What started out as a six-week creative writing summer workshop held at Sacred Hearts Academy in 2025 quickly grew into something more.
“The evolution was fast; ironically, we weren’t sure we could write a book in six weeks, so that put less pressure on the students and encouraged greater collaboration,” said Paul Sneed, who previously taught Spanish at the school and is the project lead and editor of “Ghosting Aloha.”
More than 10 students from 7th to 12th grade contributed to "Ghosting Aloha," a newly released young adult coming-of-age novel. Most, though, did not initially see themselves as writers.
“They were intimidated by the word ‘writer' and we pivoted to ‘storyteller’ because most people are storytellers,” Sneed told Aloha State Daily at a book celebration held at the private girls’ school in Kaimukī on Oct. 16.
Early in the process, Sneed, who is now a teacher at Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy, would prompt the students to draw inspiration from their own experiences and relationships, and share their stories with each other around a lava lamp “campfire” in the darkened classroom.
He encouraged on-campus field trips to the old Bell Tower, chapel and library, which ultimately led the class to discover a 1943 yearbook photo containing “spirits” rumored to be two students who didn't make it to graduation that year. This became the foundational pillar for “Ghosting Aloha,” which, in addition to lore from the school, explores themes of friendship, fear, love and more.
To get into the right head space when writing, the class also listened to songs spanning decades relevant to the book, particularly “Fast Car,” “A Boy Named Sue” and “Cats in the Cradle,” among others. Students also interviewed retired teacher Karen Muramoto and campus minister Sister Catherine Francis Miller.
“We decided to use multiple narrators and points of views so the storytelling itself within the novel would reflect our collaborative spirit, while also minimizing the effect of writing styles,” Sneed notes. “In the end, we managed to write a work that brought us joy and one we were happy with. Through this project, students learned far more than writing skills. They practiced empathy, collaboration, research, project management and civic-minded storytelling.”
He acknowledged at the book celebration that many hands helped create the final product, including Jane Gillespie of Mutual Publishing, illustrator Brady Evans and Keith Teramae, a local artist who served as a sponsor and mentor.
“We got lucky with a good mix of people; Keith, for example, talked with our students about turning their inspiration into perspiration, or what it would take to sustain the project long-term,” Sneed said. “I also think the students had a sense of connection to the history of the school, in which they are now a part of. It was an adventure and something spiritual happened in a way in the book that honored its three time frames: 1943, 1976, and 1982.”
The storyline follows Sacred Hearts 10th grader Lilikoʻi, along with her friends Ryley and Kenji, and her childhood crush, Max, whom she reconnects with just as his family is about to move off island. As Lilikoʻi starts to catch her breath after suffering heartbreak from the loss of her tūtū and the separation of her parents, ghosts appear and set her on a new journey of self-discovery,
The school’s president and CEO Brandy Sato told ASD that though the story is fiction, “it is something that a lot of students can relate to.”
“Living here, you know exactly what they’re talking about,” she adds. “For young adult literature to have that balance of honoring the students’ voices and their vernacular can be difficult. And they pulled it off.”
Students did not use artificial intelligence to write, according to Sneed.
“Ultimately, collaborative novel writing teaches young people to listen, imagine and create something meaningful through shared stories — a joyful and transformative practice they can carry into their lives far beyond school,” he said. “It is a flexible, replicable model for creative collaborative learning in which teams of writers listen to one another explore meaningful stories and create works that none of them could have created alone.”
Meet the writers
Aureana Coloma says that participating in the summer writing workshop in 2025 as an incoming freshman at Sacred Hearts helped her “break the ice” and make new friends.
“When I joined the class, I was really shy and timid, but Mr. Sneed was welcoming and we got to talking about TV shows like ‘Cobra Kai’ and other things that helped me open up,” she told ASD.
As a writer, she learned how to make draft revisions and organize her thoughts more clearly, she notes.
When asked what advice she’d offer to other students interested in writing, Coloma adds: “Be yourself!”
Outside of school, she enjoys sports and watching Broadway musicals like “Hamilton” and more recently, “Heathers: The Musical.”
After high school, she hopes to go to college and enter the medical field.
Other students including Raychel Antolin, Ava Cramer and Grace Lai echoed similar sentiments about how working together on “Ghosting Aloha” was their favorite part of the experience.
“We’re proud of what it’s grown into,” Cramer said.
Amelia Akana, who joined the group a little later, is now a freshman at the University of Hawaiʻi pursuing her passion of screenwriting to become a film director.
Izzabelle Chloe Kaʻiulani Chang, Lilia Gushiken, Kailuana Oshiro, Isabella Porlas-Silva, Shuon Suzuki and Trinh Tran also contributed to the book.
“Ghosting Aloha” can be found in retail stores and online at mutualpublishing.com.
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
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