Alumni News
Zenith – the summit, high point, culmination. Zenith - literary magazine at Island Pacific Academy, aptly named because it collects some of the best student writing and visual art by students at Island Pacific Academy. Though it began last year as a publication just for work from students in grades 9-12, this year it was expanded to include material from grades 6-8 and alumni, as well.
The cover of Zenith 2012 edition
Several of this year’s 10-student editorial board were...
More than 40 alumni returned to IPA on January 5 for what has become a tradition to gather recent graduates while they are home on break from college. Faculty joined members of the Classes of 2010 and 2011 for breakfast and a chance to reconnect in person. The alumni then met with all current juniors and seniors to share insights based on their experience of college life after IPA.
The alumni represent successful transitions to a variety of college types and environments – large...
Two students will be headed to the state-wide 2011 Poetry Out Loud competition after presentations before a panel of judges at IPA on February 23. Shelden Balatico (’11) took first place in the IPA competition with his recitations of A Dream Within a Dream by Edgar Allen Poe, and Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem entitled Pride.
Jaymie-Rae Martin (’12) gave a spirited rendition of Lewis Carroll’s The Jabberwocky after also reciting No Moon Floods the Memory of That Night by...
All Middle School students at IPA complete a Science Fair Project each year. On January 13, the exhibits were on display, and judges talked with students about their research and findings. This year, 36 projects, representing the work of 44 students in Grades 6-8, were awarded special recognition.
The winning projects and students are listed below. These students will now further refine their projects in preparation for competition in the HAIS District Science Fair in February.
The...
Alumni of schools like IPA, which are part of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), hold distinct advantages over students without the benefit of an independent school education.
A study conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA looked at how graduates of independent schools fared in college as compared with public school graduates. They found that freshmen from an independent school background felt more prepared than their public school counterparts and...
The school welcomed 30 of the 45 members of the Class of 2010 back to the campus on January 5, to reconnect with each other in person, and visit with faculty who joined them for breakfast. The added purpose for the morning event was to share their first semester experiences with the current classes of 2011 and 2012 at a special assembly.
After general comments about transitioning to college life, the Class of 2010 fielded questions from current students about subjects from dorm food...
Click here to read story and see photo of Christian Nelligan at work in Oregon as a First Responder preparing for tsunami in Oregon on March 11, 2011.
My name is Christian Nelligan. I am an Island Pacific Academy graduate, enrolled at South Western Oregon pursing a degree in Fire Science and Paramedicine.
A little over a year ago when I toured South Western’s campus, I was still very unsure about what I wanted to do until I came across the massive wood tower on the backside of...
London Amorin (Class of 2010) is a featured player as a freshman with Pacific University. He was recruited after a winning season as a Pac-Five wide receiver in 2009, that ended with him being named to the Hawaii All-State First Team.
Read more about why he chose to attend Pacific University and help re-establish their football team after 19 years without one:
Click here to see London's Player Bio
The Class of 2010 had in common their focus on going to college after IPA. The diversity of talents, skills and interests among the forty-five graduates affirmed that there were many paths taken by the students as they constructed their pre-collegiate biographies. Some class members earned regional and national recognition for their activities and achievements. Others made their mark more quietly, less noticed, but no less significantly to the people they served and affected....
Recent alumnus James “J.R.” Mina is the first Navigator to become an Eagle Scout. The Eagle Court of Honor ceremony, on August 14, 2010, brought together J.R.’s family and friends, along with several dignitaries from the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts. State Senator Will Espero presented J.R. with a framed certificate to mark the occasion.
IPA was the recipient of the service project J.R. completed as one requirement to attain the Eagle rank. In conjunction with his...