HIKI NŌ 1212 [Intro music plays] [sound of beach waves] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i’s new wave of storytellers.

Aloha, and welcome to this week’s edition of HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i’s new wave of storytellers.

I’m Evalani Keawekane, an eighth grader at Kamehameha Schools Maui Middle School.

In this episode of HIKI NŌ, we’ll see how Hawai‘i students are dealing with life in the pandemic, as we navigate our way through the second semester of the 2020-2021 school year.

We’ll continue celebrating HIKI NŌ’s 10th anniversary by looking back at some of the landmark stories from the program’s first decade, and we’ll go behind the scenes to find out what the students who created those stories learned from their HIKI NŌ experiences.

But first, here’s my Student Reflection.

I recorded it at our campus on February 5th, 2021 It’s almost been a year since COVID-19 forced the campus to close unexpectedly.

I’ve only been on campus five times as an eighth grader since August, but as of this month, February 2021, our school leadership has us back on campus twice a week, all while following strict safety guidelines.

Before entering campus each morning, we have to answer a long list of wellness questions and do a thermal scan upon arrival to campus.

You’re in there.

Next.

Once OKed, we get a sticker which shows everyone that we have been cleared and OKed to be on campus.

‘Iwa birds are painted on the walkways to show us the safe direction to move about, and orange dots on the ground remind us of how far apart we should be.

…definition or illustration of what a hero is… Our classes operate in small cohorts that stay together all day.

Even lunch is different.

Rather than being in the dining hall, we now use reusable takeout trays on green wagons.

Our return to campus brought lots of mixed feelings.

The new routines are so odd and a bit intimidating.

However, it’s been comforting to have people around me and to be out of my house.

Although we are all wearing masks, I can still see the smiles of my friends and kumu in their eyes.

Not even a pandemic can keep us from sharing our aloha for one another.

This is Amari Lino, an eighth grade student at Ᾱliamanu Middle School on O‘ahu.

For my reflection, I’ll be sharing three different viewpoints on face-to-face learning versus virtual learning.

The first is from my friend, Tyon Bennett, who was a soccer buddy from when I lived on the Mainland.

He lives in South Carolina.

For me, I choose face to face learning.

The reason I choose face to face learning is because I’m more comfortable in a classroom and doing my work than at home, where there’s a lot of distractions, and the internet cutting off while we’re doing an assignment, and I’m cut off from what the teacher is saying, and she gives instructions and I don’t hear, and so I don’t know exactly what to do.

And this is what my friend and fellow classmate, Rylee Wellbaum, has to say.

I prefer face-to-face learning because with online learning, there’s all these different platforms and all these different assignments, and these teachers, and these places you need to be.

And it’s really complicated stuff when you get down to it, and I think face-to-face learning is much easier to get to and to understand and to keep track of all your assignments.

I agree with both of them, but for me, I think it’s the distractions that make me not like virtual learning as much.

For example, on Fridays, my brother gets off class early, and after doing his chores, he gets on games, and he’s right in front of me, so it’s distracting.

So, I prefer face to face more because you’re in an environment where you’re engaged with the learning, and the teachers are right in front of you if you need help.

It’s been an interesting experience, but for me, I’m tired of virtual learning and I don’t want any more of it, and I hope we’ll get to the classroom soon.

But most of all, I hope that everyone’s staying safe and that everyone’s doing well.

Continuing our celebration of 10 years of HIKI NŌ, here is an emotionally powerful story from our archives by students from Wai‘anae High School, followed by a feature of what those students learned from their HIKI NŌ experience.

Philippians.

I’ve read the bible probably seven times, cover to cover.

So, I’m a student of the word of God.

Let me look where I think it is.

My hobbies are gardening, cleaning up, raking leaves.

I planted all these plants, too.

Everything here, I put all these cement cinder blocks in.

You know, I, I’m this guy who’s always worked.

I painted all this, too.

Started to paint the house.

I haven’t finished yet.

I used to box.

I used to do martial arts.

I know how to fight.

I, I think because my job was so high paced before, you know, like, uh, Navy Chief, get the job done, lead, lead … And then, uh, I had the motorcycle accident, lost my leg, back ache, neck ache, stump ache.

So, dealing with the chronic pain and just trying to do anything I can because if I just sit here alone in my room, I get very depressed.

But I got one leg, lots of pain, and, uh, what do I do?

Do I complain about it all day?

Uh, that gets old.

Hearing myself complain, I’m sick of that.

What else can I do?

I can give up.

I know that whenever the fiery doubts come about like, “Oh, I wish I was never born,” crap like that, uh, they don’t last long.

There’s something inside me that says, “I’m going to fight today.” You don’t have it that bad.

That’s why I tell myself that.

“Robert, you don’t have it that bad.” I just wish I had the enemy in front of me right now.

I would just beat the crap out of him, but I can’t do that.

Right?

What’s the enemy?

I don’t know.

What’s the enemy?

I’m going to take this guy down, man.

I’m married.

I got four kids, there’s laundry that needs to get done.

I can do it.

I’m a strong guy.

I got upper body strength.

You know, I push myself around the wheelchair.

There you go.

I’m just going to keep getting up and going to work, I guess.

Not, I mean, not to a job that will pay me money.

You got to deal with it.

You got to find something inside of you.

You got a scripture that talks about whatever things are kind, whatever things are loving, whatever things are of a good rapport, think on these things, and the God of peace, of untroubled, undisturbed, well being will be with you.

I don’t feel left out or special.

I don’t feel abandoned, and, uh, when I feel good, I’m going to go to Costco and buy groceries.

Those are the goals.

This is Malina Marquez from Wai‘anae High School with a story about my father for HIKI NŌ.

The story “Living with Pain” was about my dad.

He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident a few years back, and I guess he’s just talking about what he does on a day-to-day basis and how he dealt with his – the pain, living with it.

The first shoot day, I had the camera.

I shot the interview, did a lot of b-roll, and Malina interviewed her dad.

When he was talking, I was kind of amazed.

I just saw him as a, I guess, someone to look up to because not a lot of people go through that kind of, uh, hard times.

So Shanna, um, transcribed it, and then together, we just looked at, like, what hit us, I guess, like powerful soundbites.

And we just highlighted it, grabbed it, and pulled it down, and then we just tried to arrange them in some kind of way that it told a story.

I was really thankful that she did the, all the transcribing because the thought of having to go back and, like, look at what he – all that he talked about kind of made me uncomfortable.

So, I was really glad that I had someone that could, I guess, help me through that type of, um, journey.

I knew that Malina was going to be, uh, emotional, and I would be, too, because her dad is telling his story of what happened that changed all their lives.

I was glad to have helped her through this time because, um, I would need someone there for me if the roles were reversed.

I think doing the story, um, changed my relationship with my dad because ever since, like, right after, um, I did the story, I just felt like I was able to talk to him.

Just about anything, and I would just come and talk to him sometimes, and then, like, it would just feel normal, I guess.

A little more normal than how I used to before that.

I think Malina needed to get the story done because she wanted to show other people that the hard times aren’t going to last forever and that, I think she just wanted to get her story and her father’s story out there.

[sound of ocean waves] 10:45 This is Sierra McElhannon, a freshman at Hawai‘i Technology Academy on O‘ahu.

I’m recording from my home in ‘Ewa Beach on February 25th, 2021.

I was raised playing soccer, whether it was through AYSO or club, it’s always been a major part of my life.

When I was told that soccer was canceled due to COVID-19, I was devastated.

Two weeks later, my team tried to do virtual practices, but that didn’t work out.

It’s at that point when I realized I had to train on my own.

It was up to me to continue anything soccer and fitness related.

The long lockdown gave me plenty of time to realize that I had bigger goals and dreams for my future in soccer.

Because of this, I trained and still am training at least five days a week.

Although being locked down is a bad circumstance to be in, I’ve used it to my benefit of becoming a better, more fit soccer player who is ready to get back on the field as soon as it opens up.

Continuing our look back at breakthrough stories from the first 10 years of HIKI NŌ, here is one from Hongwanji Mission School.

[sound of ocean waves] Fear is all about having control, and when you’re not in control of it, that’s when you’re afraid.

Some people think that the blind live a life of fear, but for Laurie Rubin, this is not the case.

Laurie Rubin was born with Leber’s congenital amaurosis, a genetic disorder that affects the retina and causes loss of vision.

People might think, “Oh, I’d be so terrified to take a step without being able to see,” but I’ve never had time to think about it.

It’s just been my life.

So, I just kind of had this revelation that the, the fears that we do have come from, stem from that.

Stem from anytime that we’ve had time to think about the unknown.

Her inability to see hasn’t stopped her from living an active life.

Her schedule includes speaking at conferences, doing performances and singing, and being a vocal teacher.

The only activity that I couldn’t do, that my, my family said I couldn’t do, was ping pong.

And I remember I was so mad at them.

I was like, “You can’t tell me I can’t do that,” because they have given me the self-esteem that I could do anything.

So, when they told me I couldn’t do something, I just, I wasn’t having it, you know.

As a result of this self-esteem, she was able to accomplish many things, one of them being writing a memoir.

So, my book is called, uh, Do You Dream in Color: Insights from a Girl Without Sight, and, um, it’s, it’s really about my – it, it takes readers on a journey through my life because I realized one of the things that people want to know is, they want to know how I do everyday stuff.

Her book highlights her life experiences and what she went through to get to where she is now.

each chapter of her book talks about the different parts of her life and uses a different color for them.

Despite her inability to see, she has interests that might surprise some people.

I love making jewelry.

I, I really enjoy playing around with makeup.

Um, I love clothes, because, you know, you can feel textures, and so – and I’ve always told people I don’t necessarily think that blindness is associated with vision, per se.

Like, I think if you have a visual, creative mind, uh, it will manifest itself, no matter whether you’re blind or sighted.

Laurie Rubin has taken these words to heart.

As a mezzosoprano opera singer, her list of accomplishments include working with singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins, and performing at the White House.

She also co-created Peace on Your Wings, a musical based on the life of Sadako Sasaki, a girl who died from leukemia as a result of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

It’s really amazing to see something that when you’re in your pajamas at three in the morning just writing something down on a computer, how that can come to life on stage, and, and then more emotionally, seeing everybody get involved, the students, the parents, the, the audience, um, other people who have investment in the story.

And, and what I realized in that moment was that the reason I loved this project so much more than anything else that we had done was because it was something that became a team effort.

Because Laurie Rubin conquered her own fear, she inspires others to be more fearless.

This is Teo Fukamizu from Hongwanji Mission School for HIKI NŌ.

In our story about the blind singer, I did part camera, I wrote some of the script, and I edited.

I did a lot of the camera work, uh, for a lot of it.

But I – most of it was just the editing.

This year my students for HIKI NŌ were all sixth graders, and, um, it was a bit of a contrast from, uh, previous – the previous year where I was with eighth graders.

Um, I, it was – I started from kind of like, zero.

They did not have any experience.

We kind of knew our capabilities, and, uh, we all got along.

Uh, some points we were kind of playful and stuff like that, but it, it ended up, like, we all were serious about it.

We all knew exactly what we, we were supposed to do.

There were some challenges, uh, just in terms of, you know, the sixth graders were a little bit more playful.

Um, however, at the same time, they have this energy, and I think they had no fear.

They said, “OK, we’ll do it.

Hey, why not?” I think the interview turned out pretty good.

The hardest part of it was picking out the best things that she said because she said a lot.

Yeah.

People might think, “Oh, I’d be so terrified to take a step without being able to see.” How we got the story from our interview was we picked out a bunch of clips.

We printed them, we cut them out, then we chose the ones that we thought fit the most and that made the most sense.

We kept on mixing them in an order until we thought it was good, and we had to change it a few times, but then we finally got it.

I’m really happy and really relieved that we did well.

Well, when you guys finally say it’s done, we’re like, “Yes!

Yes!” It’s a really nice thing that we, we just, we worked really hard and now it’s finally paid off, and it’s really satisfying.

It teaches me, um, that, um, my students can do quite a lot, um, and I don’t necessarily have to always tell them what to do.

I can take a step back and then let them take ownership and see what they do.

[sound of ocean waves] This is Madden Awaya, a fourth grader from Waiākea Elementary school on the island of Hawai‘i.

I am recording this at my home on February 6, 2021.

One way COVID-19 has changed my life is I am learning from home.

Since my family’s at home a lot, we decided to adopt a new dog.

We have a new puppy named Oreo, and we adopted him on the day after Thanksgiving.

Well, it’s been about a year since we lost our old dog, Kai, and so we decided we were finally ready to adopt a puppy.

So, we reached out to Aloha ‘Īlio Rescue, and they said they had Oreo available.

One thing about Oreo is that he has a really big scar, or, or kind of a, um, an injury that he had maybe when he was a puppy on the side of his body, and, and because of this, there’s, there’s no hair, which means he is prone to things like sunburn, or scratches and scrapes.

So, he has to kind of wear a jacket at all times when he’s outside, um, especially if it’s a really sunny day.

I think the, the best part about having a dog is, and especially a puppy, is that you get to see it grow up with your family.

You know, like, even though it’s a pet, it’s still part of your family and, and kind of watching, you know, your pet grow up is kind of like having another kid grow up with you, right.

So, you get to see its personality come out, um, from a puppy all the way until when it’s, it’s a senior dog.

I learned that even though there is a pandemic, we can still find room in our hearts for pets who need homes.

[sound of ocean waves] Hello.

My name is Jazen Moriguchi, a seventh grader at Hongwanji Middle School on O‘ahu.

I recorded the following reflection at my home on February 23rd, 2021.

Looking at distance learning without actually experiencing it, it seems awful.

However, if you look closer into it and go through it, it’s not that bad.

For example, because I don’t get to talk to people a lot, I got Instagram and Discord, and I hadn’t realized that some classmates have the same interests as me.

I really enjoy all the silliness and shenanigans my friends can create.

One example of these shenanigans is when me and my friends were just spamming Christmas emojis in a group chat because it was almost Christmas.

I also remember a friend of mine was texting me and we ended up just saying, “No, you,” over and over again to each other.

I’ve known some of my classmates since preschool, but I only started to get to know them better when I started texting and chatting with them during distance learning.

Maybe distance learning isn’t so bad after all.

Continuing our celebration of 10 years of HIKI NŌ, here is a highly personal archival story from students at Kalāheo High School, followed by a look at how their story came to be.

Recent events shed light on the importance of safe driving and how to take responsibility of yourself and other passengers when behind the wheel and on the street.

The state of Hawai‘i is no stranger to the consequences of irresponsible driving, with a rate of close to 10,000 serious car accidents annually.

Drivers need to be responsible because the choices they make on the road can influence and impact not just themselves, but those around them.

One aspect of irresponsible driving is driving under the influence, which can dangerously put the lives of other people at risk.

Kaka‘ako, it had a, it brought back, it brought back memories for myself and my wife because we know exactly what these people are going through right now.

The initial shock, the, the, the unbelief, they don’t want to believe that it happened.

So, for – when we, when we saw that, our hearts – it just brought us to back the day that it happened for myself and, and my wife.

Kamalani is my third youngest daughter, biological daughter.

She was someone that you would love to hang out with, that you would love to be around with.

She was amazing child, very easygoing, very smart.

She was a four-star gold dolphin at Kainalu Elementary in sixth grade, and she was in her eighth-grade final year when the accident happened.

Well, I’d like to go back six years ago my, my life had changed drastically.

On May 5th 2013, my daughter was killed, Kamalani was killed in a car accident, uh, drive – drunk driver.

She was with her friend and her friend’s father.

On the way home from Waikīkī, they got into the accident up in the Pali.

According to the Department of Transportation, in 2017, more than half of drivers in volved in fatal crashes in Hawai‘i had tested positive for alcohol and/or drugs, accounting for 73 deaths.

All it takes is one time to just destroy someone’s life.

It’s still affecting us in our lives today.

It, it’s, it’s never going to go away.

When getting behind the wheel, it becomes your kuleana to remain focused and clearheaded.

Making the conscious choice to not get behind the wheel when intoxicated can ultimately save lives.

To avoid drunk driving, you can call for a ride from a friend or from a driving service.

Take responsibility and drive safely.

This is Sora Cheng from Kalāheo High School for HIKI NŌ.

For Kalāheo High School’s story, we chose to do the story on a tragic death that happened in my family, which was the death of my sister due to a drunk driving crash.

Editing this piece was very hard for me because I’ve known Kehau for such a long time.

I’ve seen her go through her sister’s accident and everything.

My role in the production was that I was the cameraman and I actually interviewed my parents.

It was just really awkward at first, but after a while, it felt like my bond grew closer to my parents, and now, like, they’re really proud of what we’ve made.

My way of dealing with her death is to share it, you know, and I want people to know that, and I want people to, like, get to know her story and get to know, like, like, what happened, and, like, how that can affect my life and how it can affect yours.

I think it was very important for us to tell the story, you know, properly, and convey it in a respectful manner so we could get the word out there about the reality of drunk driving.

What I learned from working on this project was to never take life for granted.

Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of HIKI NŌ.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these stories from Hawai‘i’s new wave of storytellers as much as we’ve enjoyed sharing them with you.

Be sure to tune in next week to watch the winning stories from the 2021 HIKI NŌ Winter Challenge, another great way of seeing how Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

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