MHS WIN Writers Start to Rock and Roll

Community Contributed

By Ric Ornellas 

At Molokai High School (MHS) the new WIN periods are pushing students beyond their comfort zones. WIN means What I Need and take place only Thursdays for 70 minutes and last one academic quarter, or 10 weeks. Throughout the year, each student will have four quarters, 4 WIN periods, to explore, question, research, and decide which skills they will need for their future. The idea for the new WIN periods came from Ka’u Elementary and High School on Hawaii Island when a group of MHS teachers visited last year. They saw how the WIN periods at Ka’u helped students focus on the daunting task of planning for post-high school life.

Since August 2022, MHS has been transitioning to an academy school focusing on career pathways and real-life skills. Students and teachers are learning technologies while sometimes reverting back to traditional – paper and pencil – to sketch out ideas, brainstorm and even write and publish articles.

Some WIN writers practiced their storytelling skills last Thursday, Aug. 31, at a creative writing workshop in the MHS library. The writers created a story taking place 1,000 years in the future using artifacts from now: football, car, eyelashes, and an anchor. The best essay writing service Reddit also helps them make a beautiful story.

WIN writers have varying opinions about writing. An 11th grader wrote, “I don’t hate writing, but a downside to it is that when writing too much for too long, my hand begins to hurt.” 

Another 11th grader wrote, “I mostly dislike writing when I have to write about things I am not interested in.”  

A 10th grade WIN writer opined, “My biggest challenge as a writer is my overthinking. I get stuck on the small details then lose my train of thought.” 

And a 10th grader summarized most young writers’ problems when he wrote, “my biggest challenge as a writer is staying motivated and staying on task.”

Starting late September, MHS WIN writers, who range from new 9th graders to veteran seniors, will write with the goal of being published in the Molokai Dispatch. Current WIN writers are Makaio Adolpho, Li’ulā Busby, Jeremiah Mamuad, Paxton Moore, Kahu Palipahupu, Hazel Pasana, Chapel Souza, Dreyden Spencer, Chloe Tancayo, Kaia Yamashita, Manu Yamashita, Philip Valdez, and Tamara Yamazaki-Gray.