[intro music] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Aloha and welcome to HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

My name is Cynthia Lefaoseu.

And I'm Madison Mueller.

We're excited to be back to host another HIKI NŌ show and represent Wahiawā Middle School on O‘ahu.

Mahalo for joining us to watch the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

In this episode, we'll learn about one student's heroic ancestor whose actions allowed generations after him to thrive.

We'll meet inspiring music teachers who encourage their students to stick with the beat of their own heart, we'll learn some practical advice about riding electronic bicycles, and we'll hear about one elementary school group's experience at the state capital.

Let's get into it.

First up, a Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy student takes us to her home on Hawai‘i Island for an epic family story.

This is a story about how my family tree was saved through the bravery and love of my Great Uncle John, who saved my Great Grandfather Howard Loo from a flood in Waipi‘o Valley.

This story has been passed down through several generations and is still being told today by our kupuna.

Papa Loo and his siblings, they lived a very humble life.

There was not much to do down in the valley except for work, taking care of the lo'i, taking care of their plants, their house, playing, swimming in the river, playing at the beach.

So, it was a very simple life, no Wi-Fi.

Uncle John Loo was a very nice man.

He was one of the older of the siblings, so everybody looked up to him.

Uncle John was a loving, kind, humble, and generous person.

Would give his shirt off his back to anyone that is in need.

This was the kind of man who would face any danger for our family, and during a flood in Waipi‘o Valley, that's exactly what he stepped up to do.

My papa was an infant.

Uncle John was in his teens.

There was a big flood in the valley, and they were living at a house about a mile inside the valley from the bottom of the Pali, which is the road.

The rivers were swelling up, and there was a flood.

Grandma and Grandpa Loo at the time realized that they needed to leave immediately, so they packed up all the kids.

Uncle John, being one of the older siblings, helped, and they left on foot to go up to the Pali.

In the chaos of escape, a parent's worst nightmare unfolded.

Grandma Loo realized that the baby was missing after arriving at the top of the valley.

Uncle John, without hesitation, made his way back down to the valley.

Oh, it was super dangerous because the water, right?

I mean, there's really one way in and one way out.

Upon entering the home, he found Papa, sound asleep and was not in danger.

After retrieving Papa, imagine he had to carry Papa all the way back up to the Pali in the wind and rain.

It's a cool story because it's, you know it's one branch of the family, right?

I mean, if like I said, if something happened to Papa at the time, we wouldn't be here.

Uncle John didn't know it then, but he had saved more than one life that night.

Waipi‘o Valley means life because it was the beginning of our family.

Every time we have a family reunion, everybody comes back, and we always end up down there in the valley, at that house.

And the family story continues to inspire new generations.

This is Kaia Loo from Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Now let's head over to James Campbell High School on O‘ahu.

The Campbell band teacher, who was once a music student himself, shares what it is like to teach the next generation of musicians.

In James Campbell High School's band program, change isn't optional.

Every year, seniors leave, new students walk in, and the sound starts over.

My name is Scott Pierre.

I'm one of the band directors here at James Campbell High School, and we are here in our office.

This is my sixth year here, so I got here right after COVID, and I've gotten to work with the kids here since then.

Campbell High School band director Scott Pierre experiences firsthand the changes the band goes through each and every year, seeing new faces and new beginnings.

It's definitely changed a lot, you know.

The band has gotten a little bit smaller, but I think the kids in it, they're closer to each other, and they're more bought in to what we're trying to do.

And when I like, got introduced to like, music and like, my headphones, it like, kind of brought me into, like, a new world.

It also changed me by how my personality is.

And seeing that, like, I get to be a part of something in high school where like there's more people who has that same passion, it makes me feel very inspired to just keep going.

I'd say it's made me a lot more social.

Like, when I got into high school, I was pretty shy.

But then when I had band, you know, I got to be with people I felt a lot more comfortable with, and it's just improved me a lot.

For them, music is the catalyst for self-confidence.

Band has helped them find a place they could belong.

Pierre, who was once a band student in high school, gets to live through the next generation of musicians that he teaches.

The kids are fantastic to work with.

They're the best part about the job.

I hope I've taught students a lot, but I think I've learned just as much from them over the last few years.

I feel like Campbell has its own playlist, its own soundtrack, and currently we're in the middle of figuring out just exactly what that soundtrack is.

Us as musicians, our goal is kind of to find that soundtrack and then play it.

The faces will change next year.

The sound will change too, but somewhere in the noise, a new soundtrack is waiting to be found.

At the end of the day, you know, you're probably not going to remember what you played, or how well you did, or what was easy or hard about playing a certain piece of music, but you're going to remember how it felt to do that and the people that you got to do it with.

This is Ryan Alacar from James Campbell High School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Let's revisit another story about a music teacher at Konawaena High School on Hawai‘i Island.

Students there captured some of his wisdom from his professional experience in this story from 2012.

What do you want to do after high school?

What do you want to be?

I said, "I want to be in music."

And she said, "Well, what are you going to be, a starving musician, or just another music teacher?"

Not everyone can be a rock star, but it is possible for those who have the determination to learn the trade to have a career in the music industry.

For the past three years, Konawaena High School has been fortunate to have a music teacher, Louis Pinault, who approaches music as an industry, but what makes Louis Pinault qualified to teach students how to break into one of the toughest industries?

It's been my experience through my life.

I've been playing music professionally and semi-professionally since I was a teenager, and I just happened to get lucky in 2003 and meet somebody here in Hawai‘i who appreciated my talents and asked me to do some recording.

Once we did that, asked me to tour with them, and I ended up touring at a very high level, opening up.

You know, the artist I toured with was Jessie Collin Young.

He's a gold record artist, and I ended up opening up for all kinds of great artists like Steve Miller Band, and the Beach Boys, and co-headlining with people like Leon Russell.

That's what I bring to the classrooms.

I bring my experience, my enthusiasm, and I kind of just pass that on to the students and let them know that they can have a future in the music business and not just be a music teacher or a starving musician.

So, there's a great educational connection between this class and what happens after at a college and university level.

Louis likes to keep an open class to let creative juices flow through the students.

No desks doesn't mean no work.

Skills such as music theory, copyright issues, and sound engineering are taught.

Now I know that when I listen to a song, what I listen to isn't everything that was put into the song.

Like, there's possibly hundreds of people that were in the production of this song.

Not only did Louis make a promise to himself to be a working musician, but he also has given the students at Konawaena High School the confidence and know-how to work in the music industry.

That's what I promised myself, and that's why you're here.

You're here not just to hang out.

You're here to see that you can be really happy and make a really good living.

This is Alex Miyashiro rocking out in the band room from Konawaena High School.

[ocean wave]   In this next story from our archives, we'll meet a singing nun who uses music to teach her students valuable lessons.

The profile was produced by students at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School on Kaua‘i.

One, two, three, one, two, three.

[singing] Gather the people… Sister Gina Senapilo loves teaching through song.

Every weekend, she leads the children's choir at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lihue.

She founded the choir as a way to share the power of music and the lessons behind it.

So, for me, music is a really very powerful tool also in teaching people about the values of life, the values of the Kingdom, and then also the values of learning.

Yeah, in learning there are really values: the values of humility, the values of friendship, the values of freedom, and the values of community living, the value of just loving people, whoever they are.

[singing]   Sister Gina grew up in the Philippines and was inspired to teach at a young age.

So, before I graduated college, I already know what I want in life: to become a missionary, and to teach the children who cannot go like, to the Catholic school.

I have this vivid experience when I was a kid of a teacher who was so impatient with kids, and because he was so impatient, he would always scold kids, and kids would stay away from her.

So, when I was second grade at that time, and I said to myself, I want to be a really very patient teacher, so that my students will learn to love school, and they learn more because they enjoy the teacher, and the teacher is very patient to them.

Sister Gina loves children and is constantly inspired by them.

I always like their simplicity.

I always like their humility, and you have children, even if they have simple thoughts.

They teach us so much as adults.

They teach us also values of patience and love.

Sister Gina expresses her emotions through singing and hopes her students are inspired to do the same.

I really love music.

When I'm sad, I sing.

When I'm happy, I sing.

When I want to talk to my God, I sing, and it makes difference because they can relate.

You know, it's the melody, it's the lesson of the song that is speaking to the person, not only to their brains, but most of all, to their hearts.

This is Haley Arakaki from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] Music can be a tool for healing as well.

Here's a story that exemplifies that up close on Maui.

It was produced by students at Hawai‘i Technology Academy on O‘ahu.

Music was always something part of my life ever since I was growing up as a child.

Rueben Pali has been teaching music to the keiki of Maui for years.

Well, first it was kind of like a vision I had after I had an accident.

I had this vision of kids playing on the stage and with ukulele and singing.

You know, people that live here they started coming up and say, "You want to teach my kids?"

I was like, "Oh, wow!"

And then another one comes up and tells me the same thing.

So, I was like, "This seems like confirmation."

So, I kind of got on my knees and I just praised God for that.

You know, and that's how Maui Music Mission became.

However, in August 2023, tragedy struck on Maui.

Maui fire took a lot out of everybody here in Lahaina, especially for the businesses as well as families.

A lot of people lost everything.

We had lost, me and my wife, we lost our residence, and we also lost our business studio where we were at the outlets of Maui.

Everything that we had was invested into that, um, the business.

Without the studio or the instruments, all hope seemed to be lost.

But Rueben Pali continued to push onward.

We lost everything that, you know, was materials that we lost, but we were, we survived, and you know we're grateful for our lives.

The fires destroyed one elementary campus and damaged three other campuses, displacing more than 3,000 students, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser.

Many students at Hawai‘i Technology Academy's Maui campus were also affected, and they are among the students who are healing through music, rain or shine.

Here I am at HTA, and I'm loving it because I love to teach.

And no one is happier to have Mr.

Rueben than the keiki themselves.

Yeah, um, one of my best friends, uh, she is always looking forward to music class.

Um, and she lost her home too, and she used to just when she first came here, she was always sad.

But she's happier now.

I like that it kind of pushes you to like your limit, so you learn more.

I would just tell him thank you for being in all these kids' life and teaching them how to play the instruments.

Music opens up a new door for them.

You know, it gets them away from everything else, where they can just continue to learn, sing the songs that they like to sing, and just be in their own kind of, you know, world.

It's giving them hope.

This is Litz Nachname from Hawai‘i Technology Academy for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Let's learn some practical ways to ride electronic bikes safely in this next tutorial from a student at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy on the Big Island.

Please remember to check your local laws about the bicycles you ride on the roads.

Did you know that e-bikes can be a great mode of transportation and can be really fun?

But do you know how to be safe while riding?

Just riding bikes in general is super fun, but safety always comes first.

There are three different classes of e-bikes.

These classes have different speeds and could be used for different things.

Class 1 e-bikes only provide assistance from the motor when someone is pedaling, and this class only gets up to 20 miles per hour.

Class 2 e-bikes have a throttle to assist you but can still only go up to 20 miles per hour.

Class 3 e-bikes have a throttle and could go up to 28 miles per hour when you're pedaling.

Although all classes are a bit different, the same rules apply to all of them.

You need to be 15 or older to ride them on public roads and must follow the rules of the road.

There are seven easy steps to be safe.

Number one, wear a helmet.

The state law in Hawai‘i says that anyone under 18 years old is required to wear a helmet.

Other protective gear is also recommended.

Number two, avoid distractions.

Stay alert and focus on the road.

Always watch for turning cars or potholes in the road.

Number three, ride with the flow of traffic.

Always ride on the right side of the road so cars can anticipate what you're going to do next.

Four, signal your intentions.

Use proper hand signals to indicate turns or stops.

Five, be predictable.

Make your intentions clear.

Ride with control and avoid funny business.

Number six, all road signs apply to you.

Follow all traffic signals as a car would and be especially careful at intersections and crosswalks.

Number seven, be visible.

You can be visible by using a white front light paired with a red rear light and use reflectors.

So, remember, e-bikes are an awesome way to get around and have fun, but keeping yourself and others safe means following the rules, know your local laws, and you should always be wearing protective gear.

Now that you know about e-bikes, charge up, ride out, and stay safe.

This is A‘ali‘i Wengler-Ioane from Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] While the shop is no longer there, this portrait of a bicycle guru in Pauoa Valley on O‘ahu is a memorable one from our archives.

It was produced by students at Kawananakoa Middle School on O‘ahu.

Well, I've always liked bicycles, and there are two things that I like about this, and that is that I love bicycles, and I also am very interested and passionate about preservation.

And so, we take bikes, not all the time, but we take bikes that sometimes would go in the landfill and restore them and make them usable so people can enjoy them.

So, two things: bicycles and preservation are the reason that I did it, because we don't sell new bicycles; we only sell used.

When kids get a bike, they're usually pretty excited, and you know what?

Even when we sell an adult bike, people are pretty excited to have a bike because it means they can go to work on it, they can use it for recreation, they can use it for exercise.

So, people get pretty excited.

That's the most rewarding part.

I am happy every day, every time I'm on a bicycle, I have to tell you.

But one of the happiest moments for me was when I was riding my bicycle through New England on a tour, which I put together myself, and way early, I was touring on a bicycle, in the country where I grew up, and it was really great.

It was really fun.

I mean, for a whole host of reasons.

As I said, a bicycle is recreation, the ability to get to work on it, and for exercise.

And so, what we do is give the money that we make here to Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange, which is a program for young people in Kalihi.

I didn't contemplate the fact that we would serve this community.

I thought we would have served a bigger community.

I'm very, very happy with serving this community, but I didn't contemplate the fact that we would be basically a store for Pauoa Valley and Kawananakoa and you know the immediate area, and that's been very fulfilling.

I mean, that's been great.

I love this.

You know, it's a small community shop.

People come in here.

Kids come in from Kawananakoa, which is wonderful.

I have a couple of kids who come in and I have them do certain chores and pay them and they come in and work on their bikes and it couldn't be better, and I love the community.

I mean I live just up the street half a mile so, you know, but I've gotten to know this community a lot better as a result of having this shop and that's ideal.

I mean, I love community and the idea of doing things as a community.

[ocean wave]   Now let's visit the state capital with some of our youngest correspondents from Pearl Ridge Elementary School on O‘ahu.

Education Day is an annual event that the Senate puts on and sponsors at the state capital, and what we participated in was the student showcase, and that's to showcase all the education and learning that's going on in different schools.

Students from across the state brought their projects to the state Capitol, sharing their ideas, creativity, and hard work through hands-on exhibits and conversations with legislators and visitors.

Pearl Ridge Elementary was invited to the state capital to talk about the activities beyond the classroom.

We talked about things like our garden club, gifted and talented, and our color guard team, or, also known as squad.

It's important because it allows the community to see what's going on in different schools, all the great things, and then in turn, legislatively support bills that have to do with education later.

I call it live action, and so you guys did really well at the live action.

People were really talking about the way that our presentation was delivered, and I think everybody enjoyed it.

Did you notice that people clapped at ours?

Every time after you finished, people clap, even people that were just around and watching, who weren't directly the ones pressing the button to bring you guys live.

We met many people, such as Senator Brandon Elefante, Superintendent Keith Hayashi and the Vice President of the Senate Michelle Kidani.

We were also recognized into the Senate by Senator Brandon Elefante.

Students giving their showcase today.

We have Aily Valbuena, Harper Ramos, Presley Antonio, Osten Mehio, Graycen Enos, and Isabella Lau Segura.

[applause] It was a wonderful experience to represent Pearl Ridge Elementary at Education Week.

This is Graycen Enos.

And Osten Mehio for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave]   Well, that's our show.

Mahalo for watching the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Don't forget to follow PBS Hawai‘i on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to enjoy the best stories from students across Hawai‘i.

You can find this HIKI NŌ episode and more at pbshawaii.org.

Tune in next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

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