Island Pacific Academy

Infobox School
name = Island Pacific Academy
motto = I Mua Me Ka Ha'aheo (Go Foward With Confidence)
established = September 13, 2004
type = College preparatory school
district = Kapolei, Hawaii
grades = Preschool—11
head of school = Dr. Daniel White
athletics = Cross-country, Swimming, Basketball, Track & Field, Tennis, Volleyball, Soccer, Baseball
conference = ILH
colors = Navy Blue, Silver, Gold
mascot =
location = Kapolei, Hawaii
country = United States of America
age range = 4-17 years old
website = [http://www.islandpacificacademy.com/ Island Pacific Academy]
nickname = Navigators

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 2008-2009 school year is approximately 630 for grades from preschool through 11th grade. The school will add grade 12 next year, graduating its first class of seniors in 2010. There are over 90 faculty and staff 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."

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 with the goal of completion 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.

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.

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. The upper school building has three floors. 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 main 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 through eleventh graders. It has a library with approximately 3,000 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). University of Hawaii-West Oahu freshman and sophomore science classes are currently held in IPA's science labs during the evening, while UH-WO is under construction.

The To-Be Gymnasium

Plans for an Athletic and Performing Arts Center are underway. Architectural plans are for a separate multi-storey parking structure, with black-box theater on the ground floor, and a connected multi-storey building which will house a gymnasium and additional classroom and performing arts space.

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." [ [http://www.islandpacificacademy.com/ Island Pacific Academy, Kapolei, Hawaii ] ]

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!"

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.

#Mutual Respect - Each student is expected to respect each other and be courteous
#Attentive Listening - Each student is expected to attentively listen to teachers as well as other students
#Appreciations/No Put-Downs - Each student is expected to treat each other kindly and say kind words to others
#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
#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

Classes for the Upper School

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)

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)

Extra Curricular Activities

IPA students compete in many different ILH sports at both JV and Varsity levels. While IPA fields its own teams in most sports, some students participate through Pac-Five and Pac-West(groups of smaller schools that make one team). Sports in which IPA students compete include the following:
*Basketball
*Baseball
*Soccer
*Golf
*Football
*Water Polo
*Air Riflery
*Tennis
*Volleyball
*Crosscountry
*Track and Field

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:

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. Grades 3 through 8 take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills each spring, and average scores historically place students in those grades as performing 1.5 to 3 grade levels higher than their current grade in school.

References

External links

* [http://www.islandpacificacademy.com/ Island Pacific Academy] - Official Website
* [http://www.greatschools.net/school/parentReviews.page?id=436&state=HI Great Schools] - Parent and Student Reviews