Kamehameha Schools Maui middle schoolers walked the walk — literally — in their first-ever Miles 4 Smiles wellness walkathon. More than 300 students, kumu and staff laced up and looped around the ‘Aʻapueo campus, raising awareness for suicide prevention and prioritizing mental health one step at a time.
“Something as simple as walking and talking together can work,” said Dean of Students Kekaula Campbell. “And we wanted to provide that opportunity for kids to do that with each other.”
The event was a chance for all to check in with friends, kumu, counselors and themselves. Each student carried a “Miles 4 Smiles” card, marking a new smiley face for every mile walked, but the real goal was pilina.
“We encouraged them to L.A.P.: Listen, ask questions and pray,” explained Choong Man Kim, a religious education instructor at KS Maui. “Some of the best feedback we got from the students was, ‘I love walking with my kumu and counselors instead of sitting in a room. We’re outside, talking story.’ It changed everything.”
The initiative was powered by cross-campus collaboration from counseling and faith to student activities and media. Students from Rob Siarot’s media class produced a video segment that aired twice on PBS Hawaiʻi’s HIKI NŌ, sharing the message across the pae ʻāina.
“The kids came up with the idea to cover the walk,” Siarot said. “They saw the value in sharing it with the community and really, with the world. It’s student choice — their way of saying this is important.”
Kumu led by example with walking meetings and logged their own miles in the weeks before, modeling healthy behavior ahead of the big day.
Students used “Miles 4 Smiles” cards to track each mile walked with one smiley face at a time.
Students used “Miles 4 Smiles” cards to track each mile walked with one smiley face at a time.
“We were just trying to increase protective factors through pilina and physical activity,” Campbell said. “By the end, kids were like ‘Kumu, can we go for another walk?’”
Plans are already in motion to expand the walk next year to include elementary and high school students. The new target? 10,000 miles for 10,000 smiles with many more conversations. Miles 4 Smiles is the latest example of how Ke Kula ‘o Kamehameha faculty lead with care, fostering pilina and uplifting haumāna in mind, body and spirit.
Watch the full HIKI NŌ segment below.
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