Middle Level Student Leadership Summit 2026

On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, the Highlands Student Council had an amazing time at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for this year’s Middle Level Student Leadership Conference (MLSL 2026), connecting with passionate student leaders from across Hawaiʻi! 🌺 Our Student Government proudly stepped into the spotlight to present their original workshop, “Game On! Gamification.” They wowed the audience by sharing innovative, interactive ways to turn everyday leadership tasks into engaging, team-building games. It was a massive success, inspiring schools from other islands to bring these creative ideas back to their own campuses! 🎮✨ A major shoutout to our awesome MCs, Emmalia and Regan! They commanded the main stage, keeping the entire crowd hyped and bringing unmatched energy, humor, and spirit to the conference. 🎤🔥 From collaborative workshops to making lifelong friendships, MLSL 2026 was packed with leadership, connection, and undeniable school pride. 💙🤝 Congratulations to all of Hawaiʻi’s incredible young leaders for stepping up, inspiring others, and truly leading like Duke! — Herbi Abija, Student Government Vice-President

Highlands Leadership Workshop 2025

The Highlands Leadership Workshop 2025 was a meaningful experience designed to connect and empower our student leaders. Bringing together Student Council members, homeroom representatives, and club officers, the event focused on preparing our students for the school year ahead. Organized by our Leadership class, the agenda featured interactive challenges including Super Secret Handshake, People Bingo, and 4 Corners. These activities encouraged students to step outside their comfort zones and collaborate with peers they might not usually work with. A standout moment was the "Trust Run," a powerful exercise that highlighted the necessity of reliance and cooperation in effective leadership. By the end of the workshop, students had not only built confidence and stronger friendships but also gained critical skills in communication and responsibility. The event successfully set the tone for a year defined by teamwork, service, and pride at Highlands Intermediate School. Shanell Saelua, Student Government Treasurer

Student Leadership Conference 2025

The Student Leader Conference was a huge and exciting event where all the student council members from different schools came together for a three-day camp. We stayed at the Ala Moana Hotel 🏨 and had our meetings at Moanalua High School 🏫. The event was organized by the Hawaii State Student Council, and each school was grouped into different teams. The theme for the whole event was Mount Olympus ⛰️, which made everything feel like we were on a real adventure. On the first day, when we arrived, our Highlands Intermediate team took lots of pictures 📸. Then, we sat in the auditorium to get fun swag 🎁 and watch the opening introductions. After that, we split into our assigned groups. I was in the Hephaestus group, which was the orange team 🟠. We learned chants that we had to do during the camp and got to know each other better. We also learned a dance 💃 and a chant to do together as a team. It was a little chaotic 😅, but super fun! Later, we went into the gym to play competitive games against other groups 🏅, and it was so much fun—I felt like I was living the dream ✨. After all the activities, we had lunch 🍔 and then hung out with our groups before heading back to the hotel. We got ready for the dance and dinner 🎶🍽️, which was a lot of fun. The dance floor was awesome, and the dinner was really delicious 😋. By the end of the day, everyone was super tired 😴 and fell asleep quickly, but we all had an amazing time and made unforgettable memories 🌟. Day 2 of the Leadership Conference was FULL of energy from the very start! 🌟 As the Hawaii National Student Council welcomed students back to Moanalua High School, the excitement and school spirit could already be felt all across campus! 🙌💥 Throughout the day, teams battled it out in a variety of fun and challenging team-building activities 🏆🤝, pushing their teamwork, communication, and leadership skills to the next level! The competition got even louder when everyone gathered in the cafeteria for the ultimate CHEER COMPETITION!! 📣🔥 The room was filled with chants, cheers, and nonstop school spirit as teams went head-to-head to see who could bring the most hype! 🎶🎉 After an exciting day of competition, students got to relax and celebrate with movies 🎬, delicious food trucks 🚚🍔, and fun activities with friends! 😄✨ To wrap up the night, the Highlands Intermediate Student Council headed back to their hotels to recharge and get ready for another amazing day at SLC! 🏨   — Emmalia Tuagalu, 8th Grade Class Vice-President

 

National Student Leadership Week 2025

Every powerful movement starts with a leader... This week, we celebrated the our wonderful school student leaders such as the National Junior Honors Society, Student Council, Ambassadors and Homeroom Representatives for National Student Leadership Week 2025. It’s a time dedicated to recognizing and uplifting the incredible impact our student leaders have at our school and our community. NSWL is about more than just holding titles or wearing badges. It’s about the initiative, vision, and the courage our students had to make a difference. Each day a student leadership was recognized by getting a shout out in the Colts Morning Bulletin and later meeting in the Student Council Room for some sweet group pics and treats ;) Sydney Chun, Student Government Representative

Middle Level Student Leadership Summit 2025

Have you ever been in a room with hundreds of middle school students who are trying to be leaders just like you? Well, our Highlands Student Council would know exactly how it feels! We were just a small part of over 500 students that attended the Middle Level Student Leadership Summit 2025 on March 7 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in the heart of Waikiki. This event theme was “Lead Like Duke” and we all worked the entire day to carry on his legacy of service and leadership. The event kicked off with an inspirational speech by our Department of Education Superintendent, Keith Hayashi and a video message directed to the future leaders by Hawaii’s musical ambassador to the world, Jake Shimabukuro! But what we can say is the most exciting part of the conference was the different breakout sessions that were organized by students! Not to mention, our amazing Highlands Student Government ran their own breakout session, “Game On!: Gamification Theory and Student Activities”, which was a huge success as it was sold out! During the final segment of the leadership summit, we got to bond with other students in our district (Leeward) and build bonds that would soon turn into friendships! It was beyond thrilling to share our ideas with other students who in turn were inspired to make their schools a better and safer place to live and learn! Much mahalos to Dr. Sandy Cameli and everyone else who created this epic event! Isabelle Mina, Student Government Treasurer