This episode is the fourth in a series of six shows in which each episode focuses on a specific Hawaiian value. The Hawaiian value for this show is ‘imi na’auao, or enlightenment and wisdom. Each of the following stories reflects this theme:

The top story comes from the students at Moanalua High School in the Salt Lake District of Oahu. They feature Lars Mitsuda, Moanalua’s culinary arts teacher, who combines his passions for food and education by enlightening students on the many life-lessons cooking can teach. From multi-tasking to management skills, to business planning, to working with people, learning culinary arts fosters a wisdom that students can use for the rest of their lives.

Also featured are student-created stories from the following schools:

Kamehameha School Kapalama (Oahu): This story shows how exploring a tumultuous and traumatic episode from the past can enlighten the next generation on how not to repeat history. Here students at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama study and discuss the Bishop Estate “Broken Trust” controversy that led to positive change and transparency in the trust that manages their schools.

Wheeler Middle School (Oahu): Enlightenment and wisdom can come from seeing beyond stereotypes and getting to know people for who they really are. In this story from Wheeler Middle School, a military dependent and a local boy become friends, despite each of their pre-conceived ideas of what the other was “supposed” to be like.

Kawananakoa Middle School (Oahu): Veteran boxing coach Joel Kim bestows gems of wisdom onto his young boxing protégés. If experience is the best teacher, then Kim has earned a PhD from the School of Hard Knocks.

Konawaena High School (Hawaii Island): Live theatre can be a great tool of enlightenment. Such was the case when a stage adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank enlightened students on the Kona Coast of Hawaii Island about the persecution of Jews in World War II Europe.

Waianae Intermediate School (Oahu): Sometimes the best way to learn about something we know little of is to witness it first-hand. Few middle schoolers have had the experience of knowing someone who is transitioning from the gender they were born with into that of the opposite sex. But when a student at Waianae Intermediate School decided to transition from a boy to a girl, fellow students, teachers, and school administrators became part of a unique process of learning and enlightenment.

Roosevelt High School (Oahu): Some teenagers are wise beyond their years. Roosevelt High School student Satoshi Sugiyama learned through observation that in this age of the internet and social media, the most important connections still happen face-to-face…especially over a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

This episode is hosted by Kua O Ka La Public Charter School on Hawaii Island.

This program encores Saturday, Nov. 7 at 12:30 pm and Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3:00 pm. You can also view HIKI NŌ episodes on our website, www.pbshawaii.org/hikino.