This special episode, hosted by Shisa Kahaunaele, a former HIKI NŌ student, revisits six core Hawaiian values and highlights student-produced stories that embody each value. The episode demonstrates how these values are universal and reflected in the lives and work of Hawaiʻi’s youth.

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

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   “John Rao” Students from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School on the island of Kauaʻi tell the story of a man who slowly turned his life around as the result of a spiritual awakening.

TOP STORY   Students from Āliamanu Middle School in the Salt Lake district of Oʻahu re-visit an issue they reported on for HIKI NŌ over six years ago: the pedestrian hazards around their campus and the campus of Āliamanu Elementary School. Most of Salt Lake Boulevard is a four-lane City & County road.

TOP STORY   “Return of the ʻAlalā” Students from Kua O Ka Lā Miloliʻi Hipuʻu Virtual Academy Public Charter School on Hawaiʻi Island tell the story of efforts to save an almost extinct bird: the ʻalalā, or Hawaiian Crow, a native species endemic to the forests of Hawaiʻi Island.

TOP STORY Students from Kapa‘a High School on Kaua‘i tell the story of Vietnam War veteran Bobbie Paik, a Purple Heart recipient who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A major source of Mr. Paik’s PTSD was the fact that twenty-two soldiers in his company were killed during the six months they were together.

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 Konawaena High School on Hawai‘i Island tell the personal and inspirational story of one of their teachers. Emma Erwin hiked all 2,650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail – from Mexico to Canada – as part of her recovery from the trauma of sexual assault.

The final installment of the four-part Focus on Compassion HIKI NŌ series focuses on peoples’ compassion toward animals, including house pets, working pets, exotic animals and endangered species.