Raise Your Hand

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“Raise Your Hand” is a monthly editorial column written by high school students and their peers in collaboration with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Its purpose is to provide a platform for youth voice, particularly DOE students. Since its start in March 2016, over 80 articles have been published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

We fervently believe that when youth are allowed to voice their opinions, amazing feats are accomplished. A young adult’s concerns are not only about school lunches, bullies, or the dress code. The younger generation is just as passionate and invested as their adult counterparts in issues facing our world. After all, they are our future leaders.

Blog Posts

“Life below water.” People may see this phrase and think of UN SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) 14: to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

Distance learning was one of the greatest struggles of the pandemic. In this new mode of virtual, synchronous learning, many students struggled to adapt and teachers pushed to return to in-person instruction, which will now resume in fall.

Kahealani Numazawa-PacanasMar Heinrich Ruiz Can Kaua’i be food self-sustaining? This question has recently become popular in the public arena, and as residents of the island, we fully support it.

Struggle to survive in the beautiful paradise you grew up in, or move away for more affordable housing and a better paying job? Which would you choose? Many local people actively weigh these exact tradeoffs of living in Hawaii, and many choose to do what they think best for themselves and their fami.

With the loss of tourism, new COVID-19 restrictions, and an overall drop in the economy, small businesses are struggling to stay afloat. By July of 2020, nearly 900 small businesses had closed, either temporarily or permanently.

The conversation about the power of big technology companies, or “Big Tech,” is a long and important one, but there is a simple answer to whether Big Techs’ recent actions against Donald Trump are an infringement on free speech. No, they are not. Not legally, or even intuitively.

As private entities, “big tech” companies such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Twitter have every right to exercise their discretion in banning whomever they please. The right to refuse service is, in itself, a First Amendment right.

CON: NOT LEGALLY OR EVEN INTUITIVELY AN INFRINGEMENT OF FREE SPEECHThe conversation about the power of big technology companies, or “Big Tech,” is a long and important one, but there is a simple answer to whether Big Techs’ recent actions against Donald Trump are an infringement on free speech.

The pandemic has further emphasized what many Hawaiʻi residents already know: living here is unsustainable.

It may seem like a battle between two evils, but the verdict is clear: Joe Biden needs to win this election. Under the demanding circumstances of this year, it is crucial to elect an executive that is, at the minimum, capable of making decisions in the interest of the majority. A vote for Mr.