TOP STORY Students from Wai‘anae High School in West O‘ahu tell the story of Matthew Reyes Jr., an enterprising young pig farmer who helps his parent run Reyes’ Hog Farm in Ma‘ili. Matthew is so dedicated to his family’s business that he sacrifices any semblance of a social life.

TOP STORY Students from Maui High School in Kahului present an inspiring story about Keizhawn Daquis, a Maui Waena Intermediate School student who was born with spina bifida, a birth defect in which a developing baby’s spinal cord fails to develop properly. As a result Keizhawn needs a wheelchair to get around.

TOP STORY Students from Kaua‘i High School in Lihue present a personal essay called “The Bigger Picture.” It bemoans how smartphones and other personal electronic devises get in the way of our enjoyment of the natural world around us.

This compilation show features some of the top stories from the spring quarter of the 2017-2018 school year. Each of the stories presents an excellent example of an element that is essential to successful dramatic storytelling: change.   –Students at Maui Waena Intermediate School in Kahului tell the story of a former I.T.

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.

TOP STORY   Students from Ewa Makai Middle School on O‘ahu tell the story of Stella, a homeless dog who, with the help of volunteers from the non-profit group Fur-Angel Foundation, finally finds a forever home and owner.

TOP STORY   Students from H.P. Baldwin High School on Maui trace a fellow student’s road to recovery after he was hit by a drunk driver. In May 2017, Baldwin senior Jerome Ribao suffered a severe leg injury from the accident. Despite this setback, Jerome found ways to remain active.

TOP STORY   Students from Maui Waena Intermediate School in Kahului, Maui, profile urban farmer Larry Yonashiro. After a thirty-year career as an I.T. professional, Yonashiro wanted to return to his family’s farming roots (his father worked on a pineapple plantation), but in a modern way.

TOP STORY   Students from Wai‘anae Intermediate School in West O‘ahu tell the story of Leihali‘a Panui, a female place-kicker and senior at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama who played on the school’s men’s varsity football team during the 2017 season.

TOP STORY   Students from Sacred Hearts Academy, an all-girl school in the Kaimuki district of O‘ahu, tell the story of their school’s professional mentoring program called Girls Got Grit. The program places Sacred Hearts students in professional work places where they are mentored by female staffers.