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

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

My  name is Victoria Ventura, and I am an 8th grader   at Kamehameha Schools Maui Middle School.

I'm  delighted to be here to host an episode featuring   the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

In this episode, we are celebrating Teacher   Appreciation Week, which is coming up the first  week of May.

We have an array of stories about   educators in the islands, each with their own  talents and stories, but all who have left a   lasting impression on their students.

One of those  teachers includes an art instructor at Campbell   High School on O‘ahu.

In this episode, we'll  also learn about the issue of teacher retention   in the islands.

Then we'll be taken on a tour  of Wai‘alae Elementary Public Charter School,   one of the oldest charter schools in the islands.

And, we'll journey to Maui to learn more about   Lahainaluna High School's special  alma mater.

Let's begin our show.

First, I have to take a moment to  say mahalo to my kumu, Rob Siarot,   who has been teaching HIKI NŌ for more than two  decades at Kamehameha Schools Maui.

It's thanks   to him that we are learning next level video  production.

Let's watch this fun profile on him,   produced by Kamehameha Schools Maui.

[ocean wave]   Aloha.

I'm Kaila Foster, and we're here in  Pukalani on the Kamehameha Schools Maui Middle   campus, home of the Warriors.

Our technology  teacher and HIKI NŌ advisor is Mr.

Rob Siarot.

He has been teaching here at Kamehameha Schools  for 16 years.

He really enjoys teaching media to   his students and loves when the light bulb goes on  in their heads.

One fun fact about Mr. Siarot is   that he loves Star Wars, maybe too much.

He has  collectibles and items all over the place.

I mean,   although liking everything about Star Wars is  cool, there are times when he takes things a   bit too far.

[ocean wave]   Did you know that approximately only half of  Hawai‘i public school teachers remained on the   job after five years of work, according to a 2022  report from the State Department of Education?

This upcoming story from students at Wai‘anae  High School on O‘ahu takes a deep dive into   the difficulties of teacher retention  at their campus and in the islands.

I enjoy teaching students in  general.

This is the only place   I could teach because it's where I was raised.

Geometry teacher Matt Murakawa is acutely aware   of how long he's been at Wai‘anae High.

This is my 12th year.

Kay, so what is, what is this angle over here?

In this picture, how many triangles do we have?

He's aware it can be rare to stay  in the profession for so long,   especially in Hawai‘i.

Norine Matanane, Wai‘anae  High School Vice Principal, says the school loses   a significant number of teachers each year.

I've seen anywhere from 15 to 20 teachers   leave each year.

According to the Hawai‘i   State Teacher Association, the number of teachers  leaving Hawai‘i has increased by 70% since 2012.

We have a difficult time securing a lot of  local teachers to come out to the coast.

So,   we have to look outside of the island.

What do you want to do in life, and what   do you think will make you happy?

Felipe Ogoy is from Juneau,   Alaska.

He is currently in his second year  teaching health at Wai‘anae High School.

There is an assignment posted on  Google Classroom.

It's called,   What makes a person happy and healthy.

He believes he has a solution.

One course of action I would like to see is  maybe a little bit more support financially.

According to the HSTA Hawai‘i ranks dead  lasts for teacher salary in the nation,   with an approximately $52,000  to $67,000 starting salary,   and that's their base salary, not  including annual income taxes.

My sister was a teacher in the mainland,  they make a heck of a lot more money.

There may be some relief coming to teachers.

Thanks to an agreement between the Teachers   Union, the State of Hawai‘i, and the  Board of Education that approves pay   raises to teachers over the next four years.

Officials have also started other incentives.

We offer several incentives to our  teachers who get hired along the coast.

So,   the first is an $8,000 bonus.

Any questions or not?

Many students agree that  something needs to be done.

I think that they should get paid  more, because from freshman year,   they have to deal with a bunch of rowdy kids.

It sucks if they leave, because my teachers   were a big part of my high school life.

No one really knows what the future holds,   but at Wai‘anae, the staff are focused  on trying to make it work every day.

It's always good to have a qualified  teacher in the classroom.

You know,   sometimes that's not always doable.

That's the bottom line.

The number of   teachers is not as important as  the number of quality teachers.

This is Ku‘ulei Serrao-Kuamo‘o from Wai‘anae  High School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

Good job.

[ocean wave]   This next story received first place in the  HIKI NŌ 2023 Winter Challenge.

Students at   Moanalua High School on O‘ahu share the story of  a dedicated math teacher and how he navigated a   major life disruption in his teens.

Some of them, I know them more than   their own family do.

You know, so  it's like a special relationship   that you can build with, with students.

Keith Kitamura, a teacher at Moanalua,   loves to encourage his students.

Mr. Kitamura teaches in a way that, no matter   who you are, you'll be able to understand what  he's saying and what he's trying to get across.

So x equals nine over five.

Well, anyone can teach math, you know, but   I want to do more than that, inspire, or help them  in some way beyond math, beyond the classroom.

Mr. Kitamura has helped me to keep on trying  by doing, I've been doing more math, and   it's been helping me on my notes, and  honestly, throughout my whole life.

As much as he loves teaching math,  this wasn't always the plan.

Everybody had high hopes for him, and he was  accepted into the College of Engineering at UH.

However, things quickly changed  when Keith drove down a new road.

So, I'm paralyzed from, basically that chest down  where I cannot feel.

So, I got into the accident   when I was 17 years old.

We were driving  back from a basketball game, uh, we started   losing control.

Then we started spinning  out, and the whiplash, came forward and I   hit my chest on the steering wheel.

In 1997, Keith was in a car accident   that forever changed his life.

I was forced to change.

You know,   I couldn't do a lot of sports that I love to do  or fishing.

A lot of things that I could not do   the same way that I could before.

So, relearn  everything; how to get up in the morning,   how to get dressed, how to go to school.

You know, how to get from point A to point   B is not so easy anymore.

You know, think  about how you're going to get there.

Well,   the way I drive is, so instead of using my  feet, I have hand controls.

So, this is the   hand controls; controls the gas and the brake.

So, you push in for brake and then down for gas.

Like that.

Well, this has affected my entire  life, and everything.

Like, this is who I am,   and it's a huge part of my life and who I became.

Although his life was disrupted,   he found a love for equations.

So, teaching is a new passion because I   get to help people that, I was a senior, because  I was a senior in high school when I got hurt.

I kind of think of him as kind of like  a superhero because like, he's helping   students and he's helping me at the same time.

He inspires a lot of people because of who he   wants to be and who he wants other people to be.

I like teaching because of people are more open,   and they see someone in a chair, and then,  it's not what defines them.

You know,   it's what you can do or what kind of teacher  you are, the kind of person you are.

This is Misty Griffith from Moanalua  High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Our next story comes from   students at Campbell High School on O‘ahu.

Izzy  Rodriguez shares a touching portrait of an art   teacher who is thinking deeply about his legacy.

Legacy can be a long-lasting impact of an   action that someone did in their  life and how it affects others.

Garret Kojima is a well-respected art  teacher at James Campbell High School.

The experiences in his life has now led him  to consider what kind of legacy he wants to   leave behind as an artist and as an educator.

I can see my legacy as a metaphor for when you   pass away, you can't take your money or your  belongings with you.

It can be also applied   to knowledge, knowledge of what I gained  through my life.

I interned at Disney,   I worked at Crazy shirts, I worked  for an educational software company.

I did all these things, and I feel like  towards the later part of my years,   I want to share it with students, and one of  it is drawing and painting, where I can teach   kids how to draw, paint, create and kind of  express what they want through what I know.

I think I would want to be remembered as being a  good person versus being a great artist.

If I can   kind of teach that, instill that into my students  and teach them to be able to create things or do   things that at the end of the day, when you're  done doing what you do, you can kind of take a   look back at it and be proud of what you do.

Doesn't have to be the best.

You don't have   to compete with anybody else, but as long  as at the end of the day, you say, “Hey,   I did a good job,” I think that would be the  greatest legacy I can kind of hand to them.

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

[ocean wave] This next story comes   from our archives.

Students at Hongwanji  Mission School on O‘ahu explore the close   bond between eighth grader Cole Miyamura and his  father, who teaches and coaches at the school.

Many teenagers try to spend as little time as  possible with their parents, but it's different   for Cole Miyamura.

Cole attends Hongwanji  Mission School in the Nu‘uanu District of O‘ahu.

His father, Davin Miyamura, is a second-grade  teacher there, but Mr. Miyamura has another role   that requires them to spend more time  together than most fathers and sons.

I've played on 28 teams, and I think 27  of the 28 teams were coached by my dad.

Cole plays a variety of sports, including  volleyball and baseball.

His dad has coached   him in baseball for nine years.

He has  coached him in volleyball for two years.

It's a little bit of good, little bit  of bad.

He's always there to help you,   always really trying to make you better, even  on the weekends and stuff.

But it's kind of bad,   because he never really gives you a  break.

He's always kind of hard on you.

Being his coach does influence our relationship  personally, because a lot of times it depends   on what happens at the court or on the field  kind of follows us home a little bit, but it's   a good learning experience as well.

We can learn  from the good and the bad things that happen.

It definitely made me a better player, because  he was always pushing me and trying to make   me the best that I could be.

So, it's  a good thing having him as my coach.

Follow through.

Okay, so give yourself  a good placement of your ball.

Despite their ups and downs, Cole and Mr.  Miyamura, player coach relationship has   actually strengthened their son and father bond.

Our relationship with Cole, both as coach and his   dad, I think, it's pretty healthy.

As his dad, we,  we spend almost 24 hours a day, seven days a week,   together, because he goes to the same school  I teach at, and we, you know, are always   together.

So, it has to be a pretty healthy  relationship, and we communicate quite well.

My bond with my dad has grown over the  years.

It's grown a lot.

It's actually much   stronger now, and we get along really well.

As his coach, same.

It's a mutual respect.

So, it's got to be pretty healthy,  otherwise it's a tough time at home.

Straight through.

Okay, you  don't want to have a pitch.

As a player and as a song in the future,  I hope that Cole will take a lot from me,   the fact that you should never give up and always  set your goals high and go for them.

And you can   always achieve what you put your mind to, as  long as you don't give up.

So that's what I   hope he'll take from what I'm teaching him.

With that message in mind, Cole has learned   to appreciate his father in more ways than one.

If I had to tell him something, I’d probably tell   him thank you for coaching me and being  there for me over all these nine years.

For Cole and his father, their  experiences in sports and in   life continue to strengthen their bond.

This is Kaci Yamato from Hongwanji Mission   School for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave]   Now let's shift to some stories about  school pride.

Do you know anything about   charter schools in Hawai‘i and how they  work?

You'll find out in this next piece,   which investigates the history behind Wai‘alae  Elementary Public Charter School here on O‘ahu.

Did you know that Wai‘alae Elementary  School is the first public charter   school in Hawai‘i?

Hawai‘i now has 37 public  charter schools that serve more than 12,000   students.

Wai‘alae School first opened in 1928.

In 1995, it was designated as a student-centered   school that focused on the needs of  students.

Then in 1999 Wai‘alae became   the first charter school in Hawai‘i.

Last year,  our school celebrated its 95th anniversary.

We have more than 500 students, and more  than a third are here on a geographic   exemption.

That means they had to apply  to come here because they live outside   of Wai‘alae's regular school district.

There are many ways charter schools are   different.

For example, they are funded based on  the number of students enrolled.

They are run by   an independent governing board, and teachers are  able to be more flexible and creative with what   they teach.

Some of our favorite things we got to  do during the school year are ‘āina in the school,   our Farm to School program, our traditional May  Day celebration, and our fifth-grade market day,   where we learn to run a business.

Now you know.

This is Sophia Moreno   reporting from Wai‘alae Elementary Public  Charter School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Sometimes strict teachers can be intimidating.

That is the case with the teacher profiled in this  next story, which is produced by students at Ewa   Makai Middle School on O‘ahu.

As you'll see, there  is always more to a person than meets the eye.

Yes, I was definitely scared of him  ever since I got my schedule.

Yeah.

To the stories the eighth graders told me,  yeah, I was really intimidated by him.

I think Mr. Wong is strict.

I've heard he’s mean and I've walked   in a hallway and I've seen him and he yells now.

Mr. David Wong, a science teacher at Ewa Makai   Middle School has a reputation for being  the school's most frightening teacher on   campus.

Intimidating as Mr. Wong is, he has  a different way of teaching his students that   he's developed over his 21 years of being a  teacher.

Although he may seem frightening,   he carries the best intentions for his students.

It’s not important that my students like me.

My   number one job is to build relationships with  my students, but that the relationship itself   will help them to be prepared for the next  few years and maybe more years after that.

That's fine, and it fits right?

I’m strict, and I have a high expectation   of my students to be good communicators,  communicate with me, communicate with each other,   learning how to formulate those questions,  formulate those answers.

And I do that because   it's really the thinking process.

And if we can  get students to practice asking good questions,   we have evidence that they're being  complex thinkers, and with those complex,   higher order questions, they can pursue higher  answers and more discovery for themselves.

For me, the most surprising thing is when  students don't expect something, and they discover   without having expected it, that surprise.

I want my students to become, first of all,   kind people.

I want them to be generous.

I want  them to be thankful.

I want them to be community   contributors, as good citizens in this country,  to give back of their talents and their skills.

I want them to experience success  and excellence in their life.

I want them to have strong, healthy families.

Yes, I do believe Mr. Wong is preparing me for   high school, because he's showing me how in  the world of beyond, you know, if you don't   have a plan, you don't get in.

If you don't have  if you don't have it, if you don't have any good   purpose, you're not going they don't care.

Mr. Wong is a great teacher, to be honest.

I definitely believe he's  preparing me for high school.

Although Mr. Wong carries the reputation of  the hammer, which stems from his authoritative   personality, this makes students look at him  with a different kind of respect.

It gives them   the experiences they need to be successful in high  school and beyond.

His real world teaching methods   gives students a level of responsibility  and pushes them to become better people.

I hope that my students will continue to be  appreciative, and usually it's after the fact.

They’re not usually appreciative while they're  with me, but they usually come back and say,   “Thanks.

I didn't realize it, but you  really prepared me for high school,   or you prepared me for college.

You prepared  me to think better, ask better questions.

You   taught me how to get along with people  and to value relationships,” and I would   hope that they would be appreciative of that.

Although Mr. Wong can be frightening at first,   he only hopes that his students can  appreciate everything he has taught   them about life.

This is Madelyn Rodriguez  with Ewa Makai Middle School for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] On O‘ahu, Moanalua High school history teacher   Cris Pasquil uses creative and unconventional ways  to instill a love of learning in his students.

His   inspiration comes from his own background, dancing  hula.

Let's watch his story from our archives.

When it comes to history class, Moanalua  High School teacher, Mr. Cris Pasquil,   doesn't do things by the book.

There are  barely any reports or exams.

In fact,   students really sit at their desks.

We're so used to the traditional way of like,   let me display my learning on that.

Here's a paper  and here's a test.

You have an hour to do it.

I'm giving these standards or these topics  that students need to know about and learn.

But every class has a personality, and  so what I do is I have to figure out,   how am I going to be able to  teach this content to a student?

Mr. Pasquil often uses performance and art to  encourage students to learn in their own way.

Singing it, rapping it, acting it out,  whatever, drawing it.

Whatever it may look like,   it's the same thing if they're displaying  their learning through different venues.

To keep creativity flowing in his classroom, Mr.  Pasquil draws inspiration from another art form,   hula.

For more than nine years, he's been  training at Hālau Nā Kamalei o Lililehua under   Hawaiian music legend Mr. Robert Cazimero.

Here  in the studio, the teacher becomes the student.

If you profess for, in this case, our  hula to be a living art, then it must   incorporate everything that's happening  now and what was and eventually will be,   it's the journey that really helps you and you  change according to what's happening around you.

Making our turn after 10 years,  Mr. Pasquil and his halau were   able to compete in hula's most prestigious  competition, the Merrie Monarch Festival.

Winning first place overall only increased  his love of the festival and hula itself.

The overall winner of the 2015 Merrie  Monarch Festival is [inaudible]   [cheers] And I don't know   how to explain it.

It's just here.

So how  do I say it in one word or sentences?

It's   everything.

Merrie Monarch was – Mikey Ayu  Lake, who's my kumu, school.

It's everything   that has been passed down from generation to  generation.

So that tradition is maintained.

Reaching a major milestone with his allow  has motivated Mr. Pasquil to ignite that   same passion in the classroom, passing  his own knowledge to the next generation.

So how it inspires my teaching everything?

Merrie  Monarch helped me become a better person.

When I   step into my classroom, it inspires me to be  a better teacher.

For me and my students, all   I want them to do is have a great life, to having  experience in my classroom, to learn history that   they're going to feel it instead of just memorize  it, to know what it was like to live in a specific   history of time period versus memorizing a date.

Mr. Pasquil’s class is different because he   incorporates performance and speaking your true  voice and like, not letting others influence you,   refreshing.

Like you're not.

You don't just  come to read from the textbook.

You come to   perform.

You come to draw.

You come to write  an essay, you come to make a PowerPoint.

That is my way of continuing the legacy,  right?

So, every time that I teach, an   approach to it is from my inspiration, from  hula and people that have inspired me.

Mr. Pasquil’s history class may be just one  of the many in his students’ lives.

However,   through the gift of song and dance, they're  able to cherish and even share his lessons   for years to come.

This is Adara Pineda  from Moanalua High School for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] To close the show,   I'd like to share this powerful story produced  by students at Lahainaluna High School on Maui   who share their alma mater, one of the only  school songs in ‘ōlelo Hawaii in the state.

It's   not only a melody of school pride.

There is deep  Hawaiian history and meaning behind its lyrics.

Did you know Lahainaluna High School is one  of the only public high schools in Hawai‘i   that has an alma mater in the Hawaiian language?

The Lahainaluna alma mater was composed by Samuel   Mo‘okini and Albert Kaleikini in 1898.

The lyrics tell a story about how   ‘ulu trees were abundant.

In fact, there is  an initiative to plant more ‘ulu in Lahaina.

The song talks about Kaua Valley  and its strong wind.

That wind,   according to our alma mater lyrics, is not  going to extinguish the flames of Lahainaluna.

[singing] [speaks Hawaiian] translates   to the ever-burning torch, which cannot be  extinguished by the fierce winds of Kauaula.

We had a fire in 2018.

It came close to  us, but it didn't burn down the school.

The mana, or unknown force, may have  blocked the wind and protected us.

We thank the Maui fire department and many  volunteers who worked tirelessly to keep the   fire from spreading to the school.

This alma mater tells us about our   history.

During freshman orientation, we are  introduced to the alma mater.

It is instilled   into our four years as students and beyond.

The alma mater is sung at events like David   Malo Day, end of assemblies, graduations,  reunions, funerals and even at airports.

This is Anuhea Coon from Lahainaluna  High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[singing continues] That's it for our show.

Thanks for joining us to   watch the impressive work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of  Storytellers, and thank you to all of our teachers   who have shaped us into the students and humans we  are today.

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.

[outro music]