HIKI NŌ 1306 HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's new wave of storytellers.

[intro music plays] Aloha and welcome to HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's new wave of storytellers.

I'm Ethan Morse and I'm a proud 2021 graduate of HIKI NŌ.

You last saw me on HIKI NŌ's alumni special.

Since I graduated from Farrington High School this year, I've been busy.

When I'm not working as a game attendant and costume performer at the Chuck E. Cheese in Honolulu, I'm working on my animated cartoon series with two close friends.

It's an action-comedy series that will span four seasons, and I hope to tell you all more about it when we're finished with production.

But enough about me.

HIKI NŌ just completed the first round of shows for the 2021-2022 school year, and I was called back here, to the PBS Hawai‘i studio, to share some of the most memorable standout stories from that round.

We had quite the variety this first school quarter, from Stories, How-To videos, thoughtful Student Reflections, and a new genre, the visual essays called Personal Narratives.

I think you'll be impressed with the diversity and talent.

First up, let's meet Pearl City High's Saige Adaro, who discovered the love of video cameras this summer, thanks to a program with Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking.

So please sit back, grab your popcorn, and settle in.

[sound of ocean waves] Hi, my name is Saige Adaro, and I'm a senior at Pearl City High School.

When the COVID-19 lockdown was put into place and quarantine started, I decided to quit dancing.

For 10 years of my life, it was my main creative outlet and allowed me to express myself freely and tell a story through movement.

But since the pandemic started, dance classes were just too expensive, and everything was online.

Now that I was so isolated and had just lost something I was passionate about, I found myself losing a sense of direction, especially with so much talk and pressure about college applications coming up, and I still had no idea what I wanted to do.

One afternoon during the summer, my mom showed me a flyer she had found for an all-virtual film program for girls in Hawai‘i.

At first, I was really hesitant because I did not know anything about film, and I never really had the urge or interest to learn about it, and it all just felt really outside of my comfort zone.

But eventually I pushed myself to do it, and I am so glad that I did because I discovered a new passion of mine: film and storytelling.

During the program, I was challenged to create a short film from home in just a week.

Altogether, I found a new way to express myself, and even though it was all online, I got to connect with new people and experience new things.

It's all still new to me and I'm constantly learning.

COVID-19 may have taken away a lot of opportunities for me, but it challenged me to find something fresh and new that I'd never tried before and venture outside of my comfort zone.

And scene.

[sound of ocean waves] Imagine your favorite pastime being stripped away from you all of a sudden.

That's been a universal experience for many of us during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But this Taiko group in Puna managed to get creative and keep its rhythm.

The story was produced by Ashley D’Ambrosio, a student at Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School on Hawai‘i Island.

[sound of taiko drums] What you're hearing is the heartbeat of east Hawai‘i, the Puna Taiko Performance Group.

We practice a style called Kumi-Daiko.

Uh, Kumi-Daiko in Japanese means ensemble drumming.

Drummers play different beats and use movements and chants to tell a story or evoke emotion.

Puna Taiko has been sharing Kumi-Daiko with the community since 2003.

Our criteria for gigs is that it has to be community events, and it has to be open to the public.

We like to play out in the community for free.

Taiko for me is, it's mainly a, you know, a social thing.

It's something that, you know, it gives you a group of friends, like a support system of types, but it's also exercise.

It's a, it's a real, it's a music.

It's really fun.

It's an art form.

Taiko, to me, means a way to express yourself but also bringing people together.

[taiko drums] In 2019, Puna Taiko performed at around 100 events, but in 2020, they performed only 30 times before COVID-19 pandemic sent Hawai‘i into lockdown.

We shut down for several months.

Of course, all of our, our gig calendar completely evaporated.

The one that really hurt, we had a trip planned for, um, for a tour of Japan.

Yeah, we had a, we had a break of about three months, and then we had to kind of figure out how to get things back together.

[taiko music plays] Group members have to get creative to keep up their skills and practice in isolation.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was not really sure what we were going to be doing for taiko, so my dad and I, we decided to take an old tire and try and make a taiko drum using duct tape.

It took an entire afternoon and about two rolls of duct tape.

A year later, they were able to resume practices in person with safety protocols in place.

Puna Taiko is also finding new ways to perform.

The group took part in an online Taiko-Thon and restaged in-person performances to be socially distant.

I just came up with a couple, um, online drumming games that we can actually, I can actually chart our music and then people can practice it at home, online, and even compete for a high score and whatnot, and definitely something that we're going to carry forward even after COVID.

No matter what happens next, Puna Taiko will continue to find new ways to share the magic of drumming with others.

You know, we just got to keep the fire lit.

We're trying to keep everybody excited and engaged in, in their art form.

I think we've done a pretty good job about that.

This is Ashley D’Ambrosio from Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School for HIKI NŌ.

[taiko drums] [sound of an ocean wave] Now, let's take a ride with a Hilo High School student as he adapts to learning to drive.

What started off as something really intimidating became empowering.

This student reflection is from King James Mangoba on Hawai‘i Island.

This is King James Mangoba, a junior at Hilo High School on Hawai‘i Island.

I'm recording this on Hilo High School campus on September 25, 2021.

Some people say that learning how to drive is fun.

[rock music plays] But from my experience, it wasn't.

Since I live long time from school, my dad's always reminded me that I need to learn how to drive as soon as possible.

At first, I was terrified, terrified of being on the road, and the idea of getting into an accident.

While learning how to drive, my dad was super strict, and I felt really pressured.

At times it was very stressful.

I remember crying in a parking lot because I couldn't park a vehicle properly.

Eventually, I realized that my dad was being strict with me, not because I need to learn how to operate a vehicle, but because I need to be a safe and responsible driver.

As I slowly learned how to drive, I became more comfortable and more experienced.

Focusing on safety makes driving much simpler and less stressful.

Now that I've learned how to drive, I realized that driving requires a huge amount of responsibility and attention.

Driving is not just about steering the wheel or pressing the gas pedal.

It is about getting to a destination safely.

I have and will continue to be a good driver for the safety of myself, my passengers, and for the other road users as well.

Driving is more than just about operating a vehicle.

There is more to it than meets the eye.

Driving is about being safe and responsible driver for everyone involved.

[sound of an ocean wave] This season HIKI NŌ launched a new kind of competition: the first ever HIKI NŌ Triple Crown of Storytelling Challenge.

Why was it called the Triple Crown?

Because students could enter three categories.

Let's watch two of the first-place winners.

The first is from students at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School on Kaua‘i, who provide insight on a very timely topic: the best ways to approach those tricky, yet important, pronouns.

Misusing someone's pronouns can make someone feel invalidated or dysphoric.

Pronouns in the LGBTQ+ community can help someone show their true identity.

Pronouns are words like he/him, she/her, and they/them.

Let's get started on learning how to respect someone's pronouns.

Step one: you would have to know the other person's pronouns first.

One way to do this is by influencing the other person to share theirs, like adding in your pronouns to your introductions.

I'm Caitlin, and my pronouns are she/her.

What are yours?

The other person could possibly feel comfortable sharing their pronouns now that you have made a safe space to talk about that.

Oh, hi, Caitlin.

My name is Trey and my pronouns are he/they.

Since you have their preferred pronouns, it's time for step two.

Whenever you address them in a sentence, use their preferred pronouns instead, like, "Oh, he's such a great friend," or "They are amazing."

But what if you mess up someone's pronouns?

"Isn't she in media?"

You're not in trouble yet.

Just correct yourself.

Oh, I, I meant to say, isn't he in media?

Apologize.

I apologize.

And move on.

Simple as that.

Even if that person isn't there, you still have to use their preferred pronouns because you may end up disrespecting their identity in front of them.

As you can see, someone's identity is much more than what meets the eye.

Respecting someone's pronouns is simple, and it's the most basic way of showing that you care.

[sound of an ocean wave] Here's another story from our Triple Crown of Storytelling Challenge.

Students at H.P.

Baldwin High School profile a Maui mother who bravely shares her experience with grief and teaches us a lesson about how to help those who experienced loss.

On Sunday, March 3rd of 2019, Massy Cashen-Suguitan experienced something no mother should ever have to go through.

Ethan is my only child.

He was born on November 30, 2002.

He was 16 years old when he passed away.

He died of inhalant abuse.

It has been two years since Massy tragically lost her son, Ethan.

And while on the surface it may seem that life has returned to a somewhat normal structure, behind what people may see, she is still burdened with overwhelming grief.

Speaking about my son, I struggle with past tense and present tense, because he is very much part of me.

Every waking moment I think about Ethan.

At work, sometimes I have to pretend I'm fine so I can perform my, my job.

With my friend sometimes I also have to pretend I'm okay, just so they feel that I'm not needy of their attention.

I feel extremely sad when we have family gatherings and no one mentions Ethan’s name.

It's as if he never existed.

I realize, however, that maybe they just don't want me to be upset, but what they might not know is that it gives me joy hearing them talk about Ethan.

When things get especially hard, Massy knows she can count on her husband, Dominic, to support her and comfort her.

The, the, the grief is so dark, it's real.

It led me to have a suicide ideation.

At first, I kept it to myself, and when the thoughts were becoming frequent and stronger, I decided to talk to Dominic.

At this point, it's not as frequent, but I was thinking, “What if?

Maybe I should try.” Massy continues to go to work, spend time with friends and live her life.

But when it comes to how she's really feeling, there's more than meets the eye.

Death is something that should not be uncomfortable subject to talk about.

This is Mikaela Tirona from H.P.

Baldwin High School for HIKI NŌ.

[sound of ocean waves] This next student reflection is really touching, and it comes from one of our younger correspondents.

Marika Zialcita from Waikiki Elementary School will tell us what it was like to switch schools during the pandemic in the middle of distance learning.

It's incredible to see such thoughtful reflections from students so young.

Here's Marika’s piece.

[sound of ocean waves] Hello, my name is Marika Zialcita.

I'm a fourth grader at Waikiki Elementary School.

Today I'm filming at my school in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, and I'm gonna be sharing what happened during quarantine that really affected me and my family's life.

So last summer, my mom and dad told me, my sister and brother, they were moving in with the grandparents.

One day I asked my mom if I was staying in my old school.

Sadly, she told me no because that was too far from where our grandparents live.

I was really upset when I first found out because my best friend was there, and I didn't have the rest of the year with my other friends and other teachers.

After a week or so in our new house, I saw that we live next to an amazing school called Waikiki Elementary.

They told me I was going there, and I was so excited because I had a chance to make new friends and start all over.

I started on a program called Acellus.

To be honest, it wasn't the best.

So my mom took me off of it, and I started actual online classes with my new school, and it turned out to be great.

But because I was new to the school, I was shy and on mute for a few days.

But everybody was so nice and kind to me that I thought I could open up and be friends with them.

I started talking to a lot of people I was hoping to be friends with, and I was so happy.

After a few months of living in our new house, the school announced that we're going in-person for half the week, and I was so excited because I got to meet all my new friends in person.

On the first day of school, it was one of the best days of my life because all my friends are so sweet and caring.

Even though we had to say six feet apart and with our masks on, it was totally worth it.

The experience was one of the best things ever.

[schoolyard shouting] I haven't even met everybody in my class yet because some people go on different days as me or a different schedule.

But I'm very excited for the day that we all get to be together in person.

[sound of an ocean wave] Now, let's meet high school senior Travis Ichishita, a singer songwriter from Hawai‘i Island, whose story was produced by students at Konawaena High School.

His pursuit of a dream to become a recording artist is quite inspiring.

Take a look.

[scatting] You know what I mean, but make sure you're rhythmically like, on point with that, with that lick or else it’s going to sound like - In west Hawai‘i, Konawaena High School senior Travis Ichishita works with DJ and music producer Jaz Yglesias to pursue his passion of writing and recording music.

Travis is kind of a fresh breath of air.

Um, I work with actually a lot of young artists, um, but what I like about him is his rawness.

Music runs in Travis's family.

His great grandmother was a successful Japanese folk singer, and his uncle sang with legendary entertainers Jim Nabors and Carol Burnett.

But Travis’s biggest inspiration is his father.

[music plays] My introduction to music was playing with my, with my dad every single day, whether it's on the couch, and I really learn, like, the fundamentals of how to play the ‘ukulele ‘cause the ‘ukulele was the instrument that I learned first.

And he taught me how, how to pick it, how to strum it, how to really actually sing and play at the same time.

That was, that was awesome just learning from my dad.

For me to be able to play music with him, it kind of brings things to full circle to me, to be able to, um, jam with somebody that I feel like, we don't have to really think when we play music together.

We are just in sync with each other, and I think it's something special.

And, uh, hopefully later on, he’ll pass it on to his children, too.

[song plays] So, when I record at home I, I'm in my happy place.

I feel at, like, I'm at peace.

Well, the kind of stories that I like to tell in my music are about, um, what like, a typical teenager or high schooler, like, goes through.

In his spare time, Travis writes and records his music in his living room.

As his mentor, Jaz offers feedback and exercises that Travis completes in his home studio.

I sent him, I sent him what I record.

He tells me if my timing is good, or like, my, it’s flat, my voice or like, if the song needs more like, umph to it.

I think the one thing that Travis has to work, um, on as he grows as an artist is basically just keep working and working on the, like, timing.

I love his creativity.

He thinks a lot.

And I think he just needs to play more once, uh, everything clears up around here.

With support from his dad and Jaz, Travis is determined to achieve his dream of becoming a professional recording artist and performer.

I’m gonna to make the world a better place with my music, uh, just writing songs to where, what people can relate to.

He’s very raw, but there's a, there's a fire in there that I think with my guidance and his dad's guidance that he's going to, he’s going to do very well.

This is Aliza-Kate Pitts from Konawaena High School for HIKI NŌ.

[music continues] [sound of an ocean wave] This next student reflection was produced by Trevor Takeno while he was a student at Moanalua Middle School on O‘ahu.

I think you'll enjoy his fresh take on capturing the experience of pushing through the initial boredom that came with COVID lockdowns.

[sound of ocean waves] What day is it today?

Hi, I'm Trevor Takeno.

The following reflection is about what I experienced last year as an eighth grader at Moanalua Middle School.

I'm recording this at my home on May 1, 2021, according to my laptop.

When lockdown order came out, I was devastated because a pandemic comes out and [snap] there goes my life.

Now I'm going crazy, watching YouTube videos and just trying to make the most out of my imprisonment.

Then one day I decided to clean my room because at that point, it was about as epic as watching Netflix, when I stumbled upon an old camera.

I wanted to charge the batteries since they were dead.

After that glorious discovery, I started taking pictures and that's how I truly got into media.

Fast forward a few months and I'm taking dramatic photos of leaves, and I have no clue what I was doing but that was and how I still am expressing myself and relieving the stress that COVID brought.

With all of this and nothing else to do, I decided to start an Instagram account where I can share my views on what this pandemic has done to our lives.

I found that documenting my feelings through a camera lens gave me at least a little relief from the daily anxieties of the quarantine life.

And that is how I’m getting through this pandemic.

[sound of an ocean wave] Next, we get to dive into the world of Santana Sebastian, a junior at H.P.

Baldwin High School on Maui, whose filmmaking skills are on full display in this personal narrative.

It's a visual essay of sorts, and this assignment didn't allow him to be on camera, so he decided to cast the next best thing, his little brother, Jackson.

Enjoy.

Hi, I'm Santana.

This isn't really me.

But today, I'm going to show you what my life is like.

I grew up here.

Oh wait, no, here.

Throughout all of my life, I grew up on Maui with a pretty good social life: always had friends and someone to talk to, played ukulele, baseball, did cool stuff with cards.

I was always happy doing all of these things, but then, you know, stuck at home, wake up, go to school, log off, sleep.

But then I repeated all that: wake up, go to school, log off, sleep.

Over and over and over, it started to feel like normal.

But then, boredom turned into creativity, and creativity turned into wanting to make something of my time.

So, there it was, the camera in the corner of my room.

Finally, something new, something to kill time on, something to keep me busy.

Eventually, after a year and a half of being isolated from the rest of the world, I started to get pretty good at this camera stuff.

Here, let me just show you.

[music continues] But nah, back to normal now, kind of.

Things are weird.

People change.

Did I change, too?

Well, the thing about all of this was that before the pandemic happened, I was always looking for validation from others to fuel my passions for the things that I did.

But now, I'm comfortable with who I am.

[sound of an ocean wave] Do you ever find yourself staring at all the lei in the refrigerator at the florist, not knowing which one to get?

Well, this How-To video from Moanalua High School on O‘ahu has the answers you need.

A lei is very common and usually given at special occasions as a symbol of aloha.

But what some might not know is that a lei can be more than just flowers, and you want to be sure you choose the right one for every occasion.

We'll be showing you how to pick a lei.

First, determine what occasion the lei is for.

Lei can be given at graduations, birthday parties, weddings, baby showers, anniversaries and more.

Second, based on the occasion, decide what style of lei is most appropriate.

There are three common styles.

An open lei a‘i is best for baby showers, as an open lei is considered good luck for the baby and its mother.

This is also a popular style for men, as it is simple yet regal.

A closed lei a‘i is the most common lei.

It can be given at birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and to greet and say farewell to people.

And the lei po‘o, which is worn on your head, is a style of lei that should be worn by the honorary to signify rank and adornment.

Lastly, choose the materials that go into the lei, as certain flowers and leaves being used holds significance, too.

For example, a lei made of ti leaf is typically given to men because it is seen as more masculine, while women are often given lei made of fresh fragrant flowers like carnations, which symbolizes love.

There are many more flowers that mean different things; you just have to do your research.

Now that you know how to pick a lei, it is important to remember that no matter what you choose, a lei is a representation of Aloha and will always be appreciated.

[sound of an ocean wave] To wrap up this selection of our favorites this round, we’ll travel to Kaua‘i to meet Kaua‘i High School student, Aubrey Bechard, who has some life wisdom to share with all of us.

[sound of ocean waves] A question that has been on my mind is what do people live for, and what gives them meaning?

In my life, I noticed that I tend to live for the milestones.

I think others get lost in this type of thinking, too.

They live for graduation, relationships, and in general, just big moments.

I catch myself thinking, "I'm just getting through every day so that I can have a turn to experience these things."

But if you think about it, there is a lot of time between these milestones.

And this time could be known as mundane or normal or boring.

But if I'm only living for the successes in my life, then am I wasting the other parts?

And I find myself waiting for the weekend to come, but maybe I should be paying more attention to the weekdays and live in the moment.

There is more than what meets the eye to how you live life.

That's why recently I've been trying to see events that are categorized as problems as entertainment.

When anything goes wrong, I find myself saying, "Ah, just more entertainment."

And this mindset, I think, has had a really overall positive effect on me because I tend to view entertainment as, you know, fun and enjoyable.

So, the stressful moments become more lighthearted in a way.

And it changes how I perceive all the events that happen in my life.

Why don't you just look at problems as a plot twist in a movie that’s starring you?

The main character, me, doesn't know what happens next, but that's the fun in it.

Life can be entertaining if you choose to let it.

Life is more than what meets the eye.

You may be living for the big moments, but make sure to appreciate the small ones, and understand that how you perceive life, your perspective and your mindset, is really impactful.

[sound of ocean waves] Well, that was a fun ride.

Mahalo for joining us for this episode of HIKI NŌ to watch some of the top projects from the first round of the season.

We hope you've enjoyed the work of Hawai‘i’s New Wave of Storytellers as much as we've enjoyed sharing it with you.

Be sure to tune in next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

[outro music plays]