Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter, Sept. 10

Aloha, HIDOE Community – 

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

DonorsChoose
We are excited to partner with DonorsChoose once again and provide all first- and second-year HIDOE teachers with funding to help get supplies for their classroom and students. We want to welcome our new educators, knowing that the needs of your students and classroom are continually evolving in your first years of this new profession. All eligible teachers have been emailed a unique, one-time use code for a classroom project to use by Nov. 21. Mahalo to our newest educators for choosing to elevate our Hawai‘i public school system. We look forward to seeing all the tremendous things you will do!

Shoots Summit 2026
We are partnering once again with Hawaiʻi Creative Media, ʻŌlelo Community Television, and PBS Hawaiʻi’s Hiki NŌ to host the 4th annual SHOOTS Summit Hawaiʻi. This statewide digital media conference will be held at Moanalua High School on O‘ahu, Jan. 17-19, and is open to all public, charter and private schools. The summit features two days of contests in video, graphic arts, and photography, plus breakout sessions led by industry professionals. It wraps up with a closing ceremony and awards presentation on the third day. For more information, visit SHOOTS Summit Hawaiʻi.

Kanoelani Elementary School: 🌈✨ WOW!!! Way to go, Rainbows! ✨🌈 We surpassed our attendance goal with 95.85% this past week 🎉 and even exceeded last week’s numbers! 💪 Huge congratulations to our trophy-winning class 🏆👏. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!

Keʻelikōlani Middle School: If admin and teachers had their own walk up songs…🎶 At Ke’elikolani, our admin and teachers are always ready to walk onto campus and into their classrooms with big energy and their own style to serve and educate our students! The grind doesn’t stop and we dance along to the beat as we take on each day! #walkupsongchallenge #walkupsong #thebestmiddleschool #teacherlife #thedreamteam

Makaha Elementary School: #HIGHLIGHT In Hawaiian Music class, grades K and 1 started learning Pūpū Hinuhinu while the upper grades started Hawai'i Pono'ī. With 'ukulele, they started learning to combine lead and rhythm instruments. #hipublicschoolsproud

Principal Komarey Moss of Moanalua Middle, one of three HIDOE middle schools that were named 2025 “Schools of Distinction” by the Association for Middle Level Education, spoke with Hawai‘i Public Radio about the importance of the middle school years in shaping students’ lives. She said being in charge of a middle school comes with the kuleana to build them up as people, rather than focusing only on academics.

Maui High junior Kaylyn Banaag, who plays defensive back for the tackle football team is proud to be an inspiration for other female student-athletes. “If girls want to play tackle, they can play tackle. There’s no problem. There’s nothing stopping them and eventually the boys will always support them too, and it’ll become like a family, just like how the boys are with me,” she tells KHON.

Mililani Middle School’s First Lego League Team 3524 “Under Da Sea” joined Hawaii News Now’s Sunrise morning show to kick off the new Hawaii FIRST Robotics season and showcase how students are building robots inspired by this year’s archaeology theme.

Mariella Wasserman is a senior at Hilo High School and serves as the vice chairperson of the Hawaiʻi State Student Council. She is also the first vice president of Hilo High’s Student Association, the vice president of public relations for HOSA, and is involved in the National Honor Society and Leo Club. Passionate about STEM, she aspires to become a doctor one day. She is dedicated to empowering students to use their voices, advocating for those who feel unheard and helping everyone recognize that their voice matters.

Anuhea Kānealiʻi

Occupation: Firewise Specialist for Hawaiian Homesteads, Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization
What school you grad? Roosevelt High School ‘11
College: Kapiʻolani and Honolulu Community Colleges
Location: Kewalo Uka, Oʻahu

Anuhea Kānealiʻi, a third-generation graduate of Roosevelt High School, serves as the Firewise Specialist for Hawaiian Homestead Communities with Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO). In this role, she works across the islands to support community-led wildfire preparedness efforts rooted in mālama ʻāina, local knowledge and place-based action, bringing together residents, government agencies, and cultural practitioners to build resilience in the face of increasing wildfire risks. She is also the founder of Hear Hawaiʻi, a community initiative focused on uplifting Native Hawaiian voices through oral history, cultural storytelling and educational resource development. She also taught Hawaiian classes at Royal School from 2018-21.

Q: Why did you choose this career path and what do you enjoy most about it?
A: I chose this career path because I wanted to do work that felt rooted in purpose and aligned with my values. While tourism isn’t the only way to make a living in Hawaiʻi, many of us still end up in that industry because it's often seen as the easiest or most available path. But it doesn’t always feel good — it can leave us feeling disconnected from our ʻāina and culture. I wanted something different — a role that allowed me to give back to my community, care for the land, and be part of solutions led by local people. After the devastating fires in Lahaina, and then a fire in Papakōlea on New Year’s Day 2024, I saw how urgently our communities need support, resources, and action. That’s what drew me to the Firewise program — it’s community-driven, grounded in mālama ʻāina, and built on relationships. After the Papakōlea fire, we formed Nā Leo o Papakōlea Firewise to organize our neighbors, reduce fire risks, and host cleanups to restore and protect our ʻāina. This work gives me hope. It reminds me that we already have what we need when we work together — ʻike, resilience, and aloha for where we come from.