HONOLULU — About 70 students from Honouliuli Middle School in Kapolei rode Skyline on Wednesday, according to a news release. For many of the students, it was their first time riding Honolulu's elevated metro system. 

The Honolulu Department of Transportation Services hosted the Skyline ride. 

The sixth grade students are working on a project that looks at how Oahu could become energy independent by 2045 and how Skyline may play a role in that evolution. Chatter filled the car as the keiki took in the views and filled out work sheets for their project. 

“I’m gonna say that today was a really fun day to be on this light rail for my first time and it was nice to look at the view and just to hang out with my friends," said Kruze Lino-Isiles when asked what he found most memorable about the ride.

"I'm new to the island, so just kind of learning how Skyline was received or not received," said Joanna Hess, a sixth-grade language arts and social studies teacher at Honouliuli Middle School. "But I think now that they see that it's here, how beneficial it is in terms of timeliness and anyone who has been stuck in traffic can realize that you know, that we need some alternative solutions to that. And so, I think especially [given] our kids’ location, being right there at the start of it would be really helpful, because they can think about jobs in the future. They don't have to stay right where they're at. They can travel and commute and have it be so much easier than having to get in a car and spend hundreds of dollars of gas and polluting the environment at the same time."

Honouliuli Middle School is located just a block from Kualakai East Kapolei Skyline Station. Students walked from their school to ride the train. During the ride, students asked questions, took notes, and enjoyed looking at the views. 

"It’s just fun to go around to see all the other places and just getting to know the stuff around us," said 11-year-old Zavier Ching.