This is the first of four specials in which outstanding HIKI NŌ graduates from the Class of 2020 gather together to discuss their HIKI NŌ experiences and how they feel the skills they learned from HIKI NŌ will help them in college, the workplace and life.

This special edition features HIKI NŌ students Kallen Wachi (Waimea High School, Kauaʻi) and Kaycee Nakashima (Hawaii Baptist Academy, Oʻahu) convening in PBS Hawaiʻi’s HIKI NŌ editing suite to share their insights, feelings and revelations about some of the top stories from the Fall Semester of the 2019-2020 school year.

This special edition features stories from the Middle School division of the 2020 HIKI NŌ Winter Challenge.  On January 31, 2020, participating elementary, middle school and high school teams were given four days to complete a HIKI NŌ story based on the prompt: “The wisdom of elders brought to life by the young.” 

This special edition features stories from the 2019 HIKI NŌ Fall Challenge.  On October 18, 2019, participating elementary, middle school and high school teams were given four days to complete a HIKI NŌ story based on the prompt: “Half of Hawaiʻi’s people are struggling financially even while many work two or three jobs. 

Students from Aliamanu Middle School in the Salt Lake district of Oʻahu explore the effects of military deployment on family members. The story focuses on how the impact of a parent’s deployment can be more problematic for younger children than it is with their older siblings.

TOP STORY “Kauaʻi Resilience Project” Students from Kapaʻa High School on Kauaʻi tell the story of their community’s effort to address a serious problem with Kauaʻi’s youth. A 2018 study showed that 9% of high school students on Kauaʻi attempt suicide, and 28% reported feeling sad and worthless over extended periods of time. In response to these alarming facts, the Kauaʻi Resiliency Project was formed to create programs and opportunities for Kauaʻi’s youth that help them navigate life’s challenges.

Students from Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha Public Charter School on Kauaʻi tell the story of how members of their school’s archery program created, through a process of problem solving, an activity that produces wildly colorful, spontaneous works of art.

During April and May of 2020, twenty-five HIKI NŌ students from across the state created video reflections on how COVID-19 had changed their lives as they sheltered-in-place in their homes, giving Hawaiʻi’s youth a prominent voice during the pandemic. This Student Reflections compilation show presents all twenty-five reflections, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of local teens and pre-teens in these challenging times.

This special episode features the winning stories from the HIKI NŌ 2020 Spring Challenge competition. In this year’s Spring Challenge, student teams from across the state were given four days to create a video portrait of a family that is sheltering at home together and how they are coping with life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

HIKI NŌ continues its series of reflections on how COVID-19 has changed students’ lives as they shelter-in-place from their homes.