TOP STORY:

Students from H.P. Baldwin High School in Wailuku, Maui present poignant portraits of two long-time HC&S (Hawaii Commercial and Sugar) employees: machinist Wes Bissen and millwright Koa Martin. HC&S is the last remaining sugar mill in Hawaii and will be closing at the end of 2016. The mill opened 144 years ago. The closure will result in 675 employees losing their jobs.

Martin’s father and grandfather worked for HC&S before him. Bissen started working at HC&S in 1981. His father was also a machinist for the company. The two reflect on their careers at HC&S and their families’ histories with the company. They also discuss the state funds being allotted to help the laid off workers through the transition. Says Bissen, “You know, it’s sad that they’re going to close, but we’re all big boys. We’ve got to focus on how it’s going to affect everybody and just try to build a better life from here on.”

ALSO FEATURED:

Students from Kapolei High School on Oahu tell the story of their annual basketball event for Best Buddies, a program that helps to integrate students with intellectual and mental disabilities into the social fabric of the school.

Students from Aliamanu Middle School in the Salt Lake district of Oahu take us behind the scenes of their school’s nerve center – the front office.

Students from Kamehameha Schools Maui Middle introduce us to a surfer- turned-chef who runs the popular Like Poke food truck on Maui.

Students from Kapaa Middle School on Kauai tell us about a community organization that feels they have one solution to Kauai’s feral cat problem.

And students from Maui Waena Intermediate School in Kahului, Maui show us how a married couple is living out its golden years at a Maui senior day care center.

This episode of HIKI NŌ is hosted by Mililani High School in Central Oahu.

This program encores Saturday, July 2 at 12:00 pm and Sunday, July 3 at 3:00 pm. You can also view HIKI NŌ episodes on our website, www.pbshawaii.org/hikino.