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Aloha, HIDOE Community –
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter.
Tracking key education bills: first crossover approaches
We are approaching a key milestone in the legislative session – First Crossover on March 6 – when bills must pass from one chamber to the other to remain in consideration. This is a pivotal moment that helps clarify which education-related proposals are gaining traction and which are unlikely to advance.
At the start of the session, we were tracking nearly 1,000 education bills. As the session moves forward, our focus has narrowed: 101 bills have been significant enough to warrant formal testimony; 275 additional bills are still in play and under close monitoring.
Our legislative package remains strong, with eight of our nine key proposals still advancing through the process. We have updated our legislative one-pager to reflect the latest status of these bills.
Beyond our administrative priorities, several key themes have emerged in education legislation this year:
- Hoʻākea program funding – Supports curriculum and professional development tied activities through the Polynesian Voyaging Society and wa‘a community.
- Subsidized school meals – Proposals aim to reduce or eliminate meal costs for students.
- Cell phone use in schools – Some bills seek to regulate or restrict student cell phone use during class time.
- Financial literacy education – Proposals would integrate financial literacy into the curriculum to better prepare students for the future.
- Student transportation – Measures address the bus driver shortage and alternative transportation solutions.
As we navigate this critical phase of the session, we remain committed to advocating for policies that best support Hawai‘i’s students, educators and schools. Keep up with the legislative session at capitol.hawaii.gov.
Girls Flag Football takes the field
History is in the making as Hawai‘i launches its inaugural season of girls flag football! Over the weekend, the Seattle Seahawks hosted two free clinics for high school girls excited to take part in this fast-growing sport. With 300 student-athletes participating and a $30,000 donation to support the program, momentum is building for the season ahead. Check out the feature below to hear from student-athletes and see photos from the clinics.
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Ho‘oha‘aheo Photo of the Week
 As part of the 2025 Great Kindness Challenge, Pu'u Kukui Elementary School students, from left to right, Joshua Cabebe, Jaden Bernades, and Keely Benigno delivered bags of snacks to firefighter Chaz Fisher and the rest of the Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) team at Kahului Airport on Feb. 17. The challenge encouraged students to do small acts of kindness throughout the school and the community.
Credit: Michelle Cabebe / Pu‘u Kukui Elementary PCNC
Submit your public school-related image from this school year for a chance to be featured as next week’s Ho‘oha‘aheo Photo of the Week!
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#HIPublicSchoolsProud
Social media highlights of the most engaging posts of the week.
Use the #HIPublicSchoolsProud hashtag for a chance to be featured!
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 Waimea High School
»Waimea High School Key Club was out on the high seas this weekend participating in the NOAA Ocean Count project with the guidance of Jean Souza from the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. They went out for two hours and saw many whales, learned about their behavior, while also seeing spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and marine birds.
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 William P. Jarrett Middle School
» Micronesian Student Summit today. Keynote speaker was a Jarrett Middle School alumni, Katchen Betiru. Our students performed two dances that everyone loved! #jarrettmiddleschool #palolovalley #keepitkaimuki #kaimuki
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 Moanalua High School Athletics
» Dynasty. Dominance. History. 🔥🏆 For the 4TH YEAR IN A ROW, Moanalua High girls wrestling stands on top as the HHSAA State Team Champions! 🏆🏆🏆🏆 This squad has shown nothing but grit, determination, and heart, proving year after year why they are the best in Hawai‘i! 💪💙 Shoutout to every wrestler, coach, and supporter who made this historic 4-PEAT possible! This legacy is still growing! 🚀
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Girls flag football kicks off in Hawai'i
The Seattle Seahawks hosted two free clinics over the weekend for high school girls interested in playing girls flag football in the upcoming inaugural season in Hawai‘i on Saturday at James B. Castle High School and Sunday at Pearl City High School.
Approximately 300 girls total from high schools statewide participated in the clinics. Former Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl champion and current Hawai‘i resident Michael Bennett made an appearance at Sunday’s clinic and helped to present a check for $30,000 to the Hawai‘i High School Athletics Association to support girls flag football in Hawai‘i on behalf of the Seattle Seahawks.
Hawai‘i is the 12th state in the country to sanction girls flag football as an official high school sport. Girls flag football will be played in a 7-on-7 format with two 25-minute halves and a five-minute halftime. The size of the field is smaller compared to boys football, measuring 40 yards in width by 80 yards in length. Tryouts for girls flag football teams begin this week with preseason games starting on March 3 and culminating in a state championship in late April. All athletic leagues in Hawai‘i will be participating in the inaugural season with 46 public schools and public charter schools represented.
  Photo credits: Edgar Ambrosio and Kimberly Yuen / HIDOE Communications Branch
What inspired you to try out for girls flag football?
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“It’s hard for girls to have confidence these days especially with sports that are mostly for boys. It’s good to just show off that we can do it just as good as boys. And we can make it way more fun than them at Friday Night Lights.”
-Jyzelle Gorion, James Campbell High School
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“My coaches really inspired me to join because they push me to work hard. Not just me, all the girls on the team too. They push us to work hard so we can get to where we want to be. Because we arenʻt gonna get anywhere if we just stay in one place. So the coaches being there for us, it really meant a lot. We’re out there–we’re doing something that we thought we would never ever do in our lives. I’d like to say thank you to my coaches and my teachers because they’re the reason why I’m here today.”
-Angeljoy Agrippa, Kaimukī High School
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“When I was younger I had a passion to play football because I looked up to my older brothers. And as I tried it, I got into it and I think I can really go somewhere with this. It's rare to see girls playing and making it out from Hawaii. It's very exciting.”
Ka‘ena Kamohali‘i, Kapolei High School
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“I've been playing flag football since I was 2 years old. I just love the sport and I'm so glad it's in high school. Growing up I thought I would have to find a new sport to do because there wasn't going to be flag in high school. Once I heard that (flag football would be offered) I thought this is my chance.”
-Zoey Naboa, ʻAiea High School
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“I found it's more fun than the other sports out there. I did wrestling and boxing but it's not the same as football.”
-Shaydenurijah Key Byrd, Nānākuli High & Intermediate School
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“The sport really speaks to me. I grew up around football so I feel flag football would be a good sport for me ... As our first season, I'm excited for the people who have talent and want to show it out. I'm excited to see what people got.”
-Xailey Robinson, Mililani High School
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“I love trying new things. I feel flag football has a lot of teamwork and enthusiasm.”
-Mariam Huggins, Laupāhoehoe Community - PCS (left)
“I wanted to have better conditioning for my other sports I do like track and volleyball. I'm going to do two sports (flag football and track in the spring). For our school, we kind of combine the practices together. What we do in flag, we do the same thing in track.”
-Tyshay Nacis, Laupāhoehoe Community - PCS (right)
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Important Dates & Upcoming Events
- February: Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month)
- February: Black History Month
- February: Career and Technical Education month
- Feb. 24-28: Public Schools Week
- March: National Reading Month
- March 17-21: Spring Break
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 There are 14 states in the country that have sanctioned girls flag football as an official high school sport, with Hawai‘i being the 12th. In 1998, Hawai‘i was also a pioneer in high school athletics and became the first state ever to sanction this sport at the high school level.
- Boys judo
- Girls wrestling
- Boys and girls paddling
- Boys and girls bowling
Find the answer at the end of this newsletter.
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HIDOE Headlines
A roundup of announcements, resources and shoutouts.
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 » A University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo professor and his wife, a teacher at Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Iki Lab Public Charter School, partnered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to publish a Hawaiian adaptation of the internationally acclaimed children’s book What Makes Us Human? titled I Kanaka Mai I Ke Aha?
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 » Students statewide can now take their driving permit test online, saving hours of time at the DMV. McKinely High School Driver Education teacher Leilani Okuda told KHON that this will help the students obtain their permit earlier and be more prepared for the driver education course.
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 » The Piha Me Ka Pono program at Partners in Development Foundation partnered with Kealakehe Elementary and Kealakehe Intermediate schools to create a “walking school bus” for students to get to school safely and on time to increase attendance.
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What's For School Lunch?
Throughout the month of February cafeterias statewide were offered the opportunity to serve banana (mai’a) sheet pancakes for breakfast using locally grown apple bananas. Hawaiʻi apple bananas are the main variety grown by local producers. An estimated 2,135 pounds of local apple bananas were distributed to serve 92 participating schools! Check out the scaled down recipe below for a delicious and easy way of making pancakes in bulk from scratch.
 Ingredients (yields approximately 15 pieces):
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup of all purpose flour (or sub for 100% whole wheat for added fiber)
- 1.5 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 Tbsp baking soda
- 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp of kosher salt
- 2/3 cup liquid eggs or 3 large eggs
- 2.75 cups buttermilk
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup of sliced local apple bananas (or fresh or frozen sliced strawberries and blueberries)
Instructions:
- Using a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
- In a second large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk.
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Just mix to combine - overmixing may cause pancakes to be tough and dense. Some lumps will still be in the batter.
- Gently stir in the melted butter.
- Pour batter into a parchment-lined sheet pan about 11" x 15.5".
- Scatter and arrange fruit over the top of the pancake batter.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes until set and slightly golden brown on top.
- Cut the pancake into 3” x 5” pieces. Serve warm.
 Photo credits: William Guanzon / HIDOE Communications Branch
Mahalo to Kāneʻohe Elementary School’s cafeteria team, from left to right, school food services manager, Leiko Iwaoka; Leina Daniel, baker; and Madeline Murata, cook; for inviting us into their kitchen and to Kāneʻohe Elementary students, staff and parents for welcoming us into their cafeteria!
“What’s For School Lunch?” is a monthly column coordinated by the School Food Services Branch that features new and exciting school meal initiatives.
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Public School Pop Quiz! Answer: 2. Girls wrestling |
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HAWAI‘I STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Keith Hayashi
Superintendent
Heidi Armstrong
Deputy Superintendent
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Dean Uchida
Deputy Superintendent
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Tammi Oyadomari-Chun
Deputy Superintendent
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ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS
Sean Bacon
Talent Management
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Brian Hallett
Fiscal Services
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Audrey Hidano
Facilities and Operations
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Elizabeth Higashi
Strategy, Innovation and Performance
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Kinau Gardner
Student Support Services
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Amy Peckinpaugh
Information Technology Services
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Teri Ushijima
Curriculum and Instructional Design
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Ho‘oha‘aheo
PUBLIC SCHOOL PROUD
Nanea Ching
Executive Editor
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Kimberly Yuen
Managing Editor
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Contributors
Chanel Honda
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Derek Inoshita
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Stan Lee
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Sara Miyazono
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Kimi Takazawa
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Krislyn Yano Moore
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1390 Miller St. Honolulu, HI 96813 | Phone: 808-784-6200 Fax: 808-586-3234
Share your story ideas, questions and feedback to newsletter@k12.hi.us
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