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< All Candidates Jaelyn Galasinao Secretary 🟢 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: Ideas I have for development opportunities are inviting college recruiters to our school to provide opportunities for all who wish to pursue an education after college. If not, surveys could be sent out that would give students the chance to speak up about what type of guest speakers they would like to speak out to. As for student involvement, clubs and students could collaborate to work on policies the campus has. If I were to be elected secretary, I would help plan the dates for these opportunities. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? Events I think anyone would deem important are cultural related events that tie into the schools history. Other important events would include club fairs and spirit week. I believe these are important for student engagement and the most effortless to comply with. Student engagement is important because it shows the school spirit which allows a sense of belonging to the community. PARKING: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what changes would you want to make on the parking and car policy? I would want to emphasize a more organized parking situation in the dirt area parking as we all know traffic gets annoying especially after school. This would improve the spacing situation and the safety of the students. 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? As stated before, an organized parking area in the dirt lot would make the entrance of the school appear cleaner. This would also provide more safety for students that walk before and after school. If I were elected to be secretary, I would collaborate with the president to help make this happen. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? If I am elected secretary, I would not make major changes to phone policy. Allowing students to utilize their devices during breaks is freeing after coming out of a classroom. However, if it becomes a problem in the classroom during learning hours, there would be adjustments to this policy depending on each teacher's class. SCHOOL LUNCH: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what would you do to improve the quality of student lunches? Because school lunches are relatively the same for all schools in Lahaina, I would work with the president and other necessary student council or ASB members to speak up about this with Maui County officials. Funding, communication and collaboration make up a large portion if this issue were to be addressed. Nevertheless, improving the quality of school lunches would benefit every student by giving them healthier options and nourishing them with the needed food components. Previous Next

Contact 980 Lahainaluna Road, Lahaina, HI 96761 Editorial kalamahawaii.info@gmail.com Story Tips/Ideas First Name Last Name Email Type your story idea or tip here... Submit Thanks for submitting! Upload Story Upload supported file (Max 15MB) Questions for Kaia Choose a Nickname! Use a different name. It can be anything. Try, for instance, a name that describes your problem like "Lonely in Lahaina," or "Larry Late for Class" IN JUST A FEW WORDS: what's your issue?* Spill the tea! Submit questtionsforkaia

< Back Forward > Wrestling At King Kekaulike Samantha Shibao Previous Next The wrestling season is coming to a close, and the Lunas are locking in. In their 6th tournament of the season, the Lunas will soon face off against other MIL teams including Baldwin, King K, Maui High, Kulanihako’i, Hana, Maui Preparatory Academy, Seabury, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Kamehameha. This will be a tournament that determines who will advance and secure a spot at State. The last couple of tournaments were rough. The Lunas lost multiple practice days, and some wrestlers were sick or injured. Nevertheless, the Lunas toughed it out this past weekend, scoring multiple wins and getting them pins. Kden Pu, in his 7th year of wrestling, competes in the 215 weight class. Pu said that his personal goal for these upcoming tournaments is to beat Baldwin High and earn more team points. He added that these tournaments will show "everyone that our team has something to prove." "The girls are good. I think they’re gonna get some wins hopefully," said Izaac Pacheco, who is in his 3rd year of wrestling and wrestles in the 165 weight class. Pacheco claims that the biggest challenge he and the team are facing is psychological. "There’s the challenge of regret—regretting not giving it your all." Pu also said, "It’s a mindset game, you have to push yourself and do every conditioning but can’t quit." Jackson Hussey offered some general advice for other athletes: "If you have a bad mindset coming into any sport or anything in life, it’s gonna go down, but if you have a good mindset you’ll do good." Jackson Hussey has been a wrestler longer than any other on the team. He offered some insight on how his own season has been and what the team has prepared for these tournaments. "I don’t want to sound cocky but I know my wrestling ability, and over here on Maui the competition isn’t too bad." Pu added, "I predict Jackson is gonna win all of it," and emphasized the importance of their longtime coach, Terry Shibao, for the team's success. To prepare, many of the wrestlers are sticking to a conventional training regimen. "I just run, but also wake up in the morning to lift then see trainer Mike," said Pacheco. Hussey remarked on how the Lunas "condition hard, practice hard, and practice the moves that work the best for us." The stakes for these upcoming tournaments are huge. This will be the tournament right before The State Championship. In order for any of the wrestlers to qualify, they will need to pass through this weekend's tournament. So come to King K’s home gym this Saturday at 10 am to support the Lunas wrestling team as they face off against all MIL teams. Go Big Red! Heading 6

< Back Are You on the Nice or Naughty List? On Karma, Consequences, and the Gray Zone of Morality Ashlee Hufalar Student Life December 3, 2025 at 9:47:24 PM This is the awaited day. Stockings stuffed to the brim, presents under the tree, and the house smelling of pine and cinnamon. A boy and his sister race down the hallway, the boy shoving the girl aside to discover the contents in his stocking first. Emptying his sock, his face quickly turns to dismay as hard blocks of coal spill on the floor. The radio plays "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town” in the background: “He's making a list, and checking it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.” The boy frowns at this bitter surprise. Perhaps he should’ve listened more to the song's advice. “...it's just a bedtime story to make children behave themselves…” “In a way, I feel like it's just a bedtime story to make children behave themselves,” says junior Marcus John Palacio, referring to the popular holiday myth about the nice and naughty list. In this popular story, children with good behavior receive gifts from Santa, while ones with bad behavior get coal. Senior Coleman Riddell explains that this story teaches “general morals that you would, should, like people to learn.” That is, good things come to good people, and bad things to bad people. “It’s justified by a just-world hypothesis,” Riddell offered. Several other students agree with this perspective, and note that the story carries lessons that reflect how the real world works. “You get what you give, you know,” said sophomore Korynn Mouery. “If you put and do bad things into the world, then you're not gonna get good things back.” Sophomore Skye Caroll added that “good karma's definitely a real thing. People who have good intentions and are nice people often get rewarded by the world.” “Coal can be jail,” Sophomore Leabelle Catuday explains, describing a real world scenario for the nice and naughty list. “If you do something naughty, you can go to jail instead of receiving coal. But if you do something good, you get money or something.” While there’s truth in what’s taught in the nice and naughty list, Mark Watasaki, Transition to high school teacher, offered a deeper understanding of the topic. “I don't think it's as black and white as that. Just because, I mean, you can find a lot of examples of bad things happening to good people, but also good things happening to bad people and vice versa.” “I don't think people are punished for their bad actions,” said Palacio, who thinks the nice and naughty list is not an accurate representation of who’s rewarded or punished in the real world. Nicole Bear, who’s currently teaching math, agrees: “there's a lot of naughty people who get away with all kinds of things.” Even so, just because the real world doesn’t always reward good behavior or punish bad actions, ”Morally,” Watasaki advises, “I think that you should try to be on the nice list.” “...We're not always naughty all the time, nor are we nice all the time...” When asking where people believe they fall on the list, responses varied. With confidence, freshman Drew Briones thinks heʻs on the nice list “because I’m kind.” Catherine Apilado, a senior, also says she’s on the nice list because “I’m always willing to help others. Even though some people can be mean, I always try to be kind.” Many students who mentioned being on the nice list also acknowledged that they still experience shortcomings. Junior Bella Topino, for instance, says “I genuinely believe I'm on the nice list.” While there’ve been times she’s lied or acted in not so great ways, after all of that, she argued, she’s grown into a better person through those experiences. Caroll also acknowledges that she’s made mistakes, but she learns from them as she works to become “the best version of myself.” That, along with being open minded and kind, is what she hopes has earned her a place on the nice list. More lightheartedly, Catuday says “I'm on the nice list because I share my food. Yeah I'm nice.” She paused before adding “most of the time.” “...we all slip up every once in a while…” Senior Jowy Langaman said heʻs on the naughty list “unfortunately,” because “I do bad things.” When asked to elaborate, he ended with “I won't list.” Watasaki says he also “would be on the naughty list,” because “I have a potty mouth. And uh–you know, there are things we just can't put on the record.” “I’m naughty. And for why? Um, I don’t know–it’s just funny,” joked senior Elijohn Agbayani. “I feel like I’m in between. I always play around but I’m also nice to people.” Like Agbayani, many others say they can’t categorize themselves as either nice or naughty. Bear points out that we’re all human and “we all slip up every once in a while. We're not always naughty all the time, nor are we nice all the time.” “…Just trying to do the best that you can…” For most students, what truly makes someone as naughty or nice was not what theyʻd done but what they intended to do. Freshman Lilinoe Borges puts it simply: “if your intention is to be naughty, then I guess you'd be considered naughty. But if your intention is to do good things, then you’re nice.” “It's more on, like, deeper levels, like, their characteristics and what they're willing to do against others,” Palacio expresses. Someone who’s naughty may consciously harm people, and might be willing to do so again. When someone is naughty, Mouery thinks, “you're kind of just selfish and don't do things that benefit other people and you're just kind of self-centered.” When someone is nice, “You do things for the greater good of other people and don't expect anything in return.” While Sophomore Asher Magno agreed, he also pointed out that it’s important to look out for yourself. “Trying to be nice 24/7, with no mistakes at all–I think that wouldn’t be good. Even if it's good for people around you, people you're hanging out with, and keeping a good reputation, it's not good for yourself mentally.” The ultimate nice person is one who “wants the best for everybody, wants to become the best version of themselves, is selfless,” said Carroll. But, agreeing with Magnoʻs point, Carroll also thinks a nice person “prioritizes self-respect.” “It would be the perfect balance, I guess,” said Riddell, commenting on the idea: “someone who looks out for themselves, but also looks out for others.” Realistically, though, “I think that it's an impossible goal. So I think just trying to do the best that you can is what you can do.” “...what is happening in their lives…” Maya Hendrickson, a junior, thinks that “a lot of things can influence people’s behavior such as how they were raised, their family, friends, and what is happening in their lives.” Factors such as these “can make some people act out or make people be kinder.” “I feel like it all depends on how they grew up,” Junior Annika Yu-Cua also says, putting into perspective how someone’s upbringing can be influential to their behavior. Catuday explains that “if you had a really bad one (upbringing), you would probably lean more into the naughty side.” In agreement, Riddell explained that “if you were growing up in an environment where it is acceptable to do certain behaviors, you're going to be more tempted to do that just by default, unless you otherwise train yourself or see influences outside of that.” “Your peers and your friends, who you hang out with have a big reflection on who you are,” said Carroll. For Borges, friends can guide behaviors. She gives an example, saying if you see a friend doing something, “you can be like, ‘Oh, I would want to do that too’ or ‘maybe I should do it to be cool and fit in.’” She speculates that this influence is what leads to many students “vaping and smoking.” Others suggest that internal motivations play a big role in how people act and the choices they make. When an action can result in a reward benefiting a person, that possibility can influence how they behave when pursuing that award. “I feel like it's their desires and what they want,” explains Palacio. Is that want “in the red or the gray zone? And who is it gonna happen against?” “Fear of internal damnation is also a really big factor into how people behave,” Watasaki mentions. Possible consequences or punishments can alter the choices people make. “It’s like how the allure of heaven wasn’t enough on its own, so they had to make hell. And it's like ‘hey man, if you don't do this, you’re going to suffer.’” Similar to the idea on how those who aren’t on the nice list get coal. In the end, no one is perfect and “Some could also be having a bad day too, and they just can’t help but like be so mean,” suggests Briones. “…There's always room to improve…” But what gift should those who are really on the naughty list get? “You know, someone who's fought and has worked their butt off, they do not get the same results as someone who's committed a felony or something,” Riddell says. Regardless, those on the naughty list deserve something more than coal. They need, he suggested, “something to actually help you improve.” There’s hope, said Magno. “There's always room to improve, room to redeem, you can always redeem yourself.” Doing so involves “working towards being a better person and acknowledging your faults,” Caroll comments. Borges believes “people do change. It's just, it's up to that person if they want the change.” Change involves learning from your mistakes and making an effort to do so. Though it might be easier said than done. “It just takes time, energy, and grace, and compassion, empathy, for all parties involved,” Riddell highlights. “It's a lot of grace for yourself to even allow yourself to grow.” And it’s equally as important to let people grow, and “give them the space to work on themselves,” continued Riddell. “Everyone deserves a good gift, even if they’re on the naughty list,” an anonymous freshman insisted. “...Give Someone a Smile…” Whether you’re on the naughty or nice list–or perhaps the gray in between, everyone should try to do something nice for others–something nice that they mean. “Give someone a smile or like give someone a compliment,” Riddell suggested. Saying something genuine and true, even if you don’t realize, can make an impact. Even if they don’t take your words or actions in, your kindness truly reflects your efforts within. If a teacher is struggling to say a name, “help them out” Borges says. Even small acts such as those can go a long way. Throughout the year, we should do our best to be nice. During this season, be joyful as Christmas unfolds. While the nice and naughty list may only be a Christmas tale, it doesn’t hurt to put out some love into the world, and maybe you’ll leave a bright moment in someone else’s story that they’ll share. Previous Article Next Article Copy link Ashlee Hufalar is a sophomore and a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< All Candidates Xeila Santiago 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: I do have ideas regarding how to provide development opportunities for students. I would try to invite more colleges and universities to our school to talk to students about their options. I also think creating a list of available scholarships and sharing them with students will also help introduce them to new opportunities. For our clubs and organizations, I would love to help them find advisors and give them more space to meet and plan events. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? Some school events that I deem important are spirit weeks, cultural events, guest speakers, community service events, and dances. These events matter to me because they help unite us, celebrate diversity, inspire growth, give back, and ultimately, create memories. 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 am aware that the traffic can get pretty backed up both before and after school, so a few changes I would want to make on the parking and car policy is finding ways to add more parking, maybe by using empty spaces or looking for parking spots off campus and going over this with administration. I would also work to keep parking lots safe, making sure the lots are clean and maintained. 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? One idea that has already been discussed with the current council to enhance the appearance, cleanliness, and safety is to plant more native plants around school, especially in the drier areas. I'd team up with teachers and clubs during Po'okela to make this happen. Another idea I would love to do is organize regular clean up events, something like beach cleanups or campus cleanups, to keep our school and community beautiful. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? With changing our phone policy, I think just working with teachers to establish clear guidelines for phone use in class, like keeping phones on silent or using them only for educational purposes. Another idea would be having specific hours or periods as "phone-free" to encourage students to focus on their work but still be able to go on their phones afterwards. 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 student lunches, I would start off by working with staff to provide larger portions or specialized meal plans for student-athletes who need extra nourishment for their activities. As an athlete myself, I know that food is of the utmost importance when it comes to providing fuel for sports. Another idea is to create a system for students to vote on menu options or provide feedback on the food. This would help ensure that the meals we serve are ones that students actually enjoy. I also think meeting with students, cafeteria staff, and/or administrators to discuss concerns and ideas for improving our school lunches may be beneficial as well. Previous Next

< Back Ka Lama Hawaiʻi Then and Now Keyla Jimenez Jersea Borneman Trinity Guiza In 1834, only three years after the creation of Lahainaluna, its principal, Lorrin Andrews, started a student-run newspaper called Ka Lama Hawaiʻi , or “The Hawaiian Luminary.” The paper’s first issue explained the importance of knowledge. “In enlightened lands,” wrote its editorial staff, “it is believed that the spreading of knowledge is a good thing. When wise people ponder and come upon good new thoughts not known before […] they then desire to disseminate it abroad, and not hide it, so that all men may know” (61). Andrews described Ka Lama’s purpose in three goals. The first was to “give the scholars of the High School the idea of a newspaper [and] to show them how information of various kinds was circulated through the medium of a periodical.” The second goal was, generally, “to communicate to them [students] ideas on many objects.” Thirdly, it was designed as a “channel through which the scholars might communicate their own opinions freely on any subject they chose" (Qtd in Silva 109). Almost two centuries later, Lahainaluna’s current principal, Richard Carosso, sees Ka Lama as a space where students are “discussing among yourselves,” or where student voice is amplified. “It’s one of our only resources for students to voice their opinions and to get the input from, you know, their classmates about what's going on at school,” said Carosso, adding that the paper also brings student voices to the school’s administration so the school’s leadership “can tell what matters to you guys.” Historians remark that the original Ka Lama was mostly a way to send messages from missionary leaders to students; in 2025, it does the opposite. Both then and now, though, Ka Lama Hawai’i has encouraged discussion and literacy on campus while letting students engage with unfamiliar topics. Our History When the missionaries first arrived in Hawaiʻi in 1820 during King Kauikeaouli’s reign, they intended to use literacy or a knowledge of reading and writing to introduce Christian ideals. When they did that, though, they turned literacy all around the islands into a form of power. Ka Lama Hawaiʻi began under the control of missionaries at Lahainaluna Seminary with questionable intentions. Nevertheless, it created an important tool for promoting literacy: Hawaiʻi’s first newspaper. It was run by students of the seminary out of the printing house in the admin parking lot, Hale Pa’i, right here on our campus. On the 14th of February, 1834 Ka Lama published its first issue. It was only four pages written in Hawaiian, and, like every issue after, it contained an illustration by Alonzo and Mary Anne Chapin. The “Elefani,” or elephant, was the picture featured in issue one. Below it, Andrews and his students provided facts about elephants, their diet, habitat, and lifespan. The descriptions depict the characteristics of an elephant in an interesting matter, but they could only compare it to things people back then were familiar with. The elephant's nose is described as “being as long as a tree branch” (15) and its height is described as “if a man should stand upon the head of another, then their height would be that of the Elephant’s” (13). Presenting this content, historian Helen Geracimos Chapin writes that all the paper’s issues “delivered new and exciting information” to the students of Lahainaluna who had never known animals like that. The pictures, carved by Chapin, a physician at the seminary, brought “an air of immediacy about the world thousands of miles away” (16). As Chapin describes, Ka Lama , and all early Hawaiian papers, helped to colonize Hawaiian people with non-Hawaiian values by presenting such new and attractive information and images. Sometimes the captions and notes to Ka Lama’s pictures “spoke to the "superiority" of American culture, the Christian religion, and the Protestant work ethic.” “By such ʻtruth in an attractive formʻ,” writes Chapin, “were Hawaiian readers indoctrinated into the new culture” (16). Students printed the original Ka Lama and contributed to it. For instance, among them was the famous Lahainaluna graduate and royal advisor, Davida Malo, who published a song titled “He Kanikau No Kaahumanu,” in Ka Lama ʻs August issue (Silva 110). It was written in honor of the ali‘i wahine Ka‘ahumanu. While students were allowed to contribute to Ka Lama , missionaries controlled the paper and used it to spread their values. Most of the content discussed religious topics. An article not written by a student in the paper’s first issue was titled “The Reason For Ignorance.” It connected knowledge to religion and argued that “Sin is the reason for ignorance.” The authors of the article were “not identified” but they concluded that “returning to God with a new heart is what is needed” (Antonio 66). Articles like these were written by the missionaries, says Chapin, “to bring enlightenment to those they considered benighted,” or ignorant and unenlightened. Despite this, according to people living at the time, “upon receiving their copies, students would immediately sit down to read them through” (Chapin 16). In a recent documentary on literacy in Hawaiʻi, University of Hawaiʻi Professor, Puakea Nogelmeier describes the coming of the missionaries and their impact on Hawaiian society. He describes how literacy was encouraged because "High-level government positions often went to English-speaking foreigners because this interaction was critical for national continuity.” English literacy was recognized as important not just because of the opportunities that arose from being fluent but because of the opportunities that were being taken away by not being literate in the English language. As Nogelmeier describes “When Hawaiians questioned why there were so many foreigners in government, the King wrote back, saying they needed that interface until they could improve the pool of Hawaiians they could draw from” (Lihlihi). This is exactly why Kamehameha III “announced a mobilization of literacy ," Nogelmeier adds. "He was already literate, so he wasn't just aspiring; he was sharing. Everyone took pride in learning to read and write, and it became a national project.” English was a form of power that Kamehameha wanted everyone in the islands to have (Lihilhi). Ka Lama only lasted one year, but the papers that followed still give historians insight on public perspectives during Hawaiʻi's history. While missionaries did abuse their influence and power, according to Noenoe Silva, the newspapers served a further purpose for Hawaiʻi’s people. “While the common denominator of the early newspapers discussed here is the desire that their editors had to convert Hawaiians to a radically different system of beliefs and practices,” she states, “the opening up of spaces for written expression, coupled with the Hawaiian embrace of reading and writing, made the newspapers a vital arena in which crucial questions about culture, knowledge, and politics could begin to be publicly debated” (3). Ka Lama Hawaiʻi built the foundation for all other newspapers in Hawaiʻi. One of them, Ke Kumu , was published out of mission headquarters in Honolulu right after Ka Lama ʻs first run. It lasted from 1834 until 1839 and was edited by missionary Reuben Tinker. The name of the paper, Ke Kumu , or “The Teacher,” signaled its focus on educating through missionary voices rather than having the focus be on student thoughts. The content of Ke Kumu “was mainly evangelizing by missionaries, with some letters from students and community members” (Silva 18). In this way, Ke Kumu was not so different from its predecessor, Ka Lama . According to Silva, Ke Kumu Hawai’i was used to represent “the broad aim of the Mission to create a nation that was not only Christian in name and spirit but also intelligent and industrious” (112). Most of its articles were written by Tinker’s fellow missionaries, writes Silva, but “it did not take long […] before both ali‘i and maka‘äinana began to use the publication space for their own purposes” (112). During its run, Ke Kumu featured approximately 146 writers, including Davida Malo (112). In his contribution, he wrote about his relationship with religion, combining Christian and Hawaiian terms. “Jesus, have mercy, Or I, your servant, will die. [I am but] the dust on your shoe. The grass upon your path. If you leave us forever, That will be our death forever, Death in the pö, Under continual darkness” (10). Ka Nonanona soon followed in 1841. It was run by missionary Richard Armstrong who had been a part of the printing staff of Ke Kumu . Its first issue declared that it would focus on “news; support for school children, teachers, school directors, and parents; a bit of assistance for the pono of the ali‘i, in publishing new laws and new positions in the government, as well as… point out the things that will be pono and the things that will harm the government.” The paper had a larger audience and covered larger topics than Ke Kumu . As Silva states, “Its primary intent was to be a newspaper that carried news from the capital, Honolulu, to all the other islands.” She adds, however, that it was “still in the hands of missionaries and still evangelical in some ways” even though it had “greatly expanded its scope in content as well as in intended readership.” Ka Nonanona , for Silva, marked the shift of newspapers from tools of missionaries to sites “for public debate and discourse” (118). Ka Elele Hawaiʻi started the same year. It was less focused on religion and more on government. It helped inform the public on Hawaii’s rapidly changing society and “served as a site of public debate over the role of foreigners in the government and the sale of lands to foreigners” (Silva 21). Ka Eleleʻs focus allowed citizens to express their opinions on the changing laws surrounding owning land and kept them informed. Ka Elele was a new kind of newspaper. Its format was “opening up of spaces for written expression,” argues Silva. “Coupled with the Hawaiian embrace of reading and writing, [ Ka Elele ] made the newspapers a vital arena in which crucial questions about culture, knowledge, and politics could begin to be publicly debated” (3). This is the purpose Ka Elele Hawaiʻi had up until 1855, when the paper stopped publishing. Hawaiʻi’s first four newspapers all served their individual purposes and proved important to how society interacted with each other. Early newspapers led to a burst in literacy in Hawaiʻi. Katherine H. Au and Julie Kaomea report that “by the late 1800s, the literacy rate in Hawai‘i compared favorably to that of any nation in the world, an accomplishment much to the credit of the Native Hawaiian teachers in the common schools” (6). They Learned by Their Mistakes For over a century since Ka Lama , Lahainaluna seems to have had no school newspaper. Then, in 1928, Ka Nani ‘O Hawaiʻi (“The beauty of Hawaiʻi”) appeared under the guidance of Miss Maurine Watson and Miss Margaret Chapman. Miss Watson also ran a journalism club in 1950 that seems to have had no direct connection with Ka Nani . The early issues of Ka Nani are lost. Yet, the issues we have show us small pieces of life on campus in the 20s. An issue published in July of 1928 contains an article where an anonymous alumnus reflects on her days at Lahainaluna. “It was customary to have people carry away bags full of mangoes on every commencement day,” she says, unaware that a century later the only thing people would do with the mangos is step over them. In the June issue of 1929, students of the glee club found it important to talk about the success of their musical performance, Pickles . It was, they claimed, “a great dramatic and financial success.” The paper’s establishment was purposeful and was announced by Principal Alton Rogers who wrote in a December 1928 issue about “School Publications” and their importance above all other school publications. “School publications, and especially the newspaper, are among the most worthwhile school activities,” he wrote. “Because of their function of carrying news, encouraging enterprises, and representing the entire school and its activities, they are of inestimable value in unifying the school.” Rogers was sad to say, however, that problems often blocked the creation of a high school newspaper. Instead of a regular newspaper, “[f]rom lack of skill,” or literacy, students “are prone to make the annual (yearbook) like all others.” By this time, Ka Lama , had become the name of Lahainaluna’s yearbook. The solution, Rogers thought, required students and advisors to be consistent and constant with their work, to “impress all with their uniformity rather than individuality.” Ka Nani was short-lived. It started and ended between 1926-1929. In 1929 it was taken over by Mrs. Margaret Tompkins who also wrote that year about newspapers, and described the passion needed for good journalism. “Journalism in the Islands is a bit of a crusade,” she says. “Those who rally to its banners must of necessity have stout hearts, imagination, patience and a goal.” For Thomkins, the school newspaper was mostly useful for the language training it gave students: “Any medium which will help us to use Better English consistently has much in it’s favor.” She complained about the challenges faced by the faculty advisor. At the end of the day, “before an issue comes out, the poor instructor with the large glasses and the red pencil rewrites paragraphs." This was one of the last things Ka Nani would publish. Ka Nani finished a year later, starting another 30 years before another school paper was published at Lahainaluna. Yet, in its last year, the paper’s staff coined a motto, “Hitch your wagon to a star.” The first issue of Lahainaluna’s third newspaper, Ka Leo Luna (Ka Leo means “The Voice”) ran in 1952 under the direction of English and “publications” teacher Alma Kaiama. Like other the other papers, Ka Leo announced its simple mission: “To inform the students and teachers of the activities of our school.” An issue printed in its first year reported on the activities of the “Future Homemakers, Leaders Today and Tomorrow,” Hawaiʻi chapter. They were set to hold their “annual territorial convention at Camp Erdman, Oahu, from April 5-8.” Staff included a list of delegates who would be representing our school. On the same page “Morikawa, Kozaki To Reign Over Junior Prom” titled a plan for the “Orchids in the Moonlight” prom. “Strands of vanda orchids streaming down on kahilis,” are imagined by the student writer alongside “colored balloons giving the room a gay, festive air; soft lights and a centerpiece of a vanda-filled pond.” All this, the writer said, would “transform the gym into a moonlit paradise.” Two years after starting Ka Leo , Kaiama left the school to educate others on Maui and eventually got hired at Maui’s community college. In 1980, she became the provost there. Ka Leo ran for 64 years, under the direction of fifteen advisors until 2017 (see figure below). Kaiama influenced advisors after her to keep student journalism going. She was born in Hana in 1930 and picked up a wide range of talents during her life. She taught at nearly every grade level, from elementary school to college (Rupenthal). After leaving Lahainaluna, she worked from her position at the college to get the school funding and joined a push for its transition from a technical school to a “community school” in 1967. Probably because of Kaiamaʻs early influence, Ka Leo Luna gradually became associated with a unique motto that appeared regularly in the English Department’s section of Ka Lama , again, the school’s yearbook: “They learned by their mistakes and tried very hard to make the next issue a better one.” The Voices According to the school’s registrar and the paper’s second-to-last advisor, Shanda Sasai, Ka Leo Luna was “all about wanting to know what people thought and then sharing that out and getting that out to people." To accomplish this, Ka Leo Luna covered school news, features, and sports. The feature that stood out to her the most in all her years of being an advisor for Ka Leo was titled “You know you’re from Lahaina if…” that featured student commentary on living here. She recalls how she loved the concept of it as it allowed for positive discussions on student life. This was a reference to Jeff Foxworthy’s famous saying “You might be a redneck if...” Sasai went on to describe the process Ka Leo students went through. “Every student wrote,” said Sasai. “They had to get interviews, they had to get pictures. We ran through drafts like crazy. --the highest drafts was like… twenty-eight.” Sasai was Vice Principal Debralyn Arellano’s advisor when Arellano worked on the paper. Arellano managed the ads that went through Ka Leo in order to pay for printing. In her role, she had to “cold call” businesses downtown in order to sell ads. ”The paper did not have a budget,” she said. Ka Leo was exclusively a paper newspaper and Arellano noted how they had to print out issues on the mainland since it was more cost efficient. “We would stay up till like 10 at night in there. Just we knew it was deadline day, so we'd go run down and get our frappuccinos snacks and head back up and we'd just work on drafts and drafts and drafts,” said Arellano who looked fondly on her late nights in J-201. According to Arellano, Ka Leo journalists “were given that creative freedom to just pursue and talk about the columns that existed. And it was just fun. It was a lot of fun.” She added that, “in terms of creativity, that was nurtured and encouraged, and so it was just a great space.” Ka Leo Luna published its last issue in October of 2016. For 8 years, Lahainaluna students were silent. Then, in August of 2024, Ka Lama Hawaiʻi , now an online publication, published its first issue. Its first story, a feature on the endangered Kāhuli (snails), was written by Trinity Guiza. Ka Lama Hawaiʻi (Again) Ka Lama Hawaiʻi was named in honor of the first newspaper in Hawaiʻi by a small group of students, The News Writing Club, under the direction of its current advisor in Spring of 2023. The News Writing Club did not produce much content, though over the course of several meetings, they determined the paper’s layout, its sections, and that the name should point to the school’s history as the birthplace of the news in Hawaiʻi. They also planned the paper’s purpose, which included the amplification of student voices as well as the voices of people at Lahainaluna that students rarely meet–such as the custodial staff and office workers–a “We <3 LHS Staff” for student-generated profiles. Much more writing for Ka Lama was produced after it became a class. In the Fall of 2024, the school offered Journalistic Writing and enrolled a small team of student reporters who spent their year learning interview techniques and practicing an objective reporting methodologies. They covered school policies, student wellness, sports, and student life. Since its first issue, many have recognized Ka Lama’s significance to not only our school but to the state. Jean Martin Alternado, currently a junior, thinks that the paper points to the fact that “we are the most historic school in the state.” He thinks that the paper may help to spread awareness about Lahainalunaʻs legacy since “there's only a few students who really care about it.” Alternado published a story about students being held in the cafeteria and the issue of teacher shortages in Ka Lama’s first year. “[ Ka Lama Hawaiʻi ] is for people to share stories, to keep people updated, to see different perspectives of things that people didn’t really have resources to know,” said Alternado. Freshman Grayson Guzman, also a contributor to the paper, thought that Ka Lama was “important back then and now as we hold this legacy of having the first newspaper in Hawaiʻi published here by students.” Students recognize Ka Lama not just for its historical important on campus but for its impact on students' engagement with difficult topics, which is something that Ka Lama continues to do to this day. As Guzman notes, “today we still have this with students publishing articles giving voice to important topics.” “Our school newspaper is important so students can shed light on topics within our school and enlighten others.” Alternado has seen what the newspaper can accomplish, referring to recent coverage of sensitive student issues. “It spoke a few words that some people were too scared to say,” he said. “If we don’t have a voice, then what are we really going to change?” Student Stephanie Rubio Aguirre agrees: “Student voice is important because we want to hear the opinions on what students think about certain opinions.” She continued, saying “I feel like [ Ka Lama ] is something that students can look forward to whenever someone wants to read something about our school.” Current sophomore class president, Brianne Lagazo, comments on how when articles come out she “usually skim(s)” because as she states, “I enjoy reading what’s being presented and I am impressed by how these students are so good with writing and journalism itself.” Lagazo recently published a story about a controversy at private high school in the Lahaina community. Nicole Heinlein notices the usefulness of Ka Lama as “we don't necessarily have like, a comment box where students can voice their concerns.” The Future of Journalism at Lahainaluna Ka Lama brings attention to the fact that our campus has problems, and that we must acknowledge them to fix them. The newspaper's legacy, and the legacy of literacy in Hawaiʻi that it created, is carried by this new Ka Lama . There’s no way to measure if we’re doing it justice, but we do know that with it, students are being heard. Or, to leave with something that Aguirre said: “I feel represented.” He Ilio He Lio Advisors of Ka Leo He Ilio 1/7 Chapin, Helen. Shaping History: The Role of Newspapers in Hawai`i. University of Hawai’i Press, 1996, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Silva, Noenoe. “Early Hawaiian Newspapers and Kanaka Maoli Intellectual History, 1834-1855” Hawaiian Historical Society , 2008, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Rueppenthal, Sarah. ‘“Always there for each other” The Maui News , 2017, Wailuku, Hawaiʻi. Au, Kathryn H., and Julie Kaomea. "Reading comprehension and diversity in historical perspective: Literacy, power, and Native Hawaiians." Handbook of research on reading comprehension . Routledge, 2014, p. 595-610. Language of a Nation . Conrad Lihilihi, Smithsonian, 2020. https://www.conradlihilihi.com/ , https://www.conradlihilihi.com/films . Previous Next

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

< All Candidates Lucia Mejia Treasurer ⭐ PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES: Do you have ideas regarding how to provide development opportunities to students (i.e. college fairs, scholarships, and campus policies to promote clubs and student involvement)? If so, explain: I believe that providing development opportunities for students is vital for not only their academic growth, but also their personal growth. Students need to be further informed on college and career opportunities. I feel that hosting college fairs on our campus will inspire more student initiative because it will be an easily accessible opportunity for them to learn about colleges and what they offer. Currently (that I know of) there is only one college fair offered to all grade levels by our school and it is not during school hours at Kamehameha Schools Maui which is at least an hour away from Lahaina. Another opportunity that may provide more college and career readiness is mentorship programs for all grade levels. If we can establish opportunities for internship or job shadowing students will have firsthand experience which may help them prepare for their future. Thirdly, providing more literacy to financial support, scholarships, etc. is so important to students wanting to apply to college. We need to ensure that financial barriers do not hinder students involvement and ability to attend college. Lastly, promoting clubs and student involvement is so important for our students and campus overall. Implementing campus policies that require or strongly advise in joining a club will encourage involvement. Promoting clubs through events open to anyone whether in the specified club or not may allow for students to get a feel for how the club works and whether they would be interested in joining or not. Leadership workshops also foster skills for students wanting to lead clubs or for students in student council. These are just a couple ideas regarding these subjects on our campus. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? I believe we need more school events involving our campus life and our community. Lahainaluna has so much pride and I believe we need to strengthen that by providing events that tie our community (whom many are past alumni) and our students together. Looking at schools across the island and on other islands I have garnered ideas that we may possibly want to look into in the upcoming year. For example, King Kekaulike is hosting a Spring Pa’ina in late March. I believe something similar to this would be an excellent event for our campus and community. It could also be a creative fundraising opportunity. I am running for treasurer for our junior class which means I will have the role of our finances for our junior prom. Keeping receipts and records for our purchases and creating fundraiser opportunities are very important steps to ensure a successful junior prom. Not only do I find importance in having a victorious junior prom I also believe it is equally important to create fundraiser opportunities to help finance this event. These are the three main things I deem most important for next year.I would like to make parking more organized and fair to students. Although there is a policy in place to reserve permits for the parking many students do not have a permit. Whether this be because of the cost, not wanting to sign up for one, or not having their license. By regulating that people have parking permits we can ensure safety when parking and driving through our parking lot. 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 like to make parking more organized and fair to students. Although there is a policy in place to reserve permits for the parking many students do not have a permit. Whether this be because of the cost, not wanting to sign up for one, or not having their license. By regulating that people have parking permits we can ensure safety when parking and driving through our parking lot. 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 am very interested in the beautification of our campus. I believe we do have a littering a problem and I aim for that to change. I am not entirely sure on the details but I did sign up to be informed on the creation of the surfriders club (excuse me if I am wrong about the name) which I believe is an environmental club focused on cleaning our community and campus. This club could be amazing for service projects focused on the beautification of our campus and I would love if student council could partner with this club to bring attention to this issue and the importance of it. I don't believe our safety is an issue that should be worried about on our campus considering we have a fairly safe environment. We have an extremely beautiful campus and the way we treat and respect it should be a priority. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? If elected, I would work towards a balance phone policy that acknowledges benefits and distractions accompanied by phone use in class. While I do understand the value of having access to phones for educational purpose and emergencies, I also recognize that they can be a major distraction, including for myself. However, simply enforcing a stricter policy may not be the best solution, as students may not follow the rules (especially if it is such a sudden jump from no phone policy to a strict one). I feel the best approach is classroom based. Therefore teachers have the flexibility of managing phone use according to their teaching style, student behavior, or lesson plan. SCHOOL LUNCH: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what would you do to improve the quality of student lunches? Our school lunch is a vital issue that I have closely looked at with another fellow student council member, our grade level president, Brianne Lagazo. This is in response to Bryson Aquino's earlier article in Kalama Hawai'i that discussed our school lunches and what can be done to improve them. Sophomore president Brianne Lagazo and I created a petition (that garnered student council signatures) to ask for more nutritious, bigger portioned, and more appetizing lunch. I hope to delve deeper into this issue this year or in the next year to ensure our students are provided a good lunch! Previous Next

< Back Everybody’s Special AP and the Path to Valedictorian Lucia Mejia Education April 28, 2025 at 9:51:26 PM 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.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Lucia Mejia is currently a junior and Treasurer of the class of 2027.

< Back Student Sells Artwork Inspired by the Fire A Symbol of Strength Sequoia Pelletier-Yamasaki Student Life May 28, 2024 at 6:42:18 PM Following the Lahaina wildfire, Devyn Gruber, a senior at Lahainaluna High School, decided to “turn that grief into art.” She made two vases decorated with memories of Lahaina, which she sold for $900. Lahaina Town “was where I grew up, it was my entire childhood,” said Devyn, who was so heartbroken after the fire that she didn’t know what to do. She had made paintings and other things in the past. Though it was unclear why she finally chose to make the vases. Nevertheless, the process, she said, “really helped with my grief so much, it made things come to their senses.” Her first vase, Remembering Lahaina , is covered with representations of Lahaina: people's houses, the rock wall that goes through front street, the “Welcome to Lahaina'' sign, Nagasako’s, the Banyan tree, and many other things that made Lahaina Lahaina . At the top of the vase there are 101 crosses, representing everyone who was lost on August 8th. The second vase, Unity , has an upside down Hawaiian flag. There is an L with a hole in it, representing “the hole in our hearts that will forever be empty for Lahaina town and the memories we made.” Devyn also added a beautiful poem in Hawaiian that Kumu Jamie Palakiko helped her translate. The poem reads “We Together, are Lahaina Together we are one We are the people of Lahaina And together we will rebuild.” By making the vases, Devyn didn’t just hope to heal her own pain, but all of the community’s pain as well. “I want my vases to touch everyone’s heart and help them relive the memories of Lahaina.” She had her vases displayed at the student showcase where she had everyone write down their memories of Lahaina and put them inside the vase to keep forever. “It’s just like a keeper of our memories.” The details Devyn included on each vase are things from her personal experiences in Lahaina. “There’s not a single little part that isn’t meaningful to me,” she said. The first vase took Devyn around 5 months to make, and the second vase took 6 months. “It is definitely my favorite piece of art I’ve made. It has touched so many hearts, including mine.” Devyn’s auntie bought her first vase for $500. The second vase was bought for $400 by a woman named Holly, who saw Devyn’s speak about her work at this year’s student showcase, an event attended by students from several Lahaina schools. Devyn donated $450 to Lahaina Strong, and the other $450 went towards her college fund. In the future, Devyn plans on opening a ceramics studio or a space where people can do ceramics. “I want to make an entire business to help people grieve for the loss of our town. I want to help the community through ceramics.” She hopes that others can make art for Lahaina to help them grieve and heal, the way making the vases helped her. Devyn’s beautiful vases have touched the hearts of our Lahaina community, and hopefully will continue to touch more hearts. 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 It’s Getting Hard to Stay On Our Teacher Shortage Keyla Jimenez Education February 6, 2025 at 11:11:03 PM “There are many careers that educators can take that will pay more,” says science teacher Arica Lynn. But “many of us are currently here because we are invested in our students.” The economic risks of becoming a teacher are huge, especially in Hawai’i where the cost of living is 30 points higher than Washington D.C, the second most expensive place to live in the United States. In Hawai’i, teacher pay is the 13th worst out of all other states in the US. This may not seem that bad, but what it means is that it may cost tens of thousands of dollars more to live here than in other places in the US where teachers are paid significantly more (figure 1). NEA Educator Pay Data, "Average Teacher Starting Salary," "Minimum Living Wage." This is even worse in rural areas like Lahaina where costs are higher. Teachers in Lahaina receive small financial incentives to teach, but these don’t do much to draw qualified teachers who are just not willing to live on so little. Principal Carosso explains that these financial incentives come from the fact that Lahaina is considered “a hard-to-staff area.” But these incentives only add five thousand dollars to teacher pay. “Even with that little extra bump, it’s still so hard to find people,” says Carosso. You could argue that this “bump” could make some difference, but with Hawaii's prices, either the price of rent or the price of groceries, these incentives might not be enough to draw in and keep qualified teachers here. Moreover, all teachers begin at a salary that is ten thousand dollars below the cost of living. Aftershock This was all, of course, before the 2023 wildfire that left such a lasting impact on the town, its schools, and its children. The problem gets worse when you consider Lahainaluna’s dwindling student population after the Lahaina fires, which caused many students to move away from West Maui. Between 2023 and 2024, LHS lost nearly four hundred students. Principal Carosso explains that the school’s funding is based on enrollment: “We have what’s called a weighted student formula, which is a certain amount of money per student. Our budget is tied to our enrollment.” The smaller the number of students the lower the funding. From one perspective, we could be okay. We have fewer students, so we should have enough teachers. But after the fire, several teachers also left and continue to leave for better opportunities, and the school is still understaffed. Principal Carosso presents his concerns, but also what he hopes for. He states, “At some point in time, I hope, as the town rebuilds and as families are able to move back, or more people are able to move in, we will have to bring staff back up to the level we were probably at pre-fire, and with housing costs as high as they are, it's going to be hard to re-staff.” This combination of lack of funding and high cost of housing produces our problem: hiring qualified teachers. The school is currently facing the same challenge that it did before the fire. We cannot find teachers to run our classes. Yet, when students finally return, who will teach them? The solution was, is, and will probably be substitute teachers. Substitute for Teaching One anonymous freshman currently has a class that has been run by four different substitutes. She feels that all they do is read off the board only to “write it down and not learn anything.” She added that she once had a great teacher in middle school who focused on “really hands-on learning.” It’s difficult for her “coming over here, without any teachers like that.” Freshman David Cedillo has the same four-substitute class and described his frustrations: “You just have, like, a paper that tells them (students) what to do.” “Frustrated and concerned.” This is how sophomores Julio Gonzalez and Kaliyah Cutty feel about their education after the fires. Cutty is concerned about how this situation will impact her future, stating, “The lack of funding a lot of times comes from the lack of resources or lack of opportunities” and how ultimately this “harms the students' futures.” She explains, “It's a little frustrating as my education is at a disadvantage. It's not being furthered and it's kind of being harmed.” Cutty is concerned, but she also understands the situation at hand. “A lot of teachers want to live next to where they work and most of them won't drive out of their way to go to work,” she said. “So the lack of housing could be why we have a lack of teachers.” Gonzalez points out that sometimes “With these under-qualified teachers, some people are not learning proper things such as proper grammar—how to read.” He told a story about how his fellow English-speaking classmate was unable “to pronounce democracy.” “If you don't have enough materials for the students, it can harm the way these students learn.” He added that “with unqualified teachers on top of not having the adequate supplies, it just harms the learning environment.” Although these issues make Julio feel “frustrated,” he understands there are two sides to every issue. “So like money. Very important. The price of which it costs to live here many cannot afford to live on this side or to just drive to the side every day for school.” Junior Daisy Rain Austin thinks that, without good teachers, students “Won't learn anything, they won't know the right information. They get farther behind and like, like, go college and all that, and they won't be set up.” Giana Elaine Bayudan worries that with the loss of teachers who have the right background, too much of the responsibility for learning is given to the students. She recalls some teachers where “They were given the job, but that wasn't what their major was. They give us the work to learn on our own, but the thing is some kids aren't self-directed they need the teacher’s guidance.” Consistency Students' concerns are not only shared among their peers but by teachers. Lynn states that “Without consistency in our staff, students cannot plan to take specialized classes because they may fear that a staff member won't be on campus to offer the class.” Using a recently canceled automotive class that many students were upset about, she felt for the students who “are not being offered the full array of classes that we were once able to offer.” Math teacher Cornelio Ancheta adds to that idea stating, “To attain high academic achievement, a school should have Highly Qualified (HQ) teachers in their specific content areas to teach, and at the same time have enough financial resources to provide the students with proper technology tools to help them improve student engagement.” Fewer teachers mean larger classrooms and, as Ancheta notes, “It is a known fact that in overcrowded classrooms, teachers are challenged to provide effective small-group or individual attention leading to decreased student engagement.” Solutions? The former Biden cabinet member and Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, visited Lahaina campuses in December to discuss a range of problems the community is facing. I took the opportunity to attend the press meeting and ask him what options rural schools have. Presented with the problem of funding and staffing for rural schools, he talked about “the ABC’s of teaching,” which meant “Providing agency for teachers, better working conditions, [and a] competitive salary.” He then explained the problem this way: “How do we get people interested in the profession?” Cardona’s larger recommendation was to recruit student teachers (“get people interested”) and offer them fair pay to work in schools while they earned their credentials. This is a good long-term plan, but the problem presented is occurring right now. “As a former teacher myself,” said Cardona, “I felt like we didn't have a teacher shortage issue in the country, we had a teacher respect issue in the country.” Sadly, I think we’ve discovered both problems to be true. With a high cost of living comes a huge sacrifice for teachers who want to live in Lahaina. The cost of housing and basic amenities leaves teachers with a hard decision. Either they can accept this low-paying job and high cost of living because it’s their passion, or they can leave this amazing community in order to seek financial stability. 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.

< 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