Island Pacific Academy

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Island Pacific Academy
Location
Kapolei, Hawaii
United States of America
Information
School district Kapolei, Hawaii
Head of school Dr. Daniel White
Type College preparatory school
Age range 4-16 years old
Grades Preschool—10
Athletics Cross-country, Swimming, Basketball, Track & Field, Tennis, Water Polo
Athletics conference ILH
Motto I Mua Me Ka Ha'aheo (Go Foward With Confidence)
Mascot Navigators
Nickname IPA
Color(s) Navy Blue, Silver, Gold
Established September 13, 2004
Homepage Island Pacific Academy

Island Pacific Academy, also commonly referred to as IPA, is a college preparatory school operating in Kapolei, Hawaii. The school was founded in 2003 and enrolled its first students in preparation for the 2004-2005 school year. The combined enrollment for the 2006-2007 school year was 532 for grades from preschool through ninth grade. The school plans to add one grade each year, graduating its first class of seniors in 2010. There are over 80 faculty and staff workers at Island Pacific Academy. IPA is also part of Interscholastic League of Honolulu. Their motto is "I Mua Me Ka Ha'aheo," which translates to English as "Go Forward with Confidence."

Contents

[edit] Buildings

The school currently has two buildings: one for the elementary (also called "lower") school (grades Pre-K to 5th), and one for the middle and high (also called "upper") school (grades 6-10). Plans for a gym are currently underway, and it should be completed by 2010. Thus, the class of 2010 will probably not be able to use the gym. Instead, the class of 2011 will most likely be the first ones to use it.

[edit] Lower School

The lower school building has two floors, with the lower grades at the bottom, and the upper grades at the top. It has one of the five science labs, a music class, as well as other academic classrooms. The lower school was in the process of being built in 2003 (and the first half of 2004), and it officially opened its doors to students on September 13, 2004. The lower school was able to support grades from preschool to eighth grade in 2005, and with the completion of the upper school in 2006, the lower school only supports preschool to fifth grade. The curriculum of the lower school stresses the arts, and strives to balance the academics with music and art.

[edit] Upper School

The upper school was in the process of being built in late 2005 and early 2006. The eighth graders of 2005 (the class of 2010) were able to take an incomplete tour of the upper school with hard hats during its construction. As opposed to its three year predecessor, the upper school building has three floors instead of two. The first floor contains two art studios, one recording studio, one classroom for music classes, a multi-purpose room used as a cafeteria and auditorium, two foreign language classrooms, and the upper school office. The second floor is home to all of the middle school classrooms, as well as the second of the five schoolwide science labs. The third floor includes classrooms for ninth and tenth graders. It has a library with brand new books, the offices of the academic and behavioral deans, and the last three science labs (a physics lab, a chemistry lab, and a biology lab). As of now only the physics and biology labs are in use, and the chemistry lab will be in use in the 2008-2009 academic term.

[edit] The To-Be Gymnasium

The gymnasium is in its primary stages. As of right now, Island Pacific Academy is obtaining funds and grants for the gymnasium, and plans are being drawn out. It will be located near the parking lot, and it is proposed that it will have three stories of underground parking.

[edit] Mission statement

The mission statement as stated on the school's official website is as follows:

Island Pacific Academy has grounded its educational program in a mission to provide an environment where students develop:

  • Strength of character, based upon such core values as respect for others, generosity of spirit and the power of human kindness, and become good citizens of their communities;
  • Commitment to become involved citizens of their communities and the world who understand and practice democratic values;
  • Confidence to maximize the use of their intellectual, academic, physical, artistic and creative gifts in preparation for college and as life-long learners;
  • Recognition of each individual's value. [1]

More importantly, the school stresses the value of helping others. Occasionally, headmaster Dr. Daniel White says at the end of assemblies, "Whenever you can..." then the children reply, "Help!"

[edit] The Five Agreements

Previously, in the 2004-2006 school years, there were only four agreements (the first four in the list), but the school decided to add a fifth one for the 2006-2007 school year.

  1. Mutual Respect - Each student is expected to respect each other and be courteous
  2. Attentive Listening - Each student is expected to attentively listen to teachers as well as other students
  3. Appreciations/No Put-Downs - Each student is expected to treat each other kindly and say kind words to others
  4. Right to Participate/Right to Pass - Each student has a right to participate in group discussions and events, as well as the right to pass when applicable
  5. Take Care of Each Other/Take Care of This Place - Each student is expected to treat the school environment with kindness, and to not vandalize the property of other people as well as the school*

*Added in 2006 for the 2006-2007 school year

[edit] Classes for the Upper School

[edit] Ninth Grade

  • Spanish 100 & 200 (FL 100a & 200a)
  • Japanese 100 (FL 100b)
  • Algebra 100 & 200
  • Literature and Rhetoric 100 (World Religions) (LR 100)
  • Humanities & Social Sciences 100 (HSS 100)
  • Physical Education
  • Fine Art 100 (FA 100)
  • Biology (NS 100)

[edit] Tenth Grade

  • Spanish 100, 200 & 300 (FL 100a, 200a, and 300a)
  • Japanese 100 (FL 100b)
  • Algebra 100, 200 and Geometry (Algebra 300)
  • Literature and Rhetoric 200 (Terrorism and Slavery) (LR 200)
  • Humanities & Social Sciences 200a & 200b
    • HSS 200a: Communication
    • HSS 200b: Journalism
  • Physical Education
  • Fine Art 100 & 200
  • Biology and Physics (Science 100 & 200, respectively) (NS 100 and 200)

[edit] Extra Curricular Activities

IPA is involved in many different sports. Some of which with Pac-five (a group of smaller schools that make one team like ILH), others individually. Some of the sports that IPA covers are the following:

  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Soccer
  • Golf
  • Football
  • Water Polo
  • Junior Varsity/Varsity
  • Riflery
  • Tennis
  • Volleyball

[edit] Learning Communities

Along with classes, IPA devotes forty-five minutes everyday to give their high school students the ability to join what is known as a "learning community" (also sometimes abbreviated as "LCs"). Learning communities are extracurricular activities that students may do. Ultimately, it benefits their college transcripts, as it notes that they have had some experience in a particular area. Learning communities are chosen by the student, listing what they would prefer. However, due to certain situations such as a lack of enough equipment, small space, or not enough teachers, not all students are able to get the learning community that they prefer. In the 2006-2007 academic term, all learning communities ran from Monday through to Friday, but the following year, the 2007-2008 academic term, learning communities were separated into two groups: a Monday/Wednesday/Friday group, and a Tuesday/Thursday group. Students are able to choose two learning communities for the academic semester: one from the former group, and one from the latter.

The following is a list of Learning Communities available:

Name Description Introduced
Sewing Students are able to create their own fashion designs that they've always wanted to make. Students design accessories like purses and handbags, as well as full-length dresses, and breathe life into them as they sew the pieces together. The sewing club officially held its first annual fashion show in May of 2007. 2006-2007 school year
Yearbook Committee Both ninth and tenth graders collaborate on the creation of the Island Pacific Academy yearbook. The students work hard to take a plethora of pictures and put them all together by the deadline. The students have been handling the yearbook since 2005, but it hasn't become an official learning community until 2006. 2005-2006 school year
Junior Leadership Corps Resembling the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) and the Junior Police Officer (JPO) programs, the JLC members are expected to be the leaders of the school. They are expected to be on their best behavior every day, and do such jobs as put up and take down the flag. The JLC must abide by the strict rules like special uniform codes, or else they may be expelled from the corps. The Junior Leadership Corps has existed since 2005—the first members joined were that of the classes of 2011 and 2010 in their seventh and eighth grades, respectively—but it didn't become a learning community until 2006 with the opening of the high school. 2005-2006 school year
Art Club The art club is a free studio period where students are able to use all of the equipment in the art studio and make art. The art club gives students freedom to create virtually anything. 2006-2007 school year
Study Halls Study halls give students opportunities to study their curriculum and do homework.

[edit] Reviews and Critiques

Island Pacific Academy has been earning great reviews by parents and students alike. Being the first college-preparatory school located in Kapolei, it is very important, as it saves many parents from the morning rush to downtown Honolulu, where all of O'ahu's other college-preparatory schools are located. Island Pacific Academy has a strong curriculum overall. The class of 2010 took the PSATs this year. The average aggregate score for Island Pacific Academy was 1500-1800, whereas the nationwide average aggregate score was between 1300-1600.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Island Pacific Academy, Kapolei, Hawaii

[edit] External links