TOP STORY

Students from Kamehameha Schools Maui Middle School in Pukalani profile Paula Keele, a wellness educator who teaches a class called enhanced fitness to senior citizens at Kahului Union Church. Ms. Keele started the program because her mother had become debilitated by foregoing the proper physical therapy after she broke her shoulder. “I really want to make sure that seniors stay healthy for as long as possible,” says Keele. Her students, however, seem to be teaching Keele as much as she is teaching them. “My students have taught me patience,” she says. “They’ve taught me kindness. They’ve set really great examples, almost like mentors, on how I can be better as I get older.”

ALSO FEATURED

–Students from Seabury Hall Middle School in Upcountry Maui explore the plight of one of the longest surviving species on earth—the sea turtle.

–Students from Roosevelt High School in the Makiki district of O‘ahu profile a Japanese immigrant student at Roosevelt who had a hard time fitting in until other students began to respect him for who he is.

–Students from Waiākea High School in the Hilo district of Hawai‘i Island introduce us to a dancer who uses dancing to alleviate the extreme pain she suffers from a rare physical disorder.

–Students from Dole Middle School in the Kalihi district of O‘ahu teach us the tinikling, a traditional Filipino dance that has participants jumping in and out between two moving bamboo poles.

–Students from Wheeler Middle School on O‘ahu tell the story of a young woman who climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro as a means of healing.

–Students from Maui High School in Kahului tell the story of a deaf cheerleader who refuses to be called disabled and feels she can achieve anything that a hearing person can.

This episode of HIKI NŌ is hosted by students at Wallace Rider Farrington High School in the Kalihi district of O‘ahu.