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< 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.

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

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

Friends and Donors In 1834, the students of Lahainaluna made history by publishing Ka Lama Hawaiʻi, the first newspaper in the islands. Today, we carry that torch forward. As a student-led publication, we are dedicated to providing a voice for our school and the Lahaina community, but we cannot do it alone. Your support as a Friend (advertising) or donor (direct support) ensures that our student journalists have the tools, technology, and opportunities they need to tell the stories of today while honoring the traditions of yesterday. Mahalo for being part of our story. Ka Lama Hawaiʻi is more than just a school newspaper. Itʻs is a learning laboratory for the next generation of writers, photographers, and civic leaders. When you become a Friend or Donor, your contribution directly supports: Production Costs : Keeping our digital platform live and accessible. Equipment : Providing cameras, tablets, and recorders for student field reporting. Education : Funding workshops and journalism conferences for our student writing staff. Join us in empowering the voices of Lahainaluna. Every gift, large or small, helps keep the torch of excellence burning bright. Donors to Ka Lama Hawaiʻi Friends of Ka Lama Hawaiʻi

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

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

< Back 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.