” said Freshman, Kendyl Talaroc after the performance. Many students overthink the high school experience, or the reputation they must uphold. But what these students fail to realize is that time waits for no one. By participating in school-planned activities, students gain and build community pride, respect from their peers, and even trophies. “It made me so happy being able to create core memories with my friends,” said junior Alise Tufaga who performed a Samoan cultural dance during the event. Freshman, Augustine John Doctor, spoke about the benefits he and others gained from having school spirit, and how “it shaped students’ emotions and reactions.” Students on and off stage felt empowered by school-planned activities and many kids stated that they felt a greater sense of belonging at school. When students have pride in their school and who they are, it improves their well-being. Freshman Drew Briones thinks that “the soul of the school is spirit.” “We want participation,” says freshman Travis Utrillo, a Dance Fever choreographer and a part of StuCo Leadership Team. Utrillo danced to every song in the freshmen line up and played the part of several eye-catching roles. “We only have four years of high school together and we should make the most of it,” he said. Previous Article Next Article Copy link I am Seilala Samisoni. I enjoy playing guitar, I love reading books, and I am the freshman Class President.

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< Back Ka Lama Hawaiʻi Then and Now Keyla Jimenez Jersea Borneman Trinity Guiza In 1834, only three years after the creation of Lahainaluna, its principal, Lorrin Andrews, started a student-run newspaper called Ka Lama Hawaiʻi , or “The Hawaiian Luminary.” The paper’s first issue explained the importance of knowledge. “In enlightened lands,” wrote its editorial staff, “it is believed that the spreading of knowledge is a good thing. When wise people ponder and come upon good new thoughts not known before […] they then desire to disseminate it abroad, and not hide it, so that all men may know” (61). Andrews described Ka Lama’s purpose in three goals. The first was to “give the scholars of the High School the idea of a newspaper [and] to show them how information of various kinds was circulated through the medium of a periodical.” The second goal was, generally, “to communicate to them [students] ideas on many objects.” Thirdly, it was designed as a “channel through which the scholars might communicate their own opinions freely on any subject they chose" (Qtd in Silva 109). Almost two centuries later, Lahainaluna’s current principal, Richard Carosso, sees Ka Lama as a space where students are “discussing among yourselves,” or where student voice is amplified. “It’s one of our only resources for students to voice their opinions and to get the input from, you know, their classmates about what's going on at school,” said Carosso, adding that the paper also brings student voices to the school’s administration so the school’s leadership “can tell what matters to you guys.” Historians remark that the original Ka Lama was mostly a way to send messages from missionary leaders to students; in 2025, it does the opposite. Both then and now, though, Ka Lama Hawai’i has encouraged discussion and literacy on campus while letting students engage with unfamiliar topics. Our History When the missionaries first arrived in Hawaiʻi in 1820 during King Kauikeaouli’s reign, they intended to use literacy or a knowledge of reading and writing to introduce Christian ideals. When they did that, though, they turned literacy all around the islands into a form of power. Ka Lama Hawaiʻi began under the control of missionaries at Lahainaluna Seminary with questionable intentions. Nevertheless, it created an important tool for promoting literacy: Hawaiʻi’s first newspaper. It was run by students of the seminary out of the printing house in the admin parking lot, Hale Pa’i, right here on our campus. On the 14th of February, 1834 Ka Lama published its first issue. It was only four pages written in Hawaiian, and, like every issue after, it contained an illustration by Alonzo and Mary Anne Chapin. The “Elefani,” or elephant, was the picture featured in issue one. Below it, Andrews and his students provided facts about elephants, their diet, habitat, and lifespan. The descriptions depict the characteristics of an elephant in an interesting matter, but they could only compare it to things people back then were familiar with. The elephant's nose is described as “being as long as a tree branch” (15) and its height is described as “if a man should stand upon the head of another, then their height would be that of the Elephant’s” (13). Presenting this content, historian Helen Geracimos Chapin writes that all the paper’s issues “delivered new and exciting information” to the students of Lahainaluna who had never known animals like that. The pictures, carved by Chapin, a physician at the seminary, brought “an air of immediacy about the world thousands of miles away” (16). As Chapin describes, Ka Lama , and all early Hawaiian papers, helped to colonize Hawaiian people with non-Hawaiian values by presenting such new and attractive information and images. Sometimes the captions and notes to Ka Lama’s pictures “spoke to the "superiority" of American culture, the Christian religion, and the Protestant work ethic.” “By such ʻtruth in an attractive formʻ,” writes Chapin, “were Hawaiian readers indoctrinated into the new culture” (16). Students printed the original Ka Lama and contributed to it. For instance, among them was the famous Lahainaluna graduate and royal advisor, Davida Malo, who published a song titled “He Kanikau No Kaahumanu,” in Ka Lama ʻs August issue (Silva 110). It was written in honor of the ali‘i wahine Ka‘ahumanu. While students were allowed to contribute to Ka Lama , missionaries controlled the paper and used it to spread their values. Most of the content discussed religious topics. An article not written by a student in the paper’s first issue was titled “The Reason For Ignorance.” It connected knowledge to religion and argued that “Sin is the reason for ignorance.” The authors of the article were “not identified” but they concluded that “returning to God with a new heart is what is needed” (Antonio 66). Articles like these were written by the missionaries, says Chapin, “to bring enlightenment to those they considered benighted,” or ignorant and unenlightened. Despite this, according to people living at the time, “upon receiving their copies, students would immediately sit down to read them through” (Chapin 16). In a recent documentary on literacy in Hawaiʻi, University of Hawaiʻi Professor, Puakea Nogelmeier describes the coming of the missionaries and their impact on Hawaiian society. He describes how literacy was encouraged because "High-level government positions often went to English-speaking foreigners because this interaction was critical for national continuity.” English literacy was recognized as important not just because of the opportunities that arose from being fluent but because of the opportunities that were being taken away by not being literate in the English language. As Nogelmeier describes “When Hawaiians questioned why there were so many foreigners in government, the King wrote back, saying they needed that interface until they could improve the pool of Hawaiians they could draw from” (Lihlihi). This is exactly why Kamehameha III “announced a mobilization of literacy ," Nogelmeier adds. "He was already literate, so he wasn't just aspiring; he was sharing. Everyone took pride in learning to read and write, and it became a national project.” English was a form of power that Kamehameha wanted everyone in the islands to have (Lihilhi). Ka Lama only lasted one year, but the papers that followed still give historians insight on public perspectives during Hawaiʻi's history. While missionaries did abuse their influence and power, according to Noenoe Silva, the newspapers served a further purpose for Hawaiʻi’s people. “While the common denominator of the early newspapers discussed here is the desire that their editors had to convert Hawaiians to a radically different system of beliefs and practices,” she states, “the opening up of spaces for written expression, coupled with the Hawaiian embrace of reading and writing, made the newspapers a vital arena in which crucial questions about culture, knowledge, and politics could begin to be publicly debated” (3). Ka Lama Hawaiʻi built the foundation for all other newspapers in Hawaiʻi. One of them, Ke Kumu , was published out of mission headquarters in Honolulu right after Ka Lama ʻs first run. It lasted from 1834 until 1839 and was edited by missionary Reuben Tinker. The name of the paper, Ke Kumu , or “The Teacher,” signaled its focus on educating through missionary voices rather than having the focus be on student thoughts. The content of Ke Kumu “was mainly evangelizing by missionaries, with some letters from students and community members” (Silva 18). In this way, Ke Kumu was not so different from its predecessor, Ka Lama . According to Silva, Ke Kumu Hawai’i was used to represent “the broad aim of the Mission to create a nation that was not only Christian in name and spirit but also intelligent and industrious” (112). Most of its articles were written by Tinker’s fellow missionaries, writes Silva, but “it did not take long […] before both ali‘i and maka‘äinana began to use the publication space for their own purposes” (112). During its run, Ke Kumu featured approximately 146 writers, including Davida Malo (112). In his contribution, he wrote about his relationship with religion, combining Christian and Hawaiian terms. “Jesus, have mercy, Or I, your servant, will die. [I am but] the dust on your shoe. The grass upon your path. If you leave us forever, That will be our death forever, Death in the pö, Under continual darkness” (10). Ka Nonanona soon followed in 1841. It was run by missionary Richard Armstrong who had been a part of the printing staff of Ke Kumu . Its first issue declared that it would focus on “news; support for school children, teachers, school directors, and parents; a bit of assistance for the pono of the ali‘i, in publishing new laws and new positions in the government, as well as… point out the things that will be pono and the things that will harm the government.” The paper had a larger audience and covered larger topics than Ke Kumu . As Silva states, “Its primary intent was to be a newspaper that carried news from the capital, Honolulu, to all the other islands.” She adds, however, that it was “still in the hands of missionaries and still evangelical in some ways” even though it had “greatly expanded its scope in content as well as in intended readership.” Ka Nonanona , for Silva, marked the shift of newspapers from tools of missionaries to sites “for public debate and discourse” (118). Ka Elele Hawaiʻi started the same year. It was less focused on religion and more on government. It helped inform the public on Hawaii’s rapidly changing society and “served as a site of public debate over the role of foreigners in the government and the sale of lands to foreigners” (Silva 21). Ka Eleleʻs focus allowed citizens to express their opinions on the changing laws surrounding owning land and kept them informed. Ka Elele was a new kind of newspaper. Its format was “opening up of spaces for written expression,” argues Silva. “Coupled with the Hawaiian embrace of reading and writing, [ Ka Elele ] made the newspapers a vital arena in which crucial questions about culture, knowledge, and politics could begin to be publicly debated” (3). This is the purpose Ka Elele Hawaiʻi had up until 1855, when the paper stopped publishing. Hawaiʻi’s first four newspapers all served their individual purposes and proved important to how society interacted with each other. Early newspapers led to a burst in literacy in Hawaiʻi. Katherine H. Au and Julie Kaomea report that “by the late 1800s, the literacy rate in Hawai‘i compared favorably to that of any nation in the world, an accomplishment much to the credit of the Native Hawaiian teachers in the common schools” (6). They Learned by Their Mistakes For over a century since Ka Lama , Lahainaluna seems to have had no school newspaper. Then, in 1928, Ka Nani ‘O Hawaiʻi (“The beauty of Hawaiʻi”) appeared under the guidance of Miss Maurine Watson and Miss Margaret Chapman. Miss Watson also ran a journalism club in 1950 that seems to have had no direct connection with Ka Nani . The early issues of Ka Nani are lost. Yet, the issues we have show us small pieces of life on campus in the 20s. An issue published in July of 1928 contains an article where an anonymous alumnus reflects on her days at Lahainaluna. “It was customary to have people carry away bags full of mangoes on every commencement day,” she says, unaware that a century later the only thing people would do with the mangos is step over them. In the June issue of 1929, students of the glee club found it important to talk about the success of their musical performance, Pickles . It was, they claimed, “a great dramatic and financial success.” The paper’s establishment was purposeful and was announced by Principal Alton Rogers who wrote in a December 1928 issue about “School Publications” and their importance above all other school publications. “School publications, and especially the newspaper, are among the most worthwhile school activities,” he wrote. “Because of their function of carrying news, encouraging enterprises, and representing the entire school and its activities, they are of inestimable value in unifying the school.” Rogers was sad to say, however, that problems often blocked the creation of a high school newspaper. Instead of a regular newspaper, “[f]rom lack of skill,” or literacy, students “are prone to make the annual (yearbook) like all others.” By this time, Ka Lama , had become the name of Lahainaluna’s yearbook. The solution, Rogers thought, required students and advisors to be consistent and constant with their work, to “impress all with their uniformity rather than individuality.” Ka Nani was short-lived. It started and ended between 1926-1929. In 1929 it was taken over by Mrs. Margaret Tompkins who also wrote that year about newspapers, and described the passion needed for good journalism. “Journalism in the Islands is a bit of a crusade,” she says. “Those who rally to its banners must of necessity have stout hearts, imagination, patience and a goal.” For Thomkins, the school newspaper was mostly useful for the language training it gave students: “Any medium which will help us to use Better English consistently has much in it’s favor.” She complained about the challenges faced by the faculty advisor. At the end of the day, “before an issue comes out, the poor instructor with the large glasses and the red pencil rewrites paragraphs." This was one of the last things Ka Nani would publish. Ka Nani finished a year later, starting another 30 years before another school paper was published at Lahainaluna. Yet, in its last year, the paper’s staff coined a motto, “Hitch your wagon to a star.” The first issue of Lahainaluna’s third newspaper, Ka Leo Luna (Ka Leo means “The Voice”) ran in 1952 under the direction of English and “publications” teacher Alma Kaiama. Like other the other papers, Ka Leo announced its simple mission: “To inform the students and teachers of the activities of our school.” An issue printed in its first year reported on the activities of the “Future Homemakers, Leaders Today and Tomorrow,” Hawaiʻi chapter. They were set to hold their “annual territorial convention at Camp Erdman, Oahu, from April 5-8.” Staff included a list of delegates who would be representing our school. On the same page “Morikawa, Kozaki To Reign Over Junior Prom” titled a plan for the “Orchids in the Moonlight” prom. “Strands of vanda orchids streaming down on kahilis,” are imagined by the student writer alongside “colored balloons giving the room a gay, festive air; soft lights and a centerpiece of a vanda-filled pond.” All this, the writer said, would “transform the gym into a moonlit paradise.” Two years after starting Ka Leo , Kaiama left the school to educate others on Maui and eventually got hired at Maui’s community college. In 1980, she became the provost there. Ka Leo ran for 64 years, under the direction of fifteen advisors until 2017 (see figure below). Kaiama influenced advisors after her to keep student journalism going. She was born in Hana in 1930 and picked up a wide range of talents during her life. She taught at nearly every grade level, from elementary school to college (Rupenthal). After leaving Lahainaluna, she worked from her position at the college to get the school funding and joined a push for its transition from a technical school to a “community school” in 1967. Probably because of Kaiamaʻs early influence, Ka Leo Luna gradually became associated with a unique motto that appeared regularly in the English Department’s section of Ka Lama , again, the school’s yearbook: “They learned by their mistakes and tried very hard to make the next issue a better one.” The Voices According to the school’s registrar and the paper’s second-to-last advisor, Shanda Sasai, Ka Leo Luna was “all about wanting to know what people thought and then sharing that out and getting that out to people." To accomplish this, Ka Leo Luna covered school news, features, and sports. The feature that stood out to her the most in all her years of being an advisor for Ka Leo was titled “You know you’re from Lahaina if…” that featured student commentary on living here. She recalls how she loved the concept of it as it allowed for positive discussions on student life. This was a reference to Jeff Foxworthy’s famous saying “You might be a redneck if...” Sasai went on to describe the process Ka Leo students went through. “Every student wrote,” said Sasai. “They had to get interviews, they had to get pictures. We ran through drafts like crazy. --the highest drafts was like… twenty-eight.” Sasai was Vice Principal Debralyn Arellano’s advisor when Arellano worked on the paper. Arellano managed the ads that went through Ka Leo in order to pay for printing. In her role, she had to “cold call” businesses downtown in order to sell ads. ”The paper did not have a budget,” she said. Ka Leo was exclusively a paper newspaper and Arellano noted how they had to print out issues on the mainland since it was more cost efficient. “We would stay up till like 10 at night in there. Just we knew it was deadline day, so we'd go run down and get our frappuccinos snacks and head back up and we'd just work on drafts and drafts and drafts,” said Arellano who looked fondly on her late nights in J-201. According to Arellano, Ka Leo journalists “were given that creative freedom to just pursue and talk about the columns that existed. And it was just fun. It was a lot of fun.” She added that, “in terms of creativity, that was nurtured and encouraged, and so it was just a great space.” Ka Leo Luna published its last issue in October of 2016. For 8 years, Lahainaluna students were silent. Then, in August of 2024, Ka Lama Hawaiʻi , now an online publication, published its first issue. Its first story, a feature on the endangered Kāhuli (snails), was written by Trinity Guiza. Ka Lama Hawaiʻi (Again) Ka Lama Hawaiʻi was named in honor of the first newspaper in Hawaiʻi by a small group of students, The News Writing Club, under the direction of its current advisor in Spring of 2023. The News Writing Club did not produce much content, though over the course of several meetings, they determined the paper’s layout, its sections, and that the name should point to the school’s history as the birthplace of the news in Hawaiʻi. They also planned the paper’s purpose, which included the amplification of student voices as well as the voices of people at Lahainaluna that students rarely meet–such as the custodial staff and office workers–a “We <3 LHS Staff” for student-generated profiles. Much more writing for Ka Lama was produced after it became a class. In the Fall of 2024, the school offered Journalistic Writing and enrolled a small team of student reporters who spent their year learning interview techniques and practicing an objective reporting methodologies. They covered school policies, student wellness, sports, and student life. Since its first issue, many have recognized Ka Lama’s significance to not only our school but to the state. Jean Martin Alternado, currently a junior, thinks that the paper points to the fact that “we are the most historic school in the state.” He thinks that the paper may help to spread awareness about Lahainalunaʻs legacy since “there's only a few students who really care about it.” Alternado published a story about students being held in the cafeteria and the issue of teacher shortages in Ka Lama’s first year. “[ Ka Lama Hawaiʻi ] is for people to share stories, to keep people updated, to see different perspectives of things that people didn’t really have resources to know,” said Alternado. Freshman Grayson Guzman, also a contributor to the paper, thought that Ka Lama was “important back then and now as we hold this legacy of having the first newspaper in Hawaiʻi published here by students.” Students recognize Ka Lama not just for its historical important on campus but for its impact on students' engagement with difficult topics, which is something that Ka Lama continues to do to this day. As Guzman notes, “today we still have this with students publishing articles giving voice to important topics.” “Our school newspaper is important so students can shed light on topics within our school and enlighten others.” Alternado has seen what the newspaper can accomplish, referring to recent coverage of sensitive student issues. “It spoke a few words that some people were too scared to say,” he said. “If we don’t have a voice, then what are we really going to change?” Student Stephanie Rubio Aguirre agrees: “Student voice is important because we want to hear the opinions on what students think about certain opinions.” She continued, saying “I feel like [ Ka Lama ] is something that students can look forward to whenever someone wants to read something about our school.” Current sophomore class president, Brianne Lagazo, comments on how when articles come out she “usually skim(s)” because as she states, “I enjoy reading what’s being presented and I am impressed by how these students are so good with writing and journalism itself.” Lagazo recently published a story about a controversy at private high school in the Lahaina community. Nicole Heinlein notices the usefulness of Ka Lama as “we don't necessarily have like, a comment box where students can voice their concerns.” The Future of Journalism at Lahainaluna Ka Lama brings attention to the fact that our campus has problems, and that we must acknowledge them to fix them. The newspaper's legacy, and the legacy of literacy in Hawaiʻi that it created, is carried by this new Ka Lama . There’s no way to measure if we’re doing it justice, but we do know that with it, students are being heard. Or, to leave with something that Aguirre said: “I feel represented.” He Ilio He Lio Advisors of Ka Leo He Ilio 1/7 Chapin, Helen. Shaping History: The Role of Newspapers in Hawai`i. University of Hawai’i Press, 1996, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Silva, Noenoe. “Early Hawaiian Newspapers and Kanaka Maoli Intellectual History, 1834-1855” Hawaiian Historical Society , 2008, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Rueppenthal, Sarah. ‘“Always there for each other” The Maui News , 2017, Wailuku, Hawaiʻi. Au, Kathryn H., and Julie Kaomea. "Reading comprehension and diversity in historical perspective: Literacy, power, and Native Hawaiians." Handbook of research on reading comprehension . Routledge, 2014, p. 595-610. Language of a Nation . Conrad Lihilihi, Smithsonian, 2020. https://www.conradlihilihi.com/ , https://www.conradlihilihi.com/films . Previous Next

< All Candidates Mina Nagasako 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 think some opportunities to develop the students could be more promotion of clubs. I know we have one club fair but I think there should be more involvement in advertising them. I think it would help with student engagement. When kids feel like they belong somewhere, they gain confidence and I think by promoting our clubs we can increase that. We could do it by informing pookela teachers to tell the students in pookela. Some teachers don't watch the announcements and some kids don't take the time to read flyers so I think it would be effective for either pookela teachers to announce it or maybe even have club leaders go to pookelas. Or, maybe even have a club assembly where they can demonstrate what they do in the club. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? Some school events I would deem important if I was elected into council would be grade assemblies. I think they help with grade bonding and it's a good way to recognize students. I think we could take it even farther to work as a grade to plan things together, not just with the council. We could ask for ideas then make plans as a grade. This could help with academic aspects, environmental aspects, and social aspects. 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? A change I would want to make on the car policy is the way that students are dropped off. I dont think students should be dropped off while people are simultaneously trying to get in and out of their spot. Maybe the students could get dropped off on the tree loop right under student parking. 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 want to make our campus being clean a more positive thing. Most people are too lazy to throw their trash away. Especially during lunch time. I was thinking maybe occasionally we could do lunch time competitions and students for each grade would have all of lunch to fill up a trash can and the grade who cleaned up the most would be the winners for the day. It would be difficult to have a reward system but its just an idea in the process. By making things a competition, I feel like it gets people motivated to take action. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? I think our phone policy is good but I think teachers need to make more of an effort to say something if it does bother them. I like the fact that teachers usually hold their students accountable and if they weren't paying attention, then that's their fault. 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 am not sure how I would do this but I would definitely allow for student feedback and probably working with the lunch staff or whoever controls our school lunches to see what improvements could be made. I think that the proportions of our lunch are uneven sometimes, I'm a pretty small person and even I think there isn't enough food all the time. So I would try to make an effort to hear new ideas as well as take action to working with staff to fixing the problems students may have. Previous Next