♪ PBS HAWAII WAS GOING TO STRUGGLE ANYWAY WITH THE 21ST CENTURY IF WE DIDN'T FIGURE OUT SOME WAYS OF ADJUSTING.

WE HAVE TO DO THE THINGS WE'VE DONE, AND CONTINUE TO DO THEM VERY WELL, BUT WE'VE GOT TO EXPAND THE WAYS WE INTERSECT WITH PEOPLE.

WE'VE GOT TO GO WHERE OUR AUDIENCE GOES, NOT KEEP SAYING, AUDIENCE, COME TO US, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT OUR STATION, COME TO US, AND INSTEAD, FIGURE OUT, WE'RE HERE AND WE'RE THERE, AND WE'RE THERE, AND WE'RE THERE AND WHEREVER YOU ARE, YOU'RE GONNA SEE US.

♪ [INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] LESLIE: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.

SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH US TODAY.

I'M LESLIE WILCOX, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF PBS HAWAII, AND THIS IS OUR TV STUDIO WHERE WE SHOOT ON A WEEKLY BASIS THE TEACHERS ACTUALLY CAME TOGETHER AND MET MOST OF THEM, MET EACH OTHER HERE AT PBS HAWAI IN SEPTEMBER, WE HAD A WORKSHOP IN THE STATION I JUST LIKED THE CHEMISTRY.

A MEDIA TEACHER IN MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL ISN'T A TYPE.

THEY'RE A RANGE OF AGES, THEY HAVE COME FROM ALL KINDS OF BACKGROUNDS.

SOME OF THEM HAVE NEVER TAUGHT MEDIA BEFORE, AND WERE ASKED, ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE THIS ON?

I MEAN, THEY'RE LIKE HAWAII; THEY'RE JUST A MIX.

AND UH THEY HAVE BEEN SO REMARKABLE TO WORK WITH.

IT'S BEEN A VERY, VERY EXCITING JOURNEY, I THINK, BECAUSE HIKI NO HAS PROVIDED FOR US, I GUESS, THE MECHANISM THROUGH WHICH WE CAN UM, ACHIEVE OR ATTAIN OUR IDEALS AS TEACHERS.

AS WE WORK TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, YOU KIND OF FIND LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED WITH US.

SO THERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE KEVIN ON KAUAI, AND CLINT ON MAUI, AND A WHOLE BUNCH LOU ANN OUT AT WAIANAE INTERMEDIATE.

AND THEN, TO GET TOGETHER AND FIND IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS, UM, CHARTER SCHOOLS, ALL OF THESE OTHER TEACHERS WHO HAVE THE SAME IDEALS, AND THEN A WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION LIKE PBS AND HIKI NO THAT WAS GONNA PROVIDE US WITH THE RESOURCES AND THE EXPERTISE TO MOVE FORWARD IN A VERY, VERY EXCITING WAY FOR OUR STUDENTS.

THAT WAS WONDERFUL.

IT WAS UH, A HEADY TIME FOR US.

IT STILL IS.

ALL THE WAY ALONG, THE WHOLE POINT WAS THAT THE STUDENTS AND THE TEACHERS ARE LEADING US THROUGH THIS.

UH, THE FIRST SEASON IS JUST A STARTING PLACE.

WHERE IT GOES FROM THERE, UM – WE REALLY DON'T KNOW.

VIDEOS AND MEDIA UM – THEY CAN CHANGE PEOPLE'S LIVES.

ANYBODY CAN GET A CAMERA AND PUSH A BUTTON, AND MAKE A, YOU KNOW, VIDEO.

THAT'S NOT THE POINT ANYMORE.

IT'S ABOUT WHO YOU ARE, AND WHAT STORIES YOU CAN TELL.

PUTTING A CAMERA OR – VOICE RECORDER IN A STUDENT'S HAND, AND SAY – TELL ME, TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE.

WE CAN EACH TELL OUR OWN DIFFERENT STORIES TO OTHER PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE.

SOME OF THE STORIES I'VE TOLD IS KINDA RELATED TO THE PSA STUFF, AS IN DRUGS.

I'VE KNOWN PEOPLE THAT HAVE GOTTEN INTO THAT LIFESTYLE, AND FOR MY PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS, I TRY TO MAKE IT MORE PERSONAL TO MYSELF.

THE POINT IS TO TAKE THE CAMERA AND USE IT AS A TOOL TO COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE.

YOU KNOW, TO MAKE ACTUAL CONNECTIONS WITH PEOPLE.

AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SHARING OUR STORIES, IT'S ABOUT REFLECTING ABOUT WHERE WE LIVE, WHY WE LIVE AND HOW CAN WE GET BETTER AT IT.

THIS IS OUR HOME, AND THIS IS WHERE WE LIVE.

[MUSIC] PBS HAWAII, AND YOU.

HIKI NO MEANS CAN DO.

AND THE WAY HIKI NO CAME ABOUT WAS – THIS ORGANIZATION TOOK A LOOK AT ITS MISSION, WHICH IS PROMOTING LIFELONG LEARNING, AND WE LOOKED AT WHAT WE'RE BEST AT.

AND THEN, WE TOOK A LOOK AT COMMUNITY NEEDS, AND WE LOOKED FOR HOW WE COULD SERVE THE COMMUNITY BEST.

THAT'S THE SIMPLE ANSWER.

AND UM, AS A NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO EDUCATION, THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.

WHAT STARTED THE CONVERSATION WAS SOME OF THE VIDEO THAT CAME OUT OF SEARIDER PRODUCTIONS IN WAIANAE MIDDLE AND WAIANAE HIGH SCHOOL.

ONE DAY, I WENT TO THE DOCTOR AN DOCTOR WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO, IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR NEPHEWS GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL YOU KNOW, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU START LOSING WEIGHT, ‘CAUSE LIKE, YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IS HIGH, YOUR CHOLESTEROL IS HIGH.

KAINOA AILA WAS MOTIVATED TO CHANGE HIS LIFE.

IN TEN MONTHS, HE DID WHAT MANY WOULD CONSIDER IMPOSSIBLE; DROP A HUNDRED AND THIRTY POUNDS THAT WOULD BE THE – ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT JUST KINDA STOPPED ME IN THE BEGINNING, BUT I JUST PUSHED THROUGH IT.

TRY GO FOR IT.

HE'LL TELL YOU HE GAINED JUST AS MUCH AS HE LOST.

MAO ACTUALLY BROUGHT BACK A CONNECTION TOO.

LIKE, WHEN YOU GROW THE FOOD YOU EAT, IT MAKES YOU FEEL A LOT BETTER.

SO, YOU KNOW, I'M ALL STOKED NOW THAT I COOK.

KAINOA IS A COLLEGE INTERN AT MAO FARMS, BUT HIS CONNECTIONS GO MUCH DEEPER THAN JUST LOSING WEIGHT.

IT'S ABOUT BEING ROOTED IN THE LAND.

THIS IS CALLED TOPSOIL.

KAINOA IS A REAL EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES THINGS CAN CHANGE.

AND MAO FARMS BELIEVES KAINOA CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.

WE GOTTA CHANGE THE WORLD.

I MEAN, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING, BECAUSE IF WE KEEP GOING THE WAY WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA END UP DESTROYING THE WORLD OURSELF.

UNTIL THAT DAY, MAO WILL CONTINUE TO GROW THEIR PEOPLE, PLANTING ONE SEED AT A TIME.

HEIDI NEIDHARDT, SEARIDER NEWS.

LINDA BROCK AND LESLIE WILCOX APPROACHED US WITH THIS IDEA.

THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS IDEA OF MAYBE DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR BUT DOING IT STATEWIDE.

SO INSTEAD OF JUST ONE SCHOOL, WE WANT DIFFERENT SCHOOLS TO PARTICIPATE; PUBLIC, CHARTER, AND PRIVATE.

SO THEY CAME TO US AND PITCHED THIS IDEA, AND WE WERE LIKE, BRILLIANT, IT'S WONDERFUL, HOW CAN WE HELP?

UH, WE REALIZED THAT IT WASN'T ONLY SEARIDER PRODUCTIONS IN WAIANAE THAT WAS DOING GOOD WORK, BUT IT WAS THE WORK OF OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE AREA, AND A BUNCH OF OTHER PRIVATE SCHOOLS UM, THAT HAVE BEEN COMPETING FOR AND ACTUALLY WINNING THESE NATIONAL AWARDS ON A PRETTY CONSISTENT BASIS.

SO, ONCE WE REALIZED THAT • WE DECIDED, YOU KNOW, HERE'S SOMETHING THAT PBS HAWAII CAN DO WE CAN OFFER OUR DIGITAL PLATFOR AND WE CAN USE THEIR, JUST THEIR NATURAL ABILITIES AS STORYTELLERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND LEVERAGE OUR TWO STRENGTHS TO CREATE SORT OF THIS INNOVATIVE NETWORK OF SCHOOLS.

THE NEWS STORIES ARE ALL BEING PRODUCED BY STUDENTS, WITH GUIDANCE FROM THEIR TEACHER AND THEY'RE REPORTING FROM WHAT IN THE NEWS BUSINESS WE WOULD CALL BUREAUS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STATE.

IN THIS CASE, THEY'RE BASED IN THEIR SCHOOLS.

AND THEY'RE GONNA BE TELLING US STORIES ABOUT ISSUES AND PEOPLE IN THEIR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES THERE CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN STUDEN STUDENT NEWS NETWORKS OVER THE YEARS, BUT THIS ONE SEEMS A LITTLE BIT POTENTIALLY UNIQUE IN SOME WAYS.

IN A SENSE, YOU COULD SAY THAT IT'S TAKING THE SEARIDER PHENOMENON, AND MULTIPLYING IT BY – WELL, IN THE FIRST SEASON, FIFTY-FIVE SCHOOLS, BUT YOU KNOW HOWEVER MANY SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO BE INVOLVED EVENTUALLY.

WE JUST WANTED TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO 21ST CENTURY SKILLS – TO 21ST CENTURY SKILLS – A VEHICLE THAT WOULD HELP THEM WITH CRITICAL THINKING, AND PROBLEM SOLVING, AND INNOVATION, AND CURIOSITY, AND NETWORKING.

SOMETHING THAT WOULD ROLL UP ALL THOSE 21ST CENTURY SKILLS IN ONE PLACE, AND LET THEM GO FOR IT.

GIVE THEM THE FREEDOM TO CREATE.

YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE IN AN ERA NOW, WHERE UM, BEING ABLE TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD, AND TO GET INFORMATION OUT IS VERY, VERY TRANSFORMATIVE AND A REAL STEP IN THE LADDER TO ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT.

THESE ARE GONNA BE OUR FUTURE LEADERS.

THESE ARE THE ONES THAT WE WANT TO BRING BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY TO TAKE THE LEAD, TO CLEAN UP THE COMMUNITY.

AND IT NEEDS TO START HERE.

AND WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE, BECAUSE WE HAVE THESE TOOLS TO HELP THEM LEARN TO PAY ATTENTION TO ISSUES.

NOBODY REALLY KNOWS WHAT'S GOING IN HAWAII, UH, AT LARGE.

UH, THE NEWS CASTS – AND IT'S NOT TAKING ANYTHING AWAY FROM THEM, ‘CAUSE THEY PROVIDE A VERY NEEDED SERVICE – THEY'RE NOT DIGGING INTO EACH AND EVERY COMMUNITY AND NOOK CRANNY.

THEY CAN'T; THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM, AND THAT'S NOT THEIR ROLE.

THEY'RE DELIVERING THE BIG NEWS THAT HAS THE BIGGEST AND MOST IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON THE PUBLIC AT LARGE.

THERE'S NO WAY THAT A TRADITIONAL NEWS ORGANIZATION CAN COMPETE WITH THAT.

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CUTBACKS IN RESOURCES AND BUREAUS, AND JUST PEOPLE OUT ON THE STREET.

AND SOMETHING LIKE HIKI NO IS REALLY EXCITING, UH, THE IDEA THAT YOUNG PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE GATHERING INFORMATION AND MAYBE PROVIDING A LITTLE MORE DEPTH THAN PEOPLE ARE USED TO.

I THINK WITH THIS EMPHASIS NOWADAYS ON GETTING IT QUICKLY, PUTTING IT ON FIRST, WE FORGET ABOUT OTHER ASPECTS OF THE NEWS THAT ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT; JOURNALISM THAT EXPLAINS COMPLEX PROBLEMS.

THESE ARE THEIR STORIES, AND IT WILL BE THEIR STORIES.

IT'S IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD, IT WILL BE THEIR AUNTIES AND THEIR UNCLES, AND THEIR FRIENDS, AND THEIR GRANDMAS AND THEIR GRANDPAS.

AND THEY'RE THE ONES WHO CAN GET THE STORIES, AND THEY CAN ASK THE CRITICAL QUESTIONS, AND THEY CAN GET THE FOOTAGE.

AND IF THEY'RE TRAINED RIGHT • YOU KNOW, TRUE JOURNALISM, WHERE IT'S REALLY, IT'S GOOD IN-DEPTH STORIES • HIKI NO WILL BE A SUCCESS, BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL SEE THAT HAWAII IS REALLY A UNIQUE PLACE.

I THINK THE OLDER NOTIONS OF NEWS ACTUALLY NEED TO COME BACK.

I THINK PEOPLE HAVE MODERNIZED NEWS TO A POINT WHERE IT'S JUST BYTE, BYTE, BYTE AND YOU'RE OUT.

WHERE, YOU KNOW, BEFORE, IT USED TO BE ABOUT STORYTELLING I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT HIKI NO, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO GET UH, STUDENT VOICES TO BE HEARD THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

WHAT WE'LL BE DOING IS, BRINGING TOGETHER PUBLIC, PRIVATE, CHARTER SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT HAWAII, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS, UM, IN A STATEWIDE STUDENT NEWS NETWORK, AND EVERY ONE OF THESE SCHOOLS IS OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN.

AND THESE STUDENTS WILL WORK IN TEAMS ON NEWSCASTS.

SEVERAL SCHOOLS FROM DIVERSE COMMUNITIES WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE NEWSCAST.

WELL, I THINK THE PARTNERSHIP WITH PBS HAWAII AND THE HIKI NO PROGRAM WILL ACTUALLY UM, EMPOWER STUDENTS TO TELL THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY, TO LOOK AT THEIR COMMUNITY, TO LOOK AT THE ISSUES WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY.

I KINDA THINK THAT NEWS IS GONNA CHANGE, BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA CHANGE.

WE'RE NOT GONNA STAY THE SAME WAY THAT WE ARE NOW, AND • NEWS ALWAYS CHANGES, IT NEVER STAYS THE SAME.

UM, THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA BE EXCITING, IS YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO SHARE ALL THESE DIFFERENT STORIES IN ONE PLACE, BUT THEN, TELLING IT FROM • A STUDENT'S PERSPECTIVE.

NOW, TO ME, THAT'S REAL.

THAT WILL BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE.

IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO WORK WITH PEOPLE FROM OTHER ISLANDS, BECAUSE EVERY ISLAND IS DIFFERENT.

WE WILL WANT TO LEARN THEIR, YOU KNOW, WAY OF LIVING, AND THEY WILL WANT TO LEARN OURS AND WE WOULD TELL THEM, THEY WOULD TELL US BACK.

AND THIS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US PEOPLE TO KNOW.

I THINK THIS PROGRAM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DO GREAT THINGS, FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN TERMS OF BEING GREAT CITIZENS, UH, TO ASK INFORMED QUESTIONS, TO ASK QUESTIONS OF AUTHORITY, UH, AND TO REALLY DIG OUT SOME ISSUES THAT MAYBE HAD NOT BEEN COVERED BEFORE, BECAUSE THE TRADITIONAL NEWS ORGANIZATIONS CANNOT GET TO THEM WE'LL PROBABLY LEARN MORE ABOUT OURSELVES THAN WE EVER KNEW.

YOU KNOW, BEING THAT PBS IS AS A – IS AN EDUCATIONAL TYPE OF STATION, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE IN IT FOR ANY MONETARY REASONS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GONNA BE IN IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, TO GIVE STUDENTS THAT VOICE.

I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE HUGE.

AND SO, IT'S A WAY OF EMPOWERING STUDENTS WHO NORMALLY JUST RECEIVE INFORMATION.

BUT, YOU KNOW, NOW, I CAN GIVE AND, YOU KNOW, TRANSMIT THAT INFORMATION, SHARE IT.

AND THAT'S POWERFUL.

AS HIKI NO GROWS, AND OTHER SCHOOLS BECOME MORE INTEGRATED, AND WE GET THIS MESSAGE OF STORYTELLING OUT, AND ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, LITTLE TIPS AND TRICKS TO GET THESE STORIES TOLD CORRECTLY, I THINK THE GENERAL PUBLIC WILL BE, LIKE, REALLY, WOW, THIS IS HOW NEWS SHOULD BE.

WE CAN SHOW THAT • KIDS KNOW LIKE, PRACTICALLY AS MUCH AS ADULTS DO.

WE'RE JUST SMALLER, AND YOUNGER.

[GIGGLE] CAN, DO ‘EM.

JOURNALISM SHOULD NOT BE ABOUT THE DIMENSIONS OF A NEWSROOM, OR THE BOTTOM LINE OF AN ACCOUNTANT'S LEDGER.

JOURNALISM IS ABOUT CREATIVE, AND UH, CRITICAL THINKING.

IT'S ABOUT PROVIDING UH, INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC, IT'S ABOUT GOOD STORYTELLING.

YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T SEE JOURNALISM AS, YOU GIVE ME INFORMATION.

THEY SEE IT AS, WE ENGAGE.

I THINK IN MANY WAYS, KIDS TODAY GREW UP A LITTLE BIT FASTER THAN THEY DID FIFTEEN YEARS AGO.

THEY’RE MORE YOUNG ADULTS AT AN EARLIER AGE, AND UM, THEIR VIEWPOINTS CAN BE REALLY POWERFUL.

YOU KNOW, I FIRST HEARD LESLIE – I GUESS IT WAS MOSTLY LESLIE TALKING ABOUT STUDENTS DOING THE NEWS.

YOU KNOW, AND I THOUGHT, THIS WOULD BE GREAT, UH, THIS WOULD BE REALLY GREAT.

‘CAUSE YOU LOOK AT THE NEWS, AND THERE'S REALLY NOTHING IN-DEPTH ANYMORE, AND THERE'S HARDLY ANY SENSE OF THE RICHNESS OF A STORY.

AND THE THOUGHT, AT LEAST THOSE EXPRESSED TO ME, IS THE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO HAVE THE TIME TO TELL A FULLER STORY, AND TELL IT FROM A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

NOT ADULTS TELLING KIDS WHAT THE NEWS IS, BUT THE STUDENTS SAYING, THESE ARE THE STORIES WE WANT TO TELL.

WELL, I THINK HIKI NO IS INCREDIBLY EXCITING.

I MEAN, IT'S A VERY AMBITIOUS PROJECT.

AND I'M TAKEN BY THE IDEA THAT ALL THESE STUDENT WILL BE EQUIPPED AND ARMED, AND TRAINED TO TELL STORIES.

AND THE IDEA OF SEEING WHAT THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE THROUGH THEIR EYES IS FASCINATING.

SO, I'M AMAZED BY THE AMBITION OF THE PROJECT, AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF IT.

THREE, TWO, ONE.

WHEN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ORGANIZE, AND UM, THINK THEIR THINGS THROUGH, LIKE YOU KNOW • AND THEY ACT LIKE YOUNG ADULTS, THEY'RE VERY POWERFUL.

I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE CAN HEAR NOT ONLY MY VOICE, BUT THE KIDS' VOICES IN GENERAL.

BECAUSE KIDS DO HAVE A LOT TO SAY, BUT THEY DON'T GIVE US ENOUGH CREDIT, WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.

OF COURSE, MY VOICE IS IMPORTANT EVERYBODY'S VOICE IS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, AND THAT'S VALUABLE.

MY STUDENTS ARE ELEVEN, TWELVE, AND THIRTEEN YEARS OLD.

YOU'LL SEE THAT THEY'RE QUITE INTELLIGENT, AND THE THINGS THAT THEY SEE, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY THINK THAT STUDENTS THAT AGE ARE THINKING ABOUT THOSE THINGS.

BUT THEY DO, AND THEY'RE DEALING WITH ISSUES THAT ARE IN SCHOOL, UH, ISSUES THAT ARE IN HOME, UH, THEIR VOICES ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT TO BE HEARD, EVEN IF THEY'RE ELEVEN YEARS OLD [INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] FOR AS LONG AS ANYONE CAN REMEMBER, HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAMES ON KAUAI HAVE BEEN PLAYED AT NIGHT.

SO, IT'S UNUSUAL TO BE PLAYING A GAME UNDER THE SUN, RATHER THAN UNDER THE LIGHTS.

BUT AS OF THE 2010 KIF FOOTBALL SEASON, THE COUNTY OF KAUAI HAS DECIDED THAT THE TRADITIONAL FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GAMES BE MOVED TO SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

BUT WHY?

IT'S BECAUSE OF THIS LITTLE GUY, THE NEWELL'S SHEARWATER, AN ENDANGERED SPECIES FOUND ONLY KAUAI.

BRIGHT FOOTBALL LIGHTS CAN CONFUSE THE BIRDS WHEN THEY'RE ON THEIR FIRST FLIGHT OUT TO SEA, AND THEY CAN CRASH ON THE GROUND AND SOMETIMES THEY'LL DIE.

BECAUSE THEIR POPULATION IS DECLINING SO RAPIDLY, WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING.

BUT OTHERS MAY NOT AGREE.

THEY LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR SENIOR SEASON, IN THE LIGHTS, WITH A FULL CROWD OF FANS, BAND PLAYING, YOU KNOW, THE FANS BEHIND THEM.

AND THAT WAS ALL TAKEN AWAY.

THE GOAL, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, OF HIKI NO IS NOT TO EXPOSE THE NEGATIVE, BUT IT IS TO SHARE REALITY.

AND IF REALITY IS, UM, TROUBLING IT'S STILL VERY IMPORTANT THAT IT BE BROUGHT FORTH, AND THAT IT BE SHARED, AND THAT ADULTS SHOW THE RESTRAINT TO ALLOW KIDS TO UM, DRAW ON THEIR ENERGY, AND INSPIRATION, AND CREATIVITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE WORLD WHAT THEIR WORLD REALLY LOOKS LIKE TO THEM.

THIS IS GOING TO OPEN UP A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF EQUAL ACCESS FOR STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

THEY'RE GONNA WORK THROUGH THINGS, AGAIN, FROM THEIR OWN PERSPECTIVE, BUT IT'S GONNA HELP US SORT OF GET THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WINNERS AND LOSERS, OR HAVE OR HAVE NOTS, AND TRY TO UNDO THE MENTAL PART OF THAT.

WE NEED TO DO BETTER WITH OUR OVERALL SYSTEM.

BUT I THINK THERE ARE THINGS LIKE THIS THAT CAN ACTUALLY LEAPFROG AT LEAST SOME OF THE THINKING, THE PERCEPTION, THE FEELING THAT PEOPLE HAVE.

THE NAME OF THE SCHOOL IS KE KULA NIIHAU O KEKAHA.

THE NAME ACTUALLY JUST MEANS, THE NIIHAU SCHOOL OF KEKAHA.

THE PURPOSE AND THE MISSION OF THE SCHOOL IS TO SERVE THE FAMILIES OF THE NIIHAU COMMUNITY WHO NOW RESIDE ON THE ISLAND OF KAUAI, OR THOSE WHO GO BACK AND FORTH TO NIIHAU.

STUDENTS ALWAYS LEARN BEST WHEN THEY CAN RELATE OR THEY CAN SCAFFOLD THEIR LEARNING TO THEIR BACKGROUND INFORMATION.

AND THIS IS WHAT WE TRY TO DO WITH THE NIIHAU STUDENTS, TO PRESERVE THEIR LANGUAGE, BUT ALSO TO EASE THEM INTO THE WESTERN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

FOR US, IT'S QUITE A LITTLE PROCESS.

BECAUSE I DON'T SPEAK HAWAIIAN.

AND SO, WHEN THEY WRITE THEIR INTRODUCTIONS, THEY'LL WRITE IT OUT IN ENGLISH TOGETHER AS A TEAM.

UM, I'LL TAKE A FIRST LOOK AT IT AND THEN IT'LL GO BACK TO THEM.

DO YOU WANT TO MAKE CHANGES HERE LET'S MAKE SOME CHANGES, AND WE'LL TAKE IT AS FAR AS I CAN IN ENGLISH.

THE KIDS TRANSLATE IT INTO NIIHAU.

THEY TRANSLATE IT.

AND ONCE THEIR COMFORTABLE WITH IT, AND ACTUALLY SPEAKING IT OUT LOUD SO IT FLOWS, THEY CAN HEAR IT, ONCE THEIR COMFORTABLE WITH IT, THEN IT GOES BACK OUT TO ONE OF THE OTHER TEACHERS HERE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, REALLY FLUENT, AND THEY MAKE ANY CORRECTIONS.

IT COMES BACK TO US, YOU KNOW, AND THEN IT GOES IN THE TELEPROMPTER, THE KIDS GO OUT AND PRACTICE IT.

THE ACTIVITY, THE PRODUCT, THE END PRODUCT – A TELEVISION SHOW, A NEWS SHOW ON THE AIR – WAS REALLY SECONDARY TO THE EXPERIENCE THAT THE STUDENTS ARE GONNA GET FROM IT.

IT REALLY IS ABOUT TEACHING 21ST CENTURY SKILLS TO STUDENTS.

WHEN THEY LEARN HOW THEY CAN USE THE TECHNOLOGY TO SUIT THEIR INTEREST IN LIFE, OR THEIR CREATIVE SIDE, I THINK THE SOONER YOU GET STARTED ON THAT, WHERE IT JUST KEEPS BUILDING CONFIDENCE THAT YOU SEE BUBBLING UP, BUBBLING UP, BUBBLING UP, BY THE TIME THEY LEAVE SCHOOL, THEY HAVE A KEEN UNDERSTANDING OF UH, WHERE THEY STAND AS FAR AS TECHNOLOGY WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD.

I WOULD BE SO THRILLED IF EVERYONE COULD JUST KNOW HOW I FEEL, AND KNOW WHO I AM, AND JUST RESPECT ME FOR WHO I AM THIS IS WHAT I DO.

WE REALLY ARE TRAINING THEM TO LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE TO HAVE THE INTEREST AND THE WONDER IN THE WORLD AROUND THEM, AND PEOPLE AROUND THEM, AS WELL AS THE COMPASSION TO HEAR THOSE STORIES, AND TO TRY TO REACH OUT AND UNDERSTAND, AND THEN TELL THEM WELL.

OUR PHILOSOPHY IS ALWAYS, IF YOU HAVE LEARNED NOTHING ABOUT DIGITAL MEDIA WHEN YOU LEAVE US YOUR SENIOR YEAR, WE HOPE YOU HAVE LEARNED WHAT'S IMPORTANT IN LIFE.

AS EDUCATORS, OUR JOB IS TO TEACH YOU AND TO PREPARE YOU FOR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, FOR THE REAL WORLD.

SO, WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE GOING TO BE TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW?

IT STAGGERS THE MIND, TO THINK WHAT WE MAY KNOW TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW THAT WE DON'T.

SO I DON'T THINK IT'S THAT FIXED POOL OF KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU GET OUT OF SCHOOL.

I THINK IT'S YOUR ABILITY TO THINK, YOUR ABILITY OR YOUR – YOUR DEMAND ON YOURSELF THAT YOU THINK CRITICALLY, THAT YOU GO FIND INFORMATION, THAT YOU TRY TO PROCESS ENOUGH INFORMATION SO YOU ACTUALLY CAN TRY TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU YOUR ABILITY TO WORK WITH OTHER HUMAN BEINGS.

IF YOU CAN COME OUT OF SCHOOL WITH THOSE THINGS, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE.

WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT HIKI NO IT WAS JUST REALLY EXCITING TO FIND THAT AN ORGANIZATION LIKE PBS HAWAII WAS LOOKING TO BACK UH, A STUDENT NEWS TYPE BROADCAST THROUGHOUT THE STATE, LOOKING FOR STORIES THAT WERE DONE AND CREATED BY STUDENTS, AND TO GIVE THEM THAT VOICE IN THE COMMUNITY, TO SHARE WHAT'S GOING ON.

I WAS JUST REALLY, REALLY EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT IT, AND I WAS JUST, VERY PLEASED TO BE ASKED TO BE PART OF IT.

IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITING, TO SEE THE WHOLE PROCESS FINALLY SLOWLY COME TOGETHER NOW AT THE END, UM, FROM DAY ONE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE WERE.

BUT A LOT OF MIXED EMOTIONS, ANTICIPATION, YOU KNOW, BUT A LOT OF STRESS, HOPING TO MEET THE PBS STANDARDS AND, YOU KNOW, UPHOLD THAT.

ANYBODY CAN LEARN TO RUN A CAMERA.

I MEAN, PUSH RECORD, AND YOU CAN RUN A CAMERA.

BUT NOW, THEY HAVE TO THINK OF A STORY, YOU HAVE TO TELL THE STORY, YOU HAVE TO FILM IT, THEY GOTTA GET THE SOUND.

SO IT'S A WHOLE INTEGRATED PROCESS, WHICH I THINK IS UM – ONE OF THE BEST ATTRIBUTES OF THE PROGRAM.

I HOPE THAT OUR STUDENTS – WHAT THEY GET OUT OF THIS PROGRAM IS THAT THEY ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER STUDENT FROM ANY OTHER SCHOOL ACROSS THE STATE.

WHETHER YOU'RE FROM THE BIG ISLAND, FROM MAUI, FROM KAUAI, FROM YOU KNOW, OAHU, THEY'RE ALL VERY MUCH ALIKE.

IT'S SUCH AN AMAZING THING TO SEE COME TOGETHER.

AND UM – IT'S WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE, AND MORE NOW.

♪ ALOHA.

I'M CHRISTOPHER KIM.

I'M DAYNA YAMASAKI.

AND I'M JUSTIN COLLADO.

WE'RE HERE ON THE CAMPUS OF OUR SCHOOL, MAUI WAENA INTERMEDIATE.

HOME BASE FOR THIS PREMIERE EPISODE OF HIKI NO, THE NATION'S FIRST STATEWIDE STUDENT NEWS NETWORK.

HIKI NO MEANS CAN DO.

AND YOU'LL SEE WHAT STUDENTS FROM OUR TEAM OF SCHOOLS CAN DO.

THIS EPISODE'S TEAM IS MADE UP OF NINE SCHOOLS FROM FOUR ISLANDS.

FROM KAUAI, THERE'S CHIEFESS KAMAKAHELEI MIDDLE SCHOOL.

FROM HAWAII ISLAND, KONA WAENA HIGH SCHOOL.

ON OAHU, WAIPAHU HIGH SCHOOL, KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS KAPALAMA.

KAWANANAKOA MIDDLE SCHOOL, KALANI HIGH SCHOOL, AND SACRED HEARTS ACADEMY.

FROM MAUI, THERE'S MAUI HIGH SCHOOL, AND OF COURSE, MAUI WAENA INTERMEDIATE.

ON THIS SHOW, YOU'LL HEAR FROM DIVERSE VOICES ACROSS THE ISLAND CHAIN.

TELLING STORIES THAT CONNECT COMMUNITIES.

ON HIKI NO.

CAN DO.

♪