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March 11, 2026
Editorial Mission: As the Department's primary publication, we aim to live up to the meaning of ha‘aheo – to cherish with pride – by bolstering and sustaining pride in public education and touting the successes happening across our system.
Editor's Note: The newsletter will be taking a publication recess over spring break and will resume weekly editions on March 25.
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Aloha, HIDOE Community –
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter.
Weather conditions
The state is expecting severe weather across the islands this week. The Department is closely monitoring conditions in collaboration with state and county emergency management agencies to ensure the safety of students and staff. At this time there are no planned statewide school or office closures. Any emergency announcements will be made through the Departmentʻs official communication channels.
Employee, Manager and Team of the Year
This week, we held our annual Incentive and Service Awards Program, celebrating our outstanding Department employees who support our schools every day. Their dedication, professionalism and commitment help create a positive environment for our students, staff and school communities. Congratulations as well to the outstanding efforts of the following individuals who won in the employee, manager and team of the year categories:
- 2025 Employee of the Year: Jennifer Okuma, human resources regional officer in the Personnel Assistance Branch of the Office of Talent Management
- 2025 Manager of the Year: Curtis Mostoles, school food services manager at Waikele Elementary School
- 2025 Team of the Year: teachers Keao Cockett, Shannon Kam, Daryle Mishina, Daniel Simeon, Leeann Tupola and Ariel Villanueva who make up the ʻEwa Makai Middle School CTE Focus Team.
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The ʻEwa Makai Middle School CTE Focus Team was named the 2025 Hawai‘i State Department of Education Team of the Year. Photo credit: Stan Lee / HIDOE Communications Branch
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Kekaha Elementary School students danced in a music video—titled “Open Your Book” sung to the tune of Technotronic’s “Pump Up The Jam”—which debuted at their Read Across America assembly this month. For the past 13 years, students and staff create a fun music video to kick off March as National Reading Month, led by Adreanna Clark, the school’s literacy coach.
“The purpose is two-fold: to make a fun song and video that will pump our kids up to read, and to have them see themselves and each other as stars and as readers. The kids love to watch their classmates in the videos, especially the older videos from when they were much smaller!” shared Clark. Watch the music video.
Credit: Adreanna Clark / Kekaha Elementary School
Send us 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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Saturday is Pi Day! The vast majority of public school building designs use right angles, creating square or rectangular structures. In radian measure, a right angle is defined as π/2 radians. One public school campus has buildings with tetracontahexagonal designs, giving them 46-sides that are so equal, they look almost completely circular from above. Which campus features this unique architecture style?
a. Waimea High
b. Molokai High
c. Kealakehe High
d. Nānākuli High & Intermediate
Find the answer at the end of this newsletter.
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Setting the Record Straight shares facts and data about Hawai‘i public schools to provide context for public conversations about education in our state.
Q: What are the graduation requirements for a high school diploma?
A: The Board of Education recently adopted the Department's recommended updates to the "vision of a Hawaiʻi Public School Graduate," which was last revised in 2015. The updated vision better reflects the Department’s commitment to collaborate with stakeholders to develop graduates who are not only academically prepared but also emotionally healthy, adaptable and deeply committed to strengthening their local community in Hawaiʻi.
To earn a Hawaiʻi public high school diploma, students must complete 24 total credits in the core subjects of mathematics, English, social studies and science, as well as additional credits in such courses as physical education, career and technical education, world language and other electives. Each graduating senior also completes a tailored Personal Transition Plan (PTP) in collaboration with their family and school. The PTP serves as an essential roadmap for the transition after high school.
Students with special needs and those with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) are offered a pathway that accounts for specific learning requirements, different from a high school diploma. The Certificate of Completion allows students a modified course load and an extended timeline to stay in school if needed. This flexibility enables these students to “walk” and graduate with their peers and participate in the full high school experience, regardless of rigorous academic coursework.
Whether on the high school diploma or Certificate of Competition track, students are seen, heard and met where they are in their journey to post-graduation success.
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Kahakai Elementary School: 🏆Kahakai Elementary is proud to announce that Ms. King’s 1st Grade Class has been crowned Hawai’i State Reading Champions. This championship resulted from reading the most minutes per team over four weeks during READBowl IX: The World Championship of Reading, a global reading competition put on by Read With Malcolm, the youth literacy initiative of NFL Super Bowl Champion and children’s book author Malcolm Mitchell.
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King David Kalākaua Middle School: Congratulations to our History Day students for representing us well at the History Day Honolulu District Fair at Chaminade University! We are beyond proud of our students for taking eight out of the 10 possible slots that they competed for and qualified for the state competition next month. We are Kalākaua Middle School 💜💜💜
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James B. Castle High School: On March 6th, we held a school wide assembly to recognize our chivalrous knights, Ms. Lauren Pokipala for her nomination of the Life Changer of the Year award and Ms. Jenna Hagihara for winning the (Castle-Kahuku) Milken Educators of Hawaiʻi Teacher of Promise award.
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Use the #HIPublicSchoolsProud hashtag for a chance to be featured!
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Friday Night Prime Time games, an interscholastic athletics event to provide at-risk students and students with disabilities an opportunity to participate in inclusive sports, kicked off its ninth season over the weekend with 15 high schools on O‘ahu participating this year. A middle school program is also being piloted this year, with games to start in May. All games are free to attend.
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Āliamanu Middle School students won the Design Thinking AI Challenge with an app they created called “WhereU@AMS,” which uses artificial intelligence to connect students on their campus. Students Giuliana Siler, Mikhenzie Balais, Marina Moana, Jingning Tong and Hazel Trowbridge joined Hawai‘i News Now’s “Sunrise” to talk about their experience, including how they’ve never coded before and wanted to build something that helped their military-connected peers feel connected on campus.
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Maui Waena Intermediate School creative media students won two first-place awards in the Feature Story and Music Video categories at the Student Television Network National Convention in Florida last week. Moanalua High School, Waiākea High School and Waiʻanae Intermediate School students also took second place, third place and honorable mention awards in various categories. Watch all the winning videos here.
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Phone usage is inevitable, but we must be intentional
By Jackylyn Jean Oasay, McKinley High School
The first thing I do in the morning is grab my phone. Not just to turn off my alarm, but to immediately fill my brain with spikes of dopamine and content. Actions like these seep into our days, inevitably becoming great wastes of time and productivity. For instance, when five more minutes of TikTok turn into an hour of time wasted, or even worse, a whole day. However, our phones and devices are everywhere. We use our phones to send urgent messages, for work, paying expenses, etc.
Despite how useful it may be, the content we consume from apps that take our time and lives away makes us into addicted, dependent beings who lack self-control. Since phone usage is inevitable, we must be intentional—this means physical limitations and boundaries.
It is undeniable that phones and devices are necessary for the world we live in today. They give us access to instant communication, information is in our hands 24/7, and the applications installed make life more convenient. Our phones also provide entertainment, manage finances, and have given us the ability to contact emergency services whenever. With our constantly evolving digital world, it is impossible to completely throw these devices away. Therefore, we must adapt to it rather than succumb to it. Although it is useful, it comes with harmful consequences.
Jackylyn Jean Oasay is a senior at President William McKinley High School. She was born in the Philippines and moved shortly after to Hawaiʻi with her mother. She is in the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders Fellows and Ambassadors program, president of her school’s band program and an editor for The Pinion, the student-run newspaper of McKinley High. She will be attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and plans to study journalism.
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Trisha Nomura
Occupation: Certified Public Accountant (not in public practice)
What school you grad? James B. Castle High School ‘97
College: Creighton University, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Location: Kāneʻohe, HI
As the owner of Ascend Consulting, LLC, Trisha Nomura leverages her background in leadership, accounting, human resources and operations to develop strategies and provide services for clients in many different industries. Prior to that, she spent 10 years with public accounting firms in Honolulu, and in 2014, she joined Hawaiʻi Human Resources, Inc. where she was the chief operating officer before the company’s acquisition by ProService Hawaiʻi, where she was the chief people officer. She is also involved with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Hawaiʻi Society of Certified Public Accountants (HSCPA). She has since served on the AICPA’s Recruitment Committee and Women’s Initiatives Executive Committee, as an at-large council member and a board member of the association. At the HSCPA, Trisha is the president-elect and previously led the organization’s efforts in influencing students and young professionals about the career experiences of a CPA. In her free time, she also serves as the treasurer for the Kāneʻohe Little League team.
Nomura attended Lunalilo Elementary School, Washington Middle School and James B. Castle High School. Her mother, Linda Shinsato, retired from the HIDOE after serving 33 years as an administrator in the Office of Human Resources (now the Office of Talent Management).
Q: What are you up to these days?
A: Today, I own a consulting practice and also spend time volunteering with organizations that have missions I am passionate about. Whenever I have the opportunity, I have gone to speak to students at our public schools. I think it is really important for them to hear about our experiences. I highly encourage all of the alumni out there to visit the schools that you attended and to pay it forward. If we each made a small difference, collectively we could make a huge impact. Everyone needs a cheerleader and someone that encourages them and reminds them that anything is possible!
Q: Name of a teacher or mentor you’d like to thank?
A: I am especially grateful for Mr. Mark Miyamoto (Mr. M.) at Washington Middle School. It was in his sixth grade class that I first heard the phrase, “carpe diem” (seize the day), a motto I've tried to live by ever since. His confidence in me made a profound difference in my life. Mr. M. continued to mentor me long after I left his classroom, and he still remains a great friend to me today. Teachers hold a very special place in my heart – they follow this career path because they truly love what they do and care for the students in their classrooms. Their impact is tremendous and they deserve so much more recognition than they receive.
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Castle High School alum Trisha Nomura, center, met with members of the Castle High School girls wrestling team after delivering the opening speech at the 14th annual Pāʻani Challenge, a statewide girls wrestling event held at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama on Dec. 26. Photo courtesy: Trisha Nomura
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Athletic Health Care Trainer, Moanalua High (Oʻahu)
School Health Assistant II, Kapolei Elementary (Oʻahu)
Human Services Professional II, III, IV, Lahaina Learning Support Center (Maui)
Educational Assistant I, II, III, Lānaʻi Complex (Lānaʻi)
Early Learning Educational Assistant I, II, III, Hōnaunau Elementary (Hawai‘i Island)
HIDOE’s Office of Talent Management is hosting one-hour webinars to provide an overview of the application and hiring process. Visit each page for dates and registration information.
To learn more about career opportunities in the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, please visit hawaiischooljobs.com.
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Public School Pop Quiz! Answer: d. Nānākuli High & Intermediate. The A, B, C and E buildings have hollow cylinder shapes with nearly round outer diameters and inner courtyards giving the campus a singular look among our public schools. Go Golden Hawks!
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This newsletter was produced by the Hawai'i State Department of Education's Communications Branch.
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Nanea Ching
Executive Editor
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Kimberly Yuen
Managing Editor
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Share your story ideas, events, questions and feedback to newsletter@k12.hi.us
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