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

Aloha.

Welcome to HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

My name is Ivory Chun-Hoon.

And I'm Summit Chun-Hoon.

We're in the fifth grade   at E.B.

deSilva Elementary  School on Hawai‘i Island.

Mahalo for joining us.

In this special episode,   we're focusing on the youngest generation  of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Yes, all of these stories you're about to see  have been produced by HIKI NŌ elementary schools.

You'll watch stories about keeping  up with homework and sports.

You'll meet teachers who  make our lives so special.

You'll learn about native species  like the Hawaiian monk seal.

And you'll hear more from  students themselves about   what they're learning as they navigate growing up.

We're excited to share the  excellent work with you.

Before we dive in, there's  something we have to tell you.

We're twins.

This is going to be memorable.

Now, for some time in the ocean.

The  students at Alvah Scott Elementary   School on O‘ahu bring us this next Did You  Know?

segment about Hawaiian monk seals.

Did you know that monk seals are endemic  to the Hawaiian Islands?

That means they   only live in Hawai‘i.

There are an estimated  1,600 Hawaiian Monk Seals living in Hawai‘i   as of 2022 according to the National  Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

Monk seal moms leave their  pups after four to six weeks.

She has to go and find food for herself.

It's up to us to protect these beautiful   creatures because there are not many of them  left.

When you see a monk seal at the beach,   please stay at least 50 feet away from them.

Stress will cause the seal not to behave the   way a seal should behave.

If you see a monk  seal, you can call the NOAA marine wildlife   hotline.

This is Rachel Corpuz from Alvah Scott  Elementary School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] This next student reflection is unforgettable.

We hear from a student at Pearl City Highlands   Elementary School on O‘ahu, who tells  us how she juggles her busy schedule.

Hi, my name is McKenzie Tomimoto and  I am a sixth grade student at Pearl   City Highlands Elementary School.

Over the  last year I've been balancing schoolwork,   media class, and three sports:  soccer, softball and basketball.

Sometimes I had to go straight from school  to soccer practice and then to a basketball   game.

Other times I had to go from a soccer  practice straight to a softball game.

I had   to juggle my three sports, schoolwork, and  media class.

I felt like I couldn't keep up.

In the beginning of the school year, I had  a horrible problem with time management.

We   had to complete a new segment in two weeks.

I was not always able to finish my segment in   school.

Sometimes I ended up having to take  it home.

Because of my sports and homework,   I had to stay up late at night  to get my video done on time.

This caused me to become very  sleepy throughout the day,   but I found ways to manage.

I would pack my  sports bag with all my uniforms and gear,   so I could go straight from one sport to  another.

To help with my schoolwork problem,   I started my work earlier and tried to  get homework done during the school day.

To help with my media work problem, I skipped  recess when I needed to get something done,   or I left lunch early.

Because I was  able to get my media work done on time,   I didn't need to work on my videos till  late at night.

I was less sleepy during   the day so I could get more work done.

In the end,   I was happy I was able to continue everything  I love, and I didn't have to give anything up.

[ocean wave] Our next piece comes from Waikīkī  Elementary School on O‘ahu.

Students   tell us a story about recess and how they  resolve some issues related to flying balls.

Hi, my name is Maya Tasaka and I'm a fifth  grade student at Waikīkī Elementary School.

Waikīkī is a great school, but once the recess  bell rings, things can get a little crazy.

Balls fly at you from all directions  like nuclear bombs.

Having to run,   duck, and hide from flying balls in the air can be   exhausting.

Sometimes you get hit by a  ball and have to go to the health room.

I saw two people talking, one got hit by a ball  and accidentally knocked the other one over.

Another time my friend was walking  across the field and got hit on the   nose by a ball.

When she looked  up at me, she had a bloody nose.

Even though we have this issue, we  are problem solvers.

Our PE teacher,   Mr. Holaday, set the field and  made different zones to separate   different groups.

We can also ask  other students for suggestions,   too.

We can make sure to help our friends and  peers.

Recess should be a paradise for all.

[ocean wave] This next story was produced by my brother,   Summit.

I really admire your bravery  in telling your story.

Check it out.

I'm Summit Chun-Hoon, a fourth grader at  Ernest Bowen deSilva Elementary School,   and sometimes I feel nervous because I think   something bad is going to happen.

I do not like feeling comfortable.

My hands get sweaty, my thoughts start taking  over, and I feel like I'm about to throw up.

And sometimes I do.

Big crowds also make me feel  nervous.

Last year, I had my first ho‘olaule‘a,   and I needed to perform in front of  the whole school and their families.

I was right there in the first row, and so  afraid of messing up.

I kept thinking about   how everyone would be looking at me.

I did  not like that.

During one of our practices,   I had to hurry to the restroom, and bleh, and  no one knew I needed to go to the restroom.

So, one day, I finally opened up  and told my mom what was going on.

I learned some things that I needed  to know to calm myself down.

Like I   started to go to the restroom before our  practices.

This helped me to worry less.

On the day of ho‘olaule‘a, I was nervous about  performing, but I knew that other people were   probably nervous too.

After ho‘olaule‘a, I felt  like I climbed a mountain.

I still get nervous   sometimes, but at least I managed to reach the  summit that day without losing my breakfast.

[ocean wave] Let’s stay at E.B.

deSilva Elementary  School for a little while to meet one   of our teachers.

We were really proud  when this story received third place in   the middle school division of  the Spring Challenge in 2022.

When COVID hit, schools closed,  and we couldn't see our friends.

Some people even lost their jobs.

This  happened to Punawai Rice.

Rice was the   School Field Trip Coordinator at a science center.

That was fun, working with children.

My favorite  school, um, was the elementary level.

And then   after about eight years of, um, doing that, we  entered the pandemic.

And at that point, I didn't   have any school – no schools are doing field  trips.

And so, I was laid off, unfortunately.

But for E.B.

deSilva Elementary School,  this was a blessing.

Rice was willing to   help any way he could.

This school year,  he has been a substitute custodian, tutor,   educational assistant, and now he helps  every class as our Hawaiian studies teacher.

When he comes in the classroom  and he greets everybody, uh,   he just has a very calming  influence on our school.

My favorite thing at E.B.

deSilva is  the excitement that the children come,   and I want to make sure that  learning is fun for all of you.

Mr. Punawai is interesting and teaches us about  Hawaiian culture.

Every week, 460 students are   lucky to learn from Rice.

If it wasn't for  COVID, we wouldn't have met this shining gem.

This is Kairi Rodero from E.B.

deSilva Elementary School for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] We're excited to introduce you to our  teacher, Mrs. Sewake, in this next   special teacher spotlight.

She introduced  us to HIKI NŌ, and it's been a fun journey.

She can tell you all about what it's like to teach  HIKI NŌ to elementary school students like us.

When I first started my career, I had been  involved in robotics, and I started with robotics   at a middle school level, and we were able to  bring it down to an elementary school level.

So when we got involved with media,  I thought, hey, we could do this too.

We could do video.

We could do HIKI  NŌ with elementary school students.

My name is Kathy Sewake, and I'm the curriculum  coordinator and E.L. coordinator at Ernest Bowen   deSilva Elementary School.

I first heard about  HIKI NŌ when I was teaching at another school   through another colleague who turned into my  mentor, Donn Yamamoto, at Waiakea High School.

Donn Yamamoto had convinced me  that you should do a Challenge,   a Challenge would be a really great  thing to do.

And we thought, okay,   it'll be about a person or a place or  something that the students could relate   to.

And then we got the prompt, and I know that  the prompt was dealing with economic insecurity.

Over 60% of Hawaii Island's families  are struggling financially.

They may   face a general misconception about  what that struggle really means.

The teacher that I also worked  with we both looked at it and went,   oh my goodness, how do we even get students  to understand that there is a problem?

Luckily, we had some good contacts in the  community, but I think that was probably   the hardest story that we put together.

It  was a hard topic for students to relate to.

That story did not place it or did not win  an award in the competition.

HIKI NŌ asked   us to continue working on that Challenge,  and we were so fortunate because Brent came   down to help the students, and it was  a very valuable learning experience for   me as well as the students.

Then we  entered another Challenge, I think,   and we did one about one of the teachers on our  campus, and that one they could really relate to.

Robert Kobayashi is a superhero by  day.

He is a high school teacher on   the island of Hawaii who's having to teach  automotive and welding virtually due to the   COVID-19 pandemic.

But when school is not  in session, he transformed into a farmer.

The story became very natural to them because it  was very personal.

HIKI NŌ is a challenge because   they need to produce industry quality productions.

But it is so valuable for students because they   learn that they can tell their stories or that  they are able to produce content at a high level.

The best thing about elementary students  is that – I don't know if they really   know what their limits are.

So they're  excited and they hardly ever tell you,   Oh no, I don't want to do that, because  they're not yet at that age where they're   embarrassed or they're worried about  really being judged by their peers.

So whatever bar we set, they're willing to  take on a project, or at least try.

And I   think that's what I love most about working  with elementary students, is that they still   have that real love for learning.

It's our  job as adults to just kind of cultivate that.

Ivory Chun-Hoon was in my class, and I think  I gave them daily like journal prompts,   and I was so impressed by her response to one of  my journal prompts that we turned it into a story.

This year is going to be the first year I'm  going to be in school for the full year,   so I'm trying to make the shift from meeting  Google Meets to going to school every single   day.

Ivory was able to work with David  Rosen, who's an industry professional.

I'm Dave Rosen, and I'm a filmmaker.

What I do as  a HIKI NŌ mentor is I try to take the beginnings   of stories that I see and try to understand what  it is that the student wants to say, Kathy set   up a laptop computer so I could see her being  filmed, and she could see me talking to her and   giving her feedback that allowed us to work on her  performance and the final details of the script.

It's hard because my cousin Kama is only  10, and my brother and I are only seven,   yeah, and — I don't know if we need that part.

It's difficult sometimes to fit in these creative  projects because of the expectation for us to,   you know, meet standards and to also increase  our test scores, but these projects really help   to build student confidence, whether they're  in front of the camera or behind the camera,   even if it's not at a HIKI NŌ level that  they just gain their own self confidence.

They become very proud of themselves.

I see  an improvement in their speaking skills,   their writing skills, or even their  ability to persevere through a project   because they need to edit it until it is  good enough, right, to show to the public.

My students get excited when their HIKI NŌ stories  are broadcast on TV, and I think that really built   a lot of pride within our school community  about our participation in HIKI NŌ.

This year,   we really started to grow our program.

We started  a B media team that we opened up to everyone in   fifth and sixth grade.

And the most exciting part  is that I realized in my first meeting with them,   was that, hey, I don't have to work that  hard to train some of these students,   because I think we've been training  them for the last several years.

Some of my second graders are now  fifth graders, and in our B media team,   I think with the right students, the right  teachers and colleagues to support you and   to support the team and our projects.

All students can do a HIKI NŌ project.

[ocean wave] Our next story is a heartfelt  reflection from a student at   Waikīkī Elementary School.

She opens up  about the difficulties of her friendship   ending and the important life lessons  she learned through the experience.

It sure is difficult when you work so  hard to create something special and it   all gets taken from you in the blink  of an eye.

My name is Lily Lawrence,   and I'm a fourth grader at  Waikīkī Elementary School.

This is a story about me learning to take risks.

I  really like a game called Gods of Gravity.

It's a   virtual reality game where you try to build your  own civilization and protect it from the enemy.

At the same time, you need to send your ships  out to destroy the enemy planets.

The catch is:   those same ships also served as  your planet's protection.

So,   you have to take a risk.

Putting your  ships out there leaves you vulnerable.

In some ways, it's like the risk you take when you  make friends.

You have to put yourself out there.

That can make you feel anxious and vulnerable.

And you know what?

Sometimes it doesn't work out.

In second grade, I had a friend.

We were  super close.

But at the start of third grade,   she started to ignore me.

The problem was,  I still really wanted to be her friend.

I   did not understand what had changed.

This left me feeling confused and alone.

I felt like our time together and memories  with her had become meaningless.

It   actually took the entire school year  to recover.

And when I think about it,   one thing that helped me start making  new friends was playing Gods of Gravity.

Gods of Gravity allows you to connect with  other people who are playing online at the   same time.

I decided to put myself out  there and make new friends virtually,   just by being a good sport and having a fun time.

It was my first time making friends  from all over the world.

Now I have   made new lasting friends from New  Zealand to Australia and Canada.

Playing online has also made me more open  to reaching out to make new friends at   school.

If you take a big risk, it can be  a big change, but it does not have to be   a big loss.

I've learned that even  if you lose the game or a friend,   or if things change, that doesn't have  to make the experience less valuable.

As a matter of fact, it makes it more valuable.

I now believe that taking a risk is always worth   it.

All experiences, both good and  bad, help us see who we really are.

[ocean wave] I'm getting hungry for a snack  break.

Let's watch this How-To   story from students at Pomaika‘i Elementary  on Maui.

We'll devour some cool history too.

Japanese immigrants came to Hawai‘i to work  on the plantations.

To help ease their move,   they brought their culture with them,  and many have become local traditions.

One thing they introduced that has  become extremely popular is the musubi,   also known as onigiri.

Onigiri are Japanese  rice balls that are commonly found in a   triangular shape.

Many people in Hawai‘i  love easy on the go snacks like musubis.

If you want easy snacks  that you can take anywhere,   then a musubi could be right for you.

Here  are the ingredients you will need, rice,   Nori, water and your hands.

Have  an adult help you cook the rice.

Wash your hands and leave them wet so the rice  does not stick to your hands.

Take 1/3 cup of   cooked rice and mold it into a triangle by  holding it in one hand and cupping your other   hand over the top.

Do not form it into a  circle, because it could mean bad luck.

And if it is too hard to form with your hands,  you may use a mold.

This is where you can get   creative.

You could add furikake, nori, ume or  salt for your own musubi.

Once you are all packed,   you can take it to go.

Find a great place  to enjoy and share your musubi.

In Japan,   if it tastes good, they say oishi.

This is Kayla  Wada from Pomaika‘i Elementary School for HIKI NŌ.

This next story a lot of us can  relate to.

It's about growing pains,   and it's from a student at Honowai  Elementary School on O‘ahu.

Check it out.

Hi, my name is Angelo Repuya,  and I'm in the third grade at   Honowai Elementary School at the island of O‘ahu.

I am worried because I'm not  growing.

I'm only 38 pounds,   three feet and nine inches tall.

I am the  shortest in second grade and in third grade.

I know I am the shortest because on picture  day, I'm always at the front of the line.

They all seem to be growing, and I'm  not really.

I feel that I eat healthy   foods and exercise, but I am still not  really growing.

I went to the doctor,   and she told me that I was not the right  weight and height for my age.

She said that   I need to drink a lot of my nutrition drink  and it will make me gain weight and grow.

My nutritious drink is a shake that  has protein, vitamins, and minerals   that helps kids grow.

And a couple of months  ago, I followed what my doctor said and drank   the nutrition drink.

I drink a total of 120  milliliters for breakfast and before bed.

I   noticed that it started to work, and I  got taller and gained a little weight.

When I started I was 38 pounds, and now I  am 41 pounds.

I also grew one inch.

I hope   to keep drinking my nutrition drink and keep  growing and gaining weight.

I feel great about   the progress I made and I'm thankful for  my mom and doctor for helping me.

I feel   comfortable that the size that I am and,  in the future, I hope to be six feet tall.

[ocean wave] This next story is sure to capture your heart.

It was produced by students at Kainalu Elementary   School in O‘ahu.

It takes us behind the scenes  of a cool animal therapy program for children.

Tails of Aloha is an all-volunteer animal assisted  therapy organization that visits children in the   classroom.

Their mission is to provide the human  animal bond through animal assisted therapy.

Millie really likes it when the dogs  come.

It makes her happy.

It actually   helps with her muscles, and it relaxes her.

And actually, we've checked her heart rate,   and it lowers her heart rate, so we know  that physiologically, it relaxes her as well.

Tails of Aloha works with the Humane  Society and goes on visitations to schools,   nursing homes, private homes, and  hospitals.

The program has only   a limited amount of volunteers and  animals while the demand is greater.

We have about 50 dogs that go  out throughout the community   to visit all the other facilities.

Now, not all dogs can do therapy,   so we have a special program where we take  dogs and train them to do therapy work.

Tails of Aloha accepts all therapy dogs as long  as they are friendly, healthy, and at least one   year of age.

Before a dog can become a therapy  dog, it has to pass the Canine Good Citizen test.

Any breed is fine.

It's just  about temperament.

You know,   they have to be patient and gentle  and, you know, willing to learn.

Sometimes the children feel lonely,  but when the therapy animals come,   they help the children overcome their loneliness.

I think it's a wonderful program.

I love that  they're able to come into the schools and that   they provide them with opportunities  to interact with different animals.

The children look forward to the dogs  coming.

They get excited on Tuesdays.

They look forward to finishing their work.

Soon  as I see the dogs coming around the corner,   and they all cheer and get excited.

So,  we love it.

We love the Tails of Aloha.

I   think reading to the dogs helps build  their confidence.

They're worried about   making mistakes with their reading.

With  the dogs, they don't worry about that.

My button, my button, I have one belly button.

My button, my button, my one belly button.

When the dogs come, I feel happy, and I  like to brush them because they're so cute.

Tails of Aloha’s motto is Changing Lives One Visit   at a Time.

Whenever the children see  therapy dogs coming, they get excited,   and they can't wait to see them.

This is Maddie  Prislin from Kainalu Elementary for HIKI NŌ.

Well, that's it for our show.

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

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

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.

[Theme song plays]