Ka Leo o Nā Koa says “goodbye” to print issue for now
Photo by Destinee Murray
Daisy Draper, staff writer, works on an in-class Journalism assignment. She is one of four staff members on the Ka Leo o Nā Koa team.
August 29, 2013
After eight years of award-winning publications, Ka Leo o Nā Koa, the student news organization, will be discontinuing the print version of the student newspaper due to low enrollment in Journalism 2.
“People might not realize how long it takes to produce the print issue. In past years, editors have spent upwards of five hours [of layout] per printed page,” said Ms. Kye Haina, the journalism adviser. With each editor laying out 8-12 pages to produce the 32-48-page issues of the past, students logged hundreds of hours in the layout process.
Only one student, senior Jaylin Kekiwi, is enrolled in the second-year course for editors this year, and Ms. Haina says that while she might work with Kekiwi to print an issue or two in the second semester, at this point, it’s unlikely.
Journalism 2 isn’t the only class with low numbers. Journalism 1 has just three students in it.
According to Ms. Haina, their biggest challenges will be “providing the same depth [and] breadth of coverage” as in past years.
Kekiwi agreed that “the major struggle for this year’s Journalism staff will be overall coverage.”
With the print publication temporarily shelved, the staff is currently shooting toward improving the news site by giving it a new look and adding features.
The new Sports Center, for instance, has a variety of interactive features to it, such as an athletic schedule, sports rosters, a dedicated sports picture carousel, and a separate page for each sport. One can also have easy, fast access to scores with the breaking score box on the home page.
Readers can access athlete profiles by clicking on the word “profile” when it appears next to an athlete’s name on any sports roster. The athletes’ names are also linked to stories and photos in which they are mentioned.
To make sure that all links work, Ka Leo o Nā Koa has adopted a new policy of using legal student names on the Web, as opposed to their preferred nicknames as in the past.
Ms. Haina said that another goal is to increase the quality and quantity of live stream offerings. Last year was the first time Ka Leo o Nā Koa tried streaming of live events with mixed results. The broadcasts of ʻAha Mele and commencement were two streaming highlights.
Kekiwi plans to continue to offer the high quality work that the staff has always striven for.
“We have talented photographers to draw people into our Web site, especially for the sports events,” she said.
It won’t be easy to bring the people the news.
“We all have to carry our own weight,” Kekiwi said, “but I think that this year’s staff can handle it…I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Amanda Lee • Nov 5, 2013 at 2:52 pm
I graduated from KSM in 2012. Two out of my four years there, I found a home within Ms. Haina’s classroom. I became a better writer, student, and leader because of the Journalism program.
I have always paid tribute to Ms. Haina’s teachings for many of my successes today. I have loved the journalism courses and all the projects we created. As a result, it makes me so sad that only four students have decided to take the plunge and be a part of the Ka Leo O Na Koa staff. I feel as though I have lost a dear friend: the print newspaper.
Perhaps people have misconceived perceptions of the journalism course, and this is to account for the depressing number of staffers and the discounting of my brain-child.
For all the future staffers of Ka Leo O Na Koa (because I refuse to believe that you are an extinct breed of students) this is the truth of Ms. Haina’s journalism program.
She had me stay in her classroom until midnight, on multiple occasions. When my peers were worried about writing one paper for their English class, I was worried about writing the same one paper for the English class and the eight articles and five graphics I was working on for the paper. Articles I turned in came back bleeding red ink and corrections. There were times when I thought for sure I would die in that classroom. In my two years of Journalism, I can confidently say that it was one of the best experiences of my academic career.
I learned to write, to ask the questions that mattered, to take an idea and make it a readable piece that hooked an audience down to the last period. I believe the reason I got into college on a fantastic scholarship and my current job as a Resident Advisor has to do with the skills I learned in that classroom.
Some of you might have been unable to read past the first few lines and thought to yourself “Thank goodness I’m not in that class, I dodged a bullet!” Well, good. If you don’t think you can handle it, then perhaps it’s not for you. In which case I advise you to go back to stressing about the one English paper you have to do.
For those of you who read that and were equally scared and enthralled, I encourage you to give it a go. Journalism isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for those who want to learn. It is for the ones who want to push themselves beyond what they think is their breaking point to find a new one. Journalism isn’t a dying field. News will always need to be disseminated to the public. Then pen is and always will be mightier than the sword.
So, future journalists, I expect you all to enroll in Ms, Haina’s class and bring back the print edition and continue to create and produce the legacy of Ka Leo O Na Koa that past journalism Warriors have poured their passion into.
Kye Haina • Nov 5, 2013 at 4:37 pm
Thank you for your been-there-done-that perspective, Amanda. I remember you being one of those very people who thought that the program would be “hard.” I remember how you withdrew in your sophomore year. But, I also remember your triumphant return and journey in junior and senior year.
It would be wonderful to fill out our staff and bring back our print edition. I hope that freshmen and sophomores hear you and that next year, the headline will read: Journalism Has Record Enrollment!
Eric Taniguchi • Sep 5, 2013 at 12:59 pm
It’s sad to hear the low enrollment in Kumu Haina’s Journalism classes and the subsequent postponement of the written Ka Leo o Na Koa. I have always enjoyed reading the many excellent
issues. My oldest son, once wrote for Ka Leo and he truly enjoyed being part of a great team.
Please keep positive,
Best wishes,
Aloha,
Eric S. Taniguchi, AIA
Architect