[intro music plays] [sound of beach waves] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i’s new wave of storytellers.

Aloha, and welcome to this week’s episode of HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i’s new wave of storytellers.

I’m Akeakamai Cho, a sophomore at Kua O Kā La Miloli‘i Hipu‘u Virtual Academy.

I’m speaking to you now from the fishing village of Miloli‘i.

In this edition of HIKI NŌ, we’ll see how Hawai‘i students are navigating life during the pandemic as we enter the home stretch of the 2020-2021 school year.

We’ll meet a husband and wife team who teach at the same high school and are trying their best to adapt to the new ways of teaching brought on by the pandemic.

We’ll get to know a young artist and hear about her “just do it” philosophy of making art.

And we’ll continue celebrating HIKI NŌ’s 10th anniversary by meeting one of the very first co-hosts of the HIKI NŌ show, who went on to become the Media Coordinator at his alma mater.

But first, here is my student reflection on how COVID-19 has impacted me and my family.

I recorded it outside my school in Miloli‘i on February 16, 2021.

COVID’s been hard on my family and me.

Both of my parents lost their jobs.

My father worked for the forest reserve and now looks for part-time work.

My mother was a prep cook, but the restaurant she worked at closed during the pandemic.

Money is tight, living space is tight, and keeping up with school has been difficult.

We’ve had to make hard decisions and haven’t had enough money for all the things we need.

For example, one time we went to the store to buy diapers and didn’t have enough money.

So we went home and made cloth diapers.

We have gone pig hunting so we can have meat for the family.

Adding to our challenges, we have adopted two new babies who needed a safe home.

So we are now eight people living in a three-room house.

This means I have a lot of new responsibilities.

In addition to caring for my little brothers and sisters, I help with the new baby.

I also cook and clean, and I am really missing in-person help from my teachers.

With all these changes, I’ve been feeling depressed, so I try to take time to myself to write and play music.

[‘ukulele music plays] In spite of all these challenges, we are a strong family and are there for one another.

If one of us is struggling, we call a family meeting and address the issue together.

For example, we noticed that my brother wasn’t talking.

We all sat down and found out he was having a hard time at school, so we took turns helping him catch up with his work.

In my case, the family noticed I wasn’t doing any schoolwork.

We met and I told them I was feeling overwhelmed.

They hugged me and told me to try my best.

That encouragement was all I needed.

I appreciate our strong family support, and I know we will get through these difficult times together.

Next, we travel north up the Kona coast for a story by students from Konawaena High School about a husband and wife who both teach at the school and are doing their best to adapt to the new normal.

Everybody’s struggling, and that’s what keeps me up because I’m here teaching other people’s kids for 25 years and now I have my own, and I just want to say to people that that is the hardest thing.

Mr. and Mrs. Thoma are teachers at Konawaena High School on the Big Island of Hawai‘i and have been married for 10 years.

COVID-19 has tested both their abilities as educators and as parents.

Even with decades of teaching experience, Mr. Thoma is finding distance learning to be a challenge.

Well, if you’d asked me last year, I would’ve said on a scale of 10, I was like a 7 to 8 on teaching technology.

If you ask me that now, I was a 2 to 3, maybe a 3 to 4, and I’m trying to get better with all the help of colleagues.

The Thomas understand the toll that the pandemic has had on their students and are doing their best to support them.

I recognize that there is a lot of students that are having a hard time.

I hear it.

I see it.

There’s a lot more on people’s plates, and a lot more that students are dealing with than we’ve ever, like, really seen before.

I think the biggest challenge for students is for them to understand that this is the way we’re doing school right now.

The Thomas have three young children under the age of 10.

They have to juggle managing their distance learning at home in addition to the responsibilities at school.

The structure and the routine of their education is being facilitated by their teacher but enforced, if you will, or guided by the adults that are there in the room.

And so, like, when they’re not on virtual learning, there’s a lot of expectations outside of that time.

To manage their busy schedules, the Thomas rely on support from their family members and each other.

We have a auntie and uncle that are watching our children, which, I know I am entirely blessed by having that.

So having that structure and sharing that responsibility among all adults with the kids has been a challenge for them to adjust to.

Our role as husband and wife, as teachers, has been over the course of our kids, 10 and 7 years, me trying to give her the ability to hone her craft as a newer teacher, and me taking more responsibility as the parent sometimes.

The Thomas stay mentally and physically strong by including exercise and humor as part of their daily routine.

To alleviate stress is, um, the same thing that I’ve always done, is try to exercise daily, just try to give time away from the screen with my kids, and that seems to bring the biggest relief from all the stresses and the, the doubts that I feel, like I’m meeting their needs as a parent.

What keeps me up at night are all the things that I have to, um, try to stay on top of: school, teaching, family, fun, still having fun, trying to incorporate everything.

Working together as a team has helped the Thomas be successful as both teachers and parents during the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic.

I have learned to try to make my kids laugh more than I did before, because laughing’s better than yelling, and crying, and screaming, and so, just trying to be silly with my kids.

This is Christian Aragon from Konawaena High School for HIKI NŌ.

[sound of beach waves] This is Nadia Friedenberg, a sophomore at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy on the Big Island.

I’m recording on March 25, 2021.

I began my experience at HPA in the fall of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 cases throughout the boarding community, residential life directors have isolated borders to our rooms, halls and bathrooms, preventing new students from making new friends.

I began to feel very isolated when I first came here.

I was a new student, and I hadn’t made any new friends yet.

But after our two-week quarantine, we were finally given the freedom to socialize and make new friends.

Now, through activities led by residential life, I can socialize and social distance while staying safe throughout these hard times.

My friends and I, now on the weekends, hang out outside, do physical activities to prevent the feeling of sadness and loneliness.

Continuing our celebration of the 10th anniversary of HIKI NŌ, here is the ninth installment in a series of profiles on outstanding HIKI NŌ alumni.

[music and beach waves] In my senior year of Hilo High School, I was able to work with my teacher, Mr. Kapali, to help be a home base for, uh, Episode 4 for Season 1 of HIKI NŌ.

It was very exciting.

That was the first time that we’ve ever produced something like that.

The biggest part of our enthusiasm was the fact that it was the first season, and that HIKI NŌ was the first of its kind.

The, the feeling of being part of something new was something that resonated throughout the entire project.

Growing up, I would watch PBS Hawai‘i, and so to be able to work with a television studio, such as PBS Hawai‘i, to produce content on a high school level in a way that hasn’t been done, it was very exciting.

It didn’t appear we would be able to create anything that would be television-worthy, but we received training.

PBS Hawai‘i came to our high school to, uh, mentor us, and that gave us the confidence that we needed to be able to work on this HIKI NŌ project, and with that, um, our attitude shifted to this is something that we definitely can do.

HIKI NŌ, can do.

The thing that we got the most from this HIKI NŌ experience was teamwork.

A lot of the students together, we were not in the same class at all.

So, they weren’t even in the digital media program.

Being able to work with these group of students who I knew, but yet never worked with on a project before, showed me that together we had to really depend on each other to meet deadlines, and that when it comes to meeting deadlines, that it’s all hands on deck.

This program has helped to connect our communities through the voices of our students.

When the episode first came out, we were at home, and we watched it with our families, and I know my parents made a big deal out of it.

They told everybody.

They told my aunties and uncles, my grandparents.

They told them, “Our son’s going to be on TV.” So, for us, it was, there was a lot of excitement, um seeing it come to, come to fruition.

I remember in all the digital media classes, they actually showed it to them.

And on our morning bulletin after the, it was all said and done, they actually said, “We’re going to play this video on our closed-circuit television on campus.” So, the entire school gets to watch.

Of course, there after that broadcast, everyone kept saying, “Can do,” to me.

They would just, they would, they would point the finger, the same thing I did on the broadcast, and say, “Can do.

Can do.” So, I became known as the “can do boy.” On HIKI NŌ, can do.

After graduation, my inspiration from HIKI NŌ led me to want to take digital media, uh, technology at Hawai‘i Community College.

I never considered going to digital media as a course of study.

I always thought it was going to be something of a hobby to me.

But after working with HIKI NŌ, and it got me inspired to want to do something like that professionally.

I was given the opportunity to work at Hilo Intermediate School as a computer technician, and at the time, Hilo Intermediate School was just starting their HIKI NŌ program.

And being part of the first season, I was very excited to want to help out with that.

To me, seeing the students and their enthusiasm in creating videos was very inspiring to me, and that kept me wanting to return and keep teaching students how to make videos, how to use technology, how to use cameras and ultimately, how to tell stories.

When it came to my tenure at Hilo Intermediate School, it was shortly thereafter that I was hired at Hilo High School.

At Hilo High School, I am the data processing user support technician.

It’s a mouthful, but really, my job is to work with computers.

And so, with my background in media, thanks to HIKI NŌ, and also by working with students at Hilo Intermediate School, I was able to acquire whatever equipment the school had for video-making, and I was able to find a couple anchors and start making a morning bulletin and make videos again.

I am very grateful for HIKI NŌ, um, being able to give me that experience, being able to work with professionals in the field, seeing how they were able to teach us, and also to work with students has inspired me to want to work with students as well, because every year I’m able to experience the same kind of enthusiasm and excitement from the students.

I’m able to relive my experience every time that we get to work on a project.

And so, seeing the students and their reactions to being able to work on a HIKI NŌ Challenge or HIKI NŌ story or profile, that is something that has really inspired me, and I want to keep that going as long as possible.

[sound of beach waves] This is Katelyn Kato, a seventh grader at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School on O‘ahu.

I am recording this at my home on April 10, 2021 Even though school has changed or gone online due to COVID, the standards my parents set for me haven’t.

Last school year, I set the bar for my grades of having straight A’s, which was completely fine by me.

School was actually manageable, and my parents and I were happy with the results I was showing, but now that school has drastically changed, maintaining these high expectations have become overwhelming and stressful.

My workspace has been merged with my home environment, and it’s hard to switch between the two, making it impossible to focus in class.

Now, every little thing seems to bother me, whether it’s the noise level, the cars passing by outside, or just my mind being unable to adapt to this new environment.

But, when I was in in-person class and in the academic environment that I’m used to, focusing on my work was so much more easier, where all the sights and sounds were academic.

In school and with my grades, I really do my best, even though my results might say otherwise.

The way teachers are teaching, and the way we are expected to learn have drastically changed from the ways that I’ve been used to for the past eight years.

I want to do well in school, and I’m still trying my best, so please be patient with me.

I’m still a work in progress.

We now take you to the island of Kaua‘i, where the students from Kapa‘a High School tell the story of a young artist with a unique approach to creating.

Just experiment, have fun, make bad art.

No one cares.

No one says you’re bad.

You’re, you’re trying, and that’s all that’s important.

Finding comfort in the creative process, Moira Nagle, a sophomore at Kapa‘a High School in Kaua‘i, focuses on improving her art skills from home.

Most of my free time is spent doing art, like, painting, drawing, now sculpting.

I do it mostly for myself, so there’s not really a lot of outside pressure from anyone to do good and make masterpieces.

And I just have fun with it, and experiment with different styles and techniques, and really, whatever I want to paint, I, I just paint.

Although most of her work is introspective, she drew some inspiration from others to pursue this passion.

My mom, she really started it, ‘cause as a kid, she would have us all make Christmas ornaments or make birthday cards, and that really made me want to draw more and doodle all the time.

So, I think she really has a big part to do with it.

I have been an influence by encouraging her to try things and buying her what materials she wants.

Even with the support and encouragement of her mother, Moira still faces challenges.

With COVID lately, and just life, I haven’t really had a lot of motivation to get up and, and draw, and there’s definitely been a lot of times where I just wanted to give up and throw all my paintbrushes away and just stop, but I didn’t.

I started to draw again and again and again, making really, just, bad pieces, just so I could say that at least I’m trying.

Moira is always drawing and changing and adapting and painting and repainting, and she practiced all different kinds of, with all kinds of materials all the time.

You know, we all started out with stick figures and half a sun in the corner, and now I’m able to create something that I can say that I’m happy with and that I’m proud of myself.

But I don’t think there was a definite point where my art went from stick pieces into masterpieces.

It was just a lot of practicing and trying and making things that I wanted to.

And that’s some advice I would give to new artists or struggling artists.

Try, and continue, and don’t stop.

This is Ian Raquel from Kapa‘a High School for HIKI NŌ.

[sound of beach waves] Hi, this is Jocelyn Gonzales, an eighth grader at Kailua Intermediate School on O‘ahu.

I am recording this in my school on April 26, 2021.

I consider my friends my escape.

Pre-COVID, if things at home got overwhelming, being with my friends helped me relax and de-stress.

When the pandemic began, we weren’t able to see each other at all.

We stayed in touch by text, and once in a while we would FaceTime, but I felt like I was drifting away from them.

During lockdown, they didn’t always respond, and I felt disconnected.

I found myself spending more time alone in my room, or even lost.

But I told myself this will all be over soon, and we will be able to see each other again soon.

In January, restrictions started to ease, and I went back to campus a few days a week.

Though I didn’t have any classes with my friends, I was able to see them after school, on the weekends, and during breaks.

I’m also getting to know classmates I didn’t really know before.

This doesn’t come easy to me because I feel awkward starting conversations.

But as time went on, we would talk more, and it’s easier now.

I feel more confident, and I’m not as scared to meet new people.

Looking back, I learned a lot from this pandemic.

Now, I feel more comfortable sharing my thoughts and experiences, my friendships are stronger than they were before, and I am proud that I can build new ones, too.

And while we’re on the subject of friendship, here is a story about the importance of friendship in the healing process.

It’s by students from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle school on Kaua‘i, and is among our top stories from the first 10 years of HIKI NŌ.

Mental illness in the USA is more common than one might think.

About 26 percent of all Americans have some form of a mental illness.

Often times, when someone thinks about mental illness, they think of someone who is mentally unstable and may lash out violently.

And I wanted to just read one fact.

The widely held belief that mental illness leads to increased risk of violent behavior is a damaging stereotype.

The vast majority of individuals with psychiatric disabilities do not commit violent acts.

Fortunately, for people with mental illness, there’s a place where positive change can happen.

Friendship House is a clubhouse for people with mental illness to come to, to get help with their lives, um, whether it’s making friends, going back to work, finding a place to live.

Friendship House does all those things for people who, from all walks of life here on Kaua‘i.

Basically, you know, the, the Friendship House, the clubhouse model, is a place where members come, and we don’t call our guys patients, we call them members.

So it’s not the doctor-patient relationship.

We’re colleagues, and that’s very empowering.

Friendship House is one of over 350 clubhouse programs in 33 different countries.

So, we’re making a world of difference all around the world.

The Friendship House is a global effort to try and get members back into their normal routines.

It’s our job to help make sure that they get the opportunities that anybody else in life has, whether they want to go to school, or go to work, or any other opportunity to enhance their well-being and their life.

They, uh, set me up with various employers around the island, which I need to, uh, get in contact with.

But as a result of this close work, the staff’s lives are also largely changed.

I remember having to do a presentation in front of, uh, Kaua‘i United Way, and you know, Laura could tell I was really, really nervous, and she, she pulled me on the side, and she goes, “OK, Iris, just breathe.” You know, so she got me through that.

So it’s a, it’s a pretty much give-and-take relationship here.

Because of this type of interaction, members form an unexpected, yet life-changing bond with the staff.

I called HMSA, and they, they asked Iris who she was, and she says, “I am a friend.” They didn’t think of her as a case manager, but they knew I had a friend in my corner.

Well actually, I think she’s an angel sometimes, you know.

Here at Friendship House, it’s really about the relationships that, uh, members and staff, uh, tend to form.

Although the main goal of the Friendship House is to help its members get back into society, the bonds between the members and staff have made a world of difference in each other’s lives.

From Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, this has been Brandon Marcos for HIKI NŌ.

[sound of beach waves] Aloha, I’m Cassidy Denault, and I filmed this reflection at my home in Hilo, Hawai‘i, in April 2021.

I’m in my senior year at Waiākea High School, and it looks as though this entire year will have been one of distance learning.

In a year where everything has been so different, I found relief in the familiar things.

I’ve been running competitively since the 4th grade with a club that has become a true constant in my life.

My team and I train together, race together and have shared some of the funnest times over many cross country and track and field seasons.

When the pandemic hit, my school sports season stopped.

It was clear that the competitive aspects of running were over for me.

But running didn’t disappear from my life, it simply changed form.

When the world stopped, getting to go for a run gave me routine, a defeat-able challenge, and it brought some normalcy to my life.

My teammates and I kept each other motivated, connected, through a running app where we could post our runs.

As restrictions lifted, we were increasingly able to safely enjoy the connections a team fosters.

My senior year looks a whole lot different than what I expected.

While I’ve lost senior seasons, homecoming, and just being able to spend one last year with my friends, I’m grateful for the solace, support and much needed happiness I’ve continued to find in running.

[sound of beach waves] Mahalo for watching this episode of HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i’s new wave of storytellers.

We hope these student storytellers have given you insights into their lives in these extraordinary times.

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

[outro music] [sound of beach waves and piano] Hi.

My name is Christian Aragon, and I’m a senior at Konawaena High School here on the Big Island of Hawai‘i.

This is Ella Anderson.

Hi, this is Ivan Elf from HP Baldwin High School.

Aloha, I’m Kailani Ibanez.

This is Cameron Culver in the 11th grade at Maui High School.

Hi, my name is Holden Aniya, a junior at Sacred Hearts Academy on O‘ahu.

This is Faith Christy Soliven.

My name is Evalani Keawekane.

Before the lockdown, I was as busy as can be.

For me, distance learning has been a little stressful.

When coronavirus first hit, I did not want to stay at home.

I wasn’t exactly the happiest in the world, but I was content with life.

COVID-19 forced me to rethink my lifestyle and establish a new routine.

I’m here to talk about how distance learning has been affecting me, personally.

The months went by and distance learning for the new school year began, I realized that during quarantine, I actually hadn’t tried any of the things I had always wanted to do.

Now that we’re home learning all day, there’s many distractions, and it’s super noisy around my house.

Since I’m in online school, you would think, “Wow, this is much easier since I’m at home.” Progressively I found myself emotionally isolated and lost.

I would become stressed and overwhelmed, and I would find myself becoming unmotivated and lieing in bed, not being able to move.

It was difficult, but there was some bright spots, too.

I finally opened up to family and close friends.

I knew I had to do better, so I got to work.

Things started to change when I began to help him learn from home.

It’s stuff like trying to learn the ‘ukulele, practicing painting, drawing, or even embroidery, which is something I’ve wanted to learn for years.

I thank the best and the worst parts of this pandemic for teaching me how to be closer to others.

And even though I’m not as great as I was before it started, I’m better than I was when it began.

And that’s a beginning.

And like everyone else who’s had to adjust to staying at home, I just have to keep trying one day at a time.

Distance learning isn’t that bad after all.

It’s just what you make of it.

I took the extra step.

Not even a pandemic can keep us from sharing our aloha for one another.

And I cannot wait to see what comes next.

[END]