HIKI NŌ 401 Next, on HIKI NŌ, stories from across the island chain.

From Oahu, Moanalua High School looks at a risk of dropping weight for sports.

Mililani Middle School shows us how to get fit.

Halau Lokahi introduces us to an award-winning songwriter who also happens to be a teacher.

And Waianae Intermediate shows us how special needs students connect with their peers through sports.

From Kauai, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School shows us the ups and downs of allowing electronic devices on campus.

From Hawaii Island, students from Konawaena High School learn real life lessons about the music business.

From Maui, Maui High School introduces us to the one and only Knuckleball Princess, and students from Maui Waena Intermediate show us where the dirt meets the rubber.

And that's where this episode of HIKI NŌ is coming from; Maui Waena Intermediate, home of the Falcons.

That's next, on the nation's first statewide student news network.

HIKI NŌ, can do!

Can you believe we are entering our fourth season of HIKI NŌ?

And here we are, back at Maui Waena Intermediate School, where it al began, with us hosting just like we did on the very first episode of HIKI NŌ.

Our first story takes us to Moanalua High School on Oahu for a look at a wrestling tradition that could have serious health consequences.

Every year, many students at Moanalua High School participate in competitive sports.

Injuries are always a risk, but self-inflicted injuries are unexpected.

Cutting weight for me is like losing weight to get to a certain weight class I want to get to.

Wrestling and judo are the two sports that classify athletes by their weight.

According to cuttingweight.net, cutting weight is the practice of rapid weight loss prior to a sporting competition.

It is supposed to give the person that is cutting an edge over their competitor.

I cut weight because I feel that I can compete better at a certain weight class.

Like, a lower weight class, I can do better, I'll be stronger, and more fit than everybody else.

Wrestlers have been known to cut significant amounts of weight leading up to their competition.

Although cutting weight seems harmless, there are risks that go along with it.

Personally, cutting weight is really stressful, 'cause you can't eat no goodies and stuff, and no candy, and you have to work harder to lose more weight.

So, it's very stressful.

Cutting weight can be hazardous to athletes' health, leading to dehydration, malnutrition, and eating disorders.

But the techniques used to cut weight can lead to bigger problems.

The sauna suits, the plastic suits; we've had people using rubbish bags, you know, that kind of thing to, you know, increase their sweat.

And that's just unhealthy.

You know, like I said, you lose too much water, and then you run the risk of heat cramps to, you know, the very severe heatstroke.

When speaking to the judo athletic director, Blake Moritsugu, he mentioned that there are no rules and regulations to cutting weight.

Although there are no set guidelines, it is up to the athletes to use safe practices and weight loss methods.

I'm Raevyn DeBina-Timbal from Moanalua High School, for HIKI NŌ.

HC&S is Hawaii's largest provider of raw sugar, producing as much as two hundred thousand tons each year.

The plantation is located in Central Maui on the slopes of Haleakala.

We process our sugarcane right here at our Puunene Mill.

We take you now to Kauai, where students from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School face the responsibilities that go with freedom.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] At most schools, there's a strict no-electronics rule.

However, the electronics guidelines is new to the campus of Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, and already, students are enjoying having something to do during recess, like playing a game on their cell phones or listening to music.

Not only does it keep students busy, but it's also used as an educational resource.

The electronics policy allows each teacher to decide whether or not they want to allow electronics in their classroom.

We have some teachers that are really against any electronic device in their class, they feel it's something that takes away from instruction, while other teachers have embraced it, allowing students to use their devices to go on the Internet maybe to search for information.

However, of course, with great power comes great responsibility and rules that you must follow.

You have to be aware of people's images, right?

So, I'm sure none of you would want your picture being taken in the PE locker room, right?

I'm sure none of you would want your picture being taken at inappropriate times if you weren't informed of this, right?

And so, there's the whole privacy issue, and the right of your image to be put out without your knowledge.

Even if taking photos is against school rules, taking and sharing it online seems only natural to students because it's already a huge part of our daily lives.

Phones as cameras are now part of our society.

They put their lives on the Internet every day, and so, it's a habit for them, because everywhere they go, they're taking pictures.

And it's difficult for some to not do that at school, because it's such a part of their life.

Resisting the urge to send that photo to a friend or share it online might be tough, but it's worth it in the end because the consequences will not only affect you, but everyone else as well.

If you take a picture, if you film on campus, you are going to make it so the whole school doesn't have electronics.

Once again, it's on a trial basis, which means it's not an official rule here yet.

So, we're asking them to be role models.

We're asking them to reflect on the fact that one person really does make a difference, and it could be a difference in a very negative way for everyone else.

Students are learning that before you take a quick snapshot of you and your friends hanging out at recess, you should think about it first, because it could be your action that could delete the electronics guidelines for everyone for good in both recess and classes.

For HIKI NŌ, this has been Sharae Cua from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School.

If you would like to comment on this story, or anything you see on HIKI NŌ, join a discussion on facebook.com/hikinocando, or send us a Tweet at twitter.com/hikinocando.

Iao Valley is the site of one of the most famous and bloody battles that changed Hawaii's history forever.

On this site, in 1790, King Kamehameha I destroyed the Maui's army in an effort to unite the Hawaiian Islands.

It was said that these very waters ran red.

Our next story comes to you from Konawaena High School on Hawaii Island, where students learn real life lessons about the music business.

What do you want to do after high school?

What do you want to be?

I said, I want to be in music.

And she said, Well, what are you gonna be, a starving musician, or just another music teacher?

Not everyone can be a rock star, but it is possible for those who have the determination to learn the trade to have a career in the music industry.

For the past three years, Konawaena High School has been fortunate to have a music teacher Louis Pinault, who approaches music as an industry.

But what makes Louis Pinault qualified to teach students how to break into one of the toughest industries?

It's been my experience through my life, I've been playing music professionally and semi- professionally since I was a teenager.

And I just happened to get lucky in 2003, and meet somebody here in Hawaii who appreciated my talents and asked me to do some recording, and once we did that, asked me to tour with him.

And I ended up touring at a very high level opening up-you know, the artist I toured with was Jesse Colin Young.

He's a gold record artist.

And I ended up opening up for all kinds of great artists like Steve Miller Band, and the Beach Boys, and co-headlining with people like Leon Russell.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] That's what I bring to the classroom; I bring my experience, my enthusiasm, and I kinda just pass it on to the students and let them know that they can have a future in the music business, and not just be a music teacher or a starving musician.

So there's a great educational connection between this class and what happens after at a college or university level.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION/MUSIC] Louis likes to keep an open class to let creative juices flow through the students.

No desks doesn't mean no work.

Skills such as music theory, copyright issues, and sound engineering are taught.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION/MUSIC] Now I know that when I listen to a song, what I listen to isn't everything that was put into the song.

Like, there's possibly hundreds of people that were in the production of this song.

Not only did Louis make a promise to himself to be a working musician, but he also has given the students at Konawaena High School the confidence and knowhow to work in the music industry.

That's what I promised myself, and that's why you're here.

You're here ... not just to hang out; you're here to see that you ... you can be really happy and make a really good living.

This is Alex Miyashiro, rocking out in the band room from Konawaena High School.

In 2006, twenty windmills operated by First Wind began generating about nine percent of Maui Electric power.

The windmills are located on a ridge on the West Maui Mountains overlooking Maalaea.

Fourteen more windmills went into operation there in 2012, so they now produce enough electricity for eighteen thousand seven hundred of Maui's homes.

Now, a story from our school, Maui Waena Intermediate, about a motocross competitor who's not just breaking records, but stereotypes as well.

[ENGINE REVVING] When I go to a race and I know Gomes is gonna be there, I know it's gonna be a fun and exciting races.

Gomes' race is real aggressive, and when I see him take jumps and hit the turns really hard, you know you're just waiting for something exciting to come out.

Sixteen-year-old high school senior Brienna Gomes isn't just breaking bumps on the track.

Being a girl, I think, breaks some stereotypes, because this sport is, like, one of the most demanding sports.

Handling a 200-pound-plus bike in layers of heavy protective gear is not what most girls think is glamorous.

But for Brienna ...

It's heaven, because it puts you in a whole other world.

[MOTOR REVVING] This soft-spoken girl is not what most expect of a professional motocross racer, but that is exactly what she wants to be.

She's very focused, she's very determined to keep getting better and getting faster, and she's really in tune with what her results are so that she can continue on to the next level.

And, it is getting to the next level, not the dirt or going up against men, that is Brienna's greatest challenge.

'Cause I raced Oahu, I raced Kauai, and I won in both places.

Yeah, the odds are against me, because I'm all the way out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a tiny island [CHUCKLE], with a sport that costs so much money.

It'll take more money just to get me from here to the mainland, where I can actually start getting somewhere, start progressing.

The stakes are high, but Brienna is banking on a bigger payoff.

If I were to really make it and succeed, it would inspire people, because they'd see how far I came.

Now matter how many hairpin turns she hits, Brianna is sure to stay on track.

I'm just doing what I love.

I don't see anything but the track in front of me.

This is Justin Yago from Maui Waena Intermediate School, for HIKI NŌ.

Here we are, on the beach in Kihei, where on any given Saturday the beaches are filled with people playing in the sand and paddle boarding.

We stay on the Valley Isle for a story from Maui High School about another female athlete who is holding her own against men.

... from Maui, Na Koa Ikaika, Knuckleball Princess, Eri Yoshida!

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] Adding just over five feet to the mound, twenty-year-old pitcher Eri Yoshida proves she can still tower over the competition, even if all the competition are men.

Since I started playing baseball in elementary, I was always the only girl.

Beside me, it was all boys, so I'm used to playing in this environment, being the only girl and the rest of them men.

Different locker rooms aren't the only thing that separates Yoshida from her teammates.

Men and women are different in terms of how our bodies are built, so I always do my best in exercising.

And before the game, I imagine myself doing good pitching.

Yoshida's signature sidearm knuckleball scored her a spot in Maui's independent professional baseball team, Na Koa Ikaika.

As the only female in the North American Baseball League, Yoshida has faced batters from Hilo, California, and Texas.

I first saw the knuckleball on TV, so I thought if I knew how to throw a knuckleball, then I could make it as a baseball player.

Because the knuckleball doesn't spin, batters have a difficult time tracking it.

There's more movement on a knuckleball than just a plain fastball or curveball, and it can move in any direction.

This lack of rotation helped Yoshida to be the first female to be drafted to a professional Japanese baseball team, the Kobe 9 Cruise, when she was sixteen.

But it wasn't until earlier this year that she left her mark in American professional baseball.

This year, I had my third win, which is more than any female in baseball.

With her third career win in June, Yoshida set a record of most games won by a female pitcher in any North American professional league.

For the past two seasons, Yoshida has been sharing the dugout with Maui's Na Koa Ikaika baseball team.

I'm grateful to be able to play with nice people on the Maui team.

They've been teaching me a lot.

Yoshida's professional career is still in its first inning, so she tries to take advantage of every opportunity.

This year, I was given a lot of chances to pitch.

So when I go back to Japan, I will share my story and motivate girls who want to play baseball.

Mahalo ...

This is Michelle Gima from Maui High School, for HIKI NŌ.

Kealia Refuge, located between Kihei and Maalaea, is one of Hawaii's last natural wetlands.

It is six hundred ninety-one acres and home of over thirty species of birds, some of which are endangered.

We take you know to Halau Lokahi on Oahu, for a story about a public school teacher who has written some of the greatest contemporary Hawaiian songs.

My olelo Hawaii is based on what I learned from my kumu, Auntie Nona Beamer, so I thought in terms of Hawaiian poetry.

And then, I found myself writing jazz, reggae ... ballads.

I was a singer, so ...

I think it helped me understand not only what the instrument needs to do, but what the voice needs to do to tell a story.

And that was a wonderful opportunity for me.

But I only wrote for Peter, because I liked the way he did business.

And he had beautiful voices, Martin Pahinui, my most favorite.

[SINGING] Struggling and striving, we're living from hand to mouth, we're surviving.

And I never appreciated it until I got older and I started noticing, wow, that really hits the heart.

And to find out that Auntie Leo did that, and that was one of many Dad's song.

And then, that really played a big part on me and my family.

Someone needs a piece, they ask and tell me what it's for, what kind of project it's for.

And that's how I began.

Peter Moon called me up, We need one more song and I don't have anything, can you write something?

I said, Well ...

I had only written classical music.

So I sat there at my sister's dining room table with the baby in my lap, and I wrote Island Love.

Without an instrument, just creating the music in my mind, and writing the lyrics down as they came to me.

He heard it and he said, I love it, I love it.

I took a song to Israel while he was floating in the swimming pool.

[CHUCKLE] I recorded it on my piano at home, and played it for him by the edge of the swimming pool, and Israel was floating in the water and he said, I LOVE it.

[CHUCKLE] That's what I am; I'm a storyteller.

And when I hear the haumana tell their own stories, when they understand mine, and through my sharing with them music and drama and writing, when they can come and do their own, that is the defining moment for me.

And because I do it every day, every day has those moments.

If you would like to comment on this story, or anything you see on HIKI NŌ, join a discussion on facebook.com/hikinocando, or send us a Tweet at twitter.com/hikinocando.

Nestled in the Waikapu Valley, just miles from the capitol city of Wailuku, is historical loi kalo.

These taro patches have been here for over three hundred years, and have been restored and maintained for the last forty years by one man, Alfred Santiago.

Our next story comes from Waianae Intermediate on Oahu, where special needs students find acceptance from their peers.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] Basketball, soccer, working out on exercise equipment, and walking forms of exercise which require physical fitness and coordination.

But what happens when you have disabilities which affect participation in sports?

At Waianae Intermediate School, students suffering from the most severe disabilities are able to participate in a program known as Adapted PE.

Adapted PE is a physical education class for students who have special needs.

We play basketball and kickball.

And we go to the fitness room and exercise, and lift up weights.

If it wasn't for the Adapted PE class, probably my students would have a more difficult time adapting to a regular PE class.

They have different disabilities that hinder their progress, and we in this class just help them to succeed in any kind of physical activity that they enjoy.

Why is there a need for these students to have a separate PE class?

When I was born, my mom thought I wouldn't make it.

So, the doctor put this shunt in my head to keep the fluid from my head.

Like in Dan's case; if he was to get hit in the head by a basketball, or if he was to fall and hurt his head, then it could present a life-threatening situation.

A lot of my students, they have some type of physical disability.

There's one that his chest was crushed as a baby, so he has some heart problems, so he can't overexert himself.

And that's the same with all the students as well.

We have several students who experience seizures to some degree, and it can be a moderate seizure, it can be a life-threatening seizure, so we always have to keep an eye out for that.

Although the students like PE, they also want to feel accepted by their peers.

They have the same expectations, they look forward to having new and better relationships with other students as well as other adults on campus, and also, they look forward to having the regular ups and downs that other students have.

One of the components of the Adapted PE class is peer tutoring.

In this class, we have typically developing peers that act as peer tutors.

And I think because we have those students in here, it makes it more fun, it makes it more typical, you know, just like a regular PE class.

We view them as students who are in need of patience and guidance to help them become more physically able, so they can be more successful and more fit.

Having the Adapted PE class allows these special needs students to have the same opportunities as other students.

It gives them a chance to exercise while interacting with their peers.

This is Lorraine Char reporting from Waianae High Intermediate School, for HIKI NŌ.

Well, we've come to the end of this episode of HIKI NŌ.

Remember, all of these stories were written, shot, and edited by students like us.

We hope you enjoyed watching them as much as we enjoyed sharing them with you.

Make sure to tune in to next week's episode from our proof the Hawaii student is HIKI NŌ ... Can do!

We leave you now with advice from Central Oahu's Mililani Middle School on how to stay fit.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION/MUSIC] Living an active lifestyle, you're out and about.

You're raising your heart rate, you're exercising your heart, and you're building your cardiovascular system.

So, get out there and be active.

[MUSIC]