In this episode of HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i, student storytellers explore the difficulties of buying a home in Hawai‘i, find familiar flavors across the ocean, investigate school uniform policies, and contribute touching pieces about father figures.

In a special feature story, students at Moanalua High School on O‘ahu investigate the economical factors that weigh into the high cost of living in Hawai‘i and describe the challenges of buying a house when already paying the price of living in paradise.  

Wai‘anae High School students on O‘ahu share a report they worked on while competing at the national Student Television Network conference in California in March 2024. Their story takes viewers into the kitchen of an island-inspired restaurant  in Long Beach.

Lehua Norris, a Konawaena High School student on Hawai‘i Island, contributes a Student Reflection about bridging political divides and having tough conversations.

Students at Kea‘au High School on Hawai‘i Island discover the origins of their school’s uniform policy and why students feel so strongly about what they wear.

In a special HIKI NŌ Commentary piece from Charlotte Pang at Roosevelt High School on O‘ahu, she shares her fatherʻs story of becoming a Hawaiian language teacher and why the revitalization of ʻōlelo Hawai’i is important.

Then, from H.P. Baldwin High School on Maui, watch a cinematic HIKI NŌ personal narrative that visualizes a powerful letter to a late father.  

Emma Forges, an 8th grader at Highlands Intermediate School on O‘ahu, hosts the show and also shares a story from the HIKI NŌ archives that she produced with her classmates about recent changes in forensic science.

HIKI NŌ 5|14|24: 1517

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Lehua Norris, Senior, Konawaena High School, Hawai‘i Island
“As an aspiring leader, my goal is to unite us all and to share the values that I’ve learned growing up in Hawai‘i. But in order to do that, I need to take the first step.”