For the first time in years, Nānākuli High & Intermediate students had the opportunity to enroll in Yearbook as an official elective,  and they used that opportunity to boldly redefine what it means to “Be Gold.” From unforgettable victories to everyday moments in the halls, every page reflects the strength, spirit, and pride of Hawk Town.

This year’s yearbook theme is “Be Bold. Be Gold,” Submitted by Sophomore Jur-Al Mahoe and later chosen by Yearbook Advisor Karen Kitabayashi, “Be Bold,”  represents school pride, and confidence, “Be Gold,” represents having pride from where you come from and coming back to your roots. 

“You know, being confident and being prideful of Nānākuli,” said Senior Yearbook student Haysten Jesus.

The theme reflects both confidence and cultural pride, encouraging students to step outside their comfort zones while honoring their roots in Nānākuli.

“Taking risks, putting yourself out there, getting yourself out of your comfort zone,” said Jesus. “Just remember your roots, remember where you’re from, be proud that you’re from Nānākuli.”

This year’s yearbook stands out from the past due to it hoping to feature more clubs, more classes, more events. From 2020-2025, the NHIS Student Government produced the yearbook alongside coordinating other events. For the first time in years, Yearbook was an elective that students could take.

With more students having a voice in this year’s yearbook, creating it wasn’t all easy, it had its challenges. 

“I think this year was harder because there’s a lot of different artistic styles and to collaborate everyone’s artists styles into one book it’s just kind of harder,” said Haysten Jesus.

Among all the incredible content this yearbook has to offer, a few pages students can look forward to are Homecoming, Senior’s Last First Day, Hoss Elections, and the Sports pages. 

“We added more event pages and I think we have more sports,” said Kitabayashi. “They can memorialize the school year and they’ll have a hard printed copy of the book itself so in ten to twenty years down the line they can show their families and children pictures of what things were like.”

Years from now, when students flip through its pages, they won’t just see photos, they’ll see a reflection of a year defined by courage, creativity, and Hawk pride. Yearbook payments can be made by students during non-class time at the front office. Families and community members who would like to purchase a yearbook may also go to the front office. The current yearbook cost is $45.