Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter, Oct. 23

Hawai'i State Department of Education sent this bulletin at 10/23/2024 04:31 PM HST

Oct. 23

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.

KEEP In the Loop with SuperIntendant Keith T. Hayashi-Template

KEEP Superintendent Keith T. Hayashi-Template

Aloha, HIDOE Community –

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter.

Meet Kokua, HIDOE's mascot to champion student support and mental health

We recently unveiled Kokua as the mascot for our Here to Help initiative. Here to Help plays a vital role for all of our schools, highlighting eight key priorities to focus on to ensure a well-rounded approach to mental health and well-being.

Kokua was created by Chloe Yu, a talented Stevenson Middle seventh grader whose artwork was selected from over 60 submissions in a social media contest. This new character will serve as a symbol of support, strength and community as we continue to prioritize student mental health and well-being.

“I came up with the name Kokua because in Hawaiian the definition is to help others selflessly. So I decided that would be a good fit because Kokua is always here to help,” Chloe said. “Kokua symbolizes a character that's found in everybody that allows them to help others and Kokua represents strength, courage determination and resilience.”

We want to ensure that every student knows they have the support they need, and we hope Kokua will make conversations about mental health a little easier. I look forward to seeing how Kokua will inspire kindness, strength and resilience throughout our schools.

Rebuilding King Kamehameha III Elementary
We are organizing a community meeting to gather feedback on a new proposed site from landowner Kamehameha Schools to rebuild the permanent campus for King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Lahaina.

The meeting is open to the public and will take place on Monday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m. in the cafeteria at King Kamehameha III Elementary School’s temporary campus at Pulelehua located at 100 Akahele Street. Please RSVP here if you are interested in attending.

From design to reality, Chloe holds her creation, Kokua, the Here to Help mascot.

National Principals Month

In honor of October being National Principals Month, we are sharing videos from ED Talks Hawai‘i featuring award-winning school principals on their unique leadership styles.

In this video, Kahakai Elementary School Principal Kori Takaki shared how her team re-built their professional learning community in a post-COVID world and provided clarity on the direction and expectations to all. Takaki was honored as a 2023 Tokioka 'Excellence in School Leadership’ nominee.

Ho‘oha‘aheo Photo of the Week

The Stevenson Middle School Japanese Culture Club embarked on a memorable trip over Fall Break to Fukuoka, Japan. One of the highlights of their cultural immersion was a taiko drumming lesson from the renowned Wako Rising Sun Taiko Group.

Credit: Christian Ellis / Stevenson Middle School

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!

#HIPublicSchoolsProud

Social media highlights of the most engaging posts of the week.
Use the #HIPublicSchoolsProud hashtag for a chance to be featured!

Kekaha Elementary School

» Today our 5th graders got to practice hands-only CPR and AED. Always make sure: 1) Check the scene, make sure it’s safe 2) Designate specific people to call 9-1-1 and get the AED 3) Start chest compressions. Huge Mahalo to Kauaʻi Fire Department - Waimea Station and PMRF Crash and Fire for coming out. We appreciate you!

Kea‘au Middle School

» Several members of the Kea‘au Middle School National Junior Honor Society took part in a Panaʻewa Zoo Cleanup Saturday, for their fall service project. The NJHS is an invitation-only honor society that helps middle school students develop the skills to become leaders in their school, community, and beyond.

Enchanted Lake Elementary School

» Kailua High School hosted an Elementary Leadership Training Camp for all the Student Councils in the Kailua Complex. At this overnight camp, 10 of our student leaders from Grades 4-6 represented ELES and learned about core elements of being a leader through cooperation, communication, and collaboration. It was an amazing night of learning and fun.

Important Dates & Upcoming Events

Oct. 31 - Halloween
Nov. 5 - Election Day (Schools and state offices closed)

Oct. 21-25 is National School Bus Safety Week. According to Hawaiʻi state law, what should you do when a school bus stops on a roadway with its signal lights flashing?

Stop at least 20 feet from the school bus.
If on the same side of the road as the school bus, stop, regardless of the number of lanes.
If traveling in the opposite direction, stop, unless the road is divided by a median or barrier.
Stop until the school bus resumes motion and its signals are turned off.
All of the above.

Find the answer at the end of this newsletter.

Student Voice: What a Generation Is

The Class of ‘28 joins McKinley High School as possibly the first class with students who belong to Gen Alpha

The different generations. Artwork by Nhi Nguyen / McKinley High School

By Nhi Nguyen

This year’s freshman class, the Class of 2028, is largely composed of students born in 2010, which means they are the first class year with students that could be considered Gen Alpha. According to a survey conducted by The Pinion, about a quarter of respondents who are part of the Class of 2028 are unsure of their generation or do not identify with one. In the general student body, 22% of respondents felt the same.

Evidently, it’s quite common for McKinley students to be unsure of their generation, and this is for good reason. Since there is no consensus on when exactly Gen Z ends and Gen Alpha starts, it’s difficult to decide which generation you belong in, especially if you’re born in 2010 like many of this year’s freshmen. Gen Alpha, the youngest generation alive at the moment, does not yet have a universally agreed upon starting or ending year.

One of the most commonly used starting dates is 2010, used by McCrindle Research, whose founder Mark McCrindle coined the term “Generation Alpha.” This starting date would mean that many students belonging to the Class of 2028 are the oldest members of Gen Alpha. However, this causes an overlap with the commonly used ending date of 2012 for Gen Z, so it might make sense to use 2013 as the first year of Gen Alpha instead. As for Gen Alpha’s exact ending year, McCrindle has set it as 2024, though 2025 seems to be somewhat more widely used.

But the important question is: does the generation you’re born into really matter?

Read full column

This article was originally published on Oct. 4, 2024, in The Pinion, the student-run newspaper for McKinley High School.

Nhi Nguyen is a sophomore at McKinley High School and a writer for the school newspaper The Pinion. She enjoys learning about biology, psychology, and all things human. In her free time, she enjoys reading books and her favorite genres are thriller, action and dystopian.

HIDOE Headlines

A roundup of announcements, resources and shoutouts.

» Over 220 high school students, including 135 at Farrington High School, are taking a brand new course on Filipino History Culture as part of a student-driven initiative advocating for Filipino representation in the Hawai‘i school curriculum. Next semester, the course will expand to McKinley High, DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach and Maryknoll School.

» Cast and crew members from McKinley High School’s performing arts program McKinley Theater Group sat down with Island Life Live to talk about their upcoming production "Beauty and the Beast” featuring Keʻelikōlani Middle School students.

» Students from Pōmaika’i Elementary School, Waikīkī School and Punahou School created artwork to represent “seeds of aloha” on banners that were sent to the King Kamehameha III Elementary, Princess Nāhi’ena’ena Elementary, Lahaina Intermediate and Lahainaluna High Schools for project called “Lau for Lahaina.”

Mahalo for wearing orange on Oct. 16 and sharing your Unity Day photos with us by using the hashtags #AlohainAction and #UnityDay808! Together, we can create an inclusive, nurturing learning environment for all.

Pāhoa High & Intermediate School

Kāhala Elementary School

Kaimukī Middle School

Lānaʻi High & Elementary School

‘Ilima Intermediate School

Work With Us!

Cafeteria Helper, Makaha Elementary (O‘ahu)
Science/STEM Resource Teacher, Kaimukī-McKinley-Roosevelt Complex Area (O‘ahu)
Office Assistant II, III, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle, (Kaua‘i)
Athletic Health Care Trainer, Maui High (Maui)
School Health Assistant I, II, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Elementary & Intermediate (Hawai‘i Island)

For more career opportunities in the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, please visit hawaiischooljobs.com.

View more jobs

Public School Pop Quiz! Answer: 5. All of the above. HRS §291C-95 gives students the right-of-way when they are getting on and off school buses by mandating that vehicles stop when approaching a stopped school bus with flashing signal lights activated. Please be aware of school buses and do your part to keep our students safe!