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

< 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.

< Back The Future of Student Voice Will Student Government Survive? Brianne Lagazo Student Government May 2, 2025 at 5:47:08 PM Once a cornerstone of school leadership, the student council is now struggling to attract members. Student council applications were opened for the 2025-2026 school year in February. Students interested in being a part of student government were encouraged to join. As the deadline approached, excitement gave way to silence. Only a small handful of students picked up an application. This left many to wonder: why don’t students care? Of the 11 freshmen who picked up an application, 4 dropped out; Of the 11 sophomores, 1 dropped out; 9 juniors picked up an application but 2 dropped out. Student Body applications were postponed due to lack of applicants. At the moment, we have 5 and 3 remaining vacancies. The same lack of involvement can be seen in voting as well. Out of 190 students in the class of 2026, only 71 voted in the recent April election. For the class of 2027, 93 out of 211 students voted. In the class of 2028, 83 out of 181 students voted. Many at LHS agree that this lack of involvement has become a problem, but we cannot definitively say why. Cassie-Anne Jacinto, out Student Activities Coordinator (SAC) states that “With less applications, it provides less choice for students during elections.” As a result, she worries, “there may be less diversity in student voice.” “Student Voice” According to The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals “the organization of Student Council grows out of the desire of the educator to make principles of democracy operative in the school.” For this reason, researchers Smith, Miller, and Nadler defined a functioning student government as something that can “provide important outlets for students to be engaged in making decisions for the welfare of the entire campus.” Student Council is designed then to train students “to bargain, negotiate, and advocate for others whom they represent.” Student Council, says sophomore Xeila Santiago, is “a group of students elected by their peers who plan events, represent the school, and try to make their school environment a better place.” For years, we acknowledged the importance of the student council at Lahainaluna. But what will happen if students and educators no longer have this desire? “Student Council is not listening…” For some students, the dismal turnout may be connected to student distrust. “If students don't feel like their voices will actually be heard or that their participation will make a difference,” says senior ASB President RJ Arconado,. “They may not be motivated to get involved.” An anonymous freshman thinks that students may distrust the Council, under the assumption that they, the Council members, “are not being effective in making a change.” He thinks they may be “too lazy to make a change.” Similarly, junior Aden Ross thinks that “people are very bored and people won’t be interested in joining or participating.” This, he added, could come from “students feel[ing] like Student Council is not listening to their ideas.” Recently, Jersea Borneman reported on the student council’s ability to make changes. Emma Batson believes the Student Council lacks transparency and does not let students know what is truly going on. “They’re saying they're gonna communicate with us,” says Batson. “I've never heard any of them coming around, talking to any of us, getting our opinions on things, asking us.” “The possibility of failure” Sophomore Mina Nagasako offers a different view of the problem. She feels that students are either “not committed in general or may be intimidated by competition.” The publicness of StuCo may make students “afraid to be judged by their fellow classmates,” says senior Sarah Cariaga, adding that a student may be judged by “their ideas or just receive comments from students.” “Students are afraid of the possibility of failure,” thinks sophomore Keyla Jimenez, who imagines that challengers have a harder time since “they have to get people to remember their name while the person they are running against is already known on campus.” While this was true for 5 races across grade levels, interest was so low this year that many of the spots lacked an incumbent. Because the Student Council pushes people out of their own comfort zones, intimidation can also stem from public speaking and the possibility of being a known leader on campus. Lahainaluna’s Principal Richard Carosso comments that “there is an amount of courage required to put yourself out there. It’s a little harder for kids to take that step outside of their comfort zone and lead.” “People are just lazy” There are less interesting reasons for the decline in participation. For instance, some students may be lazy or lack the initiative to do something. “Student council can be a very stressful position if you don’t have the correct people helping you,” says junior Aden Ross.“No one wants to spend most of their days planning events, people are just lazy.” “Perhaps students feel overwhelmed with their workload between school, outside work, and outside activities,” biology teacher Arica Lynn suggested. “It might be a challenge for them to stay involved in student council and even other opportunities here.” “The lack of wanting to join comes from laziness,” offered sophomore Kaliyah Cutty. This is less about students and more about timing, she says, since the race “happens towards the end of the year when most students are drained and don’t feel like doing any additional work.” While it is possible that this is teenage “laziness,” students may just believe that someone else will take on the job, meaning they don’t have to. Our student Activities coordinator (SAC), Cassie-Ann Jacinto, believes that student turnout can be chalked up to the“bystander effect,” or a situation in which someone does nothing because that person “expects someone else to step up.” “People would rather just watch people do things,” she added. “We’re still recovering” Jacinto points out that she has learned while talking with other Student Activities Coordinators that “there has been a decrease in engagement, not just at Lahainaluna, but also at other schools” She notes that the recent fall in participation may have started with COVID, but , at our school, it may have been drawn out by the 2023 Maui Wildfire. “We’re still recovering from the fire, and people are trying their best to come to school, go home and keep the cycle going,” Arconado says. “Some don’t even live in Lahaina, so student council is a hard thing to commit to for those not living in town.” Similarly, teachers are also preoccupied with current struggles to the point where they cannot engage with students as much as they used to. Carosso says, “it’s harder for everybody. For all of our kids, our staff, and our families to get involved. It’s just harder all around than it was.” “Like minded individuals” Offering incentives to encourage involvement may play a key role in increasing interested applicants. Recognition, acknowledgement throughout the school year, and celebration of student council members may seem miniscule now, but may go a long way. Arconado adds that one benefit to joining student council is “that you are surrounded by like-minded individuals that if you keep them close you will soon then call your best friends.” “The school can encourage student council participation by recognizing their efforts and planned events,” said an anonymous senior. Moreover, if students see that Student Council is not only working, but also something enjoyable, students may feel more inclined to join. This comes from a council’s ability to effectively plan events that make students feel welcomed. Conversely, if the Student Council appears ineffective and dysfunctional, “our legacy as a student council will go down to the dump,” says Arconado. Carosso says he has “confidence and faith that Lahainaluna–being Lahainaluna–-is the one place that can restore that kind of drive.” “We couldn’t do much this year,” said Arconado, “but I hope that in the future we can get cooler events to showcase what the Student Council has to offer.” “So fun” Because student council is the backbone of school-sanctioned events, such as homecoming and spirit weeks, a lack of involvement may cause planning and organizing conflicts. A year of this may make the situation worse, creating more challenges with filling positions or having dual positions,” said sophomore Treasurer Lucia Mejia. If this current trend were to continue, students who are overly-involved may also experience burnout as they take on more responsibilities. “Events like lip-sync are so fun,” Science teacher Jacquelyn Ellis lamented. This past year, student engagement was so low that lip-sync and assemblies had grade levels forfeiting, or events were canceled altogether. “It used to be a really big deal,” said Ellis, “and it’s been sad to see less students participate.” 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.

< 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

< Back 54.1 Percent Say "No" Lahainaluna on the Santa Kristina Meguro Arts and Entertainment December 3, 2025 at 6:00:53 PM Do you believe in Santa Claus? Damon Nieves, a senior at Lahainaluna, does. He allegedly “received a personal letter from Saint Nick himself, along with presents containing the things I asked for, all saying ‘From Santa Claus.’”. That, claimed Nieves, is “proof that Santa is real, because why would anybody else give me presents and not take the credit?” Other students were asked the same question, and I was met with a variety of answers. There were answers such as “Yes, I believe in Santa Claus, he gives me presents” to “No, I don’t believe in Santa Claus…whoever believes in him is childish.” But what does the majority of Lahainaluna think? Do they or do they not believe in Santa? This month 74 members of Lahainaluna, 9 staff members (12.2 percent) and 65 students across grade levels (87.8 percent), responded to a survey asking a series of questions about why they do or do not believe in Santa. After 6-7 days, results revealed that 54.1 percent of respondents does not believe in Santa, while 45.9 percent do. The largest group of respondents were freshman with 27 percent of total responses and juniors second with 23 percent of total responses. Several voices from the non-believers accept the fact that “Santa is not real.” Yet, their responses suggest that they still choose to feed the belief for younger kids. Santa is either a legend or just a symbol. For this reason, some students believe that Santa is a representation of Saint Nicholas who seasonally “gave” his wealth to the poor. Aukai Dean-Kobatake, a freshman, says “Santa Claus, the character himself, does not exist, along with his sleigh or reindeer. However the origins, representations, and tradition of him are real…” 52 percent of believers in Santa Claus say they experienced Santa coming to their home. Their evidence: prepared cookies disappeared by morning, carrots eaten by reindeers, and sleigh bells jingling, etc. Some students argued that what is most important is the meaning of Santa to Christmas and, connected to that, the meaning of Christmas generally. “Christmas isn’t about Santa and presents but instead about the birth of Jesus Christ!” says anonymous junior, Vixen. Comet, a freshman, thinks itʻs the other way around. “Without Santa Claus,” they said, “there would be no staple mascot of Christmas–other than Jesus Christ.” Other student’s revealed that they got their beliefs from their parents/guardians. Prancer, a freshman, explained that they don’t believe in Santa because their parents “always told me it (Santa Claus) was fake and to stop believing in fairytales…they wrapped presents in front of me so I knew he was fake.” Similarly, Coleman Riddell, another senior at Lahainaluna, recalls when his parents broke the news to him when he was younger. “Betrayal” said Riddell, though he followed up with the wish that he had known that it was his mother who had put in the effort, selflessly buying gifts and working to make the holidays special. “At least I can thank her now,” he added. “Ignorance is bliss, I wish I still believed.” It’s not a surprise that people wouldn’t believe in Santa due to how their family might have not celebrated the holiday. “I stopped believing due to never really sincerely celebrating the holiday,” said Donner, a junior, whose family never celebrated the holiday. Jean-Martin Alternado, a senior, says, “it was always common to address the gift from who it came from rather than addressing it from Santa.” The non-believers, based on the survey, tend to be more logical. They have solid evidence as to why they don’t believe. Believers tend to be more thoughtful. They refer often to the need to keep the Christmas spirit alive or for their younger siblings. “I don’t believe in Santa because I truly never heard of a real sighting or a realistic story that associates with him…” says Crissa-ann Bumagat, a freshman. The majority of the non-believers at Lahainaluna said that Santa is not real. Dean-Kobatake agrees. “Santa Claus is a myth in the Christmas holiday that parents use,” he said, “as an alibi on where their children's presents are from.” “Think of it as the Easter Bunny” he added. “They are both the mascot of their respective holidays but everyone knows they don’t really exist. There are multiple accounts, (including myself) of children finding out that their parents are responsible for making their presents.” Cupid, a senior, supports Dean-Kobatake’s argument. “I once saw my parents put the presents under the tree. Then I knew that the belief, Santa, was just to keep me good.” Some other non-believers, such as Dancer, a senior, says “I grew up receiving Christmas presents from ‘Santa’ with my parents’ handwriting and wrapping paper.” Other non-believers say their peers are the reason why they no longer believe in Santa Claus. Eli Hegrenes, a sophomore, explains how he used to believe in Santa when he “was in school in like 5th grade.” Hegrenes recalls admitting to his classmates that he believed: “I looked schizophrenic. I was laughed at and just chose to stop believing.” “His body couldn’t possibly process so many calories at once (cookies and milk) and delivering presents to billions of children around the world in one night is pretty much impossible,” said senior, Ari Abut. Santa is just an illogical part of the holiday entertainment she argued. Ceramics teacher, Daniel Schultz, thinks Santa has a specific and useful purpose. “Santa Claus is an American version of an idea that supports generosity and giving.” Trevor Giligan, a history teacher and AP world professor, describes the tragic story of finding his Christmas present. As a child, he snooped around before Christmas. On one occasion he found the “Creepy Crawlers Workshop” in the attic where he was not allowed to go to. And on Christmas day, he found that present under the tree labeled “from Santa Claus.” Giligan’s childhood innocence disappeared that day. “Ignorance is bliss,” he concluded. “I wish I still believed.” "Because Iʻm a kid" “I left cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve, and the next day…there was a bite in the cookie!” says sophomore Gisele Miller. Similarly, Jeremy Langaman, a junior, swears that he “heard the bells” one Christmas. Heading out to the living room, he found missing cookies and presents under the tree. Senior Alicia Saia left carrots out that had been “scattered on the floor” or eaten by reindeer the next morning. She also found presents from Santa under the tree. Mari Finn, the school’s technology coordinator, shared her story about her belief in Santa Claus, “...me and my brother would stay up…we'd have family parties, so, we tried to stay up, and we would fall asleep on these couches to wait for Santa. And we would never catch Santa, ever. We'd wake up like, ‘Oh, my God, Santa came already!’ And we literally was right next to the Christmas tree. It was a fun memory of being a kid.” Like many students, the holiday season in my household was a time to set up cookies and milk for Santa. I guess this means we were believers. In the past, whenever my brother and I wouldn’t cooperate with our parents, we were told that “Santa Claus wouldn’t give presents to naughty kids who don’t go to bed.” There was also, “You’ll only get a lump of coal if he catches you awake!” Now that I’m older, my parents have told me that Santa isn’t real. But I donʻt feel betrayed. I, personally, like to believe in Santa because it’s a fun part of the holidays. In fact, Christmas would be kind of boring without Santa Claus. There would be no jolly old man you’d be preparing cookies for. Am I the only one who enjoyed baking cookies with my family? There would be no mall santa you would go to ask for a present. Without Santa Claus, you wouldn’t be entertained by the number of kids being scared by the mall santa that’s supposed to impersonate a jolly old man with a hearty laugh. John Borge, a history teacher, got a little more philosophical. “If something real is something we can prove based on physiological response,” he said, “then yes he (Santa Claus) is real. If you define what is real by what is tangible, then love does not exist and can't possible be real” (sic). “It’s important to believe in Santa because it keeps the holiday feeling fun and meaningful,” said Caselyn Ribac, a junior. “The belief brings people together, encourages kindness, and protects the happiness and imagination that make childhood special. It adds joy and keeps the magic of Christmas alive.” Freshman Alexa Perminova was a little more straightforward. She believes “Because I am a kid.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Kristina Meguro is a sophomore and a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawaiʻi.

< Back Under a Cloud at Lahainaluna Vaping on Campus Trinity Guiza Student Life May 29, 2024 at 10:33:32 PM “I don’t feel pressured at all, I’m a good person, not a delinquent like them,” said a Lahainaluna sophomore when asked whether they felt pressured to vape by others. To the same question, a senior offered an anecdote: “I would get asked if I wanted to hit it but when I said no they weirdly congratulated me and said how good of a student I was while they still went on to continue vaping their flavored air.” The vaping situation on our campus has been on everyone’s minds. But students who do and don't vape have opinions on the issue that you aren't likely to find on a poster. Most students are concerned, but they aren't sure how concerned to be or whether school leaders care. NOTE: given the sensitivity of the subject, many of the students interviewed preferred to remain anonymous. I refer to students by their favorite colors rather than their given names. Lahainaluna has rules against vaping on campus. These rules are based on Hawaii’s administrative rules found in Chapter 19 of the Hawai’i Department of Education Administrative Rules Manual. Rules from Chapter 19 have been included in every LHS student planner and on the school website. Under “Chapter 19,” vapes and e-cigarettes fall under the class C offense sections of contraband and controlled substance use in this chapter. It reads that students may receive penalties such as suspension for 92 days for possession or being under the influence of controlled substances. See the whole text here . Perspectives Students who don’t vape also don't seem to care too much about vaping since, as one sophomore student, Baby Blue, said, “it’s just a normal occurrence now.” Another student, a sophomore I’ll call Rose Gold, added that they “really don’t like how it’s normalized, we even have presentations or lessons against vaping, I mean you're even writing an article on it too.” A significant portion of students shared this weariness about the prevalence of the issue. Things started looking different when students were asked how they felt personally about vaping. A sophomore named Emerald stated, “I care but not really–not enough to report anything.” They added not a minute later, however, that “it doesn’t give the school a nice environment.” Other students like Crimson, a sophomore, reported feeling “threatened” by vaping students. Simply something upon groups of students hanging out in the bathrooms seemed to be the primary cause of “awkward situations” as Rose Gold said, “so I try to run out of there as fast as possible, I don't like their flavored air.” Asked if a younger sibling or family member were to start vaping like him, Gray, a junior, replied a bit defensively, insisting that “that wouldn’t happen, they are too young for that.” “You know what, never mind, I don’t care, I’m done” they finally said before walking away. When asked why they vaped and why specifically on campus, sophomore Yellow said, “I just feel good, it’s not that complicated” and “I do it anywhere so why not.” “Most people think vaping helps with the stress,” said Purple, a sophomore. “But the reason why they vape in school is because they have a feeling, the need to do it, feening.” Yellow and Purple said that people vape in the bathrooms for the obvious reason that “teachers are in class, so they aren’t in the bathrooms, and there are no cameras either. It's the one place you have the privacy to do what you want,” Purple said. Forest Green, a senior, said that in their opinion, vaping happens more often during breaks. Who Cares? Many students are sure that there is no solution to the problem. They complained that staff don’t care or that they don’t even know what’s going on. Purple claims that she vapes, but knows “it’s a problem.” But, she continued, “they,” that is, the administration, “just simply don’t care.” Dubious stories about students getting away with vaping circulate among students, but few of them seem credible. Black, a freshman, is sure that admin doesn’t care simply because of how many students he sees vaping—8 in the bathroom daily. Nicole Heinlein, the freshman vice principal at Lahainaluna, confirmed that it is a problem they are working on. “We often get reports of students vaping in the bathrooms and students saying they don’t feel comfortable going into the bathroom because they are worried about being around people who are vaping,” she said. “I think this is affecting how other students feel about being on campus. And that’s a problem.” Sophomore vice principal, Debralyn Arellano added that she thinks “there should be no vaping on campus, if there’s even one student vaping then that’s a problem.” “It makes me wonder if they are fully informed about what they are doing,” Ms. Arellano continued, “because from what I know nobody knows the long-term effects of vaping.” “It makes me nervous,” said Ms. Heinlein, because students shouldn’t be “doing unhealthy and illegal things on campus.” “If students are breaking the law now as teenagers,” she said, “it makes me worry that they may continue to break the law later in life.” Every Cloud… On the topic of solutions, Ms. Heinlein reported that the administration had made informative posters “that we are gonna be putting up around campus and in bathrooms this summer, to educate students about vaping and options for quitting vaping. Ultimately, we are hoping that educating students on the dangers of vaping will cause them to think twice about it.” She said that vape smoke detectors had been “discussed,” but other vice principals from other schools doubted their effectiveness as well as their high cost: “if they don’t work well then it doesn’t seem like a good solution.” Solutions volunteered by students revealed a wide variation in perspectives. A sophomore student, Pink, proposed a “scared straight program” but instead of prisoners “we do a face-to-face confrontation with people who have suffered from vaping.” Their friend Emerald questioned the idea, suggesting that “helping someone who doesn’t want help is just cruel.” To this, Baby Blue said “we could just smack’em in the head.” Purple suggested taking away their phones and vapes, so they sit in class with nothing, the torture of boredom.” She also suggested “more officers or have the staff be more strict.” Multiple students suggested sensitive smoke detectors in the bathrooms, but one student was opposed to this idea. Green mentioned that “in my old school there were smoke detectors in the bathrooms but all that did was set an alarm off every week and drove students to find another way.” Another student suggested a compromise solution: a “green room” so that they can do what they want while also staying out of other people’s business. Presented with Pink’s scared straight program, Arellano and Heinlein were on board. “Educating students and empowering them to make informed decisions is the most impactful thing we can do,” said Heinlein. “It would be wonderful to welcome guest speakers from the community to come in and have some sort of public service announcement.” Both reacted predictably to the “green room” proposal. Heinlein laughed and said “no way, nope. Plus, you have to be 21 years old to legally vape and no one on campus is 21 so absolutely not, nice try.” Nobody knows when vaping on campus became a problem. Most speculate that it simply just transitioned from smoking to vaping when vapes became available. Arellano said “I started working at Lahainaluna in 2019, that’s when I learned what a vape was.” One thing is for certain, be it a student or an admin, everyone has opinions and everyone feels a responsibility to promote and maintain a safe and secure educational environment here at Lahainaluna High school. Previous Article Next Article Copy link Trinity Guiza is a staff writer at Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back A Step into the Mind of Peace Cath Apilado Painting The Work When I was painting it, I wanted to paint a fountain, I guess. I was looking through Pintarest to find inspiration--to see how people painted fountains. I found one. There was grass, like in my fountain picture, but the Pintarest fountain was nothing like what I painted--it was a different kind of fountain. I used watercolor because I like painting with watercolors. I painted a butterfly because I like butterflies. And I guess I just like painting nature stuff. About the Creator Cath Apilado is a sophomore at Lahainaluna High School. She has been painting for 8 years, but she sees painting only as a hobby right now. Cath's favorite kind of media is watercolor and her favorite color is purple. Previous Next Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Send Email

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

< 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.

< Back Social Emotional Lying Insincere student answers on the Panorama Survey Jersea Borneman Student Wellness October 2, 2024 at 9:10:57 PM “Well firstly, I don’t really want to get put into like a psych ward,” said sophomore Grace Anderson while reflecting on her SEL survey answers. “If you are honest on that survey,” she said, “your counselor tells your parents or the school or whatever, and they take it to the extreme.” The Panorama survey has eight categories: “Supportive Relationships, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Perseverance, Growth Mindset, Emotion Regulation, Sense of Belonging, and Self-Efficacy.” According to Vice Principal Nicole Heinlein, the survey’s purpose is to “make our school a better place for students” by telling its administrators “what the students think.” The data from each of these sections “lets us know areas where we are doing well as a school and areas that we need to improve,” said Heinlein. Heinlein says that “the survey results help drive professional development for teachers, topics we focus on in Po‘okela, and assemblies we might schedule for the year.” The Hawai’i Department of Education has been giving student perception surveys since 2011, but the Lahainaluna Panorama survey has been used at Lahainaluna since the 2019-2020 school year. Misidentifications While the survey is meant to reflect student perceptions, Mia Lee complains that it distorts her feelings. “I’m not depressed,” she said, “but like those questions make it look like I am.” “You either look like you are a robot and have no feelings or you’re depressed. I personally feel like there is no in between.” Sophomore Jaeyln Galasinao thinks that these distortions are to be expected. “They’re high school students; I do not think they’re gonna answer them truthfully.” She is sure that “no one tells the truth on them. Most of the time they just quickly click through it because they want to get it done with and move onto whatever they’re working on in Po‘okela or whatever.” Freshman Eli Hegrenes thinks the survey falls short in other ways. “[The questions] don’t relate to students’ actual life at school,” he said, “most of the questions don’t even apply to that student.” Eli suggests that “if there was diversity in the questions depending on how the students answered them, then students could feel more compelled to answer them truthfully.” “I think some of them are good because they do reflect, like, me, but some of them are, like, actually stupid,” says Lee. “Do you think people at your school understand you?” she said, mocking one of the questions. Faking Happy “Everyone’s just answering to make the school look better,” said sophomore Kaliyah Cutty, who worries about getting “called into the counselors or something like that because my answers on a survey.” “We see trends,” says head counselor Darcie Webber. “We see information that, you know, would help us, ostensibly, to be able to support kids that have a need for support, not individual names.” Asked about bringing flagged kids in for questioning, “I’m not gonna say that we can’t,” Webber said, “but I don’t know that we can. So I never have.” “I think where the confusion might be coming in is that last year, after the fire, the state came in with some other kind of survey,” Webber said. “Those children were brought in for individual counseling sessions, or at least interviews because they were flagged as children that needed immediate attention and support.” “There is the possibility, rather, that there are kids who went through that experience and conflated that SOS training and survey with the SEL survey.” Results from the spring 2024 SEL survey report that 35 percent of students agreed with the statement that they belong somewhat at the school and 8 percent of students said they feel like they belong a little bit. This data could suggest that a significant number of students don’t feel connected to other students at our school or that they don’t feel accepted. It can also suggest that our school is doing something good because more students than not have a positive sense of belonging. Yet, student opinions on the data could be the result of students clicking random answers to get the survey done and avoid a visit to counselors. Galasinao says she just wants “to get it over with. I have stuff to do and that’s just an extra burden.” She says that Po‘okela “helps because it’s right after one of my most stressful, heaviest work-loaded classes.” Nothing Changes Students like junior Cora Gruber have taken the option to opt out of the survey, explaining that “my mom doesn’t want me to do it because she thinks it’s a waste of time.” Cora says that her mom “would rather have me do school work and something more valuable like learning.” She thinks it is isn't valuable because “what I say doesn’t matter and the school doesn’t change anything.” Senior Zhi Clark states, “I don’t think they’re really effective. I don’t really see a lot of change happen, like socially.” The only growth in the survey results was “sense of belonging,” up 1 percentage point from 41 percent in winter of 2024. Clark feels that “at the end of the day, no matter how I say I feel about teachers, nothing really changes.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Jersea Borneman is a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back Growing Up on Campus Maturity and the Road to Graduation Ashlee Hufalar Student Life November 7, 2025 at 7:44:18 PM Students have dreams for their future–aspirations of what they want to become and where they want to go in life. Some are still exploring, while others hold dreams that guide their choices each day. For Freshman Isabella Cabanillaokano, it’s all about “a good job and steady career” that will allow her to provide for her family “without relying on anyone else.” Sophomore Christopher Mallari is a bit more ambitious and wants to be a “professional athlete in golf, or at a good college.” To reach their goals, students need more than talent. They need a change in mindset, how they approach their goals, and the responsibilities that come with all of this. It means having growth in the sense you no longer think like little children, but learn to take action and make choices with a clearer understanding of what matters. “It kind of hits you how serious things are gonna get,” said an anonymous junior. “I actually have to start, you know, doing college work.” Reflecting on middle school and how popularity was more of a priority, they explained how the focus has shifted in high school. The weight of academics and the future has everyone looking at “more pressing matters.” Austin Jacob, a junior, who seemed shaken by the fact that to “get most jobs, you need to graduate high school,” realized that “This is actually where grades matter.” He admitted that the reality of the situation has made him focus on his academics more. Jacob and other students are starting to realize the importance of acting with purpose, as the decisions they make now can influence their future. They’re beginning to gain a stronger sense of maturity. “…We Tend to Do a Whole Lot More Dumb Things.” The definition of maturity is slippery. One anonymous senior struggled to describe it, saying “Your maturity is like..I don't know.” Despite failing to define it, they admitted that “I could definitely be more mature, but I feel like sometimes I don't act like it.” Librarian Tara Nakata sees maturity as something that moves and shifts. Maturity, she says, is “acting appropriately for the stage of life that you're in or like beyond, right?” A toddler might be, in some sense mature for their age, but “you wouldn't expect a toddler to have the social and emotional and academic intelligence of a high schooler.” For some, maturity is self-reliance. The famous philosopher, Emmanuel Kant, once described immaturity (as a metaphor for the period before the historical enlightenment) as “the inability to use one’s understanding without the guidance of another.” A mature person thinks for themselves, he explained, by using their own knowledge and reasoning to form judgments. Differently, Jade Cabanilla, a sophomore, describes a mature person as “someone who's aware of the actions that they're doing … and how it kind of impacts others.” French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau agrees. He explained that maturity isn’t just independent reasoning, but also the feeling you get from real-world experiences. He argued that feeling and experience are how we grow and how children begin to “foresee their needs before they feel them.” When they learn to think, feel, and respond mindfully–they develop an awareness of causes, effects, and their place in the world. Students and staff at Lahainaluna seem to understand some of this, noting that maturity involves having a consciousness and control of one’s emotions and actions, even though they may not always apply it. According to recent survey data, many of our students see themselves as able to be mature in this way. The social and emotional learning (SEL) survey is a yearly questionnaire that asks about students' emotions and behaviors in an academic setting. According to this year’s report, 70 percent of lahainaluna students responded favorably regarding self management questions. This is an increase of 60 percent last year. In this data, 73 percent of students agreed to being attentive and prepared for class while 79 percent reported working to follow class instruction. However, the percentages drop slightly when it comes to working independently. 68 percent responded favorably to staying focused when working on their own and only 51 percent to not procrastinating College and career counselor, Ginny Yasutake, echoes Rousseau’s idea. “Exposure to real-world experiences is key” to maturity, or to “how we handle the issues we face and how we learn from them,” she said. Yasutake is a Lahainaluna alumni who sees her experiences at the school as instrumental to her personal growth and maturity. Her very first job, she said, was with the Japanese Summer Seminar at Lahainaluna, a two-week program where students from Japan stayed in the boarding department. As a student worker, Yasutake helped with daily tasks like cleaning the dorms and preparing meals. She thinks that the experience “taught me about responsibility and teamwork.” Importantly, it also gave her her first paycheck. Yet, maturity levels are not all about decisions, says Kristy Arakawa, early college coordinator. “When you're in high school, [your brain is] not fully formed yet. So, I mean, we tend to do a whole lot more dumb things. Once you become an adult, we realize how dumb we really were.” “Everyone has time to do something.” Arakawa observes that she has “definitely seen some mature freshmen.” Yet, she has always noticed a shift in students’ senior year. “It's amazing to see some of these freshmen that I knew,” she said. “And come senior year, they're like a whole new person.” Yasutake added that, in her experience, students during their junior year typically “start asking questions about life after high school.” For Yasutake, a huge part of the maturing process is time management, which she found during her high school years to be “the most challenging.” Transitions teacher, Mark Watasaki, feels his “maturity levels were definitely under developed” in high school. “It's still pretty low, but I think it’s because in high school, I really focused a lot on the whole, you know, social interactions.” “I didn't really have a lot of different experiences, so I didn't really get to learn about that whole social and emotional side of growing,” he explained. “I mean, we'd hear about it in class, but I didn't actually practice it.” “Last year, I had a lot of bad grades because I just procrastinated,” admitted Sophomore William Webb “I thought I could get D’s because I was still passing.” A year older, he now tries to complete most work during class so he has less to do at home, acknowledging that “after school, I kind of get distracted more easily … I want to sleep or watch YouTube.” An anonymous junior makes sure to set a certain amount of time aside for work. “Everyone has time to do something,” they said. “Sometimes we don’t think so because you might get in your head about stress, but remember you are responsible for yourself. So do what you know you can do.” Similarly, Jacob says that “it’s how your brain kind works, it’s the way you think.” Maturity involves “being able to get stuff done when you're supposed to. Knowing when to say and when to not say certain things–when to do, when to not do certain things.” Nakata thinks that high school can accomplish some of the same things. It “gives you a place to practice and learn.” Students learn responsibility, emotional growth, and decision making (traits of maturity) when they are “given a set of expectations that you need to rise to.” “...I Can’t Go Around Just Doing Whatever Anymore…” Nakata said that the most challenging part of high school for her was “finding the balance” or managing all her responsibilities. This has become much harder for our generation since we are so heavily involved and influenced by social media. We must now navigate a complex digital world, said Yasutake. “The new pressures and anxieties can significantly impact their emotional and social maturity.” One way to navigate these challenges, Cabanillaokano thinks, is “having a couple of good friends you know have your back.” Yasutake agrees. In her personal experience, “having great friends who were good role models pushed me to better myself and so be a good role model for others, it can make a difference for someone.” Jacob says that friends are an important and valuable part of life, but emphasizes the importance of staying on top of priorities. “I only have a good year left until things get more serious. I can't go around just doing whatever anymore. I can actually get in trouble for doing all kinds of dumb stuff.” Previous Article Next Article Copy link Ashlee Hufalar is a sophomore and a staff writer for Ka Lama Hawai'i.

< Back The Fair is Back Remembering the Past, Facing the Future Grayson Guzman Arts and Entertainment September 30, 2025 at 9:57:43 PM Lunas past and present are excited for the fair, echoing the sentiment of the Maui County Fair website: “it’s more than a fair—it’s where memories are made and community comes alive.” “When I first walk in, I just see, like, so much familiar faces, and then I see everyone smiling, and I just see a lot of kids having fun, and the community just enjoying themselves,” sophomore Kyrah Pagdilao reminisced, remembering Maui County Fair as an elementary student. Back in 2019, the Maui County Fair drew crowds of tens of thousands of people. Students and staff recalled nostalgic memories like racing down the giant, bright pink, green, and yellow illuminated slides on squishy blue mats, and eating fair foods like flying saucers, funnel cake, cotton candy, fried Oreo’s with ice cream, and popcorn. The wave swinger took them up over the whole fair ground. Sophomore Romie-Lynn Santos remembers riding the Zipper and “hearing, like, all the people screaming and having fun and that thing. And I remember the ride, like, dropping and moving around and all the lights that would flick around it.” “Carnival games and the lights, the lights, the flashy lights!” said senior Lation Pascual. “Screaming, laughter, the sound of games being won. A lot of laughter, a lot of fun.” The fair “was a core memory for me,” said Pascual. “I'm excited that it's back.” It has been six years since people in Maui have gotten to experience the sense of community the fair has brought. Now it is set to open this Thursday, from October 2-5th, 2025 at the War Memorial. “...a core memory…” For many alumni, Luna identity is tied to the fair and their participation in it. Rides, food, games, family and community connections, the parade and more have shaped our students' earliest memories. The fair had “a pretty big impact, honestly,” said senior Jean Alternado who has been in marching band since he was a freshman. Alternado claims that he originally joined because of the fair–after seeing the band in the opening day parade. “That kind of motivated me to join as a musician,” he said. The fair also meant maturity and independence for Alternado who feels like “it made me grow up to not be shy because my parents would usually let me go by myself. And then I would interact with people.” For Pagdilao, the fair embodies community. She remembers “a booth that we had, like one of our family friends, they had a booth and it was just like their whole family helping and like, yeah.” “The Fair has always been a happy place,” said former Student Activities Coordinator, Art Fillazar. It was “like our version of Disneyland but only for the weekend.” “It was the one time we actually had an amusement park,” said Stephanie Rubio Aguire who remembers going with her family in 2019 before its closure. “It wasn't really an amusement park, but it felt like it for me.” Sophomore Jade Cabanila thinks the fair was “a place where you actually got to experience a carnival, especially over here. Not a lot of big, amusement kind parks happen here. So the fair is kind of like a place where it's here and you don't have to spend as much money to go to, like these big amusement parks. It's like a home amusement park.” Kaizan Munemitsu, a freshman, remembers that “it was fun, you know. It made me happy, just, being able to play games, have fun with my family, all that stuff.” “‘We are Lahainaluna and we were proud of it!” This year will mark the 98th year the fair has run. The first ever Maui Fair took place on November 30th, 1916. Since then the fair has been interrupted three times by global events. The fair was paused and cancelled due to both World War I and World War II from 1917-1918 and 1942-1946 respectively. Along with the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not held until this year. In years past, the Lahainaluna community did not only attend the fair. They often participated in it. According to Fillazar, now the Executive Director of the Lahainaluna High School Foundation, staff and students were part of the parade (as Marching and Pep Band, Cheerleaders) and, “on several occasions” he said, submitted to various exhibits. Submissions included student artwork, AG displays, and other things. “FFA members may have also been volunteers with the livestock display,” Fillazar thought. “It was definitely the spirit competitions,” said Ms. Kristy Arakawa, the Early college coordinator about the importance of the fair to Lahainaluna staff and students. Running from 1986-1996, the School Spirit Competition was apparently dominated by our school. Lunas Win 10th Straight Spirit Championship “October 5, 1996 marked the 10th consecutive year that Lahainaluna High School captured the School Spirit Competition trophy” wrote Jana Baybado in Ka Leo Luna , our school’s third newspaper: From the LHS version of the ‘Macarena’ to the chant that is sung after touchdowns– THIS WAS THE YEAR FOR LAHAINALUNA TO SHINE! Some secret weapons used were: ‘Knock You Out’ and ‘1,2,3,4,!’, hand-held torches, and a large banner that popped up at the end featuring the school motto and the words ‘ IMUA LUNAS’ in big bold letters. All of the students who attended the competition wore either red or white tops represented the school’s colors. Those wearing red formed an ‘L’ that stood out in the crowd of white. Traditionally the Lunas waved ti leaves, red pom poms, and held numerous signs to show their spirit. With these spirit boosters plus all of the people who attended the competition, the Lunas were able to bring back the trophy that first made its home here nine years ago. Congratulations Lahainaluna High School–You are #1 in spirit!! Reflecting on this moment, Fillazar added that “LHS always had the true spirit and desire. “As students we took pride in our first-place wins,” said Ginny Yasutake, College and Career Counselor. “The massive crowds, matching shirts, and handmade signs weren't just about winning; they were a powerful declaration that “We are Lahainaluna and we were proud of it!” “The moment we won the School Spirit Competition my senior year of high school–” said Arakawa with meaning. “--no class wants to be the class that loses the School Spirit Competition for Lahainaluna so we literally left our voices in that tent–We were all hoarse after that, but it was worth it.” Jalen Baraoidan (Mr. B), the Lahainaluna Band and Choir Director, remembers the fair when he participated as a student. “For the parade, you know, the marchers would always participate and always behind the marchers would always be our cheerleaders. So I guess just having the representatives of our school representing in the county fair was always cool. It's just being able to represent the west side in the county fair, which is so, like Central Maui oriented. So I'm just getting to represent West Maui.” According to Kristina Meguro, a second year member in the marching band, says the marching band was supposed to participate in the parade. Yet, as it was “last minute and confusing, we (the marching band) did not have enough time to prepare. Especially since we have a complicated show to work with this year.” “...in the process of rebuilding…” For some students like Marc Ruiz, a freshman, this will be his first time going to the fair. “What I heard about it was that there's like, a lot of activities, there's a lot of food, a lot of people. There's a lot of rides. It's fun. Okay, sounds fun.” Ruiz says that he only knows the fair from Instagram and his friends' stories. Yet, there is a chance that newcomers to the fair do not get to share that experience that previous students did as families are now facing economic stress from many directions. Yasutake seems to worry a little about the newest generation of fairgoers when she thinks about its most recent instance. “The fair has become so expensive that you have to really think about your finances and if you can afford it,” she said. Our recent struggles, specifically, rising inflation made worse by fallout from the 2023 Lahaina Wildfire, give her even more cause for concern. “The rising cost to attend is a significant concern for many families, like mine, that are in the process of rebuilding their home.” “For its return after a six year absence and with the economy the way it is, I’m not sure how it will ‘fair’,” says Fillazar. “It has always been a challenge with the high expenses.” Junior Makayla-Yuen Barroga sees the fair’s arrival as a solution to tragedy, however. “It's bringing a community back together after the fire happened and letting people have, like, such a good time.” For Baraoidan, the legacy of the Maui County Fair is “something different that we have to offer. I think that still plays into it just because when people announce that the county fair is coming back, like a lot of people were really, really excited, really excited. And I don't know if the kids, like, people in high school now even got to experience a county fair. Maybe when they were younger.” For those who have and have not been, “The return [of the fair] will be different and it’s a fresh start.” Fillazar continues, “I see this is a new beginning.” Sources Bayado, Jana. “Ten Years of Tradition Continues.” Ka Leo Luna , 1996. Previous Article Next Article Copy link Grayson is the current 2028 student council Vice President and is running for a second term as sophomore Vice President.