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< All Candidates Eli Hegrenes 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 plan to raise a lot of money for our student council in order to offer a plethora of opportunities to students. I want to benefit everyone in the best way possible and be able to provide the money to fund activities, clubs, and experiences that they will never forget. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? Events that I deem important are offering college information and fairs, but I also value having fun and giving the student mind a break. If elected I would try and provide enough funds for both educational and social events. PARKING: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what changes would you want to make on the parking and car policy? I would try and provide grants and donations in order to make adjustments to our current parking system. I hope to be able to raise money not only from our community, but also outsourcing to people to ask for donations. This can help fix the current parking situation we have. 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 would primarily focus on the bathrooms and water fountains throughout the campus. I would like to ask for funding in order to provide these upgrades to students. I believe that a clean happy campus provides a hardworking happy student. In summary if the campus looks nice, then the student body will benefit because of it. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? I think that our current phone policy is fine, and I believe that it is a combination of the teacher and students choice of what they do with their phone. I believe that if we can offer proper education and resources to students about what the phone does to the brain, then they will make a better choice about when and how they use it. 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 would try and provide grants and money to offer better lunches as well as compensation for people with eating dietary restrictions. The meals would also be of higher quality and quantity. Previous Next

< All Candidates Lagazo, Brianne 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: Some development opportunities I would like to provide are college fairs open to all grade levels. Most college fairs where Lahainaluna offers to take and monitor students, the only students that are allowed to go are typically upperclassmen (juniors and seniors). Opening this opportunity to all grade levels would contribute to a students academic rigor, as well as guide Lahainaluna students towards a college they wish to attend or a program they wish to pursue after high school. Other events could include volunteer opportunities, such as campus beautification projects, beach clean-ups, volunteering at shelters, tutoring, and more. Allowing students to engage in volunteer opportunities will allow them to build their college resumes/work resumes, gain leadership experience, learn work ethic, and collaborate with students and adults outside of school. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? Some events that I deem important are club fairs, which allow students to explore and learn about clubs they may want to pursue throughout their high school years. It's important for students to explore different clubs to collaborate with students, teachers, and understand what contributions they can make to highlight what they are interested in--which may be appealing to colleges they wish to attend. Other school events I deem important are school/grade level assemblies, spirit weeks, and homecoming. I believe that having fun and allowing students to enjoy school is equally as important as caring for grades and focusing on classes. Providing students with fun events to unwind shows students that we care for them and wish for them to enjoy themselves during school. It also invokes a sense of pride and belonging to see students dress up and have fun with their fellow classmates. 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 elected for my desired position, I would want to increase faculty in the student parking lot. Many accidents have occurred, many students do not feel safe, some students are too fast getting out of the parking lot, and some parents wait too long and hold up the line. Many students who do not possess a parking pass continue to park in student parking. I believe this is incredibly unfair to those who have paid previously to get a spot, and are sometimes robbed of being able to park in student parking. Increasing faculty in the student parking lot would allow students to be and feel more safe, while faculty can keep an eye out for students who are parking where they are not supposed to. 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 elected for my desired position, some changes I would like to make are campus clean-up activities open to students. Many jump at the opportunities to get community service hours in. Planning activities like these would also increase student participation and teach students how to cooperate well with others. Increasing trash cans in areas around campus may also prompt students to feel Safety wise, I would increase faculty in certain areas around campus during certain times. This includes the student parking lot, the cafeteria during lunch, and patrolling campus during class time to ensure students are not skipping/cutting class. Some fun activities would also include campus repainting (murals/revamps) and restoring greenery around campus, like planting native plants/flowers and yard work on areas like Boarders Field. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? If elected as president, if i had the opportunity to change the phone policy, I would continue to leave that decision to teachers whether or not cell phones are allowed to be used in their classroom. As I have stated, it is their classroom and I believe it should be up to teachers to decide that cell phones will assist their lesson and how they teach or if allowing students to use them is harmful to the work environment. However, I strongly believe that cell phone usage in classes can disrupt learning if students are using them ineffectively. While some students may use it for learning and personal reasons, some may use it as their personal excuse to pay no attention to teachers and what they are supposed to be learning or doing with their class time. SCHOOL LUNCH: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what would you do to improve the quality of student lunches? To improve the quality of school lunches, I believe that quantity is a big issue. Our students, many of which are athletes, require food that is substantial enough to keep them going throughout the day and throughout their after school practices. It is important that we maintain health regulations, while also increasing the proportions of the food. Many students also complain about the temperature, stating that food is often too cold and that it makes school lunches unappealing. I feel it is also important to implement local school lunches and local food dishes, as well as working with local farms and businesses. Changes like these would make school lunches more appealing to students. Previous Next

< Back Kawehi Kaina Custodial Staff Daven Kaina, or Kawehi, as he is called, is one of six custodians at Lahainaluna High School where he has worked for almost two years. He is one of the friendliest people you will ever meet, and always has a smile on his face. Behind this genuine smile, I learned that he is a man of faith. When Kawehi is not at work, he is helping out at his church with the youth. He is very passionate about helping the next generation thrive and is working towards becoming a youth pastor. In fact, the best part of his job, he said, is being able to connect with teenagers. He loves that he can “be God’s light in the school environment.” The worst part of Kawehi’s job, in his opinion, is the pay. But this doesn’t dim his passion for what he does. Kawehi loves his job at Lahainaluna High School and says his “mental state is thriving”. I asked Kawehi about the craziest thing he had seen in the campus bathrooms. He told me about how the custodians had to call a plumber because the toilets weren’t flushing properly and when “the plumber took out the toilet, and at the bottom where everything leaves the toilet, there were four vapes tetris'd together clogging the pipe.” At this time, all the schools on Maui were dealing with this issue, “but Lahainaluna won for having the most vapes clogging the toilet at one time.” The job is more than this kind of thing, however. As Kawehi sees it, his work is about “creating an atmosphere that people feel welcome in.” Of course, this includes cleaning and restocking the bathrooms, cleaning the classrooms, and beautifying the plants around campus. But it also means making the school a safer and more welcoming environment to be in. Kawehi loves his job at Lahainaluna, but he didn’t always see it as his future. When he was a teenager, he attended Lahainaluna and claims to have been “the naughtiest kid in school.” In high school, Kawehi wanted to be a Fireman. Custodian or fireman, Kawehi has always felt called to “service.” When Kawehi sees kids not in class, he has to tell them to get to class. Yet, as the former “naughtiest kid in school,” he sometimes feels “hypocritical.” Afterall, “I was the same way when I was in high school.” Yet, he does his job, he explained, because he just doesn’t want people making the same mistakes he did. When he skipped his classes as a teenager he knew all the best hiding spots for ditching. “Sometimes I’ll drive by those spots in my golf cart and just laugh to myself,” he said. Sequoia Pelletier-Yamasaki is a contributor to Ka Lama Hawai'i and was a junior at the time she wrote this.

< Back Is Procrastination A Good Thing? Copy link On the benefits and drawbacks of doing your work on time. Christopher Apilado January 13, 2025 at 5:44:59 PM Student Life Previous Article Next Article Most students procrastinate, which causes them to stress about their work and academic performance. “You have multiple classes,” said Catherine Apilado, a junior student at Lahainaluna High School, “so the longer you leave out that assignment, the more you’re gonna get more work from different classes.” While this seems like common sense, students are divided. Freshman Hanan Oleiwan says, “get the stuff over with” because putting it off will just cause you more stress than relief. Oleiwan thinks that procrastination causes students to worry about a task that they will still end up having to complete. Finishing the task will at least provide a feeling of accomplishment. She added that there is no upside to procrastination. “If you are gonna, like, push stuff away last minute, I don’t think that is usually, like, a good thing.” Apilado, quoted above, thinks that finishing an assignment can give you the feeling of accomplishment. Everything “is just gonna pile up all your work and it's gonna make you even more stressed out about it.” Finishing the work can make you “feel more accomplished and you feel relieved that it is finally over with.” Some students already feel stressed when they get an assignment. For some students, this stress interferes with completing it. “The stress just causes me to not wanna do it anymore,” said Ka’iulani Balinbin, “so I hold it off till the last minute.” Yet, this creates a cycle for Balinbin because after putting off her assignment, she ends up “stressing even more.” Students who procrastinate in school sometimes also procrastinate at home. Freshman Salvador Chiang offers an example: “I say, ‘I will do the dishes later’ and then I forget about it and then I get in trouble.” He adds that there is rarely a way that procrastination could be positive and that “The only way it is positive is if it’s, again, if you’re doing multiple things and then you do the easy things first and then do the hard ones.” “more ideas to do your assignment” Although some students say that procrastination is bad, some also say that there could be a chance that procrastination could be used in a good way. They argue that in some situations, procrastination can make students more productive. For instance, Jaiden James Versola, a senior, states that procrastinating may help students “drive more for last-minute work.” Some people do better under pressure, Versola thinks, and that procrastination helps students push themselves in completing their work. It even helps them focus and “lock-in” on the task. Differently, freshman Grayson Guzman thinks that putting off an assignment gives students time to reflect as “it could let you have the idea sit in your brain and it’s something you can think about constantly.” Taking the extra time, “is gonna help you in your creativity,” says Guzman. He thinks that it gives you “more ideas to do your assignment or whatever work you have to do.” Sophomore Micah Ganis thinks that there are certain people who should use procrastination. Ganis says “I would probably encourage it [procrastination] for somebody who is like a workaholic.” He feels as though they would use it more wisely than “somebody who's not good at keeping their time well,” because they would most likely just “waste all their time.” “To a certain extent, I agree that procrastination can be used in a positive way,” says Mr. Ancheta, a math teacher. “Allowing your brain to think through the problem and process the information thoughtfully prior to taking action on it” can be helpful. However, he adds that it may have “a significant negative effect on their [students’] academic performance.” Science teacher Judd Levy has a stronger opinion. “...I don’t agree at all,” he said. He thinks that students who say procrastination could have benefits are “just being silly,” and “looking for an excuse to be lazy.” There needs to be a balance” “Giving ourselves some time away from a task allows us to think more deeply on a topic or get information that may not have come right away,” Librarian Tara Nakata says. But she also thinks that “there needs to be a balance between putting something off, and still allowing enough time to complete it satisfactorily.” Nakata added that “There might be something that I need to finish - like cleaning the house because guests are coming over, but I decide to work on a crochet project instead. We all make decisions like this that work against us.” Students are still learning. They all agree that procrastination has a bad side, though some students thought that it could be a positive thing. Freshman Eli Hegrenes sums it up by saying that “It depends,” and that “You can do it sometimes but try not to make it a habit.” Christoper Apilado is a contributor to Ka Lama Hawai'i and is in his first year at Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back Homecoming After the Fire Copy link At Lahainaluna, It's All About Pride Sequoia Pelletier-Yamasaki May 31, 2024 at 9:32:39 PM Student Life Previous Article Next Article The Lahaina Wildfire on August 8th, 2023 delayed the opening of our school for weeks, leaving students with a difficult decision: transfer schools or wait and hope that Lahainaluna would soon open again. Either option created a situation in which students, for at least a month, were forced to attend a school outside of Lahaina. "Going to Baldwin felt weird because Lahainaluna was like my second home, and the people in it helped me a lot," said junior Kefu Mendoza. Mendoza transferred to Baldwin after the fire where he felt like an outsider. "Baldwin made me feel like I didn’t belong because the students there weren’t my type of people” he said. “I didn’t know anybody." Many students who transferred to other schools felt more than socially excluded, however. They also spoke about a difference in rigor. Sophomore Fenuki Fakavai talked about his time at Baldwin and how their education was "way better than Lahainaluna." When he came back to Lahainaluna, "all the work seemed a lot easier." Indeed, according to education rankings released by US News and World Reports, Baldwin highschool scored over 20 points higher on a scale that includes the number of students taking and passing AP exams, proficiency in all core subjects, and graduation rate. Importantly, Baldwin students’ college readiness is 25.3/100, while Lahainaluna scores just 10.4/100. Similarly, Cora Gruber, a sophomore, attended King Kekaulike where they seemed to have a "more efficient way of teaching." "I definitely miss the teachers and my other friends from King K," she added. “They were super supportive and kind and it was super easy to make friends there.” Some students learned to appreciate their teachers’ presence more after coming back to Lahainluna. "At HTA, it’s a lot more self-directed learning, and it’s harder to get a hold of teachers to ask questions," said Lena Granillo, a sophomore who briefly attended Hawai’i Technology Academy (HTA) while waiting for Lahainaluna to reopen. HTA is a semi-online school where you only have to be on campus two days a week. While there, Granillo realized "how helpful it is to have teachers around me all the time, ready to answer my questions." While she “liked not having to go to school every day,” she also missed being at Lahainaluna. "I love how Lahainaluna’s campus is outside," she said. "At HTA, you are indoors with no air conditioning" Before Lahainaluna opened back up, Kūlanihākoʻi, a newly built school in Kihei, opened their doors to our students. Among those who attend Kūlanihākoʻi temporarily, sophomore, Lawakua Haia-Shim, said that "My favorite part about going to Kūlanihākoʻi was being able to see familiar faces and reuniting with a lot of my friends after our town burnt down." For many students, the first day of school at Kulanihakoi was the first time they saw their friends and peers since the fire. "It was really relieving to know that a lot of these people were still alive." "I don’t miss Kulanihakoi," said Gigi Grande, a sophomore. "But my favorite memory there was when all the Lahainaluna students and staff members stood in front of the Kulanihakoi students and staff members and we sang our alma mater to them." Lahainaluna’s alma mater is a very significant part of the school, as it was written by a Lahainaluna student in 1898. Haia-Shim had originally transferred to Maui High and rejoined Lahainaluna as soon as he could. He did so to see his friends. After he came back, however, he discovered that the experience also gave him a new appreciation for our school’s history and tradition. Lahainaluna is the oldest school west of the Rocky Mountains, giving it a lot of history and making it a very special place. Transferring back from Maui High and finally being back at LHS gave Haia-Shim a new perspective on how "special Lahainaluna is." Once he was back, he said, "The biggest difference between Lahainaluna and Maui High is that Lahainaluna has so much school pride." After coming back to Lahainaluna, Gruber also noticed our school pride. "At King K," Gruber said, "people were definitely school spirited but not nearly as much as Lahainaluna students, and that’s one of my favorite things about Lahainaluna." So many students have so many different perspectives on being at different schools, but they all have one thing in common- their love for Lahainaluna. Whether it's because of the history of the school or that Lahainaluna makes them feel at home, they are all so glad to be back. I asked Sydney Villegas, a 10th grade ELA teacher at Lahainaluna High School what makes Lahainaluna special. "It’s special because of its community" she said. "There is nothing like Lahainaluna." Sequoia Pelletier-Yamasaki is a contributor to Ka Lama Hawai'i and was a junior at the time she wrote this.

< Back How We Believe The World Sees Us Samantha Monnett Painting The Work In today's society with the growth of social media also comes higher beauty standards. For this sustained investigation, I wanted to show how I could use art to interpret how I think the world perceives me as a person through hallucinations that we all make up in our minds, how we tend to feel all these eyes on us from people judging our looks and every physical change that we make. With all of the artworks, I am investigating how we all tend to be self-critical and create illusions to match what we think others are thinking of their experience of us. During the beginning of the sustained investigation, I wanted to focus on the idea of reflecting our self-perceptions as seen in mirrors, highlighting how we are often our harshest critics. However, while experimenting with various paints and materials to depict these reflections, my investigation shifted towards portraying hallucinations of distorted images that reflect how we believe the world sees us. As I came towards the end of my sustained investigation, the hyper-realism didn't really matter within the projects but rather the message that was portrayed behind it that everyone experiences. About the Creator Samantha Monnett graduated from Lahainaluna in 2024. Previous Next Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Send Email

< Back Should I Stay or Should I Go? Copy link Students Worry About Where They Should Attend College Keyla Jimenez April 22, 2025 at 5:51:09 PM Education Previous Article Next Article “I always dreamed too that I would go off to an ivy league, or a UC, but I think I realized that I could make an impact in any school I go to,” says senior RJ Arconado who explained his reasons for staying in-state for college. “So far a lot of people I know are going in-state,” he said, since it allows them to be “closer to home, while gaining our independence.” Arconado, like other students’, are hyper aware of the decisions they have to make in the last two years of high school. After all, these decisions may determine what happens for the rest of their lives. One of the most important of these decisions is where, why, and if they are going to college. As many describe, these questions are connected. The Cost of Isolation Hawaii's pool of 16 colleges is small. Within this pool, only 2 rank in the top 1,000 universities nationally . Compare this to Connecticut that has a smaller land area but over 100 colleges and universities, 7 of which rank in the top 1,000. This is discouraging to some students who were hoping to find opportunities suitable for their interests close to home. According to Jessica Terrel for Honolulu Civil Beat, “Half of students leaving Hawaii’s public schools are moving to the mainland,” as of 2022. “College-industry data available to admissions offices across the U.S. shows that Hawaii students are one of the most likely to leave the state for college,” says Roxie Shabazz , Director of Admissions at University of Hawai’i. “Hawaii’s isolated island geography” she observes, “leaves many students wanting more than the state can offer.” Ethan Luck agrees. Because Hawai’i is so small, there are “less places to go to" in-state and students are presented with "less opportunities” in the future. There are big costs for Hawaii's students attending mainland schools. Those who leave the state are hit with high costs for relocation and out-of-state tuition. Many will need to take out student loans that will follow them throughout their lives. Kameron McNair for CNBC reports that Americans currently hold a total of $1.6 trillion in student loans and, as Sandy Hario Livingston for KHON2 reports , Hawaii residents make up approximately $4.5 billion of that total. “The biggest obstacle to attending college on the mainland is affordability,” states College and Career Counselor Ginny Yasutake. “[For] those who aspire to attend a mainland institution,” she advises, “there are ways to reduce your cost of attendance through scholarships and financial aid.” Yasutake wants students to consider the opportunities in-state schools can provide even though she acknowledges that “It is difficult for students from Hawaii just because of our location.” The WUE, or the Western Undergraduate Exchange program, is another option she mentioned. In WUE schools on the mainland, students pay a reduced tuition rate that is lower than out-of-state tuition. Sophomore Giana Bayudan feels “a little intimidated” by the costs of college. “If I were to want to go out of state, I'm gonna have to work really hard in school to get the scholarships to help me pay for it, or else it's not gonna be paid for." Cost is everything for some. An anonymous senior plans on “going to trade school at UH Maui college.” When asked why, he simply stated “because it’s free.” This is a reference to the recent extension of free tuition at UH to LHS’s class of 2025. “They don’t have that here” Some students are looking for colleges that meet their very particular needs and future plans. Bayudan recognizes this problem, stating "whatever you want to specialize in, in college, whatnot, you can find a school for that [here]. But even then, it might not be the best option.” “I want to wrestle in college, and they don't have that here,” says Sophomore Safirah Ladore who also wants to be a lawyer. She was disappointed to see that “They only have like, one law school here.” Ladore is referring to The William S. Richardson School of Law at UH, which currently ranks #99 in the US, according to US News and World Report . The University of Hawai’i schools that include: UH Mānoa, UH Hilo and UH West Oʻahu, rank in the top 1,500 4-year schools, Acknowledging these concerns, Yasutake want’s students to know that Hawai’i has much to offer. However she also hopes students take that risk of going to a mainland school if they decide to. “UH Manoa is considered one of the few land-, sea-, and space-grant institutions in the country,” she pointed out and noted that UH Hilo also has a new Pharmacy program. BYU-Hawaii provides a “unique work-study opportunity to help pay for tuition and room and board.” This was a reference to the Polynesian Cultural Center where students may give culturally Hawaiian performances for visitors for money. She also noted that the Chaminade Forensics program has internships with the Honolulu and Guam Police Departments and UH Maui College has “an amazing” culinary program and a new creative media degree. According to Yasutake, Kapiolani also has the only Rad Tech program in the state. Arconado said that he personally has found great opportunities here with “The Direct Entry to Nursing Program” which he describes as “huge” since “last year the acceptance rate was 3.7%.” "We're at a disadvantage” "We're at a disadvantage,” says sophomore Emma Batson who feels that she may be a less competitive candidate on the mainland because of the quality of education in Hawai’i. She feels “It's harder to get into schools in the states because of our education system here." The worry among some students is that being educated in Hawai’i may lead to other problems that aren’t directly connected to geography or what programs are offered. According to US News and World Report Hawaii’s public schools rank #33 overall in the country. As UH Manoa takes 58% of its students from Hawai’i schools , some may even fear that this drop in rigor could impact higher education institutions. Yasutake doesn’t think so. She believes that “UH Manoa and the other colleges in Hawaii have improved their programs to be more competitive and locally committed.” Nevertheless, she added, “If you are passionate about a program of study, and your dream school is on the mainland, I do hope students take a chance and see what the future holds.” Keyla Jimenez is a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back Artificial Intelligence Copy link The Future is Here? Trinity Guiza February 7, 2025 at 5:36:28 PM Science & Technology Previous Article Next Article “It makes my job easier,” Judd Levy, a science teacher at Lahainaluna, said about using AI to assist his teaching work. “When I'm developing lessons, I can't think of everything, but the AI knows everything.” Even so, Levy objects to students using AI as a replacement for their own work and thinks that the problem is that “we haven't taught students how to use it ethically,” and that students more often are using AI as a “cheating tool.” Coming across AI-created assignments is “frustrating,” he shared, “because I don't want to give an assignment and have to read what AI wrote, you know, from twenty different students.” Jenifer Ariemma, an English teacher, repeats this frustration. “I stand firm with my students,” she says, telling them that “I would rather them write the worst paper that was ever written as long as it was theirs.” The majority of students and staff at Lahainaluna are familiar with artificial intelligence. They all have some notion as to what they think it has done for us and for our future. Yet, many disagree on or are unsure about what that future looks like. “There is a lot of uncertainty” Vice Principal Christopher Webber thinks about AI a lot. He connects confusion over AI to the fact that “we are right at the beginning of what it might become.” “Because of this,” he continued, “there is a lot of uncertainty at school, not just our school but all schools, about how to utilize it, or if we should utilize it.” Levy says that the use of AI in schools is “a slippery slope, because the technology is changing so fast.” Despite the lack of an official policy, Ariemma says that she and others in the English Department give students a chance to redo the assignment or take a zero on the assignment. She adds that “we have a gentleman from the DOE who comes every couple of weeks telling us how important AI is and how we should have all of our students using it.” Webber claims that he isn’t sure about how AI is being used in school. “What they are using it for and how they are using it, I don't actually know. [...] It seems to be shrouded in this kind of secrecy.” But students are using it. Freshman Amaziah Irrobis noted that other students “use it a lot to help with exams and answers, but they also use it a lot to cheat.” An anonymous senior admitted that “I've used it before, mainly used it for like procrastination. I write down something fast and it writes something for me.” Many teachers assume that this is the case. Ariemma offered an example: “Right now my classes, they’re doing an assignment that's due on Tuesday,” she said as she was interviewed just outside her classroom door. “I guarantee you if I walked in there, none of them will be doing it. They’ll wait, they’ll wait until Monday night and then they go 'uh oh,' so they run it through AI. I think it’s borderline laziness.” Talaofa Sulunga, a junior, agrees, and thinks AI “is just a lazy way out for many people.” The Artificial Intelligence Race Webber has concerns that are bigger than the school. Specifically, he worries that AI is the future and that if students are not able to use it, the school is “leaving our students behind in terms of what their lives and their world’s gonna be.” While he is concerned about whether our students will need AI, he of course sees that it might be affecting our “academic rigor.” He has seen an increasing number of AI plagiarism cases, the majority coming from English classes as well as “the school’s credit recovery program, EdGenuity, where students are using AI to plagiarize their essays.” Aurora Webb, a senior at Lahainaluna, said, “I think it's awful. I think if you need to use AI to pass a class, then you should not be in that class.” Freshman Irrobis (above) has a similar opinion: “AI could help us in many different ways, but it can also harm us.” Webb mentioned that “I do think education around AI as a subject should be something people receive. We have already seen that without that sort of understanding, AI can be handled improperly.” She believes “that education should be about AI as a topic and not as a tool for other topics.” Webb agrees that AI has potential, but currently doubts students can be trusted to use it responsibly. “I think it’s really useful and 100% has a place in today's society,” she said. “But it's being used the wrong way.” “I think it would be great for analytical things,” she added. “It would be awesome if AI could do our taxes.” Given the dangers, however, Webb thinks “it should be completely banned,” or “out of the hands of the general public.” Similarly, Freshman Edger Ortiz thinks that “AI can be used to study, not used for plagiarism. You shouldn’t get a grade for something you didn’t do.” The best use for AI, Ortiz thinks, is as a tutor or a tool that will “simplify” complex ideas “to help students better understand.” Mikayla Vergara, a junior, disagrees and thinks that AI “overcomplicates the questions that it is asked. In my experience in using AI, I’ve often had to tell it to simplify the given answer in order to understand what it is trying to say.” There are other problems associated with AI. For instance, in the worst case, AI “could harm our education because sometimes it could use fake information which overall isn’t good.” Ortiz refers to a phenomenon called hallucination or artificial hallucination in which a response generated by AI contains false or misleading information presented as fact. Though many seem to share Webber’s concerns about AI’s role in the future, few know how we should be using it or doubt it is being used properly. Ariemma thinks that “at this stage of the world, where we are right now, it’s really important that we start developing critical thinking skills.” She added, “Critical thinking and AI do not go together.” Levy sees the issue differently. For him, knowing about AI is unavoidable and important. To be relevant, “Students need to know how to use it because it's going to be a part of everything they do in the future. It's gonna be everywhere.” He paints a picture for the future with the past: “There was once a time where students had to do all their math calculations by hand,” he said. “When the calculator was first invented, it was really frowned upon in school, and students were told not to use a calculator. Now it’s an essential tool that students use in school, and I think AI will be the same way, as soon as we discover how to use it efficiently and ethically.” Planning Ahead Webber is in the process of creating a new policy on AI that will be different from the DOE's current policy . “I will tell you I used AI to write the policy,” he said earnestly, “which is kinda where I am right now.” Because of how new the issue is, Webber admitted to having a hard time finding examples. “Many DOE schools that I researched simply disallow the use of AI.” The thinking behind them, he assumes, is “that students are gonna plagiarize or use it irresponsibly.” Webber said that his draft policy “seeks to be ethical” since “we want to make sure that people are not disenfranchised, that they have access to AI, but all the time keeping in mind the need to have ethical classroom experiences.” Despite these concerns, there are still hardline clauses in Webber’s policy that say you can’t use it to “take the place of original students' thought and effort.” Ariemma has other concerns. “I said in the meeting,” she said, referring to one of the meetings with the DOE gentleman (above), “that I want all of my students to write by hand, and the feedback in the meeting was that there will come a time when you won’t need to be writing anything, with your hand.” “My heart sank,” she said. “I pray that that never happens. I really do. I don't ever want to lose handwriting because that’s so unique to each of us. I may be the last man standing with all this, but I'm gonna hold on to it as long as I can until I'm told otherwise.” Trinity Guiza is a staff writer at Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< 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

< Back Brandiann Tartios Custodial Staff “The People.” That’s what Brandiann Tartios, a custodian here at Lahainaluna, said when asked what she likes about working here. Confidently but with a serious tone, she added that without the people, Lahainaluna would be “Just another place to work.” Tartios thinks that “The people here make Lahainaluna.” Tartios has worked here for over 10 years. She jokingly emphasized the amount of time by mentioning that she’s worked under 7 principals. Originally from Oahu and a town somewhere between rural and urban, Tartios prefers being at Lahainaluna, an “Isolated from town." She enjoys the fact that it’s “kind of laid back.” Community is important to her and that’s why she likes Lahaina and Lahainaluna so much. “Community makes Lahaina. Period.” Tartios spends most of her free time with her family. She explained that she is passionate about “appreciating who I have in my life.” Like others at Lahainaluna, she lost a great deal in the recent fire. Like many in Lahaina, she’s also “passionate about trying to get back home and try to rebuild.” I asked her again what she is grateful for and she said that she’s “Grateful for waking up.” Even though she now drives from Kihei to come to work, she uses this time to reflect and “concentrate and think about the past, you know, and what I'd like to accomplish in the future.” “Lahainaluna is like a second home,” said Tartios. Keyla Jimenez is a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back Everybody’s Special Copy link AP and the Path to Valedictorian Lucia Mejia April 28, 2025 at 9:51:26 PM Education Previous Article Next Article In 2021 there were 24 valedictorians, in 2022 there were 26, in 2023 there were 35, and in 2024 there were 36. The trend suggests that the number of valedictorians will rise again this year. For reference, consider that in 2010 there were only 2. According to Hawai’i State Department of Education guidelines, to become valedictorian in a Hawaii DOE school students are required to have a 4.0 or above GPA and earn one of the three Honor Recognition Certificates. The fastest road to a 4.0 and above is AP, or Advanced Placement courses or college-level classes that add an extra point to your GPA regardless of how you actually perform on the AP exam. Yet, this system creates an inconsistency–while APs are supposedly designed to offer challenging, college-level courses, grades are often equal to completion. In 2024, in all but one subject, Lahainaluna students, on average, failed their AP exam, which means they earned a score of 2 or less. 33.9% or 56 out of 165 AP test takers passed with a score of 3 or better and, of the number who passed, only 18.78 percent of that 165 did so with scores of 4 or better. As Keyla Jimenez recently reported , school-wide test scores are not much better. Recent data compiled in the DOE’s Strive HI report suggests that in the 2023-2024 school year only 28 percent of students demonstrated proficiency in language arts assessments, followed by 17percent in science and 5percent in mathematics. These scores, like AP scores, are evaluated independently by people outside of Lahainaluna. While we lack data on classroom grades for AP students grades across campus, these numbers suggest that there may be a gap between students' academic performance in regular courses and their ability to succeed in more rigorous settings like AP. “...something's wrong, right?” Principal Richard Carosso offered insight into the data, wondering “If you have 30 kids in your AP class, and you've given 25 A's, but your average score is a 1.7 on the AP exam, something's wrong, right?” The problem would simply be grade inflation or a course grade that does not match mastery of that subject. The possibility, Carosso commented, is “not correlating for what I think the rigor of an AP course should be." Students may be taking more AP classes to pump up their grades, but the level of rigor they are encountering may not match the expectations set by the College Board (the organization that develops the AP content and evaluates AP tests). Students may feel they are being challenged, but in reality, they may not be developing the deep understanding needed to succeed on the AP exam. Principal Carosso thinks that it is important to distinguish between learning and doing, because that's the difference between a high AP exam score and just a good classroom grade. “If you're giving all these great points and grades for doing everything, " said Carosso, “you kind of have to switch the mindset of, it's not just about doing. It's about learning.” If the focus is on completion rather than understanding, he suggests, AP grades may be rewarding students for completing assignments or fulfilling requirements, rather than demonstrating mastery in the skill itself. Our AP scores also point to another issue. Students at LHS may have come to expect higher grades for less effort, especially with the trend of grade inflation and the focus on completing tasks rather than demonstrating mastery. Students may feel entitled to grades simply because they showed up or finished an assignment. “I could have been prepared much better.” Transitions teacher Marc Watasaki thinks that AP classes should be open to anyone willing to try. “I think just being a high school student means you are AP ready,” he insisted. “I think everyone should get the opportunity to take those classes. But I don’t think everyone should expect to do well in there.” While AP classes are in fact open to any student, grade inflation may work against students looking to take on bigger challenges. “Students receiving higher grades than their actual mastery in the material might create a false sense of preparedness,” says AP Biology teacher Arica Lynn. Lynn thinks that some students may have come to expect high grades without putting in the necessary effort. They may not have prepared then for the level of work and understanding required in AP courses “when they enter the more rigorous environment of an AP course and eventually face the standardized AP exam.” Junior Juliet Ronen is currently taking AP World History. Reflecting on whether her earlier classes prepared her, she said “some did but some didn’t, I feel like I could have been prepared much better.” “When I went into AP Seminar I was so lost and unprepared,” said sophomore Jersea Borneman. “It was completely different than my previous classes.” Sophomore Brianne Lagazo is in the same class but thinks preparation has little to do with the subject itself. “My biggest problem when doing AP was managing my time correctly,” she said. “Freshman year’s light workload didn’t teach me proper time management, so when sophomore year’s pressure hit, it became overwhelming.” Lynn agrees. While some students have the ability, the “students who are successful are usually organized, plan ahead, and dedicate consistent time.” Sophomore Mina Nagasako adds "I can guarantee that there's many students who want good scores but few who strive to take the action to study and fully apply themselves." “I believe that students are ready and can do the work given,” said Joseph Balinbin. “I think the larger problem is getting them to show effort. Teenagers have lives outside of school and it’s gonna be a challenge to pick 2000 word essays over going to the beach with your friends.” “There's other things in life important as well than just schoolwork,” said Watasaki. “They're really interested in it." Despite the gap between grades and AP scores for most AP classes, AP Art taught by Mr. Schultz is different. AP art students scored an average of 3.71, almost two points higher than every other AP class on campus. While this may suggest that Schultz’ students were simply better prepared, he offers a different perspective on last year’s scores. “I feel like sometimes they were putting students in my class that just needed a credit for art, and they didn't have any of the background for AP,” said Schultz. “That was pretty bad for trying to build up those, the foundation and the fundamentals.” Yet, in 2024, things changed. “There weren't any of those kinds of students, so they were a little bit more prepared when they were going into it.” As a result, most of his students in 2024, he claimed, wanted to be there. "Art is an elective,” he said. ”The people that decide to take art have chosen it, and they're passionate about it, and they're really interested in it." Unlike core subjects where students might feel compelled to take AP classes for GPA purposes or college applications, art students, at least those who have chosen to be art students, are self-motivated. They enter the class with a clear interest and a strong desire to learn, which Schultz believes, makes all the difference. “I just have to be able to regulate my time” Students planning to take AP courses next year already have mixed feelings. Many have heard rumors and warnings about the workload and what to expect. some have taken those rumors and warnings to heart. "I talked to a lot of students, and they all say it's like, really hard and impossible” says one anonymous student. Freshman Murphy Crossman-McGibbons agrees, saying "I've just heard them, like, just complain about the workload a lot. It's like, a lot of reading." One anonymous student has taken these warnings seriously. Describing the challenge of finding balance early on, “I just have to be able to regulate my time with other things and also be willing to make sacrifices for my outside life,” they said. After his experience in AP this year, students like sophomore Harlan Owen are looking at the situation realistically. Next year, he said, “I’m not doing AP classes because I procrastinate too much and I don’t have enough time.” Crossman-McGibbions hopes that his current Honors English class will help him on the AP track as he thinks “the whole class is designed around” preparing him to enter AP Seminar next year. “If everybody’s special, no one’s special” The title of valedictorian has been reserved for those who stand out academically, traditionally with the highest academic achievements in a graduating class, often determined by GPA. But the path to a 4.0 has become increasingly more accessible, and some argue that the system of awarding the title of valedictorian to so many may unintentionally dilute the accomplishment. The growing number of valedictorians combined with our dropping math and english scores also raises important questions about the value of the title. “When we have 30 kids at 4.0 it seems that it lessens the accomplishment,” says Carosso. “If everybody’s special, no one’s special.” Watasaki agrees that “the meaning of valedictorian means less with more and more people achieving that status.” What does this mean for the future of academic recognition? Will the title of valedictorian return to its once prestigious status, or will it continue to be just another box to check off. Carosso emphasized, “we just all have to teach the best we can. Raise our expectations of our kids, raise our standards, you know, for all our kids.”

< Back Between School and Extra Curriculars Copy link Finding a Balance Jersea Borneman January 13, 2025 at 5:55:44 PM Education Previous Article Next Article Every year, students sign up for extracurricular activities including band, color guard, water polo, swimming, wrestling, football and more. Lahainaluna’s school website lists 23 clubs and 21 sports. Many of them take up time after school and even during weekends. For instance, water polo. This can fill up a student’s schedule as long hours are spent practicing five days a week. Games are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays. The hours students spend on sports and extracurriculars could be spent with family and friends, doing homework, or sleeping. But for some reason, students commit to their extracurriculars. “I forget all about it” Researcher Erin Massoni finds that extracurricular activities have a positive impact on mood , behavior, grades, and school and assignment completion. For Massoni, extracurriculars encourage the development of skills that help teenagers take more initiative and socialize. Yet, what happens when extracurriculars take more than they give? What happens when extracurricular activities negatively impact school performance and home life? Students are outspoken on the benefits of extracurriculars to their mental health. “Wrestling helps me relieve my stress because, like, after school, I'll be all anxious,” says sophomore Safirah Ladore who gets stress from school. She describes feeling “like, oh, I need to go home, I need to do this, I need to do that. But then when I go to wrestling, I forget all about it.” Similarly, dancing after school helps freshman Eli Hegrenes “release emotions in a positive way.” Hengrenes uses his dance time to “express how I feel [...]. I can use different shapes to express my feelings.” Being a part of a team or club can also give students a safe place and sense of belonging. At a new school this year, sophomore Isabella Higgins reflects on how being part of a team helped her fit in. “The team was very kind, and they welcomed me.” Striking a Balance Junior Cora Gruber agrees with this idea, and said “I love the girls, and the team is like another family to me.” Yet, Gruber worries about finding a balance between school and extracurriculars. “I get stressed out about performing physically and mentally, like in my sport and in my school,” she admits. “Academics and grade checks make it more stressful.” According to Lahainaluna’s grade check policy, students cannot participate in games or meets with an F or a GPA below 2.0. Students who do not meet these requirements will be in Academic Review Status (ARS) and will have to attend study hall on Wednesdays until they bring their grades up. “There's only a few that don't pass grade checks,” says Sabine Armstrong, the school's Athletic Department Assistant. “It's not because they're not smart students. It's because they don't manage their time well.” Students may have a lot of things they need to balance, Armstrong says: “They want to practice, and they have maybe a job, and they have school, and then they don't hand in their assignments.” Time management gets easier, said Armstrong. She pointed out that “Those people that are on ARS, most of them, a good percentage of them, are freshmen.” She added that this may be because they are new to high school and “don't know, and they–it's overwhelming.” In contrast to Freshmen, Armstrong said, “seniors take us more seriously, because they know it's time for college or time for trade school, and they need, you know, everything. So they have their time more managed than the freshman for sure.” “When I get off of school I feel very stressed out because I just have a lot of homework, and when I have to go to wrestling after, it just makes it very hard to do my work and get it done,” says freshman Reef Harris. Despite the stress, Harris is confident that “I can get my grades up in time whenever there's a grade check. But sometimes it stressing me out.” Junior Ozzy Serle says that “The hard thing is just balancing it, honestly.” Serle, a basketball player, explains that “Our day starts from 7:45. We don't get home to, what, like eight? Seven? Then you have to eat, shower—then you have to find time to do your homework.” Serle finds that when it comes to homework “you usually do it all [on] the weekends or during school. It's mainly about just managing your time.” Losing Sleep Over It Sophomore Jenna Basto commits two to three days a week to her color guard practice, which lasts 4-5 hours. Despite this commitment, she still manages to find “like an hour or two” for her homework. Hegrenes finds that he spends “more time dancing than doing homework.” He spends three hours doing his homework, which he compared to the two to six hours he spends at dance. Dance can be very stressful, he admitted, since “It takes up so much time.” “I usually go to bed late because of my homework. I usually go to bed around 12 or 1am.” Gruber finds that she gets less sleep during water polo season because she often won’t get home until 8:00 - 8:30, “and I still have to eat dinner, get ready for bed, do homework, and get ready for bed the next day.” Importantly, the CDC recommends that teenagers aged 13–18 years sleep 8–10 hours per 24 every hour period. Yet, the students interviewed reported an average of 6 hours per night. Figure 1 When the average day is calculated, (figure 1), students without extracurricular activities have 4.3 hrs of unused time. Yet, when practice time is added (figure 2) students only have 1.5 hrs of unused time. We might image unused time as open time that students could spend doing things like eating, talking to others, or taking care of an unexpected event or an emergency. Students in extracurriculars may not have this time or may need to lose time for eating, resting, or, again, sleep. Figure 2 Despite the time crunch, sophomore Safirah Ladore tries to stick to her sleep schedule. Safirah is a wrestler. “I try to just cut my line and go to sleep at nine or ten.” But for her, she added, “honestly, that's late for me, because I go to sleep at like eight o'clock.” One reason she is able to go to bed early the way she manages her time. She says she does homework for “like an hour to two hours like a night.” This depends on how much she is able to finish before her practice begins. “If I'm more productive after school,” she added, “I'll get, like, another hour or 30 minutes.” “...that’s every other kid…” While students like Safirah are able to balance work and play, many other LHS students struggle. During the 2024 fall season, for instance, JV football was affected by player injuries but also time management issues when critical players were unable to pass their grade checks. “It got so bad,” said sophomore Corbin Sales, “that some people just gave up completely and just accepted the fact that they won't be able to play.” JV had to forfeit their game because of “grades and injuries” Sales says. “We didn’t have a lot of people in the first place. It really just messed everything up.” “There was injuries,” says Armstrong. “A lot of people had injuries, and a lot of people that didn't make the grades. So the combination between both of it, I think, was then we didn't have enough players for a JV team.” She was sure to clarify that “it wasn't just the grades, or it wasn't just the injuries, I think it was a combination of both things that then resulted into the team that having enough players to safely play.” Freshman Cruz Dagupion played JV football this fall. “I couldn't really manage it,” he said. “It was just too hard.” Dagupion found “there's no time for anything because, like, once you're out of school, it's like, either weightlifting or you're just in the locker room waiting.” It was also hard because “when you get home, it's around like nine o'clock.” During the season, “I couldn't get my grade up in time,” Dagupion said, who thinks that the homework load is “Kind of too much for me. But I think that's good, because it kind of helps you learn what you can perform.” Junior Daniel Bandayrel doesn’t play any sports but still struggles with time management. “I just space out bruh,” said Bandayrel, who believes “The damn truth is that’s every other kid.” “I ain’t gonna lie,” he emphasized, “like have you ever noticed your classmates spacing the &@#% out?” “I manage my time by putting school first, before anything else,” said junior Timote Lino. Timote has become one of the student musicians that leads the alma mater at practice and assemblies. Despite this commitment to practices and performances, he believes that “education is most important.” Lino says managing his time becomes difficult when “I’m starting to run gigs with my band.” To fit everything in, Lino has to “time crunch everything to finish school work and then get to the gig right after.” Commitment or Excuse? History teacher Sarah Eubank thinks that “most of the time, the kids are using sports as an excuse to not do things that they don't want to do.” Eubank notices “When the sports over, they just continue to not do it, but now they don't have an excuse.” She feels that “they could get work turned in,” but “most of the time it’s a kid who doesn't really want to do a thing because it's hard to choose to do the thing that's that not that fun.” Eubank sometimes notices that students “might be tired, and maybe sometimes quality drops a little bit because they don't have as much time to put towards the thing.” Eubank notices a trend when the sports end. “The emphasis is to make sure you're passing so that you can play the sport, and then when the sport is done, a lot of the times boys grades do drop off a little bit.” After the season, “They struggle because they no longer care.” Differently, sophomore Basto insists that when students prioritize sports they are standing on business. “I do it because I was like, committed to like doing it.” “And, like, I don’t think I could like, back out.” Jenna is also committed because “I think the experience is really nice.” “I feel very stressed by dance,” Hegrenes said. “It takes up so much time, but since I’m so passionate about about it, I don’t want to let it go.” Jersea Borneman is a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.