< Back The Fine Line Between Support and Pressure Parental Roles in Student Success Oliana Schur Student Life March 14, 2025 at 7:59:21 PM “They’re really involved in my academic life, and I probably wouldn’t be taking all these classes if it wasn’t for my mom,” said one sophomore student, who we’ll refer to as “Flax.” Like many students on campus, Flax admits that he owes some of his academic success to parental influence. However, this raises the question: can parental pressure sometimes have the opposite effect? The expectations of parents can give students more stress than the homework they receive from teachers. Yet, according to a 2010 study by David R. Topor, children are more likely to succeed if they have an important role model like a parent in their life. However, the study also mentions that once students establish a good relationship with their teachers, they become less dependent on parental involvement for their academic success. Because they feared repercussions from speaking out about their parents, some students in the article, like Flax above, will be given different names. “…makes me try harder” The connection between academic success and parental involvement varies from person to person. Some students feel like their parents offer them the right amount of support, while others think of their parents as controlling stressors. Junior Victoria Valdez lives in a larger family, where everyone needs to pitch in. She sees her parents as a helpful influence. “They are active with my schoolwork,” she said. “It helps out sometimes because I have younger siblings. They [her parents] help out whenever they can.” Sophomore Dahlia was unclear, saying only that her parents “heavily impact my mental well-being as well as the way I act and behave.” She appeared positive about their involvement, adding that “They reinforce my academic life.” Students like freshman Hoku could go either way on the issue. “I don’t think it would affect me too much,” they said. “At most, I would fall a little behind on English.” Sophomore Sunny Galarita, for instance, thinks parental expectations and involvement need to be balanced. She says that her mother’s influence “makes me try harder,” but if her mother was more involved, “I’d be stressed out,” she admitted. College career counselor Virginia “Ginny” Yasutake helps college-bound students succeed in high school. She spoke as a parent who has two children enrolled at Lahainaluna. “In my experience,” she said, “many students do not share their achievements or academic life with their parents. I think it is always nice when you hear about your child’s accomplishments.” Yasutake thinks that parents can improve their support by communicating better with their children: “I believe families should try to communicate better with their students as well. I am definitely guilty of not telling my children on a regular basis how proud I am of them. I think students need to hear from us too!” “…I lie to them about certain things…” While some students think parental guidance can be helpful in doses, others are less upbeat, pitting their mental health against academic striving. Senior Petunia thinks that parental involvement is “helpful in some ways,” but it comes at a price: “it also makes me feel very pressured and tends to just cause more stress.” Sophomore Lily said that if she “were to be truthful about my academic life,” getting her parents more involved “would have a negative effect on my mental health.” She described feeling strained and burdened: it would “put strain on me to push myself to my limits and die,” she said. Lily added that she fears their disapproval and their “being disappointed in me, so I lie to them about certain things in my academic career.” “As long as I don’t fail, they usually leave me alone,” said Jade, a junior. “I think it’s because they learned that I shut down when there’s extra pressure put on me. I feel like if they were any more involved than they are, I would feel a larger sense of responsibility in my work but also begin to burn out under the pressure.” Agriculture teacher Nathan Pallett emphasizes the student’s role in all of this. He explains that overbearing parents can be both helpful and harmful: “It depends on the student, though. So like if the student isn’t trying to meet their maximum potential, sometimes having a parent that’s a bit overbearing can push them to do better.” Who Is Responsible? Pallett continues, pointing to the fact that, despite student opinions, it often falls on the teacher to get parents more involved. “We could probably do a better job communicating with the parents […] but that just takes so much time. We could probably have more positive parent involvement if we put in more time to engage with them. But that’s just time, and time is hard to come by.” It all comes down to the attitude and motivation of students themselves, said Galarita. “Parents definitely help, but the student makes the choice to do homework or classwork. There are some parents that don’t really care about how their kids do in school, but that’s why it’s important for kids to be more invested in school. There’s definitely a lot of work, and it’s pretty hard sometimes, but how you approach it definitely helps you get through it easier.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Oliana Schur is a sophomore at LHS. She enjoys surfing and environmentalism.

< Back The Fair is Back Remembering the Past, Facing the Future Grayson Guzman Arts and Entertainment September 30, 2025 at 9:57:43 PM Lunas past and present are excited for the fair, echoing the sentiment of the Maui County Fair website: “it’s more than a fair—it’s where memories are made and community comes alive.” “When I first walk in, I just see, like, so much familiar faces, and then I see everyone smiling, and I just see a lot of kids having fun, and the community just enjoying themselves,” sophomore Kyrah Pagdilao reminisced, remembering Maui County Fair as an elementary student. Back in 2019, the Maui County Fair drew crowds of tens of thousands of people. Students and staff recalled nostalgic memories like racing down the giant, bright pink, green, and yellow illuminated slides on squishy blue mats, and eating fair foods like flying saucers, funnel cake, cotton candy, fried Oreo’s with ice cream, and popcorn. The wave swinger took them up over the whole fair ground. Sophomore Romie-Lynn Santos remembers riding the Zipper and “hearing, like, all the people screaming and having fun and that thing. And I remember the ride, like, dropping and moving around and all the lights that would flick around it.” “Carnival games and the lights, the lights, the flashy lights!” said senior Lation Pascual. “Screaming, laughter, the sound of games being won. A lot of laughter, a lot of fun.” The fair “was a core memory for me,” said Pascual. “I'm excited that it's back.” It has been six years since people in Maui have gotten to experience the sense of community the fair has brought. Now it is set to open this Thursday, from October 2-5th, 2025 at the War Memorial. “...a core memory…” For many alumni, Luna identity is tied to the fair and their participation in it. Rides, food, games, family and community connections, the parade and more have shaped our students' earliest memories. The fair had “a pretty big impact, honestly,” said senior Jean Alternado who has been in marching band since he was a freshman. Alternado claims that he originally joined because of the fair–after seeing the band in the opening day parade. “That kind of motivated me to join as a musician,” he said. The fair also meant maturity and independence for Alternado who feels like “it made me grow up to not be shy because my parents would usually let me go by myself. And then I would interact with people.” For Pagdilao, the fair embodies community. She remembers “a booth that we had, like one of our family friends, they had a booth and it was just like their whole family helping and like, yeah.” “The Fair has always been a happy place,” said former Student Activities Coordinator, Art Fillazar. It was “like our version of Disneyland but only for the weekend.” “It was the one time we actually had an amusement park,” said Stephanie Rubio Aguire who remembers going with her family in 2019 before its closure. “It wasn't really an amusement park, but it felt like it for me.” Sophomore Jade Cabanila thinks the fair was “a place where you actually got to experience a carnival, especially over here. Not a lot of big, amusement kind parks happen here. So the fair is kind of like a place where it's here and you don't have to spend as much money to go to, like these big amusement parks. It's like a home amusement park.” Kaizan Munemitsu, a freshman, remembers that “it was fun, you know. It made me happy, just, being able to play games, have fun with my family, all that stuff.” “‘We are Lahainaluna and we were proud of it!” This year will mark the 98th year the fair has run. The first ever Maui Fair took place on November 30th, 1916. Since then the fair has been interrupted three times by global events. The fair was paused and cancelled due to both World War I and World War II from 1917-1918 and 1942-1946 respectively. Along with the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not held until this year. In years past, the Lahainaluna community did not only attend the fair. They often participated in it. According to Fillazar, now the Executive Director of the Lahainaluna High School Foundation, staff and students were part of the parade (as Marching and Pep Band, Cheerleaders) and, “on several occasions” he said, submitted to various exhibits. Submissions included student artwork, AG displays, and other things. “FFA members may have also been volunteers with the livestock display,” Fillazar thought. “It was definitely the spirit competitions,” said Ms. Kristy Arakawa, the Early college coordinator about the importance of the fair to Lahainaluna staff and students. Running from 1986-1996, the School Spirit Competition was apparently dominated by our school. Lunas Win 10th Straight Spirit Championship “October 5, 1996 marked the 10th consecutive year that Lahainaluna High School captured the School Spirit Competition trophy” wrote Jana Baybado in Ka Leo Luna , our school’s third newspaper: From the LHS version of the ‘Macarena’ to the chant that is sung after touchdowns– THIS WAS THE YEAR FOR LAHAINALUNA TO SHINE! Some secret weapons used were: ‘Knock You Out’ and ‘1,2,3,4,!’, hand-held torches, and a large banner that popped up at the end featuring the school motto and the words ‘ IMUA LUNAS’ in big bold letters. All of the students who attended the competition wore either red or white tops represented the school’s colors. Those wearing red formed an ‘L’ that stood out in the crowd of white. Traditionally the Lunas waved ti leaves, red pom poms, and held numerous signs to show their spirit. With these spirit boosters plus all of the people who attended the competition, the Lunas were able to bring back the trophy that first made its home here nine years ago. Congratulations Lahainaluna High School–You are #1 in spirit!! Reflecting on this moment, Fillazar added that “LHS always had the true spirit and desire. “As students we took pride in our first-place wins,” said Ginny Yasutake, College and Career Counselor. “The massive crowds, matching shirts, and handmade signs weren't just about winning; they were a powerful declaration that “We are Lahainaluna and we were proud of it!” “The moment we won the School Spirit Competition my senior year of high school–” said Arakawa with meaning. “--no class wants to be the class that loses the School Spirit Competition for Lahainaluna so we literally left our voices in that tent–We were all hoarse after that, but it was worth it.” Jalen Baraoidan (Mr. B), the Lahainaluna Band and Choir Director, remembers the fair when he participated as a student. “For the parade, you know, the marchers would always participate and always behind the marchers would always be our cheerleaders. So I guess just having the representatives of our school representing in the county fair was always cool. It's just being able to represent the west side in the county fair, which is so, like Central Maui oriented. So I'm just getting to represent West Maui.” According to Kristina Meguro, a second year member in the marching band, says the marching band was supposed to participate in the parade. Yet, as it was “last minute and confusing, we (the marching band) did not have enough time to prepare. Especially since we have a complicated show to work with this year.” “...in the process of rebuilding…” For some students like Marc Ruiz, a freshman, this will be his first time going to the fair. “What I heard about it was that there's like, a lot of activities, there's a lot of food, a lot of people. There's a lot of rides. It's fun. Okay, sounds fun.” Ruiz says that he only knows the fair from Instagram and his friends' stories. Yet, there is a chance that newcomers to the fair do not get to share that experience that previous students did as families are now facing economic stress from many directions. Yasutake seems to worry a little about the newest generation of fairgoers when she thinks about its most recent instance. “The fair has become so expensive that you have to really think about your finances and if you can afford it,” she said. Our recent struggles, specifically, rising inflation made worse by fallout from the 2023 Lahaina Wildfire, give her even more cause for concern. “The rising cost to attend is a significant concern for many families, like mine, that are in the process of rebuilding their home.” “For its return after a six year absence and with the economy the way it is, I’m not sure how it will ‘fair’,” says Fillazar. “It has always been a challenge with the high expenses.” Junior Makayla-Yuen Barroga sees the fair’s arrival as a solution to tragedy, however. “It's bringing a community back together after the fire happened and letting people have, like, such a good time.” For Baraoidan, the legacy of the Maui County Fair is “something different that we have to offer. I think that still plays into it just because when people announce that the county fair is coming back, like a lot of people were really, really excited, really excited. And I don't know if the kids, like, people in high school now even got to experience a county fair. Maybe when they were younger.” For those who have and have not been, “The return [of the fair] will be different and it’s a fresh start.” Fillazar continues, “I see this is a new beginning.” Sources Bayado, Jana. “Ten Years of Tradition Continues.” Ka Leo Luna , 1996. 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.

< 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

< Back Forward > Lahainaluna vs. Leilehua Lunas Ready for Playoff Clash Against Leilehua Samantha Shibao Previous Next This week is a very special one! The Lunas are set to play against Leilehua after defeating Baldwin with a score of 7-3. Although it was a tough game, the Lunas managed to push through and make it to the playoffs against other D1 teams from all across the islands. If they manage to grab this win, it will push them up a bracket for states, and they will be up against Konawaena. Team captain, senior, Michael Rayray, stated that this game will be a “we go home or they do” type of game and that they simply have to win this. Junior team captain Joe-boy Archangel agreed and added that it is a very important game as it pushes them to the next level in the playoffs. Rayray predicts that this game will definitely not be easy. “It’s gonna be a well-fought game,” he said. “It’s not gonna be easy, but I feel like if we work together and minimize our mistakes, we can end up on top. It’s about how we start and finish the game.” Archangel also added that he anticipates “a hard time with our offense because we have a lot of packages and we do a lot of motions as well.” Yet, he added, “Our defense has been solid all year as well, so I'm excited to see their offense match up against us.” For those unfamiliar, the term "package" refers to a specific grouping of players designed for certain situations or plays. Archangel also predicted that they will win (“knock on wood”) and that “Leilehua will go back and forth. Our team has lots of heart, so in the end, I think we’ll come out with the win.” Team captain, Kawika Kaili, says the Lunas have prepared for this. “We have been watching a lot of films on them, learning what they are going to run, what formations they are going to do, and relaying that on the field, just practicing to win the game.” Collage of photos from the recent game against Baldwin Bears. Lunas won 7-3. Pictures taken by: Samantha Shibao Kaili has been playing football since he was 5 years old. He is now a senior who is notable for having played the most games consistently over his high school career. On the coming game, he thinks that “whoever makes the least mistakes and becomes the most disciplined team will win the game.” The Lunas will be playing at our home stadium, Sue D. Cooley Stadium, this Saturday against the Leilehua Mules at 6 p.m. It will be their 11th game of the season and second game for the playoffs. So be sure to come up and support our boys as they fight for their spot in the next round of playoffs! Go Big Red! Heading 6

< Back The Digital Leash Is Location Tracking a Sign of Trust or a Tool for Control? Ashlee Hufalar Student Life “When we got together, he was like, ‘oh, you want to have one too?,’ And I'm like ‘sure’,” says sophomore Hanan Oleiwan, explaining how she and her boyfriend began to use the Life360 app to track each other’s location. “It was first when we were [band] officers, they made a Life360 for us to join so that they'd know where we are.” Sometime after Oleiwan and her boyfriend became “official,” he suggested having a private circle just for them. “It was like a random decision,” she said. Life360 is a real-time location tracker with over 200 million downloads worldwide. Simply having the device with the app on you allows it to follow your every move. Whether you’re walking, running, driving, or even biking—Life360 detects it and puts a little icon beside your profile for others in your “circle” to see. It’s not unheard of for teen couples to use such apps to share their location. While Life360 is among the most popular, other apps include Apple Find My, iSharing, and even an Android app called Couple Tracker. Social media apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, and even location-based features on other platforms also have tracking features. While Oleiwan mentioned that her situation was simply a “random decision,” the question remains: why would couples share their location in the first place? “... you can keep track…” “I feel like it does have an effect,” says freshman Alejandro Baldez, who shares his location with his partner. He was the one who suggested it, he said, reasoning that it has made him feel closer “because, you know where they are, and that way, you can keep track or just make sure they're safe.” Oleiwan also sees the value of couples sharing locations for safety reasons. While in her case, doing this doesn’t exactly make her feel “closer” to her partner—explaining that “it's just there”—she points out that “couples might want to share their location with their significant other to make sure they're, like, okay and stuff.” “My lady and I share our location,” said John Borge, a U.S. history and participation in democracy teacher. He attributed this decision “first and most importantly” to the fact “we obviously have nothing to hide.” Knowing when his wife gets home and when he needs to leave school are just a few things he uses the app for. It “makes life much much easier,” Borge added, explaining that location tracking helps him juggle family responsibilities, especially with kids. Though the circumstances of high school couples are a little different—it is almost unheard of for them to live together with a family of their own—safety doesn’t seem to be the only appeal of having your partner's coordinates. Erica Domogma, a sophomore, doesn’t use the app herself, but she thinks that its primary value is “To know if they're cheating.” Junior Kaliyah Cutty strongly agrees, saying location tracking lets couples “see if they're like...I don't know at somebody else's house or something.” Cutty offered a short anecdote about a situation she heard of, where “this guy would have his location off when he was on island, but anytime he'd go off island he'd feel comfortable enough to turn it on.” In her perspective, she thought “the fact that he felt the need to turn it off when he was home was a little bit concerning.” “...seems like the couples don't trust each other..” While location tracking is more common with couples to ensure safety or reassurance, for some, the expectation of openness doesn’t end there. Sharing passwords, whether it’s for their phone or social media account, “is also very common,” says Cutty. “For the same reason-–like cheating-–you can access their phone and see who they're contacting and all that.” Domogma suggests that in a lot of cases, password sharing could actually lead to suspicion. She described a scenario where she might like a guy's post and her significant other sees this by logging into her account through her password. “He's gonna assume, ‘Oh, why you like that post? Are you cheating on me’.” Sophomore Tia Faiva mentions that some “people nowadays think if you don't do that (allow your partner digital sharing access), you're not really trustworthy.” She admitted that the reason she started sharing her location and accounts with her partner was only because “he betrayed my trust” “It seems very controlling,” said vice principal Nicole Heinlein. “It seems like the couples don't trust each other, that they want to check each other's messages and notifications.” “I would think,” she concluded, “that you wouldn't check each other's messages if you trusted each other.” Heinlein isn’t the only one who sees this as eroding rather than creating trust. Oleiwan mentions that she’s seen a lot of instances on social media where one person is on their partner's account, “opening every single message that they had.” “It would definitely cause a bunch of arguments, and some of them even did break up.” An anonymous junior shared that a couple sharing an account had once led to a serious misunderstanding. “Someone hacked into my [instagram] account and messaged my friend something insulting,” she explained. Her friend's boyfriend saw this and misunderstood the situation, texting an entire paragraph and calling “me out for insulting his girlfriend, even though it wasn’t me.” “It’s done and over with,” she said. Although, she mentioned it was frustrating and made it difficult for her to properly communicate with her friend, since she had already sent a message explaining that someone hacked her account before her boyfriend tried to intervene. On another note, sharing accounts could be used in a healthy way. “I know a couple that does share accounts,” says sophomore Kristina Meguro, who explained that it’s a necessary situation: “Since one of them lives in an area with poor connection, the partner is able to message for the person.” “...stalker style…” Aria Abut, a senior, thinks that shared accounts and location sharing between couples looks “a lot like paranoia.” “I do know that some couples like to do that, um, to ensure that their partner isn't doing anything weird, but, um, it feels kind of unsafe in a way.” While not in a relationship, she mentioned that she’d be okay with her “hypothetical partner “ looking through her phone with permission, though she feels her trust would be destroyed if they went through it without telling her. “I personally take my privacy very seriously.” “If you were obsessively checking your partner's messages,” said Heinlein, “I would think that that would be unhealthy.” PE teacher Ms. Watson shares similar views when it comes to location sharing. “If you're just trying to figure out where they are, perfect. But if you're constantly tracking them, like you know, stalker style where you're trying to figure out where they are every second of the day. Then that's kind of taking it a little overboard.” Senior Lawakua Haia-Shim, who doesn’t share passwords or his location with his significant other, says he's willing to, though he acknowledges that there comes a point where it crosses the line. “I don't think it’s comfortable if she checks my location status like every what, 30 minutes to see what I'm doing,” he said. Faiva also thinks that there’s a high risk in having constant access to each other's location, statuses, and accounts. “I think it can make them overthink. Makes them more possessive. Toxic, as people say.” An anonymous sophomore recounts a time where their past partner “would keep constantly checking my location.” And at times, when their partner saw they were home, “he thinks that I'm not busy when I'm really doing my work and then keeps on messaging me even though I asked that I needed space.” Frustrated at the distraction, her partner would insist by saying, “but you're at home. So why can't you just have the time to talk to me?’” “...you don't have to share everything.” In today's digital world, students are navigating a lot of things online, especially through social media influence, comments Borge. “We really don't know fully the extent to which and how bad social media is damaging Gen Z, the first generation to grow up with unbridled access to social media.” Oleiwan sees a pattern in the need to know everything about a partner and the surveillance that comes with constant social media use. “They see people on their social media sharing everything with their friends or partner, and they're like oh that's the norm then we should do it too.” Cutty added a point about the impact of “doom scrolling”: “you'll always find a cheating scandal or story on social media. And I think that makes people worry.” Borge advises that students should “develop healthy habits on how to perceive the information you're seeing on TikTok” or other social media. “Talk about it. Make sure you're both comfortable with it. And find a happy balance. You don't have to share. Like I said, you don't have to share everything,” says Watson. For those that want privacy and prefer not sharing these things with their partner, Faiva states “it should be respected. 'Cause I don't know, what if I don't want you seeing where I am and what I'm doing? Even if I'm not doing anything wrong, why do you need to know? Why is that in the way of our trust?” “I mean, you might be in a committed relationship, but you're not married or, you know, finances that are tied together,” says Heinlein. Rather than sharing things like passwords, she highlights that “it's much healthier to just have open conversations with each other and to be honest with each other and not hide things from each other.” Many students think the same; it’s all about open conversations and mutual respect for one another. “It's just communication. Just talk to your partner. See what boundaries you guys want to set when it comes to social media and your phones and all that,” said Cutty simply. Previous Article Next Article Copy link Ashlee Hufalar is a sophomore and a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back Do I Have Your Attention? Why students can't put down their phones. Keyla Jimenez Student Life September 5, 2024 at 3:39:11 AM A teacher is talking and the students are zoning out. Most of them are on their phones. Some might argue that as long as they are getting their work done, there’s really no problem with this scenario. You at least wouldn’t expect students to disagree with the idea. Yet, many of them do. Senior Zhi Clark admits that easy access to social media leads to procrastination. “I feel like once I get on my phone,” she said, “I could scroll for like hours.” Sophomore Jaelyn Galasinao also regrets the effect of phone use on her studies, saying that, without the distraction, “I could have done my homework this weekend…so much earlier.” Senior Kamaile Kulukulualani thinks that phones prevent kids from “getting a full education.” Confidence and Multi-tasking According to a 2022 survey, 41 percent of Lahainaluna students felt that they had no problem staying “quite focused,” despite sometimes being in situations with lots of distractions. Yet, 47 percent said that sometimes they were unable to “pay attention and resist distractions,” and 30 percent admitted to “frequently” or “always” “waiting until the last minute” to complete their assignments. Something is distracting LHS students from their work, though somehow they feel good about their ability to tune out those distractions. Danial Felisoni and Alexandra Godoi argue that students may be too confident about their ability to simultaneously scroll and stay on task as they “often overestimate their ability to multitask, which could eventually lead to academic underperformance.” As a result, when “cellphones are commonly used in class for purposes unrelated to the discipline, it is likely that students may be distracted during lectures or activities.” Addiction While students are generally aware of the problem, they nevertheless find it difficult to put their phones down. As Venice Gallegos describes it, “I think social media is just, like, a really easy way to get stimulated quickly, so when you’re not on it, you can kind of miss that…and have like, withdrawals.” Similarly, sophomore Ariana Lara Rodriguez stated, “When I’m in class, all I think about is watching Netflix and finishing my series or playing dress to impress.” Jack Pope, a new English Language Arts teacher at LHS, says that grabbing a student’s attention is “a problem that teachers have been dealing with since the beginning of time.” Part of what makes this problem difficult now, says Pope, is “the accessibility of having it (the distraction) right in your pocket.” “You do get a lot of that dopamine rush from getting on your phone,” Pope said. “The attachment is something that’s very difficult for kids, for teenagers, to pull themselves away from.” English Language Arts Teacher, Ryan Granillo, has taught at Lahainaluna for 22 years and says that he has noticed a change. “I would really say that once cell phones became prevalent in the classroom, it became really difficult for the students to manage both classroom instruction and discussions and like the desire to be on their phone,” he said. “How many TikTok videos can you go through in like, five minutes?” he added. “They might not think it’s a big deal because it’s only five minutes, but then they just, it’s that addictive quality that makes it really bad.” He added, “It doesn’t help that there’s no real policy, school-wide policy regarding use of phones in the classroom.” Granillo states, “Everywhere you go, adults, kids, everybody in between has them (phones) out all the time, and even to the point where students do their classwork on the cell phone. And so in that regard, you have to, kind of, as a teacher, you just kind of deal with it, but it’s never going to go away. Cell phones are part of our lives.” Annika Yucua thinks that social media can affect you somewhat but that it “is honestly not that bad of a problem.” Taking that idea further, Kimberly Hernandez says that social media is actually of help in a school environment and claims that “you can use social media for, like, many things. You make projects about posts and you just look at the post like to see, to give you an idea.” It’s Me, Hi, I’m the Problem Jack Pope notes that the problem doesn’t just lie with phones since “there are some students that are completely capable of pulling themselves away from that device and holding attention.” Zhi Clark also thinks that “It’s honestly like your own self-reflection on how well you can stay off your phone, how interested you are in what’s going on.” On the other hand, Pope again pointed out, “grabbing a student’s attention” is a teacher’s job. “I need to make this interesting enough to where they want to pay attention to what I have to say and the content that we’re learning, rather than, you know, going straight to their device.” Jaelyn Galasinao says it another way, “If they (teachers) don’t care, I don’t care.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Keyla Jimenez is a former staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i. She is ajunior and currently the president of the Lahainaluna Newswriting Club.

< Back You Can't Always Park Where You Want Limited Space, Rising Frustrations, and Calls for Change Jersea Borneman Student Life March 15, 2025 at 6:43:48 PM “This campus was designed before the idea of having so many students and staff,” said Vice Principal Christopher Webber. “As we’ve grown, we just don’t have the infrastructure to accommodate everyone.” To park at Lahainaluna in the paved lot, there are rules. According to Uncle Tommy Akima, all students who park in the upper lot must have a parking pass, which costs fifteen dollars. To get this, they must present their vehicle’s registration, driver’s license, proof of insurance, and school ID. “Without a parking pass you parked on the lower dirt parking lot.” Yet, not every student who has parked on campus has had a pass. Some have parked with much less. Also, recently, parking spaces have become harder to find. Again, the main parking lot is for the drivers who purchase a parking pass. Seniors get priority for parking, but lately this hasn't been happening. “Even though I paid fifteen dollars for my sticker when I get to school sometimes there isn't enough spots,” senior Anuhea Coon said. One reason for this, offered senior Stasia Pililani, is because “a lot of sophomores are getting their licenses, and so then once they get their license, they think that they can park up top.” She thinks this is unfair and that “the freshmans and sophomores need to just stop parking in our parking spots and we'll be fine.” There is currently no requirement for where to park based on grade level. Yet, if all the spots are full, the dirt lot is an alternative. Some students may even choose the dirt lot for other reasons. An anonymous senior admitted that “when I was a sophomore and a freshman and I was driving with no license, I would park down in the dirt because I didn't want to steal a spot—If you don’t have your license you don’t have a spot.” Unlicensed students may be contributing to the fact that the dirt lot, according to some students, has also become full. Junior Giana Pogni offers another reason: “over winter break everybody got cars so now there's like ten times more cars then there were.” Junior Isabella Higgins relates the difficulty of parking now in the dirt lot since “You need to park between a lot of cars and there's usually not a lot of room.” Parking in Restricted Areas Without a pass, students should be in the dirt lot. Yet, Uncle Tommy observes that “nobody wants to park in a dirt parking lot.” Students like Coon have started to find other places to park, such as the gravel area by the portables. She says, “I’ve had to park in the dirt lot and then I've also like resorted to parking in the upper lot. Not like the staff lot but like the upper grass lot.” Vice Principal Webber has noticed students are starting to try to park in the trainers’ lot next to the trainers’ room. This has led them to close off the area. This is not the only off-limits place they are parking. “Students are taking the initiative,” says Webber, “to park just below borders field.” Uncle Tommy has seen students parking in the administration lot as well. Japanese teacher David Esselburn says that sometimes when he goes up to the library during the day, he “will see student vehicles up there.” More Cars, More Problems “It’s hectic to go out of the parking lot,” says Isabella Higgins. Webber thinks a reason for this is because “You’ll be in line trying to get out and some people will just cut in front of you.” “We don’t actually have assigned parking spaces,” Webber notes. “So the way that students park may be sort of haphazard and that might make it difficult for some kids to get in and out as well.” Junior Higgins thinks, “We need to expand the parking lot to get more parking so everyone can fit.” To this, Webber notes that “we cannot magically make more parking spaces on campus,” but he thinks that “maybe we can designate proper like parking spaces, chalk out some lines, and maybe that will have people park more orderly so that we can fit people in better.” There was a time at our school when we had this. Webber recalls, “Two or three years ago we had designated spots for each student in the student lot. You had your spot with a number and you as a senior, you could even decorate it.” Webber admits, “We have talked about maybe doing that for next year again.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Jersea Borneman is a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.

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

Friends and Donors In 1834, the students of Lahainaluna made history by publishing Ka Lama Hawaiʻi, the first newspaper in the islands. Today, we carry that torch forward. As a student-led publication, we are dedicated to providing a voice for our school and the Lahaina community, but we cannot do it alone. Your support as a Friend (advertising) or donor (direct support) ensures that our student journalists have the tools, technology, and opportunities they need to tell the stories of today while honoring the traditions of yesterday. Mahalo for being part of our story. Ka Lama Hawaiʻi is more than just a school newspaper. Itʻs is a learning laboratory for the next generation of writers, photographers, and civic leaders. When you become a Friend or Donor, your contribution directly supports: Production Costs : Keeping our digital platform live and accessible. Equipment : Providing cameras, tablets, and recorders for student field reporting. Education : Funding workshops and journalism conferences for our student writing staff. Join us in empowering the voices of Lahainaluna. Every gift, large or small, helps keep the torch of excellence burning bright. Donors to Ka Lama Hawaiʻi Friends of Ka Lama Hawaiʻi

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< Back Devaki Murch Accidental Archivist Kristina Meguro Arts and Entertainment March 11, 2026 at 7:37:27 PM “In order to acknowledge a story or experience, you need to understand its boundaries.” Devaki Murch recently said this to a room of Lahainaluna students, admitting that she lacked this knowledge when she started her first project. Murch tours schools and colleges discussing Operation Babylift, a military operation authorized in 1975 to rescue orphans from Vietnam, and her search for details within archives. According to Murch, most of the knowledge she gained about her history found her, rather than the other way around. She claims these accidental discoveries directed her path toward different goals for her first project. Murch described how her first project, which she called “The Secret Ability to Fly,” was about showing gratitude to her caregivers: “I wanted to write letters to all these people that have influenced and supported me.” She did this until she realized that not everyone was as fortunate as she was. “Number one,” she said, “when I started talking to people, [I realized] regarding the letters of gratitude, not everyone is grateful for being over here.” Murch talked a lot about stability and her gratitude for being raised by a supportive, loving family. As she changed her focus, she realized how important it was to have “people that will be there to catch you.” “That, to me, is the huge thing,” she added, “and I'm finding that a lot of the adoptees don't have someone there to catch them and they never have. And I didn't know that.” Her project never caught on. While everyone she talked to shared a connection to the Vietnam War, they did not share the same identity or experience of growing up. Through listening to so many perspectives, Murch realized that “gratitude” was not the right word and shifted to questions about memory and connection. “When I think about it,” she said, “what do we have to pass on and how do we relate to things?” The Details That Are Never Shared Operation Babylift was one of the largest emergency child evacuations in history, leading to the evacuation of over 3,000 children. In April 1975, President Gerald Ford authorized the operation to evacuate orphans by aircraft, sending C-5A Galaxy cargo planes to pick up infants, toddlers, and their caregivers to rescue them from the fall of Saigon. One of 314 passengers, Murch was on the first C-5A Galaxy plane to arrive in April. She and others were put in the plane’s upper level, while older children who could walk were put in the lower level. Twelve minutes into the flight, the rear cargo door blew out due to broken hydraulic locks, causing the plane to make an emergency crash landing near the Saigon River. Pieces of the plane were scattered across nearby rice fields. Only 175 out of the 314 passengers on board survived. After her first moment of good fortune, Murch and the other children were rescued a second time and eventually reached San Francisco, where they met their adoptive families. Murch’s family was from Kauai, where she would spend her fortunate childhood. Growing up on the Garden Island, Murch felt that she fitted in, at least in appearance. “When you walk around, I look like all the other kids. We donʻt have a lot of Vietnamese in Hawaii... people just always thought I was like a Filipino or something just like that." This sense of belonging provided the comfort and stability every child needs. “In order for you to question your history and your origin,” she said, “you have to have a place to stand on. If you don't have a place to stand on, you have no bandwidth for uncertainty.” "Records are Alive" Later in life, Murch used her extra “bandwidth” to reflect on the difference between who we are born to and who raises us. She now prefers the term “First Family” over "birth family" because “it might not be birth. It might be truly this collective larger multi-generational family that you were raised [in]... it's much more encompassing.” As Murch got older, the pieces of her past seemed to be drawn to her. A friend’s dad found an old newspaper article in an attic. A reunion attendee gave her a piece of the metal from the plane crash. “The newspaper article found me. The piece of the plane came and found me… it was not me searching out any of this. But to me, records are alive and they came and found me.” She described that it was kind of weird but it was all those pieces that urged her to tell her story. Murch’s good fortune has not ended, though it’s not always as obvious as something that was handed to her like the newspaper piece. For instance, before interviewing Murch, my research lead me to an interview she had done with Thoa Nguyen on PBS. This led me to wonder if she ever looked back to past interviews or thought about what she would have said differently. Murch said that she does not look back at interviews often, but she does take feedback from her audiences that help tell her story more effectively. “The way that I present, the way that I share the story has completely changed from yesterday to today,” she said. She had spoken at UH Maui College the day before she visited Lahainaluna, and says that she had prepared a completely different slideshow, based on feedback from the students at UHMC, for when she came to Lahainaluna. Yet, to her disappointment, the USB she used contained an outdated presentation, so she wasn’t able to put the advice to good use. And yet, it could be argued that this was another lucky break since, without the new slides, she was caught off-guard and forced to speak from the heart about her unique story. Murch could’ve decided not to present her ideas at all, but her choice to present, even with the wrong slides, may have changed the performance and gave he more to reflect on. To her, these opportunities are always not a one way street at all. She had taken from them "not only what I need to communicate, but the perspectives and the impacts that we have, [...] understanding what we can actually do to make change, [...] the power that all of you have by doing these interviews and making change and recognizing our past, and where we're going with what you're learning and what you are recording.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Kristina Meguro is a sophomore and a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawaiʻi.