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- The Future of Student Voice | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< Back The Future of Student Voice Will Student Government Survive? Brianne Lagazo Student Government May 2, 2025 at 5:47:08 PM Once a cornerstone of school leadership, the student council is now struggling to attract members. Student council applications were opened for the 2025-2026 school year in February. Students interested in being a part of student government were encouraged to join. As the deadline approached, excitement gave way to silence. Only a small handful of students picked up an application. This left many to wonder: why don’t students care? Of the 11 freshmen who picked up an application, 4 dropped out; Of the 11 sophomores, 1 dropped out; 9 juniors picked up an application but 2 dropped out. Student Body applications were postponed due to lack of applicants. At the moment, we have 5 and 3 remaining vacancies. The same lack of involvement can be seen in voting as well. Out of 190 students in the class of 2026, only 71 voted in the recent April election. For the class of 2027, 93 out of 211 students voted. In the class of 2028, 83 out of 181 students voted. Many at LHS agree that this lack of involvement has become a problem, but we cannot definitively say why. Cassie-Anne Jacinto, out Student Activities Coordinator (SAC) states that “With less applications, it provides less choice for students during elections.” As a result, she worries, “there may be less diversity in student voice.” “Student Voice” According to The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals “the organization of Student Council grows out of the desire of the educator to make principles of democracy operative in the school.” For this reason, researchers Smith, Miller, and Nadler defined a functioning student government as something that can “provide important outlets for students to be engaged in making decisions for the welfare of the entire campus.” Student Council is designed then to train students “to bargain, negotiate, and advocate for others whom they represent.” Student Council, says sophomore Xeila Santiago, is “a group of students elected by their peers who plan events, represent the school, and try to make their school environment a better place.” For years, we acknowledged the importance of the student council at Lahainaluna. But what will happen if students and educators no longer have this desire? “Student Council is not listening…” For some students, the dismal turnout may be connected to student distrust. “If students don't feel like their voices will actually be heard or that their participation will make a difference,” says senior ASB President RJ Arconado,. “They may not be motivated to get involved.” An anonymous freshman thinks that students may distrust the Council, under the assumption that they, the Council members, “are not being effective in making a change.” He thinks they may be “too lazy to make a change.” Similarly, junior Aden Ross thinks that “people are very bored and people won’t be interested in joining or participating.” This, he added, could come from “students feel[ing] like Student Council is not listening to their ideas.” Recently, Jersea Borneman reported on the student council’s ability to make changes. Emma Batson believes the Student Council lacks transparency and does not let students know what is truly going on. “They’re saying they're gonna communicate with us,” says Batson. “I've never heard any of them coming around, talking to any of us, getting our opinions on things, asking us.” “The possibility of failure” Sophomore Mina Nagasako offers a different view of the problem. She feels that students are either “not committed in general or may be intimidated by competition.” The publicness of StuCo may make students “afraid to be judged by their fellow classmates,” says senior Sarah Cariaga, adding that a student may be judged by “their ideas or just receive comments from students.” “Students are afraid of the possibility of failure,” thinks sophomore Keyla Jimenez, who imagines that challengers have a harder time since “they have to get people to remember their name while the person they are running against is already known on campus.” While this was true for 5 races across grade levels, interest was so low this year that many of the spots lacked an incumbent. Because the Student Council pushes people out of their own comfort zones, intimidation can also stem from public speaking and the possibility of being a known leader on campus. Lahainaluna’s Principal Richard Carosso comments that “there is an amount of courage required to put yourself out there. It’s a little harder for kids to take that step outside of their comfort zone and lead.” “People are just lazy” There are less interesting reasons for the decline in participation. For instance, some students may be lazy or lack the initiative to do something. “Student council can be a very stressful position if you don’t have the correct people helping you,” says junior Aden Ross.“No one wants to spend most of their days planning events, people are just lazy.” “Perhaps students feel overwhelmed with their workload between school, outside work, and outside activities,” biology teacher Arica Lynn suggested. “It might be a challenge for them to stay involved in student council and even other opportunities here.” “The lack of wanting to join comes from laziness,” offered sophomore Kaliyah Cutty. This is less about students and more about timing, she says, since the race “happens towards the end of the year when most students are drained and don’t feel like doing any additional work.” While it is possible that this is teenage “laziness,” students may just believe that someone else will take on the job, meaning they don’t have to. Our student Activities coordinator (SAC), Cassie-Ann Jacinto, believes that student turnout can be chalked up to the“bystander effect,” or a situation in which someone does nothing because that person “expects someone else to step up.” “People would rather just watch people do things,” she added. “We’re still recovering” Jacinto points out that she has learned while talking with other Student Activities Coordinators that “there has been a decrease in engagement, not just at Lahainaluna, but also at other schools” She notes that the recent fall in participation may have started with COVID, but , at our school, it may have been drawn out by the 2023 Maui Wildfire. “We’re still recovering from the fire, and people are trying their best to come to school, go home and keep the cycle going,” Arconado says. “Some don’t even live in Lahaina, so student council is a hard thing to commit to for those not living in town.” Similarly, teachers are also preoccupied with current struggles to the point where they cannot engage with students as much as they used to. Carosso says, “it’s harder for everybody. For all of our kids, our staff, and our families to get involved. It’s just harder all around than it was.” “Like minded individuals” Offering incentives to encourage involvement may play a key role in increasing interested applicants. Recognition, acknowledgement throughout the school year, and celebration of student council members may seem miniscule now, but may go a long way. Arconado adds that one benefit to joining student council is “that you are surrounded by like-minded individuals that if you keep them close you will soon then call your best friends.” “The school can encourage student council participation by recognizing their efforts and planned events,” said an anonymous senior. Moreover, if students see that Student Council is not only working, but also something enjoyable, students may feel more inclined to join. This comes from a council’s ability to effectively plan events that make students feel welcomed. Conversely, if the Student Council appears ineffective and dysfunctional, “our legacy as a student council will go down to the dump,” says Arconado. Carosso says he has “confidence and faith that Lahainaluna–being Lahainaluna–-is the one place that can restore that kind of drive.” “We couldn’t do much this year,” said Arconado, “but I hope that in the future we can get cooler events to showcase what the Student Council has to offer.” “So fun” Because student council is the backbone of school-sanctioned events, such as homecoming and spirit weeks, a lack of involvement may cause planning and organizing conflicts. A year of this may make the situation worse, creating more challenges with filling positions or having dual positions,” said sophomore Treasurer Lucia Mejia. If this current trend were to continue, students who are overly-involved may also experience burnout as they take on more responsibilities. “Events like lip-sync are so fun,” Science teacher Jacquelyn Ellis lamented. This past year, student engagement was so low that lip-sync and assemblies had grade levels forfeiting, or events were canceled altogether. “It used to be a really big deal,” said Ellis, “and it’s been sad to see less students participate.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Brianne Lagazo is a sophomore at Lahainaluna. She is currently the president of the class of 2027, attempting to shed light on issues inside and outside of her school. She enjoys working with others, being a part of student council, giving back to her community.
- What Can Student Council Do? | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< 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.
- In the end, we’re on the same island | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< Back In the end, we’re on the same island Spirit, Silence, and Conflict Ashlee Hufalar Politics September 30, 2025 at 11:22:22 PM Last year, the 2024 dance fever ended in an explosion of confetti, candy wrappers, and shoes. During the event, a group of seniors danced up to the freshman section holding up a poster with the year “2028” written on it. Pausing for a second in front of the bleachers, they tore it up and continued on with excitement. It was done as a little playful rivalry directed at the freshman. Previous senior classes had similarly jabbed at the new class. Yet, suddenly, as if it were an act of war, shoes began to fly from the freshman section. Shortly after followed a pair of pants. No one was hit, though people felt disrespected. A few freshmen were identified and disciplined for their actions. “There's the average, like, oh, they're younger, you know, let's be mean to the freshman,” explained senior Coleman Riddell when asked about grade level conflicts. He mentioned that this was the main rivalry he had witnessed between grade levels, though students point out recent events that have stirred more drama. Skip forward to the 2025 dance fever. What was once a minor clash between the freshman and seniors escalated into a burst of accusations and hostility among grades. Competitive rivalries turned into something more personal, and students were putting up social media content and graffiti that put down other classes. People felt immense frustration, and rather than a fun competition, it felt like a battle with students putting pride before everything and showing disrespect for one another. “The competition was blown out of proportion,” says junior Mia Lee. “There were people tearing down things, and it's just like, what happened to the friendly competition?” To many students, school spirit has come to represent more than simple rivalry–it shows a broader issue of how students handle conflicts. Others have noticed that, oftentimes, disagreements escalate into trying to tear others down instead of working to actually navigate through differences. “...They Just Take it Out With Drama” Freshman Harana Peralta observes that “typically, most students handle disagreements with drama, silent anger, or even talking behind their backs.” Mariah Kauvaka, also a freshman, agrees. “They just take it out with drama or some of them add more to it,” she observes, “by feeding into it on their social media.” Some students say they haven’t seen conflicts as direct and out in the open. Junior Oliana Schur describes how people mostly “stay quiet or talk trash with their friends and people they think will agree with them.” Sophomore Leabelle Catuday has seen more aggressive displays of school spirit. She describes a classroom incident where “there were people who were having an argument, and they went straight up to calling them the N word … being very rude to each other.” She’s also seen a lot of students resort to physically fighting: “Straight fighting, like hands on, punch, punch. That's how they fix it.” Seeing how these conflicts unfold, Peralta doesn’t think that students at our school are “civil” to each other. The problem isn’t that students are having disagreements, but that some are choosing to approach them with aggression. There is a lack of civility behind their actions and behavior. “...Put Up with People That You Don’t Like” Teresa Bejan, a political theorist and author, spoke on how “civility makes our disagreements tolerable so that we can share a life together even if we don't share a faith -- religious, political or otherwise.” If this virtue is a foundation that allows us to stay together as a society, she says, then it’s important for people to understand what civility is and how to embody it. A some students are concerned about how to fix it. “Probably treating people with, like, respect and not like bullying them,” said one freshman. Similarly, an anonymous sophomore said "um, not being rude.” Another student added “treating others with kindness no matter whoever the person is.” Most people see civility as simply being respectful and polite to others, and while this is the basis, it goes far deeper than that. Daniel Schultz, Ceramics teacher, explained that civility is learning how to “put up with people that you don't like.” People will “have different thoughts, different interests, different opinions,” he says, “but you still need to be able to get along and not kill, hurt, or abuse other people because they have differences in opinions.” Lee echoes this, acknowledging disagreements are natural: “you believe that I believe this.” But it shouldn't interfere with how we live amongst each other, she said, “That should not affect our working relationship, our, like, school relationship, or just our friendship in general.” For Michelle Brummel, civility is how students, even if they don’t see eye to eye, are “able to get along and work together, being collaborative in an effort to reach a common goal.” “It's the idea of realizing that we're all in it together,” mentions Riddell. “…Shut Me Up to Try and Prove Their Point” So why do some students have trouble being civil towards each other? People usually have disagreements on what they’re most passionate about. When another person sees things differently, Schultz explains, “they get upset about something and they feel like the other person doesn't see it their way.” “They're not rooting for the same teams,” he continues, “and then they handle it negatively, like, ‘you don't see it my way, then I'm gonna. I'm gonna handle you.’” It’s hard to remain civil with people when they’re “really passionate about their belief,” says Catuday. This can come to the point where, she says, they “don't really care about what the others have to say.” In a situation like this, “it can get really heated.” Peralta describes talking to people that have different beliefs from her. Many would rather “talk over me or shut me up to try and prove their point. Honestly, it’s frustrating when they don’t wanna see my point of view.” When it comes to disagreements, Lee mentions “there's, like, that half of kids at our school who can have that civil conversation,” and then “there's that half that will take things out of proportion and, like, get offended or just, like, throw it out.” Is Silence Civility? Mr. Schultz mentions that “I don't know how often people are encouraged to share their opinions and how often people are understanding that there are differences of opinions while they're at school.” It can be difficult to engage with someone who has different perspectives you disagree with. Because of this, Catuday find it "more tolerable to be around them” if they don’t speak about their perspective. Senior Ricardo Solano is one of the "tolerable" people who avoid conflict by not speaking his opinion at all. He says that even if he disagrees with someone, “I just go with whatever they say, so, like, nothing happens, you know.” It seems that avoiding conflict, rather than communicating through disagreements, is a solution that keeps things civil. But is this silence a real solution, or a temporary way of avoiding the issues at hand? Riddell puts into perspective that “Weirdly, I think by not saying anything, everyone's kind of just comfortable with it.” Or, by staying silent, students don’t have to face uncomfortable conversations, disagreement, or larger conflicts, which helps to maintain a surface level sense of peace. However, students in this situation also lose their voices. “...We All Aren’t Meant to Have the Same Opinions” “I think we do need to start speaking up more when we feel differently on something, but we have to be accountable and have the courage to do that, and encourage others to do that as well,” says Schur. Mr. Schultz uses critiques as an example. In his class, when reviewing each other's ceramics, he encourages students to “disagree with each other and share their opinions.” But they must not do it in a problematic way. Instead, he encourages them to “have thoughts, articulate them and share them with other people, and then hear other people's opinions.” He mentions that “I think our school could benefit from doing that on a larger scale.” “We all aren’t meant to have the same opinions and way of thinking about stuff,” says sophomore Christopher Apilado. If he disagrees with another person, he doesn’t try to change their way of thinking or opinion” but rather he just wants “to make what I think clear, and make what they think clear.” “I think people have strategies of, like, ignoring the people or stonewalling them or, you know, just like, completely shutting them off, right?” says Mr. Schultz. Instead of doing this, says Lawrence Abut, a junior, “I would listen to their point of argument, their ideas, and then let them finish up what they're saying.” Such a strategy could have larger effects on us, says senior, Jowy Langaman. Being open to hear what others say, even through disagreement, “could change my own perspective.” Practicing Civility by Being Open to Differences “Our school can be a little bit cliquey,” says Brummel. She explains that students tend to cling to their groups all the way through, and while it’s natural to want to be around friends, it’s important for students to “learn how to talk and hang out with other people” who are different from them. Liana M Horovitz, history professor for the early college program, suggests that students should “build a diverse network of friends.” “Make it a practice not to use inflammatory or offensive language, sarcasm, or raised voices,” she recommends. “Withhold judgment” and “have a true curiosity about others.” Horovitz encourages students to engage more openly with each other: and to “Ask questions! Make it a practice to ask, ‘Tell me more.’ And then really listen.” “...we're so small.” Civility is what allows us to be able to disagree without seeking to hurt or destroy one another in any way. It's what makes it possible to tolerate differences we have and continue to live and work together as a community. It’s how we can approach homecoming competitions with good spirits, and not having it turn into something personal, which creates division and hostility. Digital media teacher Mr. Shigaki mentions that without having civility, “it's going to actually impact a lot of hatred to each other and that's what causes war.” He says that we shouldn’t put people down, because “in the end, we're on the same island. We going to have to talk to each other later.” For many students, community is something they take pride in. “Lahaina town…we’re really a close community,” says Abut. “You would just see somebody just down the store or on front street and be like, oh, yeah, that's my classmate or their mom.” “I don't think we should be fighting with each other, especially after everything that we lost,” says Kauvaka. Langaman added that because we’re such a close community, “school should be a safe place for all people. It also could help you build new connections in the future.” “So the idea that focusing on hurting another person–especially, again, when we're so small,” said Riddell. “What are you getting out of that? … like, there's no reason to.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Ashlee Hufalar is a sophomore and a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.
- Artificial Intelligence | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< Back Artificial Intelligence The Future is Here? Trinity Guiza Science & Technology February 7, 2025 at 5:36:28 PM “It makes my job easier,” Judd Levy, a science teacher at Lahainaluna, said about using AI to assist his teaching work. “When I'm developing lessons, I can't think of everything, but the AI knows everything.” Even so, Levy objects to students using AI as a replacement for their own work and thinks that the problem is that “we haven't taught students how to use it ethically,” and that students more often are using AI as a “cheating tool.” Coming across AI-created assignments is “frustrating,” he shared, “because I don't want to give an assignment and have to read what AI wrote, you know, from twenty different students.” Jenifer Ariemma, an English teacher, repeats this frustration. “I stand firm with my students,” she says, telling them that “I would rather them write the worst paper that was ever written as long as it was theirs.” The majority of students and staff at Lahainaluna are familiar with artificial intelligence. They all have some notion as to what they think it has done for us and for our future. Yet, many disagree on or are unsure about what that future looks like. “There is a lot of uncertainty” Vice Principal Christopher Webber thinks about AI a lot. He connects confusion over AI to the fact that “we are right at the beginning of what it might become.” “Because of this,” he continued, “there is a lot of uncertainty at school, not just our school but all schools, about how to utilize it, or if we should utilize it.” Levy says that the use of AI in schools is “a slippery slope, because the technology is changing so fast.” Despite the lack of an official policy, Ariemma says that she and others in the English Department give students a chance to redo the assignment or take a zero on the assignment. She adds that “we have a gentleman from the DOE who comes every couple of weeks telling us how important AI is and how we should have all of our students using it.” Webber claims that he isn’t sure about how AI is being used in school. “What they are using it for and how they are using it, I don't actually know. [...] It seems to be shrouded in this kind of secrecy.” But students are using it. Freshman Amaziah Irrobis noted that other students “use it a lot to help with exams and answers, but they also use it a lot to cheat.” An anonymous senior admitted that “I've used it before, mainly used it for like procrastination. I write down something fast and it writes something for me.” Many teachers assume that this is the case. Ariemma offered an example: “Right now my classes, they’re doing an assignment that's due on Tuesday,” she said as she was interviewed just outside her classroom door. “I guarantee you if I walked in there, none of them will be doing it. They’ll wait, they’ll wait until Monday night and then they go 'uh oh,' so they run it through AI. I think it’s borderline laziness.” Talaofa Sulunga, a junior, agrees, and thinks AI “is just a lazy way out for many people.” The Artificial Intelligence Race Webber has concerns that are bigger than the school. Specifically, he worries that AI is the future and that if students are not able to use it, the school is “leaving our students behind in terms of what their lives and their world’s gonna be.” While he is concerned about whether our students will need AI, he of course sees that it might be affecting our “academic rigor.” He has seen an increasing number of AI plagiarism cases, the majority coming from English classes as well as “the school’s credit recovery program, EdGenuity, where students are using AI to plagiarize their essays.” Aurora Webb, a senior at Lahainaluna, said, “I think it's awful. I think if you need to use AI to pass a class, then you should not be in that class.” Freshman Irrobis (above) has a similar opinion: “AI could help us in many different ways, but it can also harm us.” Webb mentioned that “I do think education around AI as a subject should be something people receive. We have already seen that without that sort of understanding, AI can be handled improperly.” She believes “that education should be about AI as a topic and not as a tool for other topics.” Webb agrees that AI has potential, but currently doubts students can be trusted to use it responsibly. “I think it’s really useful and 100% has a place in today's society,” she said. “But it's being used the wrong way.” “I think it would be great for analytical things,” she added. “It would be awesome if AI could do our taxes.” Given the dangers, however, Webb thinks “it should be completely banned,” or “out of the hands of the general public.” Similarly, Freshman Edger Ortiz thinks that “AI can be used to study, not used for plagiarism. You shouldn’t get a grade for something you didn’t do.” The best use for AI, Ortiz thinks, is as a tutor or a tool that will “simplify” complex ideas “to help students better understand.” Mikayla Vergara, a junior, disagrees and thinks that AI “overcomplicates the questions that it is asked. In my experience in using AI, I’ve often had to tell it to simplify the given answer in order to understand what it is trying to say.” There are other problems associated with AI. For instance, in the worst case, AI “could harm our education because sometimes it could use fake information which overall isn’t good.” Ortiz refers to a phenomenon called hallucination or artificial hallucination in which a response generated by AI contains false or misleading information presented as fact. Though many seem to share Webber’s concerns about AI’s role in the future, few know how we should be using it or doubt it is being used properly. Ariemma thinks that “at this stage of the world, where we are right now, it’s really important that we start developing critical thinking skills.” She added, “Critical thinking and AI do not go together.” Levy sees the issue differently. For him, knowing about AI is unavoidable and important. To be relevant, “Students need to know how to use it because it's going to be a part of everything they do in the future. It's gonna be everywhere.” He paints a picture for the future with the past: “There was once a time where students had to do all their math calculations by hand,” he said. “When the calculator was first invented, it was really frowned upon in school, and students were told not to use a calculator. Now it’s an essential tool that students use in school, and I think AI will be the same way, as soon as we discover how to use it efficiently and ethically.” Planning Ahead Webber is in the process of creating a new policy on AI that will be different from the DOE's current policy . “I will tell you I used AI to write the policy,” he said earnestly, “which is kinda where I am right now.” Because of how new the issue is, Webber admitted to having a hard time finding examples. “Many DOE schools that I researched simply disallow the use of AI.” The thinking behind them, he assumes, is “that students are gonna plagiarize or use it irresponsibly.” Webber said that his draft policy “seeks to be ethical” since “we want to make sure that people are not disenfranchised, that they have access to AI, but all the time keeping in mind the need to have ethical classroom experiences.” Despite these concerns, there are still hardline clauses in Webber’s policy that say you can’t use it to “take the place of original students' thought and effort.” Ariemma has other concerns. “I said in the meeting,” she said, referring to one of the meetings with the DOE gentleman (above), “that I want all of my students to write by hand, and the feedback in the meeting was that there will come a time when you won’t need to be writing anything, with your hand.” “My heart sank,” she said. “I pray that that never happens. I really do. I don't ever want to lose handwriting because that’s so unique to each of us. I may be the last man standing with all this, but I'm gonna hold on to it as long as I can until I'm told otherwise.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Trinity Guiza is a staff writer at Ka Lama Hawai'i.
- The Downfall of Human Competence | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< Back The Downfall of Human Competence Ari Abut Philosophy The Work Seventeenth-century philosopher, René Descartes, famously wrote the words “Cogito ergo sum,” "I think, therefore I am” in his 1637 Discourse on the Method. By this, he meant that thinking is the only thing that is guaranteed to be true in this world and that maybe a person’s worldview shapes the identity of the person themselves. Unfortunately, AI demotes thinking to something optional, something that isn’t necessary when AI is doing the thinking for them. In this way, AI may stunt the development of the people using it, countering the development of self. Researcher Helms Potter claims that “individuals who have been exposed to high cognitive demand tasks throughout their lives tend to exhibit higher intellectual abilities." This means that people who have been assigned hard tasks that require a large amount of thinking are more likely to be intelligent individuals and can solve problems more efficiently. Yet, AI creates a situation in which intellectual tasks do not need to be solved by people. As researcher Umberto León-Domínguez argues , the use of AI deteriorates how humans process information, as AI can easily contextualize it in a more digestible way, making people use fewer of their intellectual resources. He describes a concept, “cognitive offloading,” through which the action of relying on an external resource (in this case, AI) to complete a cognitive task, such as memorizing dates or creating lists, makes individuals less reliant on their own brain to organize these tasks. As he states, “a risk remains that for a certain segment of the population, the pervasive use of AI chatbots may diminish specific cognitive skills—particularly if individuals do not utilize the freed cognitive resources for other tasks that pose cognitive challenges.” In short, individuals who don’t overuse AI to offload tasks will likely be intellectually inclined. As technology advances and becomes more competent, human abilities will decline in response. In the modern world, this process is already happening. Humans often use AI for assignments and tasks. And as humans realize tasks can be done effortlessly and quickly with AI, they will eventually start relying on it entirely. Anything that is considered difficult is dumped onto it, leaving users with all the easy tasks. As humans grow more incompetent and find out the AI can take care of such tasks, they will put those minor tasks on the AI as well. The cycle repeats and spirals until humans are unable to do anything at all. Most people view AI as a revolutionary program. It learns by itself, can mimic human behavior, and even create art and literature on its own. Many companies use AI to edit their work, generate ideas and business pitches. It molds itself to fit the preferences of customers, and even increases productivity in the workplace. This, it is thought, will result in the human employees needing to do less work. Yet, it is more likely that company revenue will increase while employee pay decreases. As AI gets exponentially better and better, it will become more competent and efficient than most humans, resulting in higher unemployment rates. The rich (who own companies and the new technology running them) will become richer, and the poor (out of work) will become poorer. It becomes a cycle in which fewer people are able to hold their jobs, and could result in exponential recession and unemployment. While AI has its merits, it still has the potential to hurt the way we function as of now. Perhaps in the future, when we as humans (our brains specifically), evolve to coexist with modern technology without hindrances on both ends, we can incorporate AI more effectively into our lives without the cost of our own humanity. Since 1995, it seems, Albert Einstein has been associated with the quote "It’s become appallingly clear that our technology has surpassed our humanity." Yet, there is no evidence that he actually said this. In fact, it comes from a 1995 movie called Powder . Despite being associated with Einstein, they are actually words spoken by Donald Ripley, played by Jeff Goldblum. The film builds itself on the premise of embracing what is not perfect and how human bias and bigotry (mental laziness) can get in the way of that. Einstein’s actual quote goes like this: Our world faces a crisis as yet unperceived by those possessing power to make great decisions for good or evil. The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe. It comes from a New York Times article published in 1945 where Einstein described humans as ignorant and sadistic individuals with the power to enact that cruelty onto others. He asks: why would we trust anything with that capability to humans? Similarly, AI represents a scary combination of voluntary ignorance and danger. For those who ignore information, technology takes on that burden for them. However, this can result in the distortion of information in the world, reducing authenticity to something a computer came up with. The misattribution of the Einstein-Goldblum quote is an allegory for how humans are easily misled, and how false information can be spread disturbingly quickly. This, some people warn us, is what AI will do. Without recognizing the importance of using our own intelligence to create our own conclusions, that ability will eventually diminish until AI replaces it entirely. About the Creator Communication is not my strong suit. I would like to interact with you, but I must admit that first meetings are almost guaranteed to be awkward. I enjoy philosophical and psychological discussions and finding out more about how people work. I also enjoy analyzing media such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Madoka Magica . If you’re interested in either of these masterpieces, contact me immediately. I look forward to hearing your insights. Previous Next Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Send Email
- How We Believe The World Sees Us | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< Back How We Believe The World Sees Us Samantha Monnett Painting The Work In today's society with the growth of social media also comes higher beauty standards. For this sustained investigation, I wanted to show how I could use art to interpret how I think the world perceives me as a person through hallucinations that we all make up in our minds, how we tend to feel all these eyes on us from people judging our looks and every physical change that we make. With all of the artworks, I am investigating how we all tend to be self-critical and create illusions to match what we think others are thinking of their experience of us. During the beginning of the sustained investigation, I wanted to focus on the idea of reflecting our self-perceptions as seen in mirrors, highlighting how we are often our harshest critics. However, while experimenting with various paints and materials to depict these reflections, my investigation shifted towards portraying hallucinations of distorted images that reflect how we believe the world sees us. As I came towards the end of my sustained investigation, the hyper-realism didn't really matter within the projects but rather the message that was portrayed behind it that everyone experiences. About the Creator Samantha Monnett graduated from Lahainaluna in 2024. Previous Next Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Send Email
- Pipe Problems and Fountain Fixes | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< Back Pipe Problems and Fountain Fixes What’s in Your Hydro? Grayson Guzman Student Life April 28, 2025 at 5:42:20 AM When asked if they feel safe drinking from the water fountains here on campus, most students, like freshman Kristina Meguro, replied no. For Meguro, the water fountains are “a bit icky.” She imagines campus water fountains as “somewhere that has a lot of gecko poop. I would just clean them a bit more so it feels nicer to drink out of them.” Similarly, junior Elijohn Agbayani admitted that he doesn’t “feel safe drinking from the water fountains. I feel like they should clean them everyday and change them out after a couple of years." He added that he would only drink from the fountain if he was really thirsty. Students say that regular maintenance may fix the problem. When asked about improvements, junior Marie Avelyn Baptista said they “should be maintained more frequently.” “Regular cleaning and maintenance would be great,” Savannah Mariz Gapuzan added. “I usually bring water from home,” said Robbiel Fronda, a senior. “The water fountains are old,” he added, “you know, most of the time they're like dirty. Dude, I've heard, like, people have even like, like put their body parts on it and stuff to make it like gross and stuff. It's weird.” The “Best” Water at Lahainaluna? According to students, not all fountain water comes out the same. It depends on the location. Some favorite fountains include H-Building, the Office, and the Gym. Students like H building for its convenience and the Gym because it is the newest. Freshman Maximino Arvizu thinks that “the office water is the best, then the one in the gym.” This is because, apparently, office fountain water is the coldest. According to Arvizu, fountains “need to be colder, and like taste better.” Senior Chase Yasutake thinks the water fountains on campus are all fine and uses them “a lot to keep my water bottle filled.” Yet, other students agree on the idea that the quality of the fountain depends on the area it is in. It’s “dirty, by dirty areas,” says sophomore Giselle Ganoot. Similarly, freshman Christopher Apilado seems to agree and thinks that the school should change the location of our fountains “It should be inside to prevent impurities like dirt or dust.” Old Pipes P.E. teacher Cliffane Casco offers one idea for why the water is a bit funky. He thinks that the “pipes on campus is old, so I'm not sure how clean the water is.” Casco usually fills his hydro flask at the gym where he spends most of his day and there are newer water fountains. “That's where I usually fill my hydroflask, but usually I try to stay away from drinking the water here on campus.” The Center for Disease Control recommends that schools “provide water fountains, dispensers, and hydration stations throughout the school,” and to ensure that they are “clean and properly maintained.” They also state “standards and regulations assure that the public water supply is clean and safe as it leaves the water utility. However, lead plumbing parts (pipes, fittings, and fixtures) can contaminate water after it leaves the water main.” Casco thinks that someone should “come test the water to see if it is clean, and that we have filters on some of these drinking fountains, so then we know that we're drinking clean water.” In May of 2023, math teacher Cornelio J. Ancheta asked students in his project-based learning (PBL) class to run tests on our school's water. Looking at the question “Is drinking the water at our school safe?”, his students sampled water from several water fountains located all across campus. “Based from the tests conducted by the staff of the Department of Water Supply,” said Ancheta, “the samples collected from the water fountains were negative for Total Coliform and for E. Coli.” While the tests were negative for E. coli and Total Coliform, which is the name of a group of bacteria found in water, soil, and the digestive tracts of animals, there may still be other contaminants coming from our old pipes. The EPA suggests routine cleaning and posting “a cleaning time card by the water fountains to allow the cleaning times to be recorded.” It is important to note that the results of Mr. Ancheta PBL was conducted before the August 8th wildfires. “That was the only testing. Although, I'm planning to repeat the same project that I had” said Ancheta. 3,000 Gallons Cassie-ann Jacinto, our Student Activities Coordinator offers another possible cause of water contamination. The filters in the fountains, she thinks, are probably old and need to be replaced. “When we got the water fountains installed a couple of years ago,” she speculated, “we had the money to buy them and get them installed, but I don't think it included it getting serviced.” According to Elkay, the company that manufactures the water fountains we have at school, “Genuine Elkay filters are rated for 3,000 gallons, which is about 19,200 20-ounce bottles. Filter life depends on water conditions and usage.” Also, they “recommend changing your filter 1-2 times per year to keep your filter light green” meaning the filter is working. Around campus, the filter lights are not even on. Only two fountains can be read for the number of 20 oz quantities dispensed. It doesn’t seem that the filters have been changed in quite a while. Of the two fountains where you can read the amount of uses, H-Building has filled 36,305 20 oz bottles and K-Building 27,177. H-Building is 189% over and K-Building 142% over what is recommended by Elkay. According to Victoria Zupancic, the water bottle refilling stations were installed by the environmental club before covid. The club also used to do regular maintenance to the filters. Now that the Environmental Club is disbanded and its advisor is no longer at Lahainaluna, the stations may not be maintained as much. When they are maintained, says Vice Principal Christopher Webber, the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) services them. Ancheta, like many, is concerned that “the filters need to be replaced because the filter has not been replaced for how many years.” “Until somebody conducts a thorough testing of the water,” said Ancheta, “it remains uncertain whether our water, drinking water, at Lahainaluna high school is safe to drink.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Grayson is the current 2028 student council Vice President and is running for a second term as sophomore Vice President.
- Teiva Gerling | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< 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
- The Soul of the School is Spirit | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< 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.
- Memory of the Disaster | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< Back Memory of the Disaster Angela Tumpap Painting The Work Major events in life can impact and alter the way you view the world around you. My sustained investigation explores the idea that it's your choice how you want to view the world. Through this journey, I illustrated my efforts trying to overcome the grief that came from the loss of my hometown and how it changed my perspective on life. Healing isn't linear; there will be setbacks along the way. How you handle them is what makes life beautiful or cruel, depending on how you choose to see it. The five stages of grief was how I wanted to display this investigation at the start. However I soon let go of the idea since grief is much deeper than that. With my artworks I drew the progress I was making, whether it be that I fell back into sorrow or obtained moments of peace. You can see the moments where I improved as well as where I was faced with challenges. Later projects show signs of life becoming softer in my eyes, even revising an artwork I made when I was low spirited. As the end approaches, I am delighted to say, I am happy. About the Creator Angela Tumpap is a senior at Lahainaluna and a multi media artist practicing expressionism through art. She aims to evoke emotional responses in every piece she creates. She has a brother and sister and wants to go to art school at UHMC. Dan Schultz is her favorite teacher of all time when all her teachers in all subjects are taken into account throughout all her years of schooling. Previous Next Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Send Email
- Valentine's Day | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< Back Valentine's Day High Hopes, Low Expectations Bryson Aquino Student Life February 7, 2025 at 7:37:48 PM “Valentine's day is absolutely horrible,” said sophomore Marcus John Palacio on the upcoming holiday. Explaining his feelings, he admitted that his dislike is entirely personal: “I am very jealous and very envious of all the people that get to experience love in this young, innocent, and youthful way.” As Valentine's day approaches, students at LHS have mixed feelings about the holiday and the dating culture on campus. We wanted to talk to them about dating on campus and the expectations they (and their fellow students) have for their relationships. Here’s what we found. “...a great day to bake cookies…” While some students may envy the happiness of others, some students still appreciate the 14th of February. Senior Dylan Paul Lat said, “I love Valentine's day! It's a great day to bake cookies and show love to everyone, not just in romantic relationships.” Similarly, Junior Brandon Gonzales said “I feel like it’s good that love is in the air.” Yet, other students may doubt whether anyone really cares about the holiday or takes it as seriously as they should. Freshman Mele Fita Feleta, believes that Valentine’s day has lost its significance and that “not many people really care about the day anymore–no one really does anything.” Similarly, sophomore Lucia Mejia noted that “it doesn't seem like a big deal to guys. I don't really see guys going up to girls and asking them to be their valentine anymore.” Expectations in relationships Despite their feelings about the holiday itself, LHS students are still looking for romance, though many of them have different ideas about what that looks like. “I imagine the perfect guy,” says an anonymous sophomore. “Then when I talk to an actual guy. He’s not what I pictured and it disappoints me.” According to Dr. Lina Guzman, teens tend to begin with high standards for relationships. Nevertheless, she finds, “they don’t always expect to find those qualities in a partner” because they have a pessimistic outlook when it comes to relationships. The teenagers interviewed for Guzman’s study knew few adults “whose romantic relationships were worthy of emulation.” The absence of healthy relationship models creates a cycle, she suggests, in which young people feel resigned to unhealthy patterns. For Guzman, “relationship habits formed in adolescence shape future adult relationships.” In contrast to these findings, students like sophomore Annika Yu-Cua have pretty practical expectations for a teenager. She wants a partner who has “actual goals in life and a plan to succeed.” Freshman Avery English is also just looking for “the minimum effort.” Though, she added: “I don't want you to be mean.” Some students feel that finding a relationship in a small community like Maui can be challenging. Faleta put it simply: “it’s hard to find someone here–especially if your standards are really high.” Sophomore Mia Lee admits to having fairly unrealistic expectations about her future person, though she claims that her ideas are learned. “I'm just way too delusional,” she joked. “My expectations are way too high because of the books I read and the movies I watch.” Sophomore Lucia Mejia also observes a common trend in student preferences: “Everyone here looks for a tall guy.” Gonzales suggested that some student relationships seem temporary or insincere. Among students, especially freshmen, “I see a lot of them dating for a week and then breaking up.” Social Media and Dating It is possible that our dating patterns and expectations may be influenced by the technology that has become such a big part of our reality. Dr. K. R. Subramanian argues that the decrease in face-to-face interactions due to social media use has led younger people to prefer isolation and spending time in their own “imaginary world.” Stuck to their phones, young people sacrifice time with their family, neighbors, and “real friends.” Cameron Leslie agrees, saying, “I judge more because social media makes things look different from reality.” Social media has played a significant role in dating. It has “changed people’s perceptions of what a relationship should be. They see a nice couple on Instagram reels, now they're looking for the perfect person, and think they're entitled to it,” says Senior Tyzo Kaska. Leslie agrees: “I feel like people just start to slip away from, like, the respect part of it because they just fantasize more of the idea of having a relationship.” “People need to be reminded that relationships take work. Some only focus on the good and ignore the hardships,” says Aunty Cass. Senior Jericho Yagin also notices that social media “makes it easier to start conversations with people rather than talking to them in person,” which creates virtual relationships that don’t work in reality. Student Activities Coordinator (SAC), Aunty Cassie Jacinto thinks so too. She warns that “since the internet makes it so easy to connect, it also makes it easy to jump from one person to another, which can create trust issues in relationships.” Mejia points out that a lot of what we see online is not even appropriate or relevant for younger people in relationships. “Everyone online talks about ‘red flags,’ but we’re literally teenagers—were still growing and developing.” V-Day Event Despite these challenges, some students remain hopeful, while others are content with celebrating love in all its forms, not just romantic relationships. Aunty Cass as SAC plans events based on student council input. But, she adds, it is also important to “make the events for the date inclusive,” for those looking for romance as well as those who simply like baking cookies. Previous Article Next Article Copy link 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!
- Ka'iulani Balinbin | Ka Lama Hawaiʻi
< All Candidates Ka'iulani Balinbin 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 students would be interested in camps that are specific to their interest, as well as more college fairs. Our students will also benefit from having guest speakers from professions they are interested in. Having more interactive opportunities like these would allow students to learn through real world experiences, instead of being cooped up in the classroom. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? I deem class assemblies and class banquets/parties important. As a class, participating in these events is important because they give us a chance to bond and grow closer. I find it important that we form a connection with our classmates, especially since we are the future of our community. 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? If I were elected, I would work to create a system in the parking lot after school. This way it would be less of a hassle when trying to leave each day. 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 were elected, I would put together campus cleanups to better the overall appearance, cleanliness, and safety on our campus. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? I believe having the freedom of being on our phone whenever we want during the day is working well, and we don't need a change. 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 was elected, I would request that the HIDOE provided better tasting, more nutritious meals for breakfast and lunch. Previous Next








