Pride of Wai'anae inspires Hiki Nō

Searider Productions is the pride of Wai'anae, and it now has another project under its belt, the Hiki Nō. Rep. Georgette "Jo" Jordan, who represents Wai'anae, Makaha & Makua, tells us more about this statewide news program in the following article submitted by her office. Then, check out the YouTube video that visually tells us more about Hiki Nō. (Do you know what Hiki Nō means in English? CAN DO!)

In February, PBS Hawaii kicked off Hiki Nō, the nation's first statewide student news network. Students from across the state film and create their own news stories, which are aired in half-hour segments, uninterrupted by commercials on PBS Hawaii. The shows are broadcast online at www.pbshawaii.org/hikino and on-air channel 10 at 5 p.m. on Mondays. Hiki Nō is a unique program because it encourages video production in schools around the state, and provides them with a venue to broadcast their shows. Both Wai'anae Intermediate and Wai'anae High Schools are participating in the new program, with news segments airing in April. Wai'anae High School's broadcast will be featured on Monday, April 25 at 5 p.m., while Wai'anae Intermediate School's broadcast, which aired on April 4, can be found online.

When PBS Hawaii was designing Hiki Nō, they looked to Searider Productions founder, Candy Suiso, for inspiration and advice. Suiso, a Wai'anae High School graduate and teacher, began Searider Productions in 1993. The now highly successful video production program began as part of Suiso's Spanish curriculum in which she had students produce their own Spanish-speaking skits in order to learn the language. When she saw how driven her students were to produce their videos, she took a sabbatical from teaching and learned everything she could about video production. She looked outside the box, writing grants for funding from local and national partners in order to start the program. Today, Wai'anae High School's Searider Productions has received national awards and distinguished honors for the quality media the students produce. More importantly, Searider Productions inspires Wai'anae students to dream; developing their self-esteem and teaching them the skills they need to succeed. Students learn to write, communicate, work in teams, manage their time, and use technology to convey their messages. The program has graduated many students with video production skills well beyond their years, and these students are returning to Waianae to work in and give back to our community. Candy Suiso and Searider Productions have set the bar high for video production in our state; it is no wonder that PBS Hawaii used Searider Productions as an inspiration for Hiki No.