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Kamuela, Hawaii, USA Co-Ed, No Religious Affiliation
Part of our vision at Hawai’i Preparatory Academy is Ka Makani Ho’okele; the wind that sets you on your course and propels you on your voyage. At HPA, we believe that every student embarks on his or her own unique voyage, which is why we provide an immense range of exceptional academic, athletic, and creative opportunities to cater to all kinds of students and interests.
During your time at HPA, you’ll not only discover exciting new possibilities and ideas, but you’ll also come to realize precisely who you are and what you want to be. Each department offers autonomous study and research opportunities, and our passionate faculty are committed to providing guidance and support in order to help you succeed as you embark on your own path. At our international award winning Energy Lab you can join forces with NASA scientists preparing a mission to Mars or write an article for the Washington Post. In your English 12 class, you can perform your own stand-up comedy routine or write a science fiction novel. As extracurriculars, you can get your SCUBA diving certification, or star in the fall musical. If you’re an athlete, you can catch some waves with your outrigger canoeing crew, or help our varsity soccer team take home the state championship for the third year in a row. And you can do all this, and more, with 80% of the world’s ecosystems and the incredible beauty of Hawai'i Island just outside your door. Discover more about our academics, campus life, arts, athletics, and the Energy Lab in the tabs below.
As an HPA student, you’ll have a leg up when applying to your dream university. Our rigorous curriculum and unique academic opportunities, paired with 18 Advanced Placement courses and a distinguished college counseling center, make HPA students serious contenders for acceptance into the most prestigious and selective universities around the world. HPA alumni are currently attending schools such as Harvard, Yale, Brown and Stanford, as well as international schools such as the University of Edinburgh, McGill University, and King’s College, London. Check out our College Info section to learn more about why HPA students achieve such outstanding college results.
At the core of HPA is our close-knit international residential community that fosters independent, happy, confident and balanced individuals. We can’t wait for you to join our ‘ohana (family), so visit our website to learn more about this remarkable school we call home.
65-1692 Kohala Mountain RoadKamuela, Hawaii, USA 96743 (808) 885-7321
Director of Admissions: Tiare Police Admissions Phone:(808) 881-4321Fax:808-881-4003 Email: admissions@hpa.edu Website: www.hpa.edu
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Summary: Whether you want to explore the edges of the universe, read great literature, try your hand at standup comedy, learn new languages, or work the land and become an agroecologist, Hawai’i Preparatory Academy can give you the opportunities and tools you need to fulfill your academic potential. At HPA, you can collaborate with NASA scientists preparing a mission to Mars, intern with an editor of the Washington Post, work with some of the world’s top astronomers, write and direct your own one act play, and partner with NOAA to help research and protect sea turtles. Our faculty (90% of which have advanced degrees) are more than just teachers; they are dedicated, enthusiastic mentors, determined to help you succeed, create, lead, and thrive. Here at HPA, the possibilities are limitless. Here are some highlights of our academic program:Joint project with NASA’s HI-SEAS (Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation)World-renowned sea turtle research programDigital journalism and internships with The Washington PostBiotechnology projects using DNA PCR Thermocycler and UV TransilluminatorUsing motor nerves and brainwaves to control missing/damaged limbsElectroencephalogram (EEG) Brain ProjectAstronomy internships with internationally-recognized observatoriesGene splicing with CRISPRCinematography for PBS Hawaii’s “Hiki No” (the nation’s first student new network)Partnerships with Stanford and Cornell UniversityEnvironmental studies and sustainabilityAdvanced computer science, robotics, and dronesElectrical EngineeringVirtual reality projects
Department Director: Dr. Alain Sykes
Average Class Size: 12
Full Time Teachers: 59
Teachers Holding Advanced Degrees: 90.00%
Student/Teacher Ratio: 10:1
Summer Programs Offered: Offered
Academic Schedule: Semester
Number of AP Courses Offered: 18
Notable Achievements: Student articles published in The Washington Post
Summary: HPA’s state of the art sports facilities, exceptional outdoor program, emphasis on the arts, close-knit community, and our island home, make our campus a great place to live and study. Imagine learning a new language such as Kazakh, Hawaiian or Japanese from your roommate, or hiking into remote jungle valleys during the weekend. Imagine training for a cross-country meet in the hills of an extinct volcano, or relaxing by the fire pit on a starry Friday night, roasting marshmallows with friends from 28 different countries. At HPA, you’ll be an integral member of vital community that explores, creates, and thrives together.Here are some HPA activities you might participate in:Roasting marshmallows and making s’mores at the fire pit outside of the Student Union.Fishing from boats and camping at Honomalino in South Kona.Cliff jumping at the southernmost point in the United States, Ka Lae, followed by an excursion to the nearby Green Sand Beach. Picking kalo from a lo‘i patch with the Hawaiian Language and Environmental Literature classes in Waipi‘o Valley. Camping at Kiholo Bay over Labor Day Weekend and watching the honu (turtles) swim in the shallow brackish ponds.Hiking nine miles into the historic Waimanu Valley and camping for a weekend.Scuba diving with manta rays during a midnight dive on the Kohala Coast. Listening to peers show off their talents at the quarterly Lava Lounge open mic night. Watching the sun rise from the top of Mauna Kea with the senior class.
Department Director: Fred Wawner
Number of Dorms: 3
Average Students Per Dorm: 60
No. of Girls Dorms: 1
No. of Boys Dorms: 2
Dorm Amenities:
Dress Code: Casual
Facilities
Clubs and Organizations
Summary: With the ever-present Ka Makani (wind) at our backs and our state-of-the-art sports facilities, our campus is the ideal place to train for any athletic venture. Athletics is an integral part of the HPA experience, and you’ll have the support you need from your teammates, friends, and coaches to help you shine athletically. Everyday after classes, all students take part in a sport or extracurricular of their choice; horseback riding, cross-country, outrigger canoeing, surfing, swimming and tennis are just some examples. If you are not the athletic type, you are still involved in sports, perhaps managing a team, getting your SCUBA diving certification, writing for the sports section of the school newspaper, or cheering on your friends and classmates from the stands. HPA’s arts program also has access to cutting edge facilities. You can perform on stage in our fall musical in Gates Performing Arts Center (previous productions have included “Singin’ in the Rain”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “42nd Street”), or practice piano, drums, guitar or singing in the Davenport Music Center. If you lean more towards visual arts, photography, ceramics, sculpture, drawing, painting and digital media courses and clubs are in abundance. Produce a TV episode for PBS’s Hiki No, the nation’s first statewide student news network, present the ceramics you’ve made at our annual art show, or build beautiful sets for our theater productions. Whatever your artistic passion, HPA has the facilities, tools, guidance and support you need to allow your creativity to come to life.
Arts Department Director: Daena Craven
Athletics Department Director: Stephen Perry
Notable Achievements: 10 Hawaii High School Athletics Association Titles, 10 HHSAA Individual Titles, and 35 Big Island Titles in the past 5 years.
Summary: As an HPA student, you automatically have an upper hand when applying to selective universities. Our seniors are consistently accepted into some of the most prestigious schools across the country and around the world such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford and the University of Edinburgh. You might wonder how a small high school in the middle of the Pacific can achieve such outstanding college results. The College Counseling program at HPA is the key to this success. Close relationships with university admissions’ deans and directors, paired with individualized college planning allow our college counselors to know precisely how to highlight your unique strengths and interests so that you make an exceptional and lasting impression on the universities of your choice. Our college counselors are more than experienced in guiding students through the sometimes difficult transition between high school and university. Every day you visit the college counseling center, you can be sure that Mr. Kelsey and Mrs. Montgomery will be there to welcome you with encouraging smiles, hot coffee, snacks, and fresh baked pastries, keeping you motivated and excited about your future at university. Visit hpa.edu/academics/college-counseling to read more about our counselors and hear recent HPA alumni describe their college counseling experience.
Department Director: Andrew Kelsey
Percentage of Graduates Who Attend College: 100.00%
Colleges attended in the past 5 years by our graduates:
Becky Worley (Class of 1988) Correspondent at ABC/Good Morning America
Summary: Summer at HPA offers students entering grades 6-12 a unique four-week boarding experience structured for academic enrichment and designed to make the most of summer and take advantage of our wondrous island - home 80% of the world’s climate zones. Supervised by faculty members and college residential assistants, HPA’s summer session provides new and prospective HPA students an excellent introduction to our programs and instructors, in a safe, fun and inclusive environment. Many of our students return every summer to get the most out of this outstanding program and to meet students from around the world. During your summer with us, you’ll have the opportunity to take English as a Second Language, Scuba/Reef Ecology, Marine Biology, Robotics, Test Prep, Sailing, Photojournalism, Creative Writing, Math, Videography, Dance (Modern, Hip Hop), Sustainability, and more.But Summer at HPA is not just about academics, it’s about having fun as well. On any given day, you might play ancient Hawaiian games, have some barbecue at Hapuna Beach, participate in beach Olympics, hike to petroglyphs, go to a pool party, or run around campus on a scavenger hunt. On top of that, plenty of sports are available, including swimming, tennis, basketball, soccer, rugby, dodgeball, flag football, tennis, kickball, and volleyball.Believe it or not, your weekends will be even more adventurous. Hike through Pololu Valley, camp at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, zip line through the canopy of the Kohala rain forest, take a snorkeling cruise to Kealakekua Bay, ride horses through the rolling green Waimea hills, or catch a wave while sea kayaking.Visit our website to learn more about the incredible things you can do while spending a summer at HPA.
Department Director: Patty Walker
June 25, 2018 to July 20, 2018
Registration Deadline: April 17, 2018 Tuition: $5,200 Financial Aid Available: Yes More Details
Summary: The first school building in the world to be zero energy, water, and waste, HPA’s Energy Lab is a hub of exciting research, experimentation, collaboration, and hands-on learning. Whether it’s lunchtime on a school day, Saturday morning, or summer vacation, you’ll almost always find students at the Energy Lab monitoring data and metrics for NASA’s HI-SEAS Mars Simulation project, working on the latest design prototype of their robot dog, researching exoplanets, creating virtual worlds with an Oculus Rift headset, or printing a prosthetic hand with our 3D printer. Quick Facts:Third project in the world to meet the LBC (Living Building Challenge) standard.Platinum 2.0 for Schools LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified. Apple Distinguished Program Awards 1998-2013.Partnered with:NASA: Collaboration on the HI-SEAS Mars simulation project.NOAA Mauna Loa Research Lab sensor hosting.W. M. Keck Observatory: Collaboration on energy projects, visualization, astronomy and astrophysics projects.Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope: Exoplanet research.Subaru Telescope: Intern hosting, exoplanet research.Apple: collaboration on MacWorld and WWDC.MacWorld and WorldWide Developers Conference “Future Tech” ProgramStanford University: Hosting field research programs, collaboration with the Stanford Field station.Cornell: Hosting environmental research program, intern program, coral research and other collaborations.Blue Planet Foundation/Puu Waa ranch: energy prototype systems.Office of Naval Research: remotely piloted marine research vessel.Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Seismic sensor network.Quake Catcher Collaboration and data analysisEquipment available for:EEG Brain Research 4k Video-Enabled Quadrocopter DronesBiotechnologyHuman Machine InterfaceRadio TelescopeSeismic ResearchWeather researchEnergy researchComputing and ProgrammingAcoustic ResearchRoboticsRecording and Video-Conferencing