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< All Candidates Ayden Elaydo 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. Looking back this year, i don't see people paying attention to morning broadcasts, whenever people are promoting something on campus, and mainly checking emails. What i see now, is that everyone is stuck on social media. So it'll be helpful to post stuff online to let everyone see. It'll also help because everyone can share posts to share the word even faster. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? I feel like mostly homecoming events. I believe the Alma Mater contest is the main one. I think we would work on that because learning the Lahainaluna's Alma Mater is a huge staple to this school. It's what brings us all together and which we call ourselves Lahainaluna "Lunas". So it's best if we have grade level assemblys to remember the words as we make our way up to graduation. We can also win the contest during homecoming! 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? As someone who will start driving to campus next school year, i believe there should be no change. But my main and only concern is TO WATCH WHERE YOU'RE PARKING! We've had some accidents. Also having to repaint the lines for the student's to see better. It would also be fun if we were assigned parking and having to paint our parking spots! 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 like to change some of the main concerns from the students which is the bathroom. Some of the bathroom's had to be closed due to the profanity and destruction from students. Which makes students travel to different bathrooms far away from their class. I believe that was really unnecessary for people having to use the restroom. I believe to let the bathrooms be more clean and more constructed so we don't have a problem like that again. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? I believe the school policy now is okay, but everyone is just on their phones too much. So i'm thinking is to have our phone put somewhere for at least the first 20-30 minutes of class we can understand the lesson a bit. Then getting out of the phone after. So it won't be a distraction for at least the first bit of 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? I believe that instead of brown rice, it's good to have white since it's a better option and more flavor. I also think it's best to have our students to vote on what lunch they would like to have to our school. That's because it's best to hear people's voices and opinions. Also would like a new change to the school menu. Previous Next

< All Candidates Ashlee Hufalar Secretrary ⭐ PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES: Do you have ideas regarding how to provide development opportunities to students (i.e. college fairs, scholarships, and campus policies to promote clubs and student involvement)? If so, explain: I personally believe that more chances for experimental education would provide students with development opportunities by allowing them to engage in hands on, real world learning experiences. Through experimental education, students are able to learn beyond the traditional classroom lecturing style. This is implemented through lab experiments, school trips, building projects, and even clubs like Robotics. I think that more opportunities like this would enhance the engagement and understanding of certain subjects, and it could also make learning the material more enjoyable because individuals would be actively involved instead of just sitting down and taking notes. Of course, experimental education varies and there are many different ways to integrate it, but in a lot of situations it does help to both practice and improve skills. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? The school events I consider important are club fairs, spirit week, and social events such as prom and sport tournaments. Starting off, club fairs are typically in the beginning of the year and it is used to promote clubs and provide students with an idea of what each club has to offer. I think that this event is really important, especially for new students who want to get involved in clubs but are unsure on how to get started or which clubs would interest them. There are so many opportunities clubs have to offer, and club fairs allow students to get more informed on those opportunities. Spirit week is another event I deem as important because it brings everyone together and it encourages students to express themselves. Dressing up for spirit week allows individuals to showcase who they are and it also builds bonds through things like similar outfits, dress up idea exchanges, etc. Lastly, sport tournaments and prom are also great events that connect students. With social events such as those, everyone is able to gather, socialize, and connect through shared experiences. 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 our current parking lot experiences a lot of traffic due to people getting dropped off and picked up while students are simultaneously parking or trying to get out. In order to handle this, I would try to talk with administration to get security that can help manage the flow of traffic and ensure the overall safety of students. Also, if possible, I would like to pave the dirt lot into parking stalls in order to make things more organized, however I do know that project would be pricey. 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 believe that the cleanliness, appearance, and safety of our campus is essential and something to be maintained and monitored. One specific area that needs improvement is the overall sanitation of our school bathrooms. While we are provided with the essentials such as toilet paper and soap, a lot of the bathrooms are generally just not clean. I would like to advocate for some remodels to be done as well as regular cleaning of the bathrooms so that students feel comfortable in a well maintained area. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? Our current phone policy is mainly up to the teachers and staff; some teachers allow you to have your phone during class, while others do not. During class when there is work to be done, I believe that phones should not be used. While some students are able to avoid their phone and complete their work, in most cases phones can become a big distraction. However, there are some special cases where I do think a student should be able to use their phone in class. For example, if there is an emergency and they need to contact someone or if the class is more of a make up day and the student has completed all of their work. Of course though, it really depends on the teacher and the class, and the expectations the teachers have for their students. I for sure do believe though that students should have the freedom to use their phones outside of class, as it is important for communication purposes. 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 know there are a lot of mixed opinions regarding the school lunches. I feel that students should be able to express their thoughts on the servings and food provided. I know that several other council candidates have mentioned a feedback system, and I think that would be great! However, I do think that it is important we all work together--students and staff--to figure out what works best for the benefit of everyone. The school has to ensure there are servings for everyone, and it is important that whatever changes are made are practical for the entire school community. Previous Next

< Back LHS History and Traditions: Coming Soon! The Lahainaluna History and Tradition section was imagind by students to be an ongoing repository of oral histories and research work about the history of Lahainaluna High School. As such, this section will host short papers about campus curiosities, ancient rumors, and distiguished graduates from the "oldest high school west of the Rockies." 1/0 Previous Next

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

< Back 5% Proficient in Math, 100% Concerned Keyla Jimenez Education March 15, 2025 at 6:53:35 PM From the 2020-2021 to the 2023-2024 school years, Lahainaluna students' proficiency rates in math and reading dropped. Math declined from 14% to 5%, and reading from 57% to 28%. Many at LHS agree that there’s a learning issue on campus and that something should be done. However, no one can definitively say why. Was it COVID-19? An overall decline in motivation? Are these scores just inaccurate? Is it the way we gather data? Perhaps it’s a combination of factors. “How are you gonna, like, achieve stuff?” Many are concerned about the drop in reading specifically. English scores in the 2022-2023 school year decreased to 49%—a drop that we might connect to the effects of COVID-19 and remote education. But the 28% drop for 2023-2024 is more concerning. The decline immediately after COVID was only 8%. The problem is getting worse, not better. Freshman Wendy Moore thinks, “Literacy is a really big thing to understand for your future. If you don’t even have a bare understanding of it,” she added, “how are you gonna, like, achieve stuff?” Brianne Lagazo agrees: “I think being able to analyze what you're reading and understanding what you're reading is really important, especially at a young age—to be able to understand what you're reading and expand.” Ending on a sad note, she admits, “A lot of people my age are not able to do the same thing.” Sophomore Jaylee Vierra suspects that LHS students, per our StriveHI scores, “aren’t reaching our full potential, like we could be doing a lot better.” Without reading comprehension and basic math, we essentially lose “a key function in adulthood.” Yet, she also guessed that LHS students struggle with “these basic concepts because we don’t care to learn them.” “Being able to think deeply about information, and maybe not even deeply, but critically about information is really important because you guys are making decisions based off of information that you're gathering,” says librarian Tara Nakata. “It's different for everybody.” Math scores were even worse, and some students are concerned about what this means for those leaving high school to look for jobs and greater levels of education. Thinking about her classes, sophomore Yaretzi Flores observes that students “don't really truly grasp [the subject being taught].” She thinks that students are being promoted without the skills their teachers need them to have. Flores notes that teachers often have to reteach material because students didn’t learn it the first time. "If you can't learn one topic,” she explains, “like, there's no way you can hop on to another and, like, fully get the concept of that.” This situation presents teachers with a dilemma. They can move their classes onto the next subject, leaving students behind, or they can reteach. In both cases, students are negatively affected. Describing this situation, junior Shalany Hadley says, “It’s a little disappointing.” Students who are ready to learn “won't grow” when teachers have to reteach. Yet, Hadley empathized that “It's different for everybody.” Personal experiences or mental health issues may affect those who benefit from reteaching. “If something's going on in your personal life, it does make it harder for you to focus and, like, truly give your full attention to what you're trying to learn.” Presented with the data, junior Gonzalez Cruz related to those who are struggling. “I'm in Algebra Two. I was learning this one equation, and I couldn't figure it out, because all the kids remember it from last year, or, like, the years before, and I didn't really fully get the concept down that year.” Systems and School Funding Cassie Jacinto or “Aunty Cass” is our current Student Activities Coordinator, though she used to teach math at LHS. “There are so many people that are under, like, the poverty line at Lahainaluna,” she said, referring to the fact that poverty can contribute to less parental involvement and a shift in priorities for some students. The problem with priorities, in particular, presents the possibility that the scores themselves are not accurate. Pointing to testing culture, she asked, “How many students actually think that those test scores matter?” Even students who are well-off may see no value in the test if it doesn’t gain them anything. “There's no accountability anymore,” said Jacinto. “Like they just take this test? Are they even gonna really try?” If it doesn't matter to the students, she reasoned, then how accurate is the statistic in the first place?” “They don't care. It's not tied to a grade,” she said. “That's what motivates people most of the time, right? Yeah, like, 'Oh, does this test affect my grade?' No, okay, so are you really going to try then? Does it matter? Right? The answer is no, right, it doesn't matter to the students.” “How do we make test scores better?” Jacinto questioned. “Like, well, why are test scores so important?” The answer: “Because it's tied to funding. Where are our priorities?” Priorities Since 2020, educators and officials have accounted for low test scores by blaming the pandemic, but it’s been three years since then, and the problem is only getting worse. “I think we can only blame COVID for so long, you know, I think we're cycling out of that group of kids that were affected by it,” says English teacher Jennifer Ariemma. Instead, she thinks the problem could be our low expectations. “I don't think we hold ourselves to a high enough standard for kids. We have a tendency to pass students who shouldn't really, necessarily, be passed.” “Some students know more than the test gives them the capacity to show,” says Ariemma. “If we had a different way of testing our students, if we had a different way of monitoring their progress, I think we'd be able to help them a little bit more than taking a test.” 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 Mina Nagasako Secretrary ⭐ PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES: Do you have ideas regarding how to provide development opportunities to students (i.e. college fairs, scholarships, and campus policies to promote clubs and student involvement)? If so, explain: I think some opportunities to develop the students could be more promotion of clubs. I know we have one club fair but I think there should be more involvement in advertising them. I think it would help with student engagement. When kids feel like they belong somewhere, they gain confidence and I think by promoting our clubs we can increase that. We could do it by informing pookela teachers to tell the students in pookela. Some teachers don't watch the announcements and some kids don't take the time to read flyers so I think it would be effective for either pookela teachers to announce it or maybe even have club leaders go to pookelas. Or, maybe even have a club assembly where they can demonstrate what they do in the club. EVENTS PLANNING: If you were elected to student council what school events do you deem important and why? Some school events I would deem important if I was elected into council would be grade assemblies. I think they help with grade bonding and it's a good way to recognize students. I think we could take it even farther to work as a grade to plan things together, not just with the council. We could ask for ideas then make plans as a grade. This could help with academic aspects, environmental aspects, and social aspects. PARKING: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what changes would you want to make on the parking and car policy? A change I would want to make on the car policy is the way that students are dropped off. I dont think students should be dropped off while people are simultaneously trying to get in and out of their spot. Maybe the students could get dropped off on the tree loop right under student parking. ENVIRONMENT: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what changes would you want to make to the appearance, cleanliness, or safety on campus? I want to make our campus being clean a more positive thing. Most people are too lazy to throw their trash away. Especially during lunch time. I was thinking maybe occasionally we could do lunch time competitions and students for each grade would have all of lunch to fill up a trash can and the grade who cleaned up the most would be the winners for the day. It would be difficult to have a reward system but its just an idea in the process. By making things a competition, I feel like it gets people motivated to take action. PHONE POLICY: If you were elected to the position you are running for, how would you change our phone policy? I think our phone policy is good but I think teachers need to make more of an effort to say something if it does bother them. I like the fact that teachers usually hold their students accountable and if they weren't paying attention, then that's their fault. SCHOOL LUNCH: If you were elected to the position you are running for, what would you do to improve the quality of student lunches? I am not sure how I would do this but I would definitely allow for student feedback and probably working with the lunch staff or whoever controls our school lunches to see what improvements could be made. I think that the proportions of our lunch are uneven sometimes, I'm a pretty small person and even I think there isn't enough food all the time. So I would try to make an effort to hear new ideas as well as take action to working with staff to fixing the problems students may have. Previous Next

Explore the latest sports updates from Lahainaluna on our news magazine page. Stay informed with engaging content on all things sports at Lahainaluna. Sports at Lahainaluna Football Wrestling Wrestling At King Kekaulike Read More Lahainaluna vs. Leilehua Lunas Ready for Playoff Clash Against Leilehua Read More Lunas v. Maui High Sabers If they win, the Lunas have a chance at the state championship. Read More Lunas’ Fighting Spirit Overcoming COVID Challenges Read More

< Back Can we Stall Any Longer? Students Wonder When Our Bathrooms Will Become Usable Gisele Miller Student Wellness May 1, 2025 at 10:29:09 PM To students around campus, LHS bathrooms are “dirty,” “gross and unorganized,” “the most disgusting bathrooms that you can think of.” One student in particular remarked on the bathrooms as, “the single most horrific, disgusting thing I’ve ever seen.” Freshman Izaiah Kaleikini calls the bathrooms “disgusting,” and insists “I don't want to use the bathrooms here. And I bet some people actually don’t use the bathrooms here at all.” Other students mention broken locks on the stall doors that prevent privacy, unflushed toilets, trash on the floor and in the sinks—graffiti all over walls, missing toilet paper, and empty soap dispensers. While custodians do clean the bathrooms regularly, constant use by hundreds of students each day makes it hard to keep up. “Students should have clean facilities to use,” says freshman Ashlee Hufalar about bathrooms on campus. “They should feel that they’re not in an unsanitary place--just the reassurance that they won’t get, like, any germs or something.” Students are upset with the bathrooms and looking for change. But a student from 60 years ago says this is not how it used to be. “our bathrooms were clean” Sandra Braun-Ortega graduated from Lahainaluna’s class of 1964. She remembers that “our bathrooms were clean, reasonably clean. And all the stalls weren’t dirty.” But that was 60 years ago. In fact, part of being the oldest high school campus “west of the Rockies” is that many of our facilities are 20-30 years old. According to Vice Principal Christopher Webber, some buildings are even older. “We have older buildings like I-building. That building is probably 40 or 50 years old and the bathrooms haven’t necessarily been updated.” Our facilities are now old, but in the 60s, said Braun-Ortega, it was also easier to keep things clean. “If you had detention,” she said, “one of the things they (the school) would make you do is clean the bathrooms.” Mr. Webber says that this wouldn’t be an option now. “The state has decreed that that’s unfair and we can’t have students working, certainly without pay, but also if they’re underage. It’s seen as draconian if that were to take place.” Despite this, sophomore Alexa Garcia sometimes feels like she should do her part as a student and “clean it up a bit, but like, I can’t really do much either way, but just tell other people as well, like, don’t make a mess--it could just be cleaner.” Another freshman who chose to remain anonymous went so far as to say the school should cut its losses and build new bathrooms. “Burn it down, make sure there is zero existence of it and make a new one, cause you cannot save that bathroom. It’s gone. It’s so, so far gone. The Good, the Bad, and the Smelly “It smells like butt,” said one sophomore while he ranked all the campus bathrooms 1 to 11. His comment was a reference to G building which he ranked a 7. Although it is a new building, the boy’s room apparently already has a weird smell. Despite this, G-building has one of the best bathrooms with clean floors, toilets, sinks and doesn’t lack any necessary toiletries. In the final rankings, G building scored higher than 7. Generally, the scores revealed how both the girls and boys agree that R-building has the worst bathroom while G-building has the best. Girls R-Building X-Building J-Building AA-Building I-Building Construction Stadium Locker Room H-Building Cafe G-Building Boys R-Building J-Building X-Building I-Building Cafe H-Building AA-Building Stadium Locker Room Construction G-Building 1 (Bad) – 11 (Good) R-building, or the AG building, got its ranking because of how the floors are dirty. The sinks have ants crawling out of them. The toilets look too unsanitary to use. “That one is so bad. Oh that one’s terrible. Stuff all over the ground,” said one student completing the survey. “Everybody” Students understand that the causes for the state of campus bathrooms may be split between students and the school. Sophomore Shalom Rios observes that the school “doesn’t really deep clean it.” But also, she feels that “we, like, make it dirty and we don't do anything about it either…sometimes, like there’s people that don’t flush the toilet or they just leave stuff in the sink or they just don’t clean up their trash.” Webber agrees that “everybody” is responsible for the state of the bathrooms. “I think the students and the staff that use them, the custodians, the people that clean them.” Yet, he noted especially that students add significantly to the problem by defacing them with graffiti and writing. A junior, who wanted to be anonymous, agrees that students may be most responsible for the problem. The bathrooms are unsanitary, they said, “mainly because of the students who vandalize the bathrooms and like, destroy them. And also, I don't know. This campus is just not clean.” Junior Jowy Langaman thinks that student vandals are not concerned about how others feel. “The students just don't really care about it,” he said. “An endless box of money” Freshman Ashlee Hufalar thinks that “the school doesn’t have enough maintenance for the bathrooms and it’s not like cleaned as much.” Recently, according to Mr. Webber, there has been a shortage of custodians so some of the bathrooms have had to be closed. There is also the issue of vaping that occurs in the bathrooms. Students go to the bathroom and do all sorts of things from vandalism, to skipping class, to doing illegal activities such as vaping. This creates an uncomfortable environment where students don’t feel safe and clean. Vice Principal Webber explained that “If something’s vandalized then we do fix it. But we don’t have any plans right now to do major bathroom overhaul in terms of getting new facilities like sinks or toilets.” The school’s budget is stretched thin, however. More important expenses such as teacher salaries, textbooks, sports, events like dances and assemblies take priority over renovating the bathrooms. “If I had an endless box of money I found next to the road,” said Webber, “I would want to change some of the sinks in a few bathrooms and some of the tile work in need of attention.” Webber had sympathy for students. “Bathrooms should be clean,” he said. “They should be sanitary because that is not only what the students deserve, but I believe it’s something that has to happen because we don’t want to have students use a restroom that’s not clean or hygienic.” “Is that what they think of you...” If he could fix this, freshman Izaiah Kaleikini said he would “change the whole restroom so it would be all fixed. Like the toilets, the sinks, clean floors instead of mud and dirt—rearrange it and everything.” Rios would “make it cleaner because sometimes there’s people that don’t even wanna go to the bathrooms because they get disgusted.” Fewer students talked about the bathroom locks. One junior, for instance, said she would “change the locks on the bathroom in the stalls because they’re all broken and literally, like in one of the bathrooms, my friend literally has to hold the door close for me. And also, we need toilet paper because there’s no toilet paper in any of the bathrooms right now.” A freshman who wanted to remain anonymous pointed to another problem: vaping. “Everytime I walk in,” they said. “It’s like smoke clouds.” Mr. Webber talked about this, saying “We obviously can’t put restroom cameras in restrooms, that’s illegal.” But he was also “concerned about the amount of vaping that I’m told goes on in some restrooms. I’m trying to get on top of that as well.” Braun-Ortega couldn’t believe that the school was letting students use bathrooms in such a poor state. “If they let you guys use those kinds of dirty bathrooms,” she said, “is that what they think of you, you know? Since you're just high school, you don't matter? That’s what it sounds like to me.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link I am currently a Freshman at Lahainaluna High School. I am interested in a lot of things such as painting, music and surfing. I’m focused on my honors classes. I’m a dedicated student and received the Samuel Kamakau Excellence Award. Although I’m focused on my academics, I still like to have fun with my friends and family. Surfing is one of my favorite hobbies because it allows me to be in the ocean and have fun. Born and raised in Lahaina, I love the ocean and living on Maui. For the future, I want to be a lawyer and go to NYU for college.

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

< Back Do you have a work of art or a piece of writing to share? Write for Ka Lama Hawai'i Ka Lama Hawai'i Education May 11, 2024 at 12:30:21 AM Submit an article to our Student Life & Academics section, a piece of written or visual art to our Back Page section, or a short opinion to our Talk Story section. Have something important to share about Lahainaluna sports? Submit an article to our sports section. We will consider all submissions as long as they are: student-authored, appropriate, and, for articles, in some way relevant to student life. All submissions to Ka Lamaʻs Campus Life section: must report rather than make or advance opinion; must begin with an engaging lead; must be focused on something relevant to campus or student life; must be grounded in the voices of/interviews with LHS students and community members. Topics are not limited and may be focused on art, entertainment, education, school administration, etc. All articles are subject to a thorough review process. Any submission may be rejected if it fails to meet quality standards established by Ka Lama student staff and faculty advisors. Submit to the contact form on this site or send it to kalamahawaii.info@gmail.com . Previous Article Next Article Copy link This was posted by the editorial staff of Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back "Cruelty is the Point" Inside Maui Prep's Anti-Transgender Policy Brianne Lagazo Student Wellness April 30, 2025 at 10:17:41 PM On the 21st of April, a deadline passed by which time Maui Preparatory Academy was asked to respond to the ACLU. On the A CLU Hawai'i website, the high school was asked to “rescind” their new anti-transgender policy, as it violates current law that prohibits gender identity discrimination. From the Maui Prep Handbook, the new policy read as follows: “Maui Prep recognizes biological sex assigned at birth as the basis for determining participation in athletics, overnight stays, and access to facilities such as bathrooms and locker rooms.” According to a staff attorney at the ACLU, Maui Prep has not responded to, or even acknowledged receipt of the ACLU letter. Maui Prep continues to receive strong backlash for implementing a policy many say harms students. “bad parenting” In September, Tim Hehemann, Maui Prep Board President, proposed that the school would only permit students to wear clothing, enforce bathroom guidelines, and participate in sports teams according to their birth gender. In their post, the ACLU states that Hehemann described transgender identity as a result of “bad parenting” and as a form of behavioral misconduct. While these policies will not be implemented until the 2025-2026 school year, many people worry about the emotional harm this may cause to students. It is also important to mention cultural as well as legal incompatibility of such a policy in Hawai'i. According to the ACLU of Hawai'i, Maui Prep’s policy is in direct defiance of a current law that prohibits gender identity discrimination by any school that receives state funding. Should Maui Prep fail to comply, the funds that the school receives from the State Department of Human Services, the State Department of Education, and allocations from the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools program will most likely be rescinded. Because of strong backlash from parents and community members, the West Maui school agreed to respect student’s personal pronouns, but will continue to enforce strict bathroom and sports guidelines. Hehemann’s plans leaked to the larger community in December. Yet, it had been discussed in private throughout the summer of 2024. Once Hehemann and Jim Bozich, a major donor at the school (Maui Prep’s gym is named after Bozich) pushed the policy publically, the school’s nondiscriminatory policy was removed from their website. Board members who opposed it resigned or were forced out. “Those māhū’s were our protectors.” The problem is much larger than the legal battle. The issue of trans rights closely connects to an important social and spiritual identity in Hawaiian culture. According to Kumu Hina, a famous Native Hawaiian māhū kumu hula, the word “māhū” can be used to describe someone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. The tradition was recorded by missionaries when they first arrived in Hawai'i. The word was used to describe a person who embodies both male and female spirit, also known as the gender “in-between”or “third gender.” Despite the term being used in a derogatory way, the word “māhū” in Hawaiian culture means something important to Hawaiians. Hina explains that māhū were known as caregivers and teachers of ancient traditions, keepers and teachers of hula. However, when white colonists arrived from Europe and America, they were repulsed by māhū-identifying people, who they interpreted as immoral and unnatural. A local community member with connections to Maui Prep who we will call Mele, voices her opinion on the cultural aspect and the school’s impact. In terms of culture, Mele states that “growing up here, it is normal even though people may not agree with it.” She told a story about growing up with māhū kane nearby, and how “when we were in the bathrooms, they were in the bathrooms with us and keeping the boys out from causing trouble.” “Those māhū’s were our protectors,” she said. “It is kind of weird for me to hear them [Maui Prep] say that because I feel like they’re almost ignorant or scared of something they don't know,” added Mele who believes that Hawaiian culture, including the concept of māhū, taught people discipline, respect, and the meaning of ohana. By contrast, she said, American culture lacks discipline and can ultimately lead to disrespect and ignorance. “I think it’s interesting that a school here in Hawai'i is so happy to ignore the traditional Hawaiian māhū culture that has existed here as long as people have lived here,” said Kumu Kaui Spitalsky who teaches in Lahainluna’s Kaiapuni (Hawaiian immersion) program. “I suppose I don’t find it very surprising that Maui Prep is the school that would want to ignore Hawaiian culture and exclude those that they don’t agree with," Spitalski continued. "They are a private school. The point of a private school is to exclude the public - to exclude those that don’t fit into their view of the world.” Sentiments are similar among students like senior Kaui Wright Smith who proudly claimed her Hawaiian ancestry during our interview. “It's a very harmful way of thinking, this Western concept of homophobia that was brought on by colonization.” Mina Nagasako also thinks that “This organization is making a decision that excludes a whole group of people and others should know what this organization is doing.” While Maui Prep often integrates parts of Hawaiian culture on campus, Mele noted their tendency of “picking and choosing bits and pieces [...] that they want to incorporate at their school, which does not sit well with me right now.” “Māhū was a very important value,” Nagasako said. “To exclude that and continue to use Hawaiian language terms in your school is so disrespectful.” “cruelty is the entire point” Many Lahainaluna students seem to understand this point, though they may not speak about māhū culture directly. “This being a policy in Hawaii honestly makes us look bad knowing that we’re LGBTQ+ friendly,” says Annika Yu-Cua. Similarly, freshman Ako Peralta thinks that the policy "might be really unfair on their students" and that all this does is make people “feel like they dont belong there.” “We shouldnt be excluding people just because they’re part of the community.” Similarly, as an anonymous freshman noted, the policy “disregard[s] a whole demographic of students.” The school is “wrong in a multitude of ways,” says history teacher Sara Eubank. “It seems like they [Maui Prep] realize that trans and gender nonconforming people exist and they would rather reject and discriminate against them instead of accepting a child for who they are.” If anything, she suggests, the policy will only promote the “internalization of transphobia,” which “causes a lot of harm that can possibly last for years to come if not addressed.” Therefore, Eubank concludes, “It’s an attempt to force people to be ashamed of who they are and to bully them into conforming. The cruelty is the point.” “It is not a step in the direction that fosters acceptance.” says Biology teacher Arica Lynn. She agrees and notes that “these policies do not support a positive learning environment for our student population.” “If a student feels uncomfortable in their surroundings they won’t be willing to learn,” adds sophomore Jaylee Vierra. “I have friends and family that align themselves with the community and it harms their sense of self,” says Senior Kayla Mabalot. Freshman Elijah Cabanilla agrees. “People should also be aware that this hurts the student’s mental health because they can’t get the help they need at school.” “...they can do what they want…” In the spring of 2024, it is possible that Maui Prep approached the MIL asking if they could withdraw from competition with MIL teams with transgender participants. Yet, this cannot be proven and no one is able to confirm this story. Yet, Carosso confirmed that the MIL informed Maui Prep that they cannot withdraw from competition against an MIL team because of their transgender participants. This is due to the MIL’s responsibility of coordinating game and travel schedules. In this one case, said Athletic Director Jonathan Conrad, “They're basically in a situation where they [Maui Prep] need to conform.” Yet, as it is with their general trans policy, “they’re a private school and they can do what they want.” “If they [Maui Prep] are actively violating an MIL policy,” added Conrad, “then they’re not allowed to play.” Richard Carosso added that “we don't have the right to change their [Maui Prep's] policy.” But “if you [Maui Prep] want to play with us, you have to accept MIL rules.” “Fractures that feeling of ohana” A letter sent to all Maui Prep faculty memebers by a concerned Maui Prep parent pointed out that faculty members who have been a part of the community for years will not be returning next school year because of the new policy. According to the letter that Ka Lama obtained from an anoynymous source, Maui Prep’s college counselor, all four preschool teachers, and 17 teachers and faculty, will not be returning next year due to the Administration’s recent mistreatment. Concerned with how alienating and firing teachers will ultimately benefit their children, the parent group also claimed that the school lacks transparency. They criticised the school for failing to explain the changes. Former teacher Vashti Daise was reportedly fired for openly defying the anti-transgender policy. She had emailed faculty and staff stating that “if we are going to enact a discriminatory policy against trans children or any kind of children, I would no longer be able to stay at the school.” Sometime after her email, she told Maui News Now, she was called into the office, where staff informed her that “it was time for us to part ways.” Maui Prep’s administration informed the Maui News that they would not comment on Daise’s unemployment. “This policy has literally fractured that feeling of ohana,” Daise continued. “People are really experiencing low morale and fear.” Carosso says he doesn’t think that an anti-trans policy is “in the best interest of educating kids academically and emotionally. We need to always lean in with aloha and acceptance first [...] and I don't think this policy reflects that.” “The trend of us becoming a kinder, gentler world continues to progress,” Carosso added. “To some extent, this policy is a step back.” While some in the present may not agree with it, said Mele about the long-lived presence of māhū culture in Hawai’i, “we are always accepting. If you don’t like it, maybe you shouldn’t be here.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Brianne Lagazo is a sophomore at Lahainaluna. She is currently the president of the class of 2027, attempting to shed light on issues inside and outside of her school. She enjoys working with others, being a part of student council, giving back to her community.

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