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

< Back Under a Cloud at Lahainaluna Vaping on Campus Trinity Guiza Student Life May 29, 2024 at 10:33:32 PM “I don’t feel pressured at all, I’m a good person, not a delinquent like them,” said a Lahainaluna sophomore when asked whether they felt pressured to vape by others. To the same question, a senior offered an anecdote: “I would get asked if I wanted to hit it but when I said no they weirdly congratulated me and said how good of a student I was while they still went on to continue vaping their flavored air.” The vaping situation on our campus has been on everyone’s minds. But students who do and don't vape have opinions on the issue that you aren't likely to find on a poster. Most students are concerned, but they aren't sure how concerned to be or whether school leaders care. NOTE: given the sensitivity of the subject, many of the students interviewed preferred to remain anonymous. I refer to students by their favorite colors rather than their given names. Lahainaluna has rules against vaping on campus. These rules are based on Hawaii’s administrative rules found in Chapter 19 of the Hawai’i Department of Education Administrative Rules Manual. Rules from Chapter 19 have been included in every LHS student planner and on the school website. Under “Chapter 19,” vapes and e-cigarettes fall under the class C offense sections of contraband and controlled substance use in this chapter. It reads that students may receive penalties such as suspension for 92 days for possession or being under the influence of controlled substances. See the whole text here . Perspectives Students who don’t vape also don't seem to care too much about vaping since, as one sophomore student, Baby Blue, said, “it’s just a normal occurrence now.” Another student, a sophomore I’ll call Rose Gold, added that they “really don’t like how it’s normalized, we even have presentations or lessons against vaping, I mean you're even writing an article on it too.” A significant portion of students shared this weariness about the prevalence of the issue. Things started looking different when students were asked how they felt personally about vaping. A sophomore named Emerald stated, “I care but not really–not enough to report anything.” They added not a minute later, however, that “it doesn’t give the school a nice environment.” Other students like Crimson, a sophomore, reported feeling “threatened” by vaping students. Simply something upon groups of students hanging out in the bathrooms seemed to be the primary cause of “awkward situations” as Rose Gold said, “so I try to run out of there as fast as possible, I don't like their flavored air.” Asked if a younger sibling or family member were to start vaping like him, Gray, a junior, replied a bit defensively, insisting that “that wouldn’t happen, they are too young for that.” “You know what, never mind, I don’t care, I’m done” they finally said before walking away. When asked why they vaped and why specifically on campus, sophomore Yellow said, “I just feel good, it’s not that complicated” and “I do it anywhere so why not.” “Most people think vaping helps with the stress,” said Purple, a sophomore. “But the reason why they vape in school is because they have a feeling, the need to do it, feening.” Yellow and Purple said that people vape in the bathrooms for the obvious reason that “teachers are in class, so they aren’t in the bathrooms, and there are no cameras either. It's the one place you have the privacy to do what you want,” Purple said. Forest Green, a senior, said that in their opinion, vaping happens more often during breaks. Who Cares? Many students are sure that there is no solution to the problem. They complained that staff don’t care or that they don’t even know what’s going on. Purple claims that she vapes, but knows “it’s a problem.” But, she continued, “they,” that is, the administration, “just simply don’t care.” Dubious stories about students getting away with vaping circulate among students, but few of them seem credible. Black, a freshman, is sure that admin doesn’t care simply because of how many students he sees vaping—8 in the bathroom daily. Nicole Heinlein, the freshman vice principal at Lahainaluna, confirmed that it is a problem they are working on. “We often get reports of students vaping in the bathrooms and students saying they don’t feel comfortable going into the bathroom because they are worried about being around people who are vaping,” she said. “I think this is affecting how other students feel about being on campus. And that’s a problem.” Sophomore vice principal, Debralyn Arellano added that she thinks “there should be no vaping on campus, if there’s even one student vaping then that’s a problem.” “It makes me wonder if they are fully informed about what they are doing,” Ms. Arellano continued, “because from what I know nobody knows the long-term effects of vaping.” “It makes me nervous,” said Ms. Heinlein, because students shouldn’t be “doing unhealthy and illegal things on campus.” “If students are breaking the law now as teenagers,” she said, “it makes me worry that they may continue to break the law later in life.” Every Cloud… On the topic of solutions, Ms. Heinlein reported that the administration had made informative posters “that we are gonna be putting up around campus and in bathrooms this summer, to educate students about vaping and options for quitting vaping. Ultimately, we are hoping that educating students on the dangers of vaping will cause them to think twice about it.” She said that vape smoke detectors had been “discussed,” but other vice principals from other schools doubted their effectiveness as well as their high cost: “if they don’t work well then it doesn’t seem like a good solution.” Solutions volunteered by students revealed a wide variation in perspectives. A sophomore student, Pink, proposed a “scared straight program” but instead of prisoners “we do a face-to-face confrontation with people who have suffered from vaping.” Their friend Emerald questioned the idea, suggesting that “helping someone who doesn’t want help is just cruel.” To this, Baby Blue said “we could just smack’em in the head.” Purple suggested taking away their phones and vapes, so they sit in class with nothing, the torture of boredom.” She also suggested “more officers or have the staff be more strict.” Multiple students suggested sensitive smoke detectors in the bathrooms, but one student was opposed to this idea. Green mentioned that “in my old school there were smoke detectors in the bathrooms but all that did was set an alarm off every week and drove students to find another way.” Another student suggested a compromise solution: a “green room” so that they can do what they want while also staying out of other people’s business. Presented with Pink’s scared straight program, Arellano and Heinlein were on board. “Educating students and empowering them to make informed decisions is the most impactful thing we can do,” said Heinlein. “It would be wonderful to welcome guest speakers from the community to come in and have some sort of public service announcement.” Both reacted predictably to the “green room” proposal. Heinlein laughed and said “no way, nope. Plus, you have to be 21 years old to legally vape and no one on campus is 21 so absolutely not, nice try.” Nobody knows when vaping on campus became a problem. Most speculate that it simply just transitioned from smoking to vaping when vapes became available. Arellano said “I started working at Lahainaluna in 2019, that’s when I learned what a vape was.” One thing is for certain, be it a student or an admin, everyone has opinions and everyone feels a responsibility to promote and maintain a safe and secure educational environment here at Lahainaluna High school. Previous Article Next Article Copy link Trinity Guiza is a staff writer at 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 Upcoming Freshman Elections Many are new to the idea but ready to serve. Ashlee Hufalar Grayson Guzman Student Government August 26, 2025 at 10:17:23 PM Elections for Student Council are coming up for the freshman class of 2029, and several candidates are preparing. Yet, many students are unsure of what is happening. “I don't even know what Student Council is,” said freshman Pannziri Arjana Lapus. Another freshman, Keely Benson, seemed even more bewildered: “did we have a student council at our school? I'm not sure.” It is likely students do not realize the impact they have. Sonya Eide, a freshman, stated that the Student Council influenced her middle school in ways she could recognize. “We have to raise money,” she noted, adding that StuCo also helps “like plan major events, and help make good decisions for the school.” According to Kumu Eva Palakiko, the Student Council is “about student voice, student choice, and nobody can represent the student better than the students themselves.” Student Council is behind all the non-academic activities and fun that students experience throughout the year, she added. “Without student government, students wouldn't want to come to school because there wouldn't be any fun activities or events for them to attend.” Another category of student officials, students on Leadership attend monthly meetings and assist officers in the planning and execution of grade level events. Those running for Leadership are Maile Zambrano, Tiana Larita, Kristine Tumpap, and Travis Utrillo. The Candidates Marjorie Carillo is a newcomer to student government, though she says she is excited to join. She’s ready to plan fun events, meet new people, and bring fresh ideas to the table. “I really want to be involved and help make our school a better place for everyone,” she says. Though Carillo was not a part of student government in middle school, she has begun in her first year of high school to think about what she can do for her fellow students and how to do a good job at it. She mentioned her plan to listen to student ideas, to put on meaningful events, and to work with teachers and other leaders to make our school more connected and positive. She describes herself as someone who is “honest, hardworking, and truly cares about our school. I’ll listen and do my best to make this a great year.” Seilala Samisoni longs “to uplift my peers through this journey and ensure that all students feel understood” and she is eager to make friendships and create connections with peers. She has leadership experience from middle school, but she has not played the role of president before. To her, the importance of Student Council and Leadership is to make her peers feel heard and supported: “While this will be a journey with challenges here and there, it will be a chapter of our lives that I feel is worth being memorable.” “My motivation to run for this position is truly my classmates,” Mariah Kauvaka states. Once a Laulima representative in middle school, she’s now running for a leadership position as Vice President. She holds an optimistic view, aiming to create a “big and better” environment for the entire school community and wants her classmates to feel “understood” and “heard.” She wants to ensure everyone has a voice. As Vice President, she said, she hopes to advocate for cleaner bathrooms. “I overall want the best for everyone.” Cami Yasutake hopes to make “this first year of high school really fun for my class as well as the whole school.” She discussed her previous leadership experience as vice president in the seventh and eighth grade. She’s been actively involved during summer, attending Student Council meetings to plan for homecoming events. As vice president, she would like to “bring our class closer to one another.” She wants to encourage more student involvement. “Why not try something new?” Kendall Pasalo answered when asked about why she decided to run for office. She added that high school should be all about new experiences. Though Kendall does not have much experience, she said that she is “committed to making sure their voices are heard.” “Secretary is all about getting things done and taking notes,” Pasalo described. “I think I'm great at doing both.” In her role as Secretary, she plans to keep things organized, and to make sure this Student Council is on task. Harana Peralta is also running for secretary against Pasalo. She sees the Secretary office to increase engagement in her class and inform students about what’s going on. “A lot of people don't actually do that,” she commented. While she has also never served in student government, she said that she’s good at taking notes and emailing. She’s also enthusiastic about planning activities and says that with no activities, “it’d just be pretty bland.” Like several of the other candidates, she also looking for ways to increase student participation since, she noted, “no one participates.” “I care about my peers, no matter if they hate me or like me, I care about them,” said candidate for Treasurer, Brielle Ramelb. “I have been taught to manage finances efficiently because my mom is an accountant,” said Ramelb, who sees herself as uniquely qualified for the job. Ramelbʻs brings previous leadership experience as 7th grade president and ASB president in 8th grade at LIS. She also has attended several leadership conferences and says that “helping people is one of my passions, and Student Council allows me to use my passion to help.” Sofiya Cartagena is running for Historian because she enjoys making graphics and doing digital work. She is an avid social media user and likes documenting what is going on. Photography is also one of her hobbies and she thinks she could use her skills “to help collect memories to show people on social media.” Cartagena is also familiar with the job she is running for. She did graphic design and posted daily bulletins for the school account in middle school and brings 3 years of leadership experience to the table. “I also love having fun,” she added, “and can’t stand having no fun at all. I can bring people together who are different from each other in unique ways.” “...the kids that people just gravitate to…” “I think that it's really important that students are able to get and have the opportunity to share and provide their input on how they would like certain things to happen at school,” said Michelle Brummel, a Math teacher and acting freshman class advisor. “Student Council provides an opportunity.” For some, Student Council is a place for those who are brave enough to put themselves out there, and who help make changes and create a better school community. Or, as Kumu Eva described it, “Those are kids that you are like ‘Oh I want you to be song leader … I want you to take charge of this committee’–because they are the kids that people just gravitate to.” “I find typically those that step up are pretty successful in school,” said Brummel. She explains that those in leadership have a great influence over their peers, as they’re taking on a huge role. She adds, “it is important to have positive leaders for our freshman class.” Kumu Eva offered some wisdom for our student leaders. “You're never gonna make everybody happy. All you can do is try your best and see what the majority wants and then try to make those things happen.” Her message can be summed up: don’t give up. “Stick to it and just persevere. Being a leader is never an easy task. And without you, your whole class, including yourself, wouldn't be able to participate in any activities.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Ashlee Hufalar is a sophomore and a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i. Grayson is the current 2028 student council Vice President and is running for a second term as sophomore Vice President.

< All Candidates 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

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

< Back Homecoming After the Fire At Lahainaluna, It's All About Pride Sequoia Pelletier-Yamasaki Student Life May 31, 2024 at 9:32:39 PM 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." Previous Article Next Article Copy link Sequoia Pelletier-Yamasaki is a contributor to Ka Lama Hawai'i and was a junior at the time she wrote this.

< Back Mr. Carosso Principal I met Principal Carosso at lunch around the beginning of second semester. Despite having just come back from break, he seemed like he had a lot on his plate. I was nervous interviewing the principal of our school. However, before we began, he asked me if he should be the one who “should be nervous.” This gave me a slight boost of confidence and lightened the mood. I was expecting the interview to be nerve-wracking; after all, Principal Carosso is one of the tallest people on campus and is in charge of everything at Lahainaluna. Yet, after stepping into his office and sharing a firm handshake, I came to the realization that he was just another person. For instance, our Principal also listens to music and has a favorite movie. Mostly music spanning the 70s through the 90s, Mr. Carosso’s playlist is heavy on rock and roll, like the Eagles. When asked what his Spotify Wrapped looked like, he responded that he was “too old for Spotify” and that he uses Pandora. Mr. Carosso did tell me what his favorite movie is, but he seemed unable to tell me more about that at the time. Our interview was briefly interrupted when three boys barged into his office to report something. I got the idea that his whole day was like this. After he let me back in, he just said that he likes The Godfather. Despite moments like this, Principal Carosso assured me that he liked his job. He said that he likes to work with high school students and that he thinks “kids at this age are very fun and joyful.” Specifically, he mentioned that he likes “how we are at [our] age,” an age when “we are most fun.” Mr. Carosso reflected on himself at our age. “I didn’t make the most out of the opportunities in high school,” he said. His advice to high school students? “Be confident, be adventurous, and do not be scared to chase something because you think you are going to fail.” Regardless of this, he doesn’t regret anything now because he’s doing what he loves, being a principal at LHS. He has fallen in love with the place and says he “wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” Mr. Carosso also makes sure to go to as many sporting events as he can. At these events he gets to see one of his favorite things about Lahainaluna: that we “have a lot of school pride.” For the same reason, he likes going to all our graduation days, and ceremonies. I asked our principal what he would do if he had unlimited resources. He thought hard about it and I waited a while for him to respond. But when he did, the first thing that had come into his mind was that he “would pay everyone a lot more.” “Everyone’s working hard,” he said. “A lot of our teachers would go above and beyond for our kids.” He added that he wouldn’t want our teachers having to go to a second job just to pay for a living; and with an unlimited amount of money, teachers would be able to put all their energy into teaching kids. I also asked if, with “unlimited resources,” he would do anything to the school itself. To this he said that he wouldn’t change anything. He wouldn’t try to make the school seem more modern. Our school is “unique,” he said, and he wouldn’t “want to change the feel.” Keeping Lahainaluna’s old stuff preserved its “charm and lore.” Other things that our principal thought to do with unlimited resources included finding new ways to make opportunities for the students. We should “not have the lack of resources be an obstacle,” he said. A bigger and safer kitchen for our culinary classes was another idea, as well as better transportation for students trying to get to and from school, better equipment for teachers and staff, and the money to get more help cleaning and landscaping our campus. Mia Palacio is a contributor to Ka Lama Hawai'i and the Vice President of the Lahainaluna News Writing Club.

A newspaper written by the students of Lahainaluna High School in the town of Lahaina, Maui. Ka Lama Hawai'i is named after the first newspaper in Hawai'i, which was also published by Lahainaluna students in the nineteenth century. Welcome to Ka Lama Hawai'i! News writing is kind of a tradition here in Lahaina. In fact, the oldest school newspaper west of the Rockies was published right here, by students, on the campus of Lahainaluna in 1834. Our paper, also run by students of Lahainaluna, is our way of sharing breath with that past and the students that came before us. All said, do you have a piece of writing to share with us? If so, please submit your writing in the form below. We will consider all submissions as long as they are student-authored and appropriate. First Name Last Name Email What's your idea OR what are you submitting? Upload File Upload supported file (Max 15MB) Send Thanks for submitting!

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

< Back Students are Feeling a Chill What Lunas think about the possibility of immigration officers on campus. Trinity Guiza Politics April 30, 2025 at 10:58:07 PM On February 4th around third period, an Instagram post created by a student at Lahaina Intermediate spread through our school: “ICE immigration is at lis today and are supposed to come up here to lhs tomorrow. don't get deported” (sic). The caption appeared on top of an unrelated image: a glass cylinder sliding away from a student’s hand across a counter in a science class. The message was quickly dismissed by some as entirely fabricated. Yet, many were concerned and still are. “I heard a rumor about ICE going to lis but I don’t know if it was actually tea or not” said a sophomore who chose to remain anonymous. They will be referred to Anna below. “The scary thing,” Anna said, “is that it’s easy to believe something like that can actually happen because it is something that is happening on the mainland. I think we’re lucky to live in Hawaii where we aren’t as affected but I definitely worry about my friends and family on the mainland.” Recent events suggest that these worries might come closer to home than Anna and others may think. In March, an elementary student was removed from Konawaena Elementary in an immigration operation. The boy's father was detained due to immigration violations. With no one to pick him up, officers delivered him to his father. To concerns in the community, Lucia Cabral-DeArmas was sure to mention that “the two were never separated, other than during school hours.” Principal Richard Carosso sent an email around this time containing state guidelines for responding to ICE on campus: politely inform them that they are not allowed access to any information or room and call and wait for an administrator to handle the situation. What is ICE? According to the US Immigration and Customs Website (ICE), the agency’s mission is “To Protect America through criminal investigations and enforcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety.” Students and teachers shared different impressions, however. History teacher Ruth Mathis described ICE simply, as “an immigration system that gets people without their own proper documentation, and they send them back home.” “It’s a federal agency that investigates people if they are here in the country illegally,” said Junior Aleksandr Lucas. “Search their background and identify them. Eventually arrest them, interview and most likely deport them.” “It’s a government group coming and taking illegal American citizens of this country,” said Koryn Moury. “Their job is to find some illegal immigrants,” offered Science teacher Jacquelyn Ellis. ICE will “detain them or find out any more information about them and then they help with the deportation part of it as well.” A bit different, math teacher William Tatro thinks ICE’s primary focus is on “people who are convicted or charged with severe criminal activities.” “It's a private space” Talk about immigration on campus comes after Donald Trump’s recent executive order allowing immigration officers to conduct enforcement actions in or near sensitive areas such as medical facilities, places of worship, and schools. Following these announcements, Maui teachers looked for guidance on what should be done if ICE agents come to campus. The Hawai’i Teachers Association (HSTA) coordinated an information session with the Maui immigrant advocacy group, Roots Reborn, at Kulanihako’i High School in February. Leading the session was Aparna Patrie, an immigration attorney on Maui who works closely with the organization. “These are folks who are really important and essential to the fabric of our community,” said Patrie, who understands that a large percentage of Maui is foreign born. “They are terrified, and we've seen folks be afraid to get health care, afraid to go to school, afraid to go to church, afraid to go to the store and it's really unfortunate.” Ellis was one of several teachers who attended the information session. Afterward, she said that it was “useful” and that “it just helps you know what your rights are, because even immigrants who are here, not legally, have rights through our constitution and that's an important part of our nation.” Reflecting on what she had learned, Ellis described what she would do it ICE came to her classroom. “I would tell them that it's a private space. They cannot come in here and they need to go to the front office with any of their questions. I would never tell them a single thing about a single student in my classroom” Carol Holland, a History teacher at Maui High, also attended the info session. According to Holland, she would go to extreme measures to protect her students such as locking them in the bathroom to protect them. “The bathroom is a private space,” said Holland. “They cannot get into it without permission, so I will squeeze them all in there in my personal teacher bathroom, lock the door, slide the key under the door so it's inside the bathroom, so there's no way they can get in there.” “I would just wanna see their papers [warrants] and examine it,” said History teacher Ruth Mathis at the session. “People need to be educated in here, and you can’t come to my room. You can't take a child out of this room.” On the possibility of ICE agents on campus, Tatro, who was not present at the info session, “would have to ask them ‘did you go to the administration first?” However, he added that there are situations in which you might want ICE agents in your room. Tatro painted a scene in which there is somebody “holding somebody hostage or somebody’s in here with a gun, threatening us. I’d want them to come in.” Yet, he circled back, noting that “if somebody comes in and it's not that threatening a situation, I would say ‘did you go to the administration first?’” He insisted that, minus the hostage scenario, he would “be a little bit uncomfortable with that particular circumstance.” “I Know My Rights” In a hypothetical situation if ICE were to arrive on campus, Principal Carosso said, he would “not give full and unfettered access to our campus.” Instead, in accordance with state policy, he would hold them at the admin building and “call our superiors, our complex superintendent.” It is likely that the majority of students on campus, like Moury, “wouldn't know what to do.” Junior Angel Sana says that she has “only heard of ICE through online. I have never seen them in real life, which I would be afraid to.” “I wouldn't say anything,” said junior Val Medina-Tellez. “As somebody whose parents immigrated here, there would be no point in saying anything. They would automatically assume you are illegal, [and say] ‘I'm gonna detain you.’ They wouldn’t actually care.” Some students were more assertive. “I know my rights, I would only say what is needed to say and stay silent,” said junior Aleksandr Lucas. “I would never help an agency that does horrible stuff to innocent individuals that only try to make their own lives and their children's lives better.” “For some reason citizenship doesn't mean anything to them.” said freshman Mele Faleta. “There are many requirements that have to go with living in the US” yet “people still don’t think that it's enough for people to stay here, then i think maybe just get something else to worry about.” Dezmond Jace “Dezzy” Longgay, a senior, said “I'd actually lowkey be afraid.” The reason he’s afraid is “because of the fact that even though I am a United States born citizen, because of my race, I will be deported back to the Philippines.” Longgay believes the possibilities of ICE coming to camps are high because “Hawai’i is one of the well-known diverse states in the U.S., other than like California.” Since we're all isolated on one small island Longgay thinks “they might see it as an advantage to find people.” “They're clearly not looking for criminals” Tatro believes that there are people who come to “destroy” the country he loves. He mentioned how in the last four years crime rates and violence have risen because of illegal immigrants. “I'm talking about the violent illegal immigrants,” he said. “I’m talking about the ones that have a history of crime.” Offering an example, he encouraged me to imagine “a group of individuals from a country that is in conflict with us, and you see single men 26 years old with their backpack and their jeans and their sneakers, their $200 sneakers. You wonder what they're coming here for–especially when you see many who look like this, no family, just themselves. Charged with various heinous crimes, you know what they're coming for?” He answered his own question: “they're coming here to bring destruction and chaos to our country.” “ICE in the past, or at least the last administration was supposed to be just targeting the top people with any criminal records, right?” said Ellis. “If Donald Trump is letting them come to schools, they're clearly not looking for criminals. They're looking for any and everyone.” Holland (who said that she would lock her students in the bathroom), agrees. I sat with her in a nearly empty Kulanihako’i cafeteria as teachers had begun to leave, most of their questions answered and some of their anxiety eased. Soft spoken, yet bold and confident with her words, Holland talked about this common connection between crime and immigration. “Less than one percent of the crime in this country is committed by immigrants” she insisted. “So the statistics and the facts don't back up that.” referring to others opinions on immigrant crime rates. According to a 2024 report on crime rates in Texas, a border state, the National Institute of Justice found that immigrants did in fact have a lower crime rate than citizens. Using FBI data, the American Immigration Council also notes that the idea that immigrants bring crime to America is a myth. The results from the population data in relation to crime rates showed “no statistically significant correlation between the immigrant share of the population and the total crime rate in any state.” They conclude that: “higher immigrant population shares are not associated with higher crime rates” Sana sees some of this and thinks that ICE is “sending people home where they are from because of their colors or race.” Yet, she still thinks that “some immigrants did come here without papers and still yet committed crimes, including rape, murder, theft, and other crimes. I would be very much happy if they sent those people who committed crimes.” Sana added, however, that, “for others who came here with papers and have the right of residency, and yet still getting sent home is far too much.” “I think that it is being used to push certain agendas and deporting people like Kilmar Garcia who have little to no criminal record,” said Anna. “To me it shows that the government doesn’t need a reason to take someone you love who might not be a white person and send them to a federal prison in a whole other country.” Lucas thinks ICE “has really turned into a whole racist organization,“adding that it’s “despicable and shameful to the country.” Ellis thinks that ICE “should never be a worry for these kids who are at school to learn. It should be a safe space.” “I feel like ICE shouldn't even exist,” said Holland. “The whole principle of the country of America is built by immigrants, so the fact that a bunch of xenophobic old men are trying to hold onto their privilege by implementing immigration policies is an affront to everything this country stands for.” Mathis offered similar sentiments. “It's always been discriminatory from the beginning,” she noted. “[N]ow the situation has changed in the country where the minority groups–they come together to become the majority, and the people who are the majority now they become the minority. It's the fear, the fear that all these people would come together and maybe they will take over.” Angel Sana is a junior who thinks the situation is “messed up.” For Angel, ICE is just a group trying “to take advantage of humans that are not Americans.” They “do whatever they want,” Sana continued, “but they do it in their own way. They don’t follow the rules.” “Honestly because they put a bunch of racist, bigoted people in charge and we’re just seeing the effects of our country’s ignorance,” said Anna. “It’s important to understand the impact that they have on our communities and the actual threat that they pose,” she said. “I have friends and even family members who are immigrants who are worried about this kind of thing and it’s horrible to see.” “I think everybody wants it good for the country” “I think everybody wants it good for the country, so nobody is gonna take over, so let it be cool on immigration and encourage ingenuity of the immigrants," said Mathis, who offered a history of immigration in America that “dates back to the coming of the settlers. Everyone that came from Europe, especially the United Kingdom, were immigrants.” “Immigration is very important. We have to support it and not discourage it. Because that's how we got all these brains that we have, all the inventions, everything. It's immigrants' knowledge that built this country and you can't do away with immigration.” Mathis went on: “These children, one of these children, they could help you tomorrow. That's the blessing of immigration. We all have different skills. So no ICE person can come to my door and take anybody.” Holland hoped that our generation “would live in a world where you didn't have to fight these struggles anymore.” She said “you guys are gonna have to stand up. You're gonna have to resist, you're gonna have to push back against tyranny, against authoritarianism. Against the rise of fascism again.” “It's time for people to stop being ignorant about important issues like these,” said Lucas. If you are feeling distressed about current events, the Ka Lama staff recommends you seek out your grade level counselor. Previous Article Next Article Copy link Trinity Guiza is a staff writer at Ka Lama Hawai'i.