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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

< Back “Quite a Juggling Act” Is a Paycheck Worth the Sacrifice Brielle Em-E-Li Ramelb Student Life December 3, 2025 at 7:58:09 PM As students get older, they find themselves debating if they should start working a job. Whether they work to help their family, save for future education, or just want some money to spend, they all have to ask themselves the question: is a paycheck worth the sacrifice of precious time? “I usually work only 12 hours, but having a job can get in the way of some things,” says freshman Chloe DeVere, who works after school and on weekends at Sea House Restaurant. Though DeVere works less than most students, she admits to having trouble keeping up in school. To stay on top of things, she will try to “cram some work in at school and as soons as I get home to move it out of the way so I don’t have to stress after work.” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Chloe belongs to the 22.5% of high school students in the U.S. who are employed in paying jobs. However, Chloe is 15 years old, so according to Hawaii’s Child Labor Laws, she cannot work before 7:00 am or after 7:00 pm on a school day. As a minor between the ages of 14-15, Chloe also can’t work more than 3 hours per day on a school day or 8 hours on a non-school day. In a couple of years, Chloe will be old enough to work anytime she isn’t required to attend school. However, the choice of how many more hours to take will depend on her future schedule and her age. The struggle for balance between life as a student and an employee can be difficult, but, as some say, worth it. “...whatever I can, whenever I can…” While child labor laws are designed to ensure that students aren’t overwhelmed with work and school, some students pile on extracurriculars and sports on top of everything. Senior Dania Oleiwan is a band officer and can be found in the band room after school about 3 days a week. Yet, that is only when she is not at Teazentea where she works as a bobarista 18 hours a week. Despite her busy schedule, Oleiwan claims that her grades “aren't really affected.” “I'm able to balance it out” she claimed, “doing whatever I can, whenever I can.” Jaylee Vierra is able to maintain an A-B average, all while serving as a StuCo member and working evenings at Leilani’s as a hostess 8-10 hours a week. Despite her great GPA, she complained that she struggles to find the time for studying and homework. “I usually have to crunch everything in a certain day,” or later in the evening when she gets home from her shift, she said. As part of the leadership team for the class of 2027, Vierra also tries to find the time for her duties and sometimes has to work out scheduling. But her priorities are her job. “I let my work know ahead of time if I have events,” she said, “and if I can’t get off, I need to cancel.” DeVere also tries to keep up with her school work when she has sports. “Sometimes I come home late and am too tired to finish things,” she said. As a JV player for Lahainaluna’s women's soccer team, this is especially draining as she constantly gets home late from practice even when she doesn’t have work. Senior, Jean Alternado currently works as a server at Island Cream Co and works about 12- 20 hours per week. “It was a little hard to find my flow around things, I was struggling to keep my grades up, but the more I got used to it, it managed to become easier with maintaining my grades.” Finding a balance between a job, extracurriculars, and academics, Alternado said, takes time and experience. "I need to learn to interact with others..." Despite the challenges involved, student workers like Vierra see the job as valuable in the long term. Specifically, Vierra thinks that her job provides her with valuable knowledge for her future career. “I want to be a clinical psychologist,” she said, “which means I need to learn to interact with others along with being professional.” Becoming a psychologist requires many soft skills, and hospitality work, she thinks, will prepare her for a career that is based on communication. Hostessing also offers Vierra experience in a “fast paced environment,” she added, “along with being professional to the people I seat.” All this experience, she says, will help her with managing clients and keeping a work-life balance in her future career. Alternado aims to become a business owner and says that working a job could “give me some insights on what an employee feels like to be a better employer.” He thinks that this experience can help him create a thriving business environment in the future by, for one, helping him see how a business works so he can keep his future customers and employers satisfied. “Honestly my job taught me how to be patient and helped me talk to more people, which I believe will be helpful in hopefully, my future in healthcare” says Oleiwan who hopes one day to be a medical doctor. Oleiwan feels that working has given her head start on learning soft skills that are vital in her future career. “...miss out on experiences…” As much as a job can help students gain valuable skills and experiences, other students think that having a job would give them less time to explore the enjoyment of being a teenager. Freshman, Shantelle Semillano used to work at Da Best Pho as a cashier 8 hours a week, from her experience she says “Working feels like you aren’t allowing yourself to be a child.” Showing that working a job makes you more mature from all the skills you gain and forces you to have less leisure time to spend to your amusement. In addition, sophomore Grayson Guzman thinks that if he worked a job “I would have less time and possibly miss out on experiences with my family and friends,” fearing that his time would be wasted on working too hard while having no time to have fun. “Working a job can make teens worry about being left out in after school activities with their friends, or family.” says an anonymous junior. Since many jobs occupy a ton of time in a student’s daily life, working shifts can cause them to envy their peers for having more free time. “...quite a juggling act…” “Every job has ups and downs and there is no overlooking that.” Says DeVere. And though there are many downsides such as stress, time management, and schedule conflicts. Most employed students enjoy their job, and do it for their own pleasure and future. CTE teacher, Marc Watasaki admires the work ethic of employed students and acknowledges that working a job as a student can be “quite a juggling act, it takes a lot of maturity to be able to focus on what your priorities are and take care of what you need to.” “I really do enjoy my job! Most of my colleagues are Lahainaluna alumni and some current students as well. It really is worth my time, considering my pay. Working with great people is a bonus.” Says Alternado. “My job really is worth my time,” said Oleiwan. “I don't regret being employed.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Brielle Ramelb is class of 2029’s stuco treasurer. She loves playing music, playing the guitar, and collecting vinyl records.

< Back The Boardersʻ Clock Marking a Change in Time Chantei Dela Cruz Lahainaluna freshman boarder, Haro Akiyama, woke up to a loud commotion and someone asking “Eh, who get watch – what time now – I think we late.” He and other boarders ran down to the gym floor to look for a clock which read 6:10 before all of them rushed down the hill to clock in for work. They noticed no one else standing around the large time clock and assumed that everyone was at work already. Work usually started at 6AM. At 6 every day, the boarders would stand in line to put their narrow punch cards into the clock. As they were about to punch in, they read the time clock’s time: 2:30. They were not late and were relieved to relax an extra couple of hours. Akiyama was a freshman in 1944. He graduated in 1948 having been a boarder for four years. The time clock had only existed for three years when Akiyama had his scare. It's housing was constructed in 1941 by Mr. Herbert Wright, the school's carpentry teacher, and his students. The time clock is located near Hale Pa’i (house of printing) and is below the bus stop at Lahainaluna. In order to get there, take the side road that branches out from the main road and near the staircase, there will be a shed that contains the time clock along with a plaque. It became a way to keep track of the amount of hours worked by boarders on campus. In the early 20th century, boarders had to work for their room and board daily. The purpose was to teach them responsibility, self-discipline, and good work habits. Boarders would punch in at the clock every morning and every night until the clock broke in 1976. Life as Boarder Former boarder, Richard “Noosh” Nishihara, noted that boarders’ lives revolved around the time clock. According to previous Lahainaluna Boarders’ Handbooks, boarders had to punch in their assigned number slot at the time clock by 6AM and punch out at 7AM before school started on weekdays. After school, boarders had to punch in again after the 2PM bell indicated school was done. They had to work another two more hours until they could go back to their dormitories or attend athletic activities. Weekends were slightly less rigorous. Boarders were allowed to “sleep in” until 7:30 AM before punching in. Weekend morning shifts were three hours instead of two. Morning work earned them free time afterward. If an individual boarder was late to punch in, they had to work overtime. All hours of work done were recorded on the narrow timesheets or punch cards. “Chief” Earl Kukahiko who was the farm foreman at the time described the effect that time clock had on some boarders. The clock, he suggested, had the biggest effect on those who were late and had to work overtime. “The fear of the punishments (added work hours) for being late,” he said, “struck the fear of God into all of us.” In 1976, the time clock was deemed unserviceable. The only repairman who was familiar with the clock passed away sometime before 1976. At some point between 1976 and 2009, the Lahainaluna Classes of 1949 and 1950 began looking for ways to fund the clock's restoration. They would eventually find help from the Maui Carpenters Union and Maui International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 1186. The clock was restored and a large wooden shed housed it. The effort was headed by George Kawamoto (Class of 1952) and other Lahainaluna boarders. New Era, New System Nowadays, boarders just go to the time clock for headcount and don’t need to punch in. Senior Alana Hernandez, a current boarder at Lahainaluna, briefly explains the boarders’ daily schedules and how “We don’t use the time clock, we just go there.” As soon as the work is done, the boarders just return their tools to the shed and go back to the dorms. “We don't have to like ‘clock out’ or anything,” Hernandez said. Being an upperclassman gives boarders an advantage. Upperclassmen do “less labor intensive jobs or ‘opala truck,” said Nanea N. Sproat-Armitage who was interviewed by Doctor Ty Kawika Tengan and others for the Lahainaluna Native Hawaiian Boarding Students Oral History Project. In addition, Hernandez adds, “sometimes us uppers [juniors & seniors] give our tools to the unders [sophomores & freshmen] to take back.” Alumni boarders mentioned that a similar job an upperclassman boarder could have was working at the time clock or helping kids check in to work. Working at time clock was a simple job so most boarders wanted to have it. “I worked at time clock,” said former boarder Monica Kalikimaka Akamu who was also interviewed for the oral history project. “Working at time clock was super easy and all it meant was that I got to cruise in the truck with Coach Watson.” Former boarder Sherman Kealoha Maka was envied by his fellow boarders because he was given the job. “I had bad allergies. . . they had me in the orchard. So he [Kukahiko] took me out of orchard, and he put me in a time clock with him.” Symbol of Responsibility Using the time clock was an efficient way to keep track of over a hundred boarders’ work hours. During Eddie Espritiu’s time as a boarder, the clock was crowded each morning with over one hundred boarders. “—I mean. . . you can imagine 122 guys rushing back to their dorm, everybody going shower and get ready for school. . .,” said Espiritu. This sight is currently unimaginable. In 2025, about 30 students are boarding at Lahainaluna. “There used to be a lot more boarders back then, so using the time clock was an efficient system to keep track of who showed up to work,” said Hernandez. The size of the program has made it much easier to count and keep track of boarders who did not check in to work. The clock is now preserved as a historical structure and is no longer used by current boarding students. It holds a lot of meaning to boarders from classes of 1941-1976. The Lahainaluna time clock is a small structure, but was a big part of boarders’ daily routines. Their lives revolved around the clock. To many, the clock is now only a symbol of good time management, responsibility, and discipline. To others, like Eddie Espiritu, it was a symbol of “punctuality, responsibility, and respect for ourselves. . . it helped mold us and prepare us for our future.” (NOT?) Boarder's Clock.jpg Library of Congress. Pioneer Mill, Time Clock, Lahainaluna Road, Lahaina, Maui County, HI. HABS HI-38. Historic American Buildings Survey. Library of Congress, n.d. (NOT?) Boarder's Clock.jpg Library of Congress. Pioneer Mill, Time Clock, Lahainaluna Road, Lahaina, Maui County, HI. HABS HI-38. Historic American Buildings Survey. Library of Congress, n.d. 1/1 Bibliography Young, Peter. “Student Farmers.” Images of Old Hawaii . 23 September 2015. https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/student-farmers/#:~:text=Between%201941%20and%201976%2C%20Lahainaluna,with%20the%20clock%20passed%20away .) “LHS Weather Vane finds new home.” Lahaina News . 11 March 2022. https://www.lahainanews.com/news/community-news/2022/03/11/lhs-weather-vane-finds-new-home/ Tengan, Kawika et al. “Lahainaluna Native Hawaiian Boarding Students Oral History Project.” ScholarSpace . https://hdl.handle.net/10125/110110 Library of Congress. Pioneer Mill, Time Clock, Lahainaluna Road, Lahaina, Maui County, HI . HABS HI-38. Historic American Buildings Survey . Library of Congress, n.d. Miyahira, Stan. Na Leo (Voices) From The Past: Boarders of Lahainaluna High School . Chihara, Walter. “Many hands fix historic symbol of Luna boarders.” Lahaina News . 10 April 2009. Previous Next

< Back Forward > Lunas’ Fighting Spirit Overcoming COVID Challenges Samantha Shibao Previous Next “I think it affected us big, because knowing that the younger people haven’t had big boys–and our big boys is like the foundation of our team,” said Michael Rayray sitting in the AD’s office. The AC was blasting, and the other captains waited silently for Rayray to finish. They seemed only a little anxious, searching for something to say about their time during COVID. “Without big boys, they don’t really know everything,” Rayray finished, “They don’t come up ready.” Picture of Lahainaluna’s Offensive line (David Kauvaka 50, Tua Olakauatu 63, Kawika Kaili 53, Simione Olakautua 51, Maaulina Montgomery 46) during quarter four of the Lahaina vs. Baldwin game. PC: Samantha Shibao. In 2020, these five players, like everyone else in the world, were isolated from their friends and stuck at home behind a computer screen all day. They sat in Zoom meetings for 6 hours at-a-time, silent, their only interactions with parents and siblings in other rooms. In this environment, our communication skills began to deteriorate, and anxiety levels soared. Big Boys According to Collins et al. in Medicine , COVID-19-related disruptions created “heightened states of anxiety, isolation, and depression.” College-level athletes after COVID disruptions, for instance, experienced reductions in the “motivation to train and level of satisfaction from training.” Examining high-school athletes found that COVID had given them “increased anxiety, more dejection, and more anger.” These negative feelings and frustrations, associated with a long period of isolation, might have been “magnified in high school student-athletes seeking collegiate-level athletic scholarships,” they add, as older students would have also become anxious about missing out on recruiting opportunities. While this last point is about older players, younger players and our current players, as Rayray noted, came into the sport unprepared, without mentors, guides, or examples to follow. Chemistry and Music “The goal is to improve every day—together and individually,” said Luna’s Team Captain Joe-boy Archangel before Saturday’s Homecoming game. He was referring to the team’s emotional growth over the past three years. “Having discipline was important to getting through [the effects of COVID], but obviously we can always work on it. I already know that, throughout the season, we’re already gonna pick it up, slowly but surely.” Chaser Boaz said simply that success is a matter of “chemistry and teamwork.” Rayray added, however, that success is something more personal: “Honestly, just music. Gotta lock in and be in that zone. Staying disciplined, that’s all you need.” Kawaika Kaili notes that preparation is key. “It’s like a steppingstone into our entire MIL season. We’re just learning, seeing our mistakes in the preseason so we can fix it overall and practice. Then, once we have our MIL season, we’ll be prepared for anything.” On the future and preparation, Rayray said that “lifting helps us with everything and puts us all together.” “I feel like the trainers too,” Archangel added. “Going in their room, making sure that we’re staying healthy, and if we have any injuries we need to take care of, they make sure we get that 200 percent." Training Separately and Together After a recent defeat by Kamehameha, Hoken Hironaka suggested, “Honestly, team chemistry wasn’t really our problem. I would say that we just have to practice harder and smarter.” Picture of Lahainaluna defense (Hoken Hironaka 17, Maaulina Montgomery 46, Kupono Tihada 10, Ezekial Opunui 27, Kahi Magno 5, Kua Balcalso 8) stop on the 50-yard line. PC: Samantha Shibao To train, the Lunas do drills and conditioning on the field, but they also watch videos that the team makes available to all the players. According to Boaz, they do much of this viewing on their own. “Everyone watches films on their own time, and nobody really relies on anyone else to give information.” Athletic Director John Conrad suggests that reviewing game footage is helpful, but something that only the best players do. Comparing it to academic preparation, Conrad notes, “Would you rather be an A student or B student?” Despite the time commitment, some of our players regularly do their (football) homework, which, as Conrad notes, helps our players anticipate the plays of the other team: “If you watch a play of another team before the upcoming game against them, and you can practice on how to go against it, then when you see that play get set up by the opponent’s team, you’ll be ready and know what to do.” Teamwork Teamwork is crucial for the Lunas’ success. According to sport science writer Luke Nielsen , reviewing videos, like anything else, is most effective with guidance. This guidance often comes from coaches and senior players who help younger teammates understand and analyze game footage. A study conducted by Desmond McEwan and Mark R. Beauchamp concluded that effective tams use “multiple teamwork behaviors.” Effective communication, mutual support, and shared goals are essential for the Lunas to perform well on the field. Looking Ahead As the season progresses, the Lunas are focused on continuous improvement. “We always reach a certain point towards the end of the season, but we kind of let the physical part do the talking,” Boaz stated about the team as a whole. When asked about how their preparation had set them up for homecoming, Jackson Hussey, Simione Olakauatu, Enoka Balinbin, and Jeremiah Baybayan all dismissed the question before Simione spoke for the group: “We aren’t going to say nothing like that. We’re Lahainaluna, we don’t talk, we just do.” Heading 6

< 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.

< 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

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

< Back Upcoming Freshman Elections Many are new to the idea but ready to serve. Ashlee Hufalar Grayson Guzman Student Government August 26, 2025 at 10:17:23 PM Elections for Student Council are coming up for the freshman class of 2029, and several candidates are preparing. Yet, many students are unsure of what is happening. “I don't even know what Student Council is,” said freshman Pannziri Arjana Lapus. Another freshman, Keely Benson, seemed even more bewildered: “did we have a student council at our school? I'm not sure.” It is likely students do not realize the impact they have. Sonya Eide, a freshman, stated that the Student Council influenced her middle school in ways she could recognize. “We have to raise money,” she noted, adding that StuCo also helps “like plan major events, and help make good decisions for the school.” According to Kumu Eva Palakiko, the Student Council is “about student voice, student choice, and nobody can represent the student better than the students themselves.” Student Council is behind all the non-academic activities and fun that students experience throughout the year, she added. “Without student government, students wouldn't want to come to school because there wouldn't be any fun activities or events for them to attend.” Another category of student officials, students on Leadership attend monthly meetings and assist officers in the planning and execution of grade level events. Those running for Leadership are Maile Zambrano, Tiana Larita, Kristine Tumpap, and Travis Utrillo. The Candidates Marjorie Carillo is a newcomer to student government, though she says she is excited to join. She’s ready to plan fun events, meet new people, and bring fresh ideas to the table. “I really want to be involved and help make our school a better place for everyone,” she says. Though Carillo was not a part of student government in middle school, she has begun in her first year of high school to think about what she can do for her fellow students and how to do a good job at it. She mentioned her plan to listen to student ideas, to put on meaningful events, and to work with teachers and other leaders to make our school more connected and positive. She describes herself as someone who is “honest, hardworking, and truly cares about our school. I’ll listen and do my best to make this a great year.” Seilala Samisoni longs “to uplift my peers through this journey and ensure that all students feel understood” and she is eager to make friendships and create connections with peers. She has leadership experience from middle school, but she has not played the role of president before. To her, the importance of Student Council and Leadership is to make her peers feel heard and supported: “While this will be a journey with challenges here and there, it will be a chapter of our lives that I feel is worth being memorable.” “My motivation to run for this position is truly my classmates,” Mariah Kauvaka states. Once a Laulima representative in middle school, she’s now running for a leadership position as Vice President. She holds an optimistic view, aiming to create a “big and better” environment for the entire school community and wants her classmates to feel “understood” and “heard.” She wants to ensure everyone has a voice. As Vice President, she said, she hopes to advocate for cleaner bathrooms. “I overall want the best for everyone.” Cami Yasutake hopes to make “this first year of high school really fun for my class as well as the whole school.” She discussed her previous leadership experience as vice president in the seventh and eighth grade. She’s been actively involved during summer, attending Student Council meetings to plan for homecoming events. As vice president, she would like to “bring our class closer to one another.” She wants to encourage more student involvement. “Why not try something new?” Kendall Pasalo answered when asked about why she decided to run for office. She added that high school should be all about new experiences. Though Kendall does not have much experience, she said that she is “committed to making sure their voices are heard.” “Secretary is all about getting things done and taking notes,” Pasalo described. “I think I'm great at doing both.” In her role as Secretary, she plans to keep things organized, and to make sure this Student Council is on task. Harana Peralta is also running for secretary against Pasalo. She sees the Secretary office to increase engagement in her class and inform students about what’s going on. “A lot of people don't actually do that,” she commented. While she has also never served in student government, she said that she’s good at taking notes and emailing. She’s also enthusiastic about planning activities and says that with no activities, “it’d just be pretty bland.” Like several of the other candidates, she also looking for ways to increase student participation since, she noted, “no one participates.” “I care about my peers, no matter if they hate me or like me, I care about them,” said candidate for Treasurer, Brielle Ramelb. “I have been taught to manage finances efficiently because my mom is an accountant,” said Ramelb, who sees herself as uniquely qualified for the job. Ramelbʻs brings previous leadership experience as 7th grade president and ASB president in 8th grade at LIS. She also has attended several leadership conferences and says that “helping people is one of my passions, and Student Council allows me to use my passion to help.” Sofiya Cartagena is running for Historian because she enjoys making graphics and doing digital work. She is an avid social media user and likes documenting what is going on. Photography is also one of her hobbies and she thinks she could use her skills “to help collect memories to show people on social media.” Cartagena is also familiar with the job she is running for. She did graphic design and posted daily bulletins for the school account in middle school and brings 3 years of leadership experience to the table. “I also love having fun,” she added, “and can’t stand having no fun at all. I can bring people together who are different from each other in unique ways.” “...the kids that people just gravitate to…” “I think that it's really important that students are able to get and have the opportunity to share and provide their input on how they would like certain things to happen at school,” said Michelle Brummel, a Math teacher and acting freshman class advisor. “Student Council provides an opportunity.” For some, Student Council is a place for those who are brave enough to put themselves out there, and who help make changes and create a better school community. Or, as Kumu Eva described it, “Those are kids that you are like ‘Oh I want you to be song leader … I want you to take charge of this committee’–because they are the kids that people just gravitate to.” “I find typically those that step up are pretty successful in school,” said Brummel. She explains that those in leadership have a great influence over their peers, as they’re taking on a huge role. She adds, “it is important to have positive leaders for our freshman class.” Kumu Eva offered some wisdom for our student leaders. “You're never gonna make everybody happy. All you can do is try your best and see what the majority wants and then try to make those things happen.” Her message can be summed up: don’t give up. “Stick to it and just persevere. Being a leader is never an easy task. And without you, your whole class, including yourself, wouldn't be able to participate in any activities.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Ashlee Hufalar is a sophomore and a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i. Grayson is the current 2028 student council Vice President and is running for a second term as sophomore Vice President.

< 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

< Back Forward > Lunas v. Maui High Sabers If they win, the Lunas have a chance at the state championship. Samantha Shibao Previous Next This week, the Lunas play the Maui High Sabers. After their loss two weeks ago against their rival, the Baldwin Bears, the Lunas need to push through with a victory this game to keep the season going. If they win, the Lunas will face the Bears again in a playoff game leading to the state championship. Team captain and offensive lineman, Kawika Kaili, expressed how important this upcoming game is and offered his predictions about the outcome. “I think that we will be slow in the beginning because of the jitters,” he said. “But as the game continues, we should be able to score a lot and win the game.” Hoken ‘Samurai’ Hironaka, a running back and defensive end, also added, “Even though the stakes are high, I predict we will win.” According to Kaimiloa Kaluawehiokealiiokalani Kaina, the team has been preparing mentally for this high-stakes game throughout the week. Fans of the team say that Kaina is a really fast player who is notably agile. A senior who has been playing since freshman year as a wide receiver and defensive back, Kaina talked about how this win is important and how “We’re probably gonna have a slow first quarter, then destroy Maui High after.” Other than the nerves from such an important game, Kaina says that he's excited for the game--as well as senior night. He added his excitement about OC16 (Spectrum Sports) being there to broadcast the game. The Lunas face off against the Sabers at Sue D. Cooley Stadium in Lahaina tonight at 6 PM. It will be their 9th game of the season and also a closing to the MIL season. They aim to secure that win so be sure to show up wearing red and white to support our boys for their senior night and end of the season game! Heading 6

< All Candidates Grayson Guzman Vice President ⭐ PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES: Do you have ideas regarding how to provide development opportunities to students (i.e. college fairs, scholarships, and campus policies to promote clubs and student involvement)? If so, explain: Yes, I have ideas regarding how to provide development opportunities to students. One idea I have is to spread awareness using social media. I notice that most students don’t use/check their email very often, with students most of the time being on social media. We could post on our instagram story mentioning opportunities available. Another idea I have to create a healthy habit of checking emails. Some teachers do not put the morning broadcast on so students miss out on information given. We can encourage students to check their emails to find out about things to know. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? School events that I deem important are activities garnering student participation like homecoming and class/school assemblies. I deem these events important as homecoming important because it is an event that increase school spirit and introduce to the freshman what to expect at school. Also, for the assemblies we have, it helps to raise our spirit as well. 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? The changes I would want to make on the parking and car policy are to have regular maintenance on the parking with lines being repainted. Also, I heard from students to change where the regular student drop off is, having a separate area for it. Lastly, we should better enforce payed parking to student drivers, finding a way to increase parking and decrease traffic. 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? Changes I want to make to the appearance, cleanliness, and safety on campus are for the bathrooms and water fountains on campus. Regarding the bathrooms, they are unsanitary and need a remodel. For the water fountains, I have heard several students and staff alike say they don’t feel safe drinking from the water fountains and would like them cleaned. The pipes are old, which need regular maintenance, changing of filters, and cleaning done to encourage students to feel safe drinking from it. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? I would change our phone policy with letting teachers and their department set their own rules for their classroom. I think this would be the best policy to implement with teachers having their own rules and expectations for their students. SCHOOL LUNCH: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what would you do to improve the quality of student lunches? Things I would do to improve the quality of student lunches are to work with our whole council to improve our school lunches. School lunches are not only a matter for our grade level but everyone on campus. Previous Next