Investigative Journalism with Middle School!

English 8 students are participating in an Investigative Journalism unit with Ms. Haugh. To kick off the unit, Island School’s Communications Director, Ms. Genevieve, shared the purpose, contents, and vision of The Compass. Now, students are writing pieces for The Compass to highlight journalism skills. In class, students are journalists by finding drama, writing in a journalistic style by practicing close observation (capturing the 5Ws), meeting deadlines, linking supportive research, and using narrative craft. 

See each Middle School interest story below!

Hurricanes are tragic for many communities that experience them because of economic losses and injuries. Hurricanes are dangerous and can cause major damage for communities such as storm surge, wind damage, rip currents and flooding. Flooding and wind damage causes economic losses for the community and storm surge causes many deaths. Hurricanes can happen along any U.S. coast or in any territory in the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. Storm surge historically is the leading cause of hurricane-related deaths in the United States. Last semester in English we learned about the story of the Jean Charles Chawital Nation who lived in Louisiana. Chief Albert had very fond memories of growing up on Isle de Jean Charles in the 1950s and he wanted to give his kids the same delight of growing up on the island. Climate change was one of the main reasons that drove them out because of all the tornados coming through their town taking out their houses and loved ones that lived with them. Recently, this happened again when hurricane Fiona came through Louisiana and killed 29 people. The same hurricane came through the Caribbean and devastated each part of it leaving houses to rubble and buildings to dust. Click here to learn more about the devastations in Louisiana. This video has the Chief of the Louisiana Tribes reminisce on what happended back in the 60s when the hurricane came through.

In 2020 on March 11, Karter Williams, a 3 year old, was on a field trip to Houston Rodeo, when she was left behind by her class and got separated from them. She was in a lot of people and it was very crowded, so a rodeo attendant was trying to help her get back with her class. The rest of the class already got on the bus and went back to their school. His mom wasn't even informed about what happened until 3 days later, and on the next Monday she was very upset and didn't know what happened to him. She was more worried about what happened to him when he was missing from the group and how he felt. She was upset that she had to wait days until she got notice of what happened from the principal. She didn't even get to meet the person that found him to thank him for what he did. The school had later stated that Karter was safely found and returned to the school. The statement only mentioned that the staff would make sure everyone is safe and ensure the well being of everyone, especially with younger kids like Karter. After that happened, Karter’s mom said she wasn't comfortable with her son and the school’s policy. It raised questions about the school’s safety measures for field trips, and especially young children that need supervision. This incident shows what can happen to a family if they do not get immediate communication.

On January 1, 2025, a truck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas which killed a person inside the vehicle and injured several others standing nearby. It is being investigated as a terrorist attack. This happened hours after a driver who was flying an Islamic State flag killed 15 and injured 30 people before he was taken down by police. Large fireworks and a bomb were in the bed of the truck along with gas canisters. Everyone in the hotel was evacuated and moved to different resorts in Las Vegas. Eric Trump later said, “The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority” and thanked the Las Vegas Fire Department, as well as Local Law Enforcement. Police officers thought the two events might be related, but the exploded truck driver had no background in terrorism which caused the police to believe the driver was unaware of what was in his car. Click here to learn more about this possible terrorist attack.

In this unit, we have learned about StoryCorps and how it shows the stories of people who would normally never be brought into the light. Recently we were told to watch a video and record some information about it. We came across the story of a man by the name of Julio Diaz. In the Bronx, in the early 2000’s he was on a train going home from his job downtown. To treat himself he would always go to his favorite restaurant at least once a week. On this day he was on the subway feeling pretty hungry but excited for what was to come, and an unknown teenager mugged him with a knife. Instead of becoming panicked, Julio Diaz decided to show kindness. Even though it was his special treat, he cooperated and gave the man his money without a word. Know Julio Diaz was not a particularly rich man, but he had always had enough to put dinner on the table and keep the electricity on, so what came next was quite a surprise. As the man was walking away, he offered his coat. And this wasn’t a cheap coat, it was one of those big coats with fur inside, and it was quite reasonable to be wearing this as it was a very cold winter night on the East Coast. Julio Diaz said, “Hey you forgot something. If you are going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat.” After, confused but warm, the kid began to walk away, but then, he offered with the $20 he had in the wallet he gave the teenager, took him to his favorite restaurant and they ate together. They never saw each other again, but it was an unforgettable memory for both. I hope this story can remind you that sometimes people are just trying to get by and might just be misunderstood. Click here to read more about StoryCorp and Julio Diaz.

On December 16th, 2024, a highschool girl shot and killed a teacher and student. The shooter's name was Natalie Rupnow, she occasionally went by “Samantha”. She also injured multiple other students. Previously, Natalie had gone into Abundant Life Christian School with all the other students. During her mixed grade study hall, Natalie pulled out a gun and started shooting. Natalie had also been communicating with a man in california that was allegedly planning to attack a government building. The shooter was fifteen.  She couldn’t even drive and yet she got her hands on two guns and two lives. She couldn’t be trusted to vote, or to drink, or to have a gun license. The shooter wasn’t even old enough to possess a hunting gun. 2024 came to a close with 83 school shootings, therefore surpassing 2023 in school shootings The girl's reasoning for killing is unknown. The two victims were identified as Rubi Patricia Vergara and Erin Michelle West. Rubi, the student, was a fourteen year old freshman. She enjoyed reading and playing the keyboard. This is yet another example of one of the tragic school shootings that covered the 2024 timeline. A shooting is something a child should never have to go through, so the fact that students start school shootings is insane. Where does a fifteen year old get the idea to kill someone? According to usnews.com, Hawaii hasn’t had a school shooting since 2018. Texas has the most with 26 school shootings since 2018. In Kauai, we are lucky enough to be very sheltered from shootings. Many schools on the mainland have metal detectors that students have to go through before entering the school. Another place that has security similar to this is the airport. The airport has this security because of a TERRORIST attack, and schools have the same thing. Innocent CHILDREN get the same idea as terrorists. At Island school, we hardly have any security, We don’t have policemen constantly on campus. We don’t have locked down rooms. School shootings are a very real thing even if they are very rare in the place that we live. Education on school shootings is very important, because they are a problem that occurs all over the state. We are so lucky to live in a place where the word gun doesn’t cause sudden panic. To learn more about this topic click here. 

On January 7, 2025, multiple fires started in Los Angeles due to dry vegetation and high winds up to 100 miles per hour. There are six main fires going on, known as, the Palisades fire, the Eaton fire, the Hurst fire, the Lidia fire, the Kenneth fire, and the Archer fire, which are currently growing larger and larger by the second. Up to this point, the Palisades fire is the biggest fire, with 21,317 acres burned, and has been burning for 6 days, being only eight percent contained. Hurst has been burning for 6 days as well, with 771 acres burned, and seventy percent contained. The Easton Fire has been burning for 6 days, with 13,690 acres burned, and with three percent contained. Lidia has been burning for 5 days, with 395 acres burned, and is ninety-eight percent contained. The  Kenneth Fire has been burning for 4 days, 1,052 acres burned, and fifty percent contained. Almost 800 prisoners are contributing to putting an end to the fire. Shockingly, some fire hydrants lost water pressure while putting out fires due to unknown circumstances.Although over 14,000 people contribute to put out these vicious wildfires, over 10,000 structures have been demolished and neighborhoods have been burnt to ash. The average home price in the area of the fires is around $3,000,000. Celebrities, Adam Brody, Leighton Meester, JJ Redick, Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Tina Knowles, Heidi Montag, and Spencer Pratt claim they have all lost their homes to the flames. Former child actor, Rory Sykes, was found dead due to the fire as well. With at least twenty-four deaths, 20 people missing, and too many injuries to count, 180,000 people were ordered to evacuate.  Unfortunately, increasing winds and dryer climates are predicted for the weekend of January eleventh and twelfth. By great luck, actors guild, SAG-AFTRA, donated $1,000,000, Beyonce donated $2,500,000, Fox Corp. donated $1,000,000, Harkins Theatres donated $25,000, Paris Hilton donated $200,000, FanDuel and Flutter Entertainment donated $250,000 combined, The Kroger grocery donated $1,000,000, Eva Longoria donated $50,000, Jamie lee Curtis donated $1,000,000, and Disney donated $15,000,000 to the people who have all lost their homes to the flames.Verizon donated $500,000, to fire departments and Walmart donated $2,500,000 worth of food, water, and cash. You can make a difference in someone’s life by donating to the LA fire department today. Call (310)-552-4139 to donate via call. Click here to learn more about the Los Angeles wildfires and here to see the latest location of the fires on a map.

After a seamless night of fireworks, a mass tragedy struck in Salt Lake, Oahu or more specifically Aliamanu on Keaka drive. 23 year old Jennifer Van, 58 year old Nelie Ibarra, her 61 year old sister Carmalita Benigno, and 3 year old Cassius Ramos-Benigano were killed in a tragic firework explosion. On the night of New Year's Eve, a family located on Oahu was in possession of illegal fireworks and when one of the fireworks had been set off it tipped over causing it to shoot into a pile of other fireworks that were sitting in the open garage of the home. The pile of stationary fireworks exploded and caused a massive explosion right in front of the residence. This explosion left over 20 victims with extensive burns and 4 dead. The burn victims were flown to Arizona in need of immediate medical attention and many required emergency surgeries for their injuries. First responders were quick to arrive at the scene to help and some who have been in the military say that the burns looked similar to what they have seen while in combat. The explosions from the fireworks caused the second story windows of the house to be blown out. As the first ambulance arrived on the scene two were pronounced dead at arrival, and 20 pleading for medical assistance. A twelve year old girl said that her friend lived in that house and she could hear her friend pleading for help and yelling her name saying she couldn't feel her leg. Another patient was put on life support and donated their organs. Most of the people put in the hospital will have life changing experiences with disabilities and burn effects. To learn more about this tragic event click here. 

The Makahiki games were times of healing after war. During this time, war was forbidden and people had feasts, practiced sports, danced, and renewed communal bonds. The Makahiki games began in the middle of November and ended towards the end of January or February.  There are six different games that are played. The games that were played are: Huki Huki (Tug of War), Haka Moa (Chicken Fight), Uma (Arm Wrestling), 'Ulu Maika (Bowling), Ihe Pahe'e (Spear Throwing), and Moa Pahe'e (Dart Sliding). The appearance of the Makalii, also known as the Pleiades, in the eastern sky would mark the Hawaiian New Year and the start of the Makahiki. Ho’okupu was a time of spiritual cleansing and making offerings to the gods. The konohiki, a class of chiefs who managed land acted as a tax collector, collected agricultural and aquaculture products such as pig, taro, sweet potatoes, dry fish, kapa, and mats. These are offered on the altar of lono at heiau. All war was outlawed to allow unimpeded passage of the image of lono. At each ahupua’a caretakers presented ho’okupu to the image of lono. a fertility god who caused things to grow and who gave plenty and prosperity. Click here to watch a video and learn more about the Makahiki games.

Kalihiwai is one of the best beaches one can go to. There are so many fun things to do at Kalihiwai. You can jump off the broken bridge that was the old highway for Kilauea town, swing on the rope swing, body board, surf, paddle up the river and view the most isolated and majestic waterfall ever! It does get busy, so you'll be lucky if you find a parking spot on hot summer days. Kalihiwai is and was a major food source for ‘Ohana’s that reside from there. They would plant their kalo in the valley and . But be careful because there are strong currents and no life guards present on the beach. We remember jumping off the lower rocks into the river, and repeating this many times. We also remember picking up large rocks sinking us to the bottom of the river while walking with the rock under the water. I always see someone I know at Kalihiwai,  We would also gather driftwood and make tepee fires that we would roast s'mores on. Kalihiwai was hit by many tsunami’s. One happened on April Fool's Day. Many ‘Ohana thought the tsunami sirens were an April Fool’s joke but later led to 6 dead and 9 missing. This tsunami took out many of the Kalihiwai ‘Ohana’s houses and farm lands. After the tsunamis it felt impossible for Kalihiwai to be the same again. Other destruction such as hurricane Iniki and the 2018 April floods. Click here to learn more about this beautiful beach.

On January 19th 2025, an app that is #3 on entertainment charts will soon be banned. This app is TikTok. Chinese social media app RedNote has skyrocketed to the top of Apple’s app store, underscoring concerns that TikTok will soon be effectively banned in the U.S.TikTok has been seen as a national security threat by the U.S. government due to its connections with China. The app will soon be removed for many reasons. TikTok has been using user data, which they collect information that is sensitive. They are worried that China could use TikTok’s content recommendations to fuel misinformation. TikTok has been removed from at least 34 out of 50 states due to many violations. The United States is concerned that the Chinese government could manipulate content and gain access to sensitive user data through the app and possibly do more due to access. Even if the app gets deleted on January 19th, people can still access it. But the TikTok official says that it can be very buggy and often crash on the app while accessing. TikTok has been considered a threat in part because of the massive amounts of data the company shares with its parent company in China. The app usually updates every two weeks, but due to the ban it won’t have an option to update which will make the app crash down and bug out. Many TikTok creators are rushing to find alternatives where they can continue posting videos while waiting to see what happens with TikTok, which faces a potential Jan. 19 ban in the U.S. TikTok isn’t just getting banned for user information it has had a negative outcome toward mental health, there has been cyberbullying, social exclusion and drama. Tik Tok is also designed in a way to keep users engaged, which can lead to excessive screen time and addiction. The high amount of screentime can cause children to have sleep disorders, and mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. Even though TikTok has affected many people in different ways, they also helped other people in different ways like expressing themselves through their content on TikTok. Click here to learn more about the TikTok ban.

The Sacramento Kings fired head coach Mike Brown after a bad start to the season and a 5 game losing streak. There are also some reports of him having a bad connection with some of the players. He was fired midway through his 3rd season with the team. The previous assistant coach Doug Christie became the head coach. According to ESPN, coach Brown was fired while he was driving to the team plane to fly to a game in LA. This was a surprising move for the franchise he was considered a very good coach and took the kings from being a bad team who couldn't make the playoffs to a team the was very good. He was also the second youngest coach of the year and had won 4 championships as a coach. Even though it didn’t seem smart at the time it was very smart as the kings are went from being outside of the play ins and on a 5 game loss streak to almost being in the playoffs and on a 7 game win streak and they recently beat the number 2 seed celtics. Mike Brown also won coach of the year his first year with the kings. He also started to publicly criticize players which probably was part of the reason that he was fired. Click here to read more about why the Kings fired their head coach.

Firefighters are desperately trying to fight three fires that have spread in LA, called the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst Fire. These devastating fires in Los Angeles, California have left many citizens evacuated from their homes. Sadly, there have been at least 24 reported deaths and over 12,000 homes and other buildings destroyed so far. More than half of all home fire deaths occur between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, which causes the fires to surprise citizens. The fire spread rapidly from really high Santa Ana winds reaching around 50 MPH, gusts reaching 70 MPH, and very dry land. There have been almost 30,000  acres of land destroyed by the wildfires. This fire creates polluted air and other hazardous conditions. Firefighters ran out of water early, leaving the fire to continue burning. This happened because the hydrants couldn’t support all the water needed across the whole area. The Eaton fire is considered the second most destructive inferno in California history. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but a man is suspected of starting it. Others suspect Southern California Edison, a unit of utility Edison International’s electrical equipment, started the fire. Even the Mexican fire department is sending firefighters to help battle these horrifying fires. ‘Super scoopers' which are giant planes that dump water, were used to help reduce the spread of these fires. According to AP News, “At least 24 people have died in the fires, but more victims continue to be found. The death toll is expected to rise as officials search through the rubble.”

Palisades Fire: This fire began on 01/07/2025 10:30 AM, and 5123 firefighters are helping put out the fire. The Palisades fire is 23,713 Acres and mainly in Southeast of Palisades Drive, Pacific Palisades. Many roads are closed, but luckily there are eight evacuation centers to escape the fire.

Eaton Fire: This fire began on 1/07/2025 6:18 PM and has burned 14,117 acres and is only 33% contained. The Los Angeles County Fire Department, Pasadena Fire, and the United States Forest Services are in unified command to stop the spread of the fire. There are 3,408 firefighters working to put out this fire. It is located near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive, in Altadena/Pasadena.

Hurst Fire: On 01/07/2025 10:29 PM, the Hurst Fire spread near Diamond Road, Sylmar. This fire is smaller, with almost 800 acres, so the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center is the only evacuation center. There are currently 300 personnel fighting this fire to help put it out.

Click here to read more about the LA fires.

If you have seen Keli’i in class, you might have noticed that he carries a suitcase of food. His lunchbox could be a wormhole that carries an unlimited amount of food. It is known that he eats tons of food. Keli’i is an anomaly. He can consume many times his weight in a single class. Specifically during English class, Keli’i always has an array of colorful snacks. English teacher Ms. Haugh comments, “I wish he would share his chocolate chip cookies!” His stomach is suspected of being a wormhole to an empty space. His parents might have to take out several loans just to deal with the sheer amount of food he is consuming in a single sitting. His soda consumption alone could pay for a new movie theater to be built in Lihue. Many adolescent scientists speculate his condition. Some could say he's a cousin of Caseoh, and that he ate his own genes for red hair, as he is already suspected of being a black hole. And being watched by the government drones known as birds which could be why he likes chicken. That being the government has yet to recognize his potential to consume and get rid of nuclear waste. In conclusion, he is 100% a undocumented black hole. He is suspected to increase global warming by 20% simply due to how much he forces the food companies to produce a year. Despite his condition, he amazingly stays skinny. This is thought to be due to a workout routine or incredible metabolism that at the moment, no one is aware of, but would be incredibly beneficial to humanity.

“I'm hungry!” -Keli’i [AKA: undocumented black hole] This incredible yet terrifying quote shows my determination to eat. Click here to read more about my eating schedule.

I am an avid hunter in the county of Kauai. In Kauai, there is more hunting than some would think. There are different types of hunting. In Kauai, we have year round hunting (we do have seasons for certain units and animals). My personal favorite type of hunting in Kauai is upland game bird hunting. The DOFAW raises pheasant and chuckers (you can volunteer to help). The DOFAW puts them in a big cage and slowly releases them into the wild. One of the most popular types of hunting is pig hunting. Some use dogs to “bay” the pigs and then the hunter dispatches them. Another type of hunting that Kauai offers is goat hunting. Goat hunting can get steep but it can be very fun. And the final animal I will be talking about is black tailed deer. I call them the ghosts of the woods because I have yet to get one nor see one off of the roads. There are many ways to kill all of these animals but people use shotguns, rifles and even knives. Anothing thing to consider when hunting is if the area is a hunting area. Recently on Kauai, 4000 acres of new accessible hunting areas have been established by the DOFAW. Game mammals can only be hunted from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. It's also illegal to hunt using any form of artificial light. Click here to read more about hunting in Kauai.

In 2025, Island School should practice harder on games and sports so they can finally win against Kapaa High and their other opponents. They need to make a change about their sports because they need to strive for the best. Island School needs to put more time and effort into practice. Also, investing in better equipment for the school and athletics programs would benefit athletes and programs. Island Schools' athletics programs should also invest into getting new turf fields for soccer and baseball teams. Also, we want more middle school sports teams. In middle school, we can only join teams outside of school if we want to play a sport. Many middle school students don’t have the opportunities to play sports because the student either lives too far away, is too young to play, or is a financial burden. We need and want Island School to redo the outdoor basketball courts and redesign the upper field. Also, we need to turn the upper feld into 3 different parts: one is a baseball field, the other is a soccer field, and the third an air rifle field. These ideas support Island School’s athletics by providing better training grounds, supporting the chances of Island School athletics winning more games and having more championships. All this would have an everlasting impact on performances in and out of school. Also, having this change in Island School’s athletics would motivate the students to try out other sports; and by giving the students’ skills that they would use in the future like teamwork, creative thinking, and pushing themselves to and over the limit, we would achieve a mindset of being better than before. Click here to read more about why middle schools need to have better athletic opportunities.

This year, Island School kids are preparing for their first Science Olympiad competition. February 1 is the regional competition at Kauai Community College. There is also a competition later if we win Regionals, called States! States competition takes place on Oahu later in the year. If we win that competition, we will go to Nationals! In Nationals, we represent the whole state! Then, if we win that competition, we will meet the President of the United States! It is also said that the winners could get large amounts for college scholarships! Science Olympiad is a non-profit organization, which is a science competition including up to 25 different events related to science. The events can include builds, tests, and labs. These tests can include topics like chemistry, ecology, structural engineering and more with the competition providing many different tests for those with different scientific interests. Science Olympiad was founded to help prepare kids for a lifestyle of science and helps kids demonstrate their knowledge in a healthy competition. Science Olympiad also helps put kids in a team and is a great example of practicing working together to accomplish a common goal. It also allows different grades to connect and bond over shared interests, or in this case, a team. Helping unite the students can create the opportunity to form lifelong bonds of friendship and practice unity in the school. Studying for the many events can also help the students practice healthy study habits. It also gives the students a great opportunity to represent their school and show pride for their accomplishments. Overall, the Science Olympiad is a great opportunity for children to work together, practice study skills, and represent their school in a healthy competition. Learn more about the Science Olympiad here. 

In 2025, teachers should wear Island School shirts as well as students. And, Island School students should be able to have at least two free-dress days a week. Students think it's unfair to wear plain school shirts and teachers get to wear whatever they want. Students should do whatever they want with their shirts and be able to express themselves with the way they dress, just like teachers. Dress codes cause families to waste additional money buying extra clothes. Uniform school clothes can be uncomfortable and make it so students cannot focus. School clothes are not cheap. For example, one shirt can cost roughly $20 or more. Students get in trouble for coming to school without school clothes. They meet with Deans, the Division Director, and can receive infractions. It’s a lose-lose situation for students. Some students argue that a school dress code is needed. They say that people will wear non-school appropriate attire if given a choice. This can be solved by still having dress code expectations like we do for field trips. Click here and here to read more about how dress codes should be more flexible and students should dress more freely.

In the upcoming year, Island School should find ways to make learning more interesting and immersive. Island School could do this by taking suggestions from the students. They could do more project based learning and make group projects more common. Group projects would make these projects more enjoyable and help teach students teamwork. In addition, Island School could make phone use more flexible. For example, they could let us use our phones to listen to music or other tools we could possibly use seeing as the school-issued computers are not reliable to say the least. That brings us to our next topic, the school computers. I have some honest comments that I would like to say about these computers, but I feel like I would get in trouble. The least they could do is provide slightly better WIFI, then again you do have to support around 500 students, but the wifi speeds are terrible. I usually just wait to do online homework on my personal computer. Even with five hours left of school, I could get my work done quicker if I just wait to go home. A solution to this problem is just to raise the price of tuition, it's probably gonna happen anyway, seeing as inflation is a thing. What’s another 5k for an education in a system that is slowly going obsolete. Am I right or am I right? Now lastly, I have noticed in my three years of attending this school that lunch prices are insanely high for what is provided. There is no reason to charge $9.00 for pizza and some mashed potatoes. The obvious solution to this problem is just to lower the lunch prices and/or revise the menu. I doubt that losing the extra few dollars would cause the school to go bankrupt…at this point it's just extortion. Click here to learn how to install fiber optic wifi.

ADHD is a well known mental illness that is often portrayed as a person who cannot stay still for a few minutes. But did you know that this is not really true? ADHD has 3 specific types. Firstly, there’s hyperactive; the typical symptoms are tendencies to fidget, talkative, low patience, and a need to be moving around. Secondly, there’s inattentive; this type of ADHD has difficulty focusing, doing tasks,  and overall keeping track of their activities. Inattentive is usually chalked up to the person being lazy or distracted. Lastly, there's the mix. This is just a combination of hyperactive and inattentive. There are also other “normal” things that are due to ADHD banging around in your brain. For example, according to a video by Ice Cream Sandwich, he described that he would walk in circles for hours and keep hundreds of tabs open. Another symptom is waiting until the deadline to finish any task, as well as forgetting your task from Point A to Point B. A lot of these symptoms are just swept off as normal stuff that other people can do from time to time. Another person, Jaiden Animations, called out how her brother had been diagnosed with ADHD but never really thought that it was genetic. She waited over while trying to convince herself to schedule an appointment, she took over 8 months to schedule. While talking to the psychiatrist, she told him how she used to be organized, to which the psychiatrist said that it could be that Jaiden depended on her parents, so when she moved out for college, things fell apart. Jaiden also learned that girls can not only mask ADHD symptoms better than guys, but they experience ADHD differently too. The steps to getting diagnosed can vary. Sometimes the psychiatrist will use an EEG, where they will have a machine hooked onto your brainwaves, with the task of staying still for 30 minutes. Other times, they’ll ask questions everyday that will lead to a diagnosis day. You’ll then get your results and, if you have ADHD, will move onto the topic of medication. There’s multiple types of medication for ADHD. One is good old Adderall, which is a special drug that tweaks the natural substances in your brain that causes ADHD. There’s 2 variants of Adderall; there’s instant release, which you can take when you need to get something done, then it wears off after a few hours. Then there's extended release, which you take daily or monthly.

With Voyager Vision, students all over campus have been learning about what happens around their campus. The high school students have been introducing the events that happen at school through social media. Every week, Mr. Rose’s high school tech students create a YouTube video to upload for the school to watch. This video is shown to every school advisory to inform them about upcoming events. Advisory happens on “E” and “Y” days before morning break in the VOYAGER rotation. Every student has an advisory teacher who informs them about relevant events and important information. The Voyager Vision video is created around this campus while interviewing staff and faculty as well as students from different grades about how they feel about school. The tech students walk around classrooms and lounges to see what is happening around our eventful school. All over our campus the high school tech team finds many interesting facts about the school. The past videos have included topics such as Makahiki, choir, sports events, new schedules, information about new clubs and  opportunities, and more! Island school students have found these informational videos interesting and entertaining. The students around our school have been included in the Voyager Vision. While students are learning about the campus during advisory they might see friends, classmates, and teachers and other staff who they know. Learning about the school through Voyager Vision has helped students feel included, noticed, and relevant in their school community. There have been many Voyager Vision videos uploaded so far and hopefully many more entertaining, informational ones to come! Click here to see one of the latest Voyager Vision videos!

Every year it is an Island school tradition to celebrate May Day which is now known as Hoike. From Pre-K all the way through 12th grade participated in this special day and cherished this event every year located in Island School’s Wilcox Gym. This event is about 3 hours long with an intermission. One way Island school shows their care for this school is the way of decorating the whole campus. It is not easy to put this day together. It is not possible with only one or two people, so it takes a whole community as one ‘ohana. Island School was created in 1977 where kids could come here if they wanted a better education or more of a challenge. Nowadays, Island School celebrates May Day as Hoike. It is still a traditional time to show off dances and show stories, though. When Island School celebrated it as May Day it was a bit different because when you have May Day there will normally be a queen king and the royal court. Hoike is a traditional celebration to show our dances. Being able to celebrate this awesome day has let people show everything they learned throughout the whole year. It is a delightful event where everyone and their families gather around for all their kids to show a part of what they have learned throughout the year. There are also hula girls that work with Kumu Sabra in a group to learn more about Hawaiian culture and share their experience. Click here to read more about this.

Assemblies are Island School’s way of showing appreciation to someone or something. Island School assemblies are prepared by Island School’s staff, faculty, and Student Council. Usually students will have an “assembly schedule” where each class will be cut off by 10 minutes to make time for the assembly. Assemblies take place in the Wilcox Gym. Students are separated on the bleachers by grade to keep everyone organized. Pep Rallies also take place in the Wilcox Gym. In Pep Rallies, we get to see the sports that are in season and who is on the teams. Pep rallies and Assemblies are a great way for everyone to come together. Click here to read more about the benefits of assemblies!

Every year since 1977 in January Island School and its 7 founders have celebrated a special day known as its birthday. This year on January 17, 2025 we will be celebrating Island School’s 48th birthday. All the students gather in the Wilcox Gym for an assembly at 9:40am. At this assembly they blow out the candles to honor the birthday of Island School. The students will have to change their schedule and take 10 minutes off of their classes to accommodate for the assembly. At the assembly, the students ask questions and talk to the 7 founders about how the school was started. During this assembly, there will be time to honor the class of 2025. The board members come to this assembly to support the 7 founders. The 7 founders are Denise Kaufman, Peggy Ellenburg, Jolly Bodine, Rochelle Karter, Diana Loomis Dahl, Merlyn Ruddell. They built this school in 1977 and ever since has been growing more every year. Over the years, there have been many gracious donations to the school and fundraisers to help out. At the beginning of the assembly, the Olelo Hawaii class did a chant to start. Then, at the end, there is a Hula to show appreciation and the music class sings the school anthem. Click here to watch last year's birthday celebration on January 19, 2024. 

We have learned that investigative journalists highlight problems with power, power abuse, and things not visible to the naked eye. For example, when a dictating leader starts a war for no reason and no one in that country is allowed to talk about it, that’s what investigative journalists are for. To expose things. A popular piece is when a smashed Samsung tablet was found on a Libyan battlefield in minecraft. This tablet was found to have secret documents on it! They uncovered information about the Russian mercenary group and its fighting methods. This is why investigative journalism is so important. This helped people on the opposing sides win wars and stop thousands from dying. Imagine how many lies you would believe if it weren’t for investigative journalism.

Every year, Island School has National History Day in the Wilcox Gym where the students make presentations about a historical event and present them to judges and other fellow friends. The winners will move on to the state championship and present to many other people. NHD is useful for students because they have an opportunity to learn about history and special events that majorly impact the world, for good and bad. Many students try their best to get creative with their presentation and make it very organized, yet fun. The most important thing of all is that they have enough information for their peers so they can understand the concept of their project! Click here to see how NHD can benefit kids’ critical thinking, writing, and research skills that they need to be creative with their work while exploring history.

At 8:08 a.m. on January 13, 2018, an alert was accidentally issued by the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert System over television, radio, and cellular networks in the U.S. state of Hawaii. A missile was coming from North Korea. Residents were running and hiding in the sewers. This WAS NOT A DRILL. At 8:46 a.m., public officials sent a message apologizing for the alert. It was a mistake. Click here to learn more about the event.

Island School has had a “Phone Ban” for a while now. Each day when school hours begin, phones become impermissible from 7:45am to 3pm. Students have been allowed to use their phones if permitted by their teacher. Other than that, if phones are visible, they are confiscated until the remainder of the school day is over. The Island School staff have been discussing and receiving contacts from parents of some students, requesting a “stricter” ban. For example, students wouldn’t just not be allowed to use their phones, rather they would turn them in at the beginning of the school day and receive them back at the end. Some people argue that this would be for the best since phones are a distraction to learners, and they mess with a child’s developing brain. Others disagree, stating that phones can bring out the creativity in a student when used the right way. It is also said by some that phones can help keep students on track with tools like music, calculators, and the camera. For more info click here!