Ola Pono: What's on My Mind?

How do you talk about mental health? What does mental health mean?

We started with a KWHL about mental health:

What do you Know about mental health?

What do you Want to know? 

How will you find out?

And finally, what have you Learned?

We talked about the unfair stigma against mental health, and emphasized that all of us need to make sure that stigma stops. The brain is another organ, and just like you wouldn't judge someone if they had kidney or lung problems, you shouldn't judge if someone has mental illness.

Also, we talked about just how everyone in life at some point gets sick-- just a little bit or pretty seriously-- all of us need to know how to cope with mental health problems when they come up in our own lives.

We started with a mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness is a big part of maintaining mental health, breaking destructive thought patterns, and taking care of the story we are always telling ourselves.

This exercise got us thinking: What's on my mind? We created collages with our faces to represent all of our thoughts.

When we had a visual image of our mental states, we learned some strategies for taking care of our mental health.  (See the Wellcast Videos youtube channel for LOTS of helpful resources about breaking bad habits, improving body image, overcoming automatic thoughts, etc.)

Then we created Art Cards describing what can we do to take care of our mental health. Here are some of our pieces!

Kauai Sonnets from the Papa Ehiku

Ingredients for a sonnet:

• 14 lines
• 10 syllables each line
• ABABCDCDEFEFGG Rhyme scheme.

Papa Ehiku was challenged to compose sonnets about Kauai in order to learn about rhymes and syllables. Here are the results of their work:

You are my big island in the ocean.

Oh, you are unchanged no one will beat.

Your palmtree and your fruit will make lotion.

Get a cup of lemonade to beat the heat.

I like to go to the beach by the sea.

We can go to the mountain koke’e.

We can go to the sweet home you and me.

Ea, we can go to uncles and eat some he’e.

Down in the the sun is we're we will lay.

Oh, in my heart how i very very much love.

Down the rode is hanalei bay.

We will travel to kawaikini up above.

We will go with friends to sit on sand.

I will go with to hold my hand.

--L.C.

Awesome babes on kauai is so hot.

the ladies on kauai is the best.

the most uluas that i ever caught.

kauai is mostly tornado less.

the house on kauai is expensive.

kauai will never get to be cheap.

when you come to kauai you gone sleep.

us folks on kauai has some secret.

on kauai has a lot of best plants.

my dog on kauai is the best pet.

we on kauai hate the fire ants.

i love kauai because get girls.

us kauaiians are the best in the world.

--E. G. M.

There is very good food at kaua’i

The stores over here have good musubi

When you get to kaua’i don’t get bully

At pono market musubi is so good

when you go to the beach you feel so free

You are da one who said you always could

When you are at a party you say chee

when you go to kaua’i you hula

If you do go to the mountain  shoot gun

Me and my friends go to are kula

if you do boring stuff, it comes fun

At koloa harbor fish take bait

So now you know, come visit it is great.

--K. G. K.

Oh Kauai you are so Beautiful

Manokalanipo how I love You

I love this island it make me Peaceful

At church we always sit at the same Pew

From here was the hawaiian super Man

On this land there are so much Pua’a

You need to be recycled cause the Cans

You are connected to America

You are so like the lone lonely Ranger

Manokalanipo’s not a small Child

In all times you are in grave grave Danger

Kaua’i you are not mild you are Wild

Kaua’i you are so great not just Bland

Manokalanipo you are so Grand

--KKM:



MKS:

HA:

KH:

Scrolls and quills!

How can practicing cursive be interesting? When it's for illuminated manuscripts, on parchment paper, and with a quill! 

We collected chicken feathers from around school, soaked them over night in  water with a little bleach, then baked cat food cans full of sand at 350 for thirty minutes, then stood the ends of the feathers up in the hot sand until it cools. This hardens the feather tips enough to hold a point and retain ink. Then we sliced the tip of each feather at an angle. 

Typed Poems

  The blue prints of the Boston tea party.

  The t-chart of papa holo.

  The domain of ka’amaai.

  The alphabetizing of haupia.

  The specis of how to make a scroll.

                                                        Ho’ouka

I seem to be yellow but really

i am blue.

I seem to be kappa but really 

i am the ocean.

I seem to be an alien but really

i am a human.                            

                    :kahiau

Whatever she needs is given.

Whatever the world throw at her, she can take. 

What ever is stored is needed.

 Whatever she has laid out will be accomplished.

Whatever she doesn’t have, she shall have.

Whatever her soul craves she shall have.

Everything thats hard she will overcome.

Everything that has been a war will be won.

               :Lei’ohu 

:Mo-Z

I seem to be (blue)

But really I am (Purple)

I seem to be at school

But really I am in class

I seem to be calm 

But really I am an animal 

I seem to be a slow runner 

But really I am a fast runner

I am like a turtle

I wish for the strength to survive the next day.

:Keanu

I seem to be red but really I’m green.

I seem to be at home but I’m really at school.

I seem to be an animal but really I’m a human.

I seem to be  playing soccer but really I’m playing football.

I am like a tall mountain.

I wish i could go to disney land.

:Jaslenn

Lets not go to Paris , 

Don’t talk to me of romance ,

Talk to me of something embarrassing ,Don’t  mess with our hostage,

Lets not be resentful ,

Lets get angry , Lets be quiet ,

Lets not get a hotel room ,

Dont mess with the morass I’ve been through , Lets walk through a dark ally ,

Don’t be so tearful , 

Lets walk in the dark ,

Lets not avoid the street fighters ,Lets go to the south so we can avoid staring ,

                        Like I said, Lets be embarrassing.

Ke’alohilani ( SMAKLE )

Whatever she needs was always with her

Whenever the world denies her pushes her down

Whatever she has laid down to go forth in life

Whenever her life isn’t right, she is strong enough to push throng

Everything thats been bad has a reason

Everything that is broken is now restord,

Everything is now fine with friends by her side 

Nai’a:

My 

I seem to be white but really I’m brown

I seem to be the river but really I’m the mountain

I seem to be a cute cat but I am a mean big dog. Quiet.

Kiaura: Goodbye

This life I have lived is now gone,

All of the choices all along,

Has lead me to this day.

That one day when you have to walk away

My gray hair and pale eyes 

My life that no longer has a life,

as I look back on this broken road,

The one that fun and joy use to hold

Through my life of ups and downs,

I did my best to never frown.

To always say smile throughout he tears,

And learned to conquer all my fears.

When having to chose between two things;

Life and death.

I would honestly say to die

For I have lived my life to the fullest.

Goodbye.

   

Academic Conference 12/2014

Ethical dilemma 21

Should I do my chores or should I go sleep because i need sleep but i need to do work at home?

Ethical dilemma 20

I have a crush on someone but my friend likes the same person and she asked him out knowing I like him. what do I do?

Ethical dilemma 19

If I had party and all of my family was there and if there was my friends party which party should I go to ??

Ethical dilemma 18

I don't now if I should go to my boyfriend's house or my best friend's house.

Ethical dilemma 17

 I have to go to practice but if I wanna go I have to catch the Kauai bus. But my mom doesn't allow me to catch the Kauai bus and if I don't go to practice I won't make the team. So should I go to practice and break my moms rules or should I just skip practice do to my mom's rules?

Ethical dilemma 16

My parents always tell me that honesty is the key but they always ask me if I mind talking to a new family member. I don't care thar much for my family member but i don't want to tell them no and sound disrespectful. Should I lie or tell them I wouldn't mind or tell them the truth about how I feel?

Ethical Dilemma 15

Your family are fighting and they decided to split up and you needed to chose to go and live in far away with your one member of your family or stay here with another but if you go you will better education but all your friends are on Kauai but you know the other place will help you with college in the future.

Ethical Dilemma 14

I don't when the right time to put on  my headphones. When I put my headphones on in class I won't be able to hear the teacher. But I want to put my headphones on because the kids are loud.

Ethical dilemma 13

Do I go to a college closer to home so that way I can see my family, or do I go to a more educational college?

Ethical dilemma 12

I really want to go to UH Hilo because of the awesome ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi program that would benefit my cultural beliefs, but i also want to go to BYU to strengthen my religious beliefs! What should I do?

Ethical Dilemma 11

I promised my friend that I would go to her party, but just yesterday my best friend invited me to her party. Should I go to my best friend's party or the party I promised to go to with my other friend?

Ethical Dilemma 10

 I want to play video games all day and all night. But it's not good for your brain. I don't know what I need. So I'm gonna ask my mom. But I really wish I can play video games all day. It's great but I don't know what to do so? Should I pay video games?  It is going to kill my brain.

Ethical Dilemma 9

What if you had a best friend and they were really hungry, but your parents said that you couldn't share snack. Would you give them or not?

Ethical dilemma 8b

What if I promised my best friend that I will help them with their job but I have a once and a life time opportunity to work somewhere else and its a really good job bit I promised to help. What do I do? 

Ethical Dilemma 8

What if I promise my best friend that I would go to the movies with him but I am grounded should I sneak out
or stay home?

Ethical Dilemma 7

Should I do my friends home work for him or not? I'm helping him.