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

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

My name is Sloan Billingsley, and I'm a junior at Campbell High School on O‘ahu.

We have a packed show for you tonight and I get to reveal the winning entries of HIKI NŌ's 2023 Fall Challenge competition.

Each season during the school year, HIKI NŌ challenges student reporters to produce stories in the span of a few days.

These contests are called challenges.

For this year's Fall Challenge, the call was for a video based on the prompt, Sign of the Times.

Usually, students have weeks to work on projects for HIKI NŌ, and lots of help from our teachers and industry mentors.

During these challenges, students search for people to interview, film, and edit, all within five days.

Let's watch what they captured behind the scenes about their experience.

[ocean wave] [upbeat hip hop music] [ocean wave] In these competitions, HIKI NŌ judges look for stories produced with technical skill and storytelling finesse.

They also have to meet the prompt.

Now, it's my pleasure to share with you the winning entries.

Let's start with an honorable mention from our high school division.

This profile of an O‘ahu man with eclectic taste provides a rare glimpse into an impressive collection of memorabilia.

In the high school division of the 2023 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Fall Challenge, receiving an honorable mention is Pearl City High School on O‘ahu.

Congratulations.

You take care of your family and yourself first, before you spend money on stuff that's really not important to you having a good life.

Over the past 60 years, Dennis Lee has amassed an impressive collection of everything, ranging from coins to trading cards to casino memorabilia.

I've collected many things over the years.

And my last thing that I'm doing right now is casino memorabilia from the state of Nevada.

This is a real nickel slot machine back in the day.

And I tell this story to everybody.

When they ask me, “Why you collect things?” The primary reason, excuse I use, or alibi that I use, was when I was young, my parents were poor and we had no money.

So I didn't get toys.

Christmas time, you name it, toys were short, on the short list.

So, I told myself when I got older, and I had the money, I would buy my own toys.

Things are much different today than what they were when he first started.

The issue with collecting before, uh, when I started was availability of resources to purchase items.

So, everything that, if you wanted something, you had to physically go to a show or read magazines that were put out by people that sold certain products.

And today, because of the Internet, today is much easier to find anything you want.

The Beatles album could be anywhere from $3000 to $15,000.

But you got to find a buyer.

See, anything you collect, this is the theory I use.

It’s worth nothing till somebody puts the money in your hand.

I think Hawai‘i at one time had 12 stores.

You actually had a physical place, because no more internet, right?

Those days never have internet.

The only way to get in was to go to a physical store.

Today, lucky there's two left, because why?

How can anybody stay in business?

Why should I go to your store and buy something when I can buy it on the internet?

So, it could be cheaper than buying from a store so naturally all the stores sooner or later shut down.

Well, he was the main character.

He wasn't in the movie, but he did voiceovers.

So, I got his autograph.

It took me 15 years to get all these autographs.

There’s no comparison today to go buy a collectible versus then.

This is Rica Marie Ragasa from Pearl City High School on the Island of O‘ahu reporting for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] This story explores the benefits and drawbacks of the rapidly evolving landscape of the restaurant business.

And now in the high school division of the 2023 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Fall Challenge receiving an honorable mention is Hawai‘i Technology Academy.

Congratulations.

I think it's sad because it put people out of jobs.

I like to see especially young people where they can get sales clerk jobs and everything else.

But that's what online has done.

Ordering online, a new concept to older generations, or an everyday thing to the younger.

Kelcie Burner’s been a restaurant lead since 2019.

She had been used to people physically coming into the restaurant to order their delicious food, seeing familiar and new faces each day.

I would say maybe in the middle of 2021, 2021.

All of that changed when online orders were introduced.

She began seeing less and less faces and more words on a digital screen.

I would say it's about half and half, if I had to guess.

We get maybe a range of 100 online orders.

Almost everyone has tried online order, and many use it often.

Maybe once or twice a week.

At least two, three times a month.

However, there's a lot of controversy about whether online ordering is beneficial to society or not.

It's definitely easier.

Um, um, don't have to talk to somebody, I just put my order in online.

So, it makes it a lot easier.

On one hand, many people look at it in a positive, beneficial way.

It's easier for those that work that they can do it at any time.

And even me, I can order something, two o'clock in the morning.

I mean, that's absolutely true.

However, I look at the other end of it, being older, that I think it's sad that it took away so many jobs.

While others face the hard detrimental truth of this new everyday technology.

But I cannot say that online is always more frugal.

Those who seem to benefit most are restaurants and their owners.

It's definitely brought us more business because sometimes they can't get through on the phone and ordering in person can take a long time as well.

So, I feel like online has helped a lot, but also caused a lot of ruckus, a longer wait time.

The real question is should all restaurants adopt this new normal idea to benefit their business?

I would say it just depends on the size of the restaurants and how much they already get for ordering in general, whether it's dine in, takeout, or in person, because sometimes it'll extend the length of how long it'll take for orders to be coming out.

This is Vincent Na from Hawai‘i Technology Academy reporting for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Students on Maui interview a dress shop owner who shared his story of high school fashion and hope.

It was like blessings from everywhere, like nationwide.

Coming in third place in the middle school division is Maui Waena Intermediate School on Maui.

Congratulations.

Oh my gosh.

The Sign of the Times is now what we thought we never had in ourselves, in our hearts.

Terri Ewbank took over Elly's Formal Wear, her mother's business of 30 years, just five years ago.

Since then, Terri has been donating promises from the shop to students in need.

But after the devastating Lahaina wildfires, she realized she could not fill the need herself.

This was all new to us.

This is the first time we're actually accepting donations through the Lahainaluna High School Foundation.

Well, we had Lahainaluna Student Activities coordinators reach out to us from Kamehameha who was asking if, actually she was just asking about how much our prom tuxedo rentals cost.

And I asked her, uh, the reason why, and she said she had a couple students that were from Lahainaluna that, that were at Kamehameha campus.

So, I told her, “You know, we have a program that we have been doing for many years where we sponsor students that are from like, financially struggling families,” and that's just kind of like where it came about, and just like, reaching out to the Lahainaluna staff and faculty and, and just see how we can make this happen for the, for the Lahainaluna students.

After talking with counselors and coordinators, it was Terri’s sign to embark on her new mission.

So, the prom dress donations just kind of started really small.

And after I made this video asking for prom dress donations, and it went crazy viral, tens of thousands of views.

So, everybody started bringing everything to my store, and my store went from like zero to 100 like, overnight, and this shop was just full of all these dresses.

So, people have been messaging or reaching out.

So, we're getting shipments from all over the country as far as Boston and New York.

So, we anticipated 300 dresses, two to 300 dresses.

And I think we've very much exceeded that, especially with everybody that's doing drives all over the U.S. and the state.

It was like blessings from everywhere, like nationwide.

Aw, they’re so pretty.

She's a zero.

That's going to be perfect.

I think it's just so great to be part of this community and to be part of this time, you know, where everybody is coming together.

And the students of Lahainaluna receiving these dresses are sure to have a night to remember.

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

[ocean wave] Let's meet a woman on Maui who shares her passion for fishing and her concerns about the threats Hawai‘i's marine wildlife face.

Receiving third place in the high school division of the 2023 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Fall Challenge is H.P.

Baldwin High School.

Congratulations.

[ocean waves crashing] You know, it's my serene place to go.

When I'm grouchy or angry or having a bad day, I go to the beach.

I like to go fishing.

It's patience, and just that feeling when you catch a fish is just, it's awesome.

Amanda, a Lahaina resident, has been fishing for years, and it has become a large part of her everyday life.

Fishing impacted my life.

Like I said, um, I work at a fishing store.

So, it impacted me financially.

Um, I'm Hawaiian and so culturally, it's a big impact on my life.

Lahaina is, the culture is fishing, it's like surrounded by fishing.

I live in Hawai‘i, and just fishing has been in my life for, for a long time.

So I tried it, I loved it, and I haven't stopped since.

Recently, Amanda has begun to notice a significant change in the amount of fish throughout the Hawaiian waters.

Before you could go fishing and you'd see piles and piles of fish, and we'd fish for like maybe an hour or two.

And we'd have a whole bunch of fish, you know, we'd go home, we'd be happy and be like, alright, you know.

But now we'll stay there for hours and catch one or two.

Pretty much like tourists too.

It's a big thing.

Like, when they have like all the lotion and stuff, and they'll go in the water, and they don't know, or they'll touch things that they're not supposed to touch, like the reefs and stuff, and without the reefs there, the fish aren't going to come, you know, and so that's a big thing.

People leaving their rubbish, and you know, killing a lot of the animals and stuff.

That affects it.

Um, people taking the wrong fish at the wrong times affects it.

Like, there's so many different factors in what, that question.

Having to spend more time fishing, Amanda is taken away from her other responsibilities, like family.

As much as my, like we go fishing and stuff, it takes away from other responsibilities that I need to do.

You know, like, I'm a mom, you know.

I have to cook, I have to still clean, I have to do all these things that you know people have to do.

But if I'm spending more time fishing and trying to catch food and for us to eat and stuff it, it takes away from my family.

If people knew what they can and cannot take, and like, the amounts, the sizes, there's so many different rules like, that people don't know, would help a lot.

This has been Emma Roy from H.P.

Baldwin High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] The students of Wai‘anae Intermediate School impressed judges with this story in which they explore the addition of security cameras to their campus.

Coming in second place in the middle school division of the 2023 HIKI NO on PBS Hawai‘i Fall Challenge is Wai‘anae Intermediate School on O‘ahu.

Congratulations.

If you ever walked around the campus of Wai‘anae High Intermediate School, one thing you would notice, are the many security cameras all over campus.

Uh, right now we have approximately 110, uh, security cameras, and we're going to be adding just a few more cameras probably in the next two months or so.

Security cameras were installed because we have an open campus and a need for increased security.

It is very effective because, um, when we, when admin ask to see anything on the cameras or anything that happened on campus, we can go back and see it, check it out.

Make sure that everything's, you know, okay.

I do believe that having cameras on campus has, um, hasn’t decreased the level of vandalism or the amount of vandalism on campus, but it has definitely increased our ability to hold people accountable for and responsible for the actions that they've committed on campus.

And I think it's pretty good that we have them on campus because there's a lot of drama that goes on, and they actually help catch different problems in school.

One of the problems that the cameras are helping with is the issue of students vaping on campus.

We do notice, uh, in the very beginning of the year when students were unaware of the sensors, uh, there was a, we actually caught quite a few students, unfortunately, who decided to bring vapes to school.

Uh, since then, and since the word has gotten out, uh, we've seen a drastic decline in that.

And, uh, we get notified within 20 seconds and along with the cameras, um, it really, basically it's a deterrent from students using those products at school so that students don't feel pressured to perhaps use it, and also, um, just make better choices while they're in school.

So, we, we feel it's been effective.

Some of our students did not feel comfortable having people vaping in the stalls next to them.

The sensors were installed to address this problem.

Um, students our age, or just children in general, shouldn't have those kinds of toxic chemicals in their bodies.

So, I do believe that having cameras and sensors on campus has increased the safety and security of the students here at Wai‘anae Intermediate School, and it allows us to hold people accountable for what their actions are.

I think it's super important to have additional layers of security.

The cameras and sensors are a sign of the times of how Wai‘anae Intermediate School is making necessary adjustments to keep its students and staff safe.

I feel very safe with the sensors and cameras, because I know that they are taking priority to our lives, and that they are trying their best to make sure that the school is a safe place.

This is Tabella Chanthakham from Wai‘anae Intermediate School for HIKI NO.

[ocean wave] While most of the people Wai‘anae Intermediate School students interviewed were in favor of the security cameras, not everyone in Hawai‘i is pleased about the increase in security cameras on campuses.

According to KHON2 News, campus officials at Kea‘au High School on the Big Island recently removed some security cameras near the bathroom after receiving complaints from parents and local lawmakers.

Now let's find out who placed second in the high school division.

Hilo High School students found a unique pizza shop where different generations are coming together to enjoy a nostalgic pastime.

Having a safe place where my son and his friends can go and hang out, have a safe place, is huge.

And now coming in second place of the high school division is Hilo High School on Hawai‘i Island.

Congratulations.

In June 2020, owner Justin Ambagis, with a passion for video games, opened up a small arcade style pizza restaurant in the heart of downtown Hilo, Antics.

So those first video games, they were amazing, you know, uh, just running around, as Super Mario trying to jump over Bob and save a princess, to Duck Hunt, you know, um, that was another game that me and my brother had.

But as time went on, the stigma around video games started to change.

As the years got on with video games, the more I played, the more kind of backlash I got from my parents, and then it started seeing like, it was a very nerdy kind of thing to do.

And if you played video games a bunch, it was cool, but you weren't really talking about it that much.

Despite this new outlook on video games, a variety of generations have been impacted in these new times.

We all grew up playing video games, like even my dad, like, when he was a little older, grew up playing video games.

And these video games are what he played growing up, and there's some here that like, I played growing up, so it's just a good bonding moment between me and him.

And it's like, the first time I've seen him know more about video games than me, it's super cool to see.

I grew up playing like, Nintendo and that's what we were playing in our booth, and it was fun to play those games with, uh, my kids.

It's, it's funny to look back and see how bad the, um, the graphics and things like that were.

But, uh, it was a, it was great for them to see, uh, what the video games looked like for me when we were playing.

I used to, well, play the, the kind of older games and the newer games, like the ones from like 2000, 2001.

But now I can play the ones from the 90s out here, and it feels a lot better because I get a wider variety.

It's awesome.

But going beyond the present-time sigma of video games, Justin was able to provide a safe place where his son and others can enjoy the realm of gaming in this modern age.

Having a safe place where my son and his friends can go and hang out, have a safe place, is huge.

It's what I wanted when I was, when my son was younger, and I'm glad that I was actually able to provide that at a time when he was able to utilize it because he is 13 years old now, and now he walks down from Hilo intermediate with a big group of friends and they come and take over one of my dining rooms and just play video games, eat pizza, drink soda.

The unity across a variety of generations can continue to connect through video games and can even make dreams become a reality, just as it did for Justin.

This is Mayo Nakajima from Hilo High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

Students at Highlands Intermediate took the prompt Sign of the Times literally by exploring the way our local Visitors Bureau has marked important places.

The judges were impressed by the quality of their production and reporting.

Let's watch.

These physical markers are standing in the place of significance so we can learn more about them from that.

And now coming in first place of the middle school division of the 2023 HIKI NO on PBS Hawai‘i Fall Challenge is Highlands Intermediate School on O‘ahu.

Congratulations.

The significance of these markers goes back to a time when the Territory of Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i Visitor’s Bureau wanted to designate cultural sites.

They wanted to highlight and showcase places that visitors and kama‘āina, malihini and kama‘āina both should be proud of.

Kainoa Daines, a Director of the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau shows how the Bureau uses warrior markers to help show people a sign of Hawai‘i's past.

Um, it was in the late 1920s, when the Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau, who I worked for, decided to designate cultural sites.

And so by 1931, 200 signs were installed across the territory, as we were before we were a state, and then by 1932, another 100 signs.

So again, the criteria back in the 30s was to designate places that are culturally and historically significant.

And so, whether they're a tourist spot or not, um, wasn't necessarily the criteria.

You know, I think it's really cool that there's these sort of symbols listed around so that people would know.

Even with the signs, there could still be some miscommunication.

The original set of markers that have been placed, you know, over the decades, some are there for the places that you shouldn't go to.

Because of the presence of the warrior marker, it was contradictory.

So, people would think, “I think I can go in here.

That's a warrior marker designated by the Visitors Bureau saying I can go there,” and we don't want people to go to places they shouldn't be going, and some of the markers are in, were in places that they shouldn't be.

So, when you see them today, you know that that place has some significance in our history, um, some cultural significance and importance.

Our shifted messaging here at the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau is that you're not coming to a playground on vacation, you're coming into somebody's home.

And so, these markers are an opportunity for visitors to learn more about our home, and how to act and behave in our home.

As someone from the mainland, I don't think a lot of mainland people really do know a lot about Hawaiian history.

So, I'd even be more interested in learning more.

You know, and with the internet, we can learn a lot more so quickly.

But it's nice that these physical markers are standing in a place of significance, and we can learn more about them from that.

Although the warrior markers can only stand up for so much, they help us honor and connect with Hawaii’s rich past.

This is Nai‘a Kaaikaula from Highlands Intermediate reporting for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] In this story, viewers get the chance to learn what it takes to craft a traditional Hawaiian feather lei.

The judges enjoyed the thoughtful interviews and expert storytelling.

Let's watch.

And now coming in first place in the high school division of the 2023 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Fall Challenge is Kapa‘a High School on Kaua‘i.

Congratulations.

[singing in Hawaiian] When you make any kind of lei, you really need to be doing it with a good heart.

You should have good mana that you're putting into that lei because you're passing that mana on to whoever you're gifting that lady to or whoever's getting that lei.

Creating feather lei takes time, patience, and tremendous skill, all of which Laura Kawailehua Wolfgang does to promote Hawaiian culture and share this traditional craft with others.

In the recent years, cultural arts are coming back very strong, and lei hulu, feather making, is one of those.

In the old days, it was only for the royalty.

The royalty would give it as prized gifts to people who would come from other countries.

So, when you buy a feather lei, you're not just buying a lei that's going to last for a few days; they last generations.

It's an heirloom.

Deeply rooted in the traditional attire of Hawai‘i’s ali‘i these intricate pieces have become more than just the gift.

I started making lei as a little girl with flowers, like everybody else and I started seeing halaus wearing the feather lei, and of course if you watch anything of Hawaiian culture, the societies, you see the pa‘u court you know, the queens and princesses of the islands during like Kamehameha Day and stuff.

You'll always see them with some type of feather lei.

Usually it's yellow, because that was the first color of feather lei.

In order to preserve Hawaiian culture, some of Kaua‘i’s residents have taken an interest in supporting traditional craft makers, even learning how to create unique lei themselves.

We feel like by, by re-instilling our children with a deep sense of culture and value, that we can help them find their way.

If I can pass on a desire to want to learn this craft, then I feel like I'm doing Laura's kumu, a justice.

Those hoping to learn more about these historical traditions are dependent on highly qualified individuals who are only allowed to teach by their kumu.

The gratitude that comes to us as we think about what Laura has passed on to us is something that I know I will treasure for a lifetime.

It's kind of like, you know, fashions come around, 80s fashions are back again, right?

Lei hulu is coming around, but there's more modern versions of it.

There's no borders, there's no limits to what you can do and how you can modernize it to be appealing for you.

If you want to help perpetuate the culture, if you want a nice heirloom to pass down in the family, that would be a good reason to buy a feather lei or to make one.

This is Cade Woodward from Kapa‘a High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

I learned a lot from these stories, and I can't believe students were able to produce them in just five days.

They really stepped up to the challenge.

We hope you've enjoyed the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Don't forget to subscribe to PBS Hawai‘i on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

You can find HIKI NO episodes and more at pbshawaii.org.

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

[outro music]