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

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

My name is Emma Forges, and I'm a junior at Waipahu High School on O‘ahu.

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

In this episode, we are headed back to school, navigating new beginnings and preserving legacies.

We'll hear from students about adjusting to new environments and adapting to unexpected situations.

Let's start this new school year and HIKI NŌ season with a story from students at Moanalua Middle School on O‘ahu.

They captured Transition Day for students moving up to middle school from elementary school.

[cheering] Here at Moanalua Middle School, Transition Day helps incoming seventh graders feel confident and prepared.

Students tour the campus, meet teachers, and get comfortable with their new environment, since many struggle on the first day of school.

Supporting this event is Maria Quidez from the Castle Foundation.These current students, there's probably a lot of anxiety for them in coming into a new school, being the, you know, the youngest kid in a school after they've just been the oldest, and so this probably helps them feel a little more comfortable in that time.

As students find their classrooms and meet new faces, big feelings turn into confidence.

Teachers and staff put a lot of heart into this day, making sure every student feels welcome.

From little kid to starting to think about what I want to do in the future and where I want to go and become more independent.

And so, for us it was important because we knew that there was a need for more of these types of events that really helped to bridge that gap.

Knowing where to go and what to expect can help students focus on learning once school starts.

It helps students to just feel more comfortable.

It also allows them to ask any questions that they might have coming into something so new, and it means that, you know, they have a friendly face on that first day of school that's not necessarily their classmates, but someone who already knows kind of what to expect in middle school.

Today wasn't just about knowing the campus and schedules; it was about connection.

Transition Day helps give students a sense of belonging before the school year begins.

This is Brooklynn Kiselyk from Moanalua Middle School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] This next piece comes from students at Āliamanu Middle School on O‘ahu, where many U.S.

military families may come and go.

They also focus on that transition from elementary to middle school.

Let's watch.

The season of spring often reminds us that change is just around the corner.

Flowers bud, trees bloom, and birds migrate.

In schools across Hawai‘i, students are also going through changes of their own.

In elementary school, students are getting ready to take the next big step in life, middle school.

At Āliamanu Elementary, the sixth graders are preparing for their transition over to Āliamanu Middle.When I first get into middle school, I think like, everything's gonna be different.

I'll be older, things will be new.

We'll have to start like, doing different classes and not stay in one place at once, so it'll probably be a little bit harder than it is now.I've heard that middle school is tough, very tough.

I expect like, a new chapter in life.

Since middle school has a lot of classes, than elementary school, like this one doesn't have any classes at all.

You have to know when to go.

You have to like, memorize everything.

Elementary school is actually pretty hard too, so I'm expecting a lot in middle school.

Some students have fears of being teased, bullied, or not fitting in when they enter middle school.

I'm scared of tall people making fun of my size.

I just fear that like some, kids will be mean to me of how short or tall I am.

I am pretty afraid of going to middle school because I feel like everything is going to change, between remembering which classes to go to on which days, and how to navigate around the school... The students aren't going it alone, though.

At each school level, teachers, counselors, and registrars are there for support.

They make sure there are certain procedures in place to make the transitions go smoothly.

I’m kind of the person that helps coordinate and get different people involved to help all our new students that come in from our feeder schools.

Some of the sixth graders ask about which classes are they going to take.

The things that they're worried about is they may try to sign up for 12 classes, or they try to pick up one class and think they're only going to take that.

These incoming students may feel overwhelmed.

However, some middle schools, such as Āliamanu Middle, ease the anxiety by scheduling the first day of school for seventh grade only.

That first day, they meet with their teachers, and they take a tour of the school on that first day, and then the second day, then we have eighth graders, so we have both grades.

But that makes it really nice for them to not be so intimidated by eighth graders, should we say?

Change is always an intimidating thing, especially if you're leaving the secure surroundings of elementary school.

But one thing is for certain: we all have to grow up and move on with our lives.

From Āliamanu Middle School, I'm Chelsee Javier for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] Some students in Hawai‘i move from their home island to another just to go to school.

That's the case in this archive story from Kamehameha Schools - Kapālama on O‘ahu.In 1887, when the Kamehameha School for Boys was founded, it was originally a boarding school.

114 years later, our school continues to offer boarding.

With over 1,700 boarders living in 10 different dorms, they represent about 20% of the high school population.

Most boarders come from neighbor islands, although a few hail from the mainland as well as O‘ahu.

[Speaking in Hawaiian] Boarding life to me is living independently and living in a dorm full of girls, it means living off kimchi bowls and candy.

Boarding is very structured with a lot of rules.

It's very strict.

It depends on like, your family and your background.

For me, boarding is a lot stricter than home.

Strict rules such as check-in times and chore responsibilities are overseen by dorm advisors who take the place of parents.

For this arrangement, parents pay a minimal boarding fee, which is added to their tuition.

If you're a regular like, day student, then you wouldn't have check-in times.

Like, you wouldn't have to check in right after school and like, you know, rush it to your dorm, or you wouldn't have to check in at six or 10.

Filling out passes, that is like, the worst ever because you have to like, call up your parents, and then you gotta call up the person you're checking out with, and then it's like, oh my gosh, so many steps just to like go out with someone.

On the other hand, living on campus eliminates the worries of actually getting to school and getting home.

We get to wake up a little more later than day students, and also, we have food provided for us.

While the dining hall offers family-style eating, boarders often tire of having all of their meals there and turn to other food options.

But being on their own means that boarders need to make the right choices when it comes to food as well as everything else.

And I think from a value standpoint, we learned how to be independent.

We learned how to live on O‘ahu and worked through the challenge of not having a parent to depend on all the time.

We come here and we learn life lessons, and we grow, and we like, move on with our friends, and we make like, relationships that we'll never find anywhere else.

It is these bonds that help us through hard times when we miss our families and the comforts of home, but the unique experience of boarding stays with us for a lifetime.

I'm Shea Tamura for Kamehameha Schools - Kapālama Campus for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] It's been three difficult years since wildfires destroyed the town of Lahaina on Maui and upended so many lives.

Students at Lahaina Intermediate School produced this next story about how residents are faring now.

On the west side of the island of Maui lies a town, Lahaina.

Formerly known as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, it is a beloved historical town with tourists bustling about and locals living their everyday lives.

Lahaina is one of a kind.

But on August 8, 2023, the unimaginable would happen.

It all started with high winds and downed power lines, and in just a few hours, everything – our homes, the town we made so many memories in – was engulfed in flames.

More than 2,000 buildings were damaged or lost, and 102 lives taken.

But now that it's been almost three years, how is Lahaina and its people doing now?

My name is Lori Koyama.

My name is Kini Varona.

Joel Tamayo.

So, the fire affected me.

I lost my house and lost a couple vehicles, lost a lot of generational memories.

Not just in my house, but the whole Lahaina.

I grew up, you know, walking down Front Street.

I went to Kam III.

All the places I have known growing up, I lost that as well in the fire.

I think the aftermath of the fire is affecting everyone, whether you lost your house or not.

It's just such a big loss.

Personally, I tend to be procrastinating more now.

Before, I used to be able to do things quicker.

I noticed that when I start a project or start a task, I have a hard time finishing it.

I put it aside, and then takes me forever to finish it.

After the fire, mentally I wasn't doing too good.

I could pretend to be good, but, you know, there were many times where I would just start crying all of a sudden, and I still do that till this day, but not as often.

So, a lot has changed since the fire, like jobs, living situation, you know, our town – it's – it will not be the same.

In the beginning, I was a little nervous, especially when moving back to our home.

Whenever there's a news of storm coming, high winds or news of brush fire, tend to get a little bit nervous and on edge.

So, since the fire, I have relocated to Kahului and have been living there ever since.

My mental state is better, and now I commute to work.My housing situation has changed a lot.

You know, we were going from house to house.

Now we're living in tiny homes.

Work has changed.

People are expecting more because of the lack of labor.

There's a labor shortage, and then personally, it's just more things to do now, trying to catch up on things, home projects or family projects.

So that's been kind of keeping me busy.

I'm actually shocked at how fast things are moving with the homes being rebuilt.

Initially, we were told, you know, anywhere from five to 10 years, and that's based off of the fires that happened in California.

So, seeing homes being rebuilt in two years, that's, that's amazing.

As far as the business side goes, you know, there's a lot of struggle there because no progress has been made in downtown Lahaina yet.

You know, waiting for your house to be rebuilt has been really stressful.

My parents, just getting the permitting, has all been a lot of stress on them, and I can tell they're frustrated.

But we're all doing our best.

We've come a long way.

I mean, if you look at Lahaina town, so much building going on, and unfortunately, still a lot of long ways to go.

But after talking to the neighbors, some of them are still hurting.

They're recovering, but things are moving along.

The only problem right now that we're noticing when we talk to people is the housing situation.

They still have a deadline to look forward to with FEMA and state housing.

So eventually, that deadline is going to come close.

I think Lahaina Town has persevered.

We have a lot of people who care about our town and the people in our town, and it's because of those people that we have been able to progress as quickly as we have.

As a community, I think two years is not going to be enough time to fully rebuild, you know, only some of us have started rebuilding our houses.

As of right now, Lahaina is still in the process of recovering.

While some streets remain closed, others have been opened up to residents.

There are hundreds of families that are still displaced, haven't rebuilt, and yet the community still strives with resilience.

This is Khrislyn Solano from Lahaina Intermediate for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave]Maui Waena [ocean wave] Maui Waena Intermediate School students on Maui received first place in the middle school division of the 2024 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i's Spring Challenge for this story about a family-owned organic farm.

The landscape just can't handle those kinds of changes so drastically.

Here at Noho‘ana Farms, the people work together to utilize the land and nurture the ‘āina, fighting for a better future.

I would say we are contributing by our techniques and practices.

The use of water is a big one.

We have begun the process of bringing native life back to this place by first helping to advocate for the restoration of our streams and other streams in our area of Nā Wai ‘Ehā.

Climate change has become a rising concern.

According to Hawaii.gov, 90% of Hawai‘i receives less rainfall than it did a century ago.

Well, climate change has definitely impacted not only Maui but the entire pae ‘āina of Hawai‘i.

Our streams are not flowing as they once did, and all of that has to do with again the impacts of climate change outside.

It's an overall pae ‘āina wide issue that we all have to be involved in helping to protect, to preserve, and to steward these resources in a way that allows them to exist and to thrive in perpetuity.As climate change accelerates, it's not just the environment at risk; it's our children's future too.

[weed whacker whirring] When you do actions, you're not thinking of how this will affect me.

You're thinking of how will this affect my children's children's children, and we want them to be able to do the things we do.

[water babbling] Part of that awareness and education is bringing haumāna, students, up to the farm.

My wish is that the next generation becomes more engaged with the ‘āina in their own space.

Noho‘ana Farm strives to inspire the community to do their part.

This is Sarah Rosete from Maui Waena Intermediate School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Each summer, there is a fun-packed weekend in Waikiki, and it's all in honor of the legendary Duke Kahanamoku.

Here's the story behind Duke Kahanamoku OceanFest, produced by Campbell High School students.

[singing in Hawaiian] In Waikīkī, the ocean is more than just waves and sand.

It's the heartbeat of a legacy.

On August 15, 2025, the Duke Kahanamoku Ocean Festival kicked off with its opening ceremony at Kūhiō Beach.

Over nine days, the festival celebrates the life and legacy of legendary Olympic gold medalist surfer Duke Kahanamoku, known as the father and pioneer of modern surfing, including ocean sport competitions like water polo, longboarding, and even dog surfing.

But most importantly, at the center of Duke's story is the aloha spirit – a warmth and humility that touched everyone who met him.

I was on the Duke surf team, the four of us, right?

Those early days of the 40s, and so during that time, I saw Duke a lot on a regular basis, right?

Just to be part of the team and to be around him a lot, he was very, very humble, unbelievable humble man, and so it was an honor just to be around the Duke.For the last 10 years, I've been a part of OceanFest to celebrate Duke's legacy.

To be a part of something that is, you know, building something for people in the community and for the kids, it's awesome.Duke's influence continues to inspire new forms of creativity and community connection, such the case of Kamea Hadar, an artist whose work will soon be seen on the roads of Hawai‘i.

A lot of them know me through the large-scale mural that I did of Duke, and they had been dreaming of this license plate for quite a while.

And they reached out to me, and they said, "Do you want to be the artist who actually creates the artwork,” and I said it would be an honor.

Being able to design a Hawai‘i license plate is a dream come true for any artist.

Now I get to be part of Hawai‘i history, and not only do I get that kind of exposure for my art, but also all the benefits and the proceeds of the license plate go to the charity that helps drowning prevention for kids.

So, it's really truly a win-win for everyone.

Because of the festival, Duke's legacy will continue to live on through history and through living memory.It's important to honor those who came before.

We come down here and we can surf.

We can hang out at the beach, and we just think it's this, this beautiful spot in paradise.

But there's a lot of history here.

There's a lot of important culture here, and I hope that they walk away with understanding a little bit about Duke, and, you know, what it means to be a part of a community.

I hope that in this particular work, people feel Duke's infectious smile and the spirit of aloha, and I think if they even get a little bit of that warmth and glow that he gives off, then I've done my job as an artist.

He saved a lot of lives.

He was really part of the culture.

The Duke is very special.

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

This next inspiring story was produced by Waiākea High School students on Hawai‘i Island.

In it, they profile a teacher who takes to the waves even while living with a challenging heart condition.

Surfers are known for heart-stopping moves.

Waiākea Intermediate social studies teacher Megan Silva never expected that the sport she loved the most would play a part in the worst day of her first life.

It was January 27th, on Tuesday, 2009, and I paddled out to go surfing that morning at a beach in Hilo called Honoli‘i.

And the last thing that I remember being awake was paddling out, and that's it.

Sort of felt like fainting.

Unconscious, Megan was brought to shore by an off-duty lifeguard and revived through CPR.

But then I woke up in the hospital in the ICU unit.

Little did she know that she had been living with a dangerous heart condition.

The condition that I had, ALCAPA, discovered in babies when they're born, usually taken care of at birth.

Mine was not found until I was 33.

I learned later that I was the only female adult survivor with ALCAPA.

Rather than let her condition tie her down, Silva was able to turn this harrowing incident into a positive one.

Some advice that I have for heart patients is to be proactive.

Being proactive means that being aware of your body and not ignoring signs about how you feel, not taking things for granted, such as saying, "Oh, this has to be caused by stress because of my job or because I'm a parent,” or things like that.

Knowing things will get better soon, she continues to keep a positive outlook on life.

Thriving and moving forward after going through something like that is, I wouldn't say a lifelong struggle, but it's something that you have to just persevere and maintain and push through every day.

It's been a difficult ride in some parts, and also, I would say sometimes very worrisome for our family.

But in the end, what you realize is you have either two choices in life.

You can either give up and let circumstances overcome you, or you can chin up and deal with circumstances as they come along your way.

Megan Silva faces the challenges while surfing and teaching with a smile on her face.

She looks forward to doing more of both, given a second chance at life.

From Waiākea High School, this has been Isaiah Pavao-Daly reporting for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] That brings us to the end of 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 Hawai‘i's youth.

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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