Upper School News
Fresh from her week at the International Student Science Fair (ISSF), April 30-May 4, freshman Jenna Minami eagerly talks about her experience. IPA was one of only four schools from the United States invited to send students to this annual fair, hosted this year by Fort Richmond Collegiate High School in Winnipeg, Canada. Students from all over the world attend to share their research experience.
Minami with a student from South Africa also attending the ISSF.
Of her five days at the...
In her first year at the junior varsity level, freshman Keri Kawatachi finished second in the 115 pound weight class at ILH junior varsity judo championships at Kamehameha on April 20.
Kawatachi ('15) competed in the 115 lb class at the ILH JV judo championships.
In the semifinals, Kawatachi defeated Iolani's Stacey Lee and then fell to Lee's teammate Kristen Kanekuni in the final. This is Kawatachi's second consecutive ILH championship runner-up finish, having...
There’s a new instructional model that has teachers flipping! It’s called the “Flipped Classroom,” and it is one more great teaching strategy in a teacher’s repertoire that facilitates student learning. It flips around the traditional model of a classroom (where a teacher lectures in front of a room) and creates meaningful, 21st century learning experiences for students.
So what is this new model and what does it mean for students?
The flipped classroom...
Two members of the Class of 2012 are the first IPA students to be admitted to a US Military Academy program. Christian Burgos-Sanchez will be headed to the US Military Academy at West Point, while Amirah Majied will call Colorado Springs home in the fall as she enrolls in the US Air Force Academy Prep School. Both seniors are very excited about the opportunities ahead, but realistic about the tough work and exacting expectations that will be part of military academy life. Both students...
The Interact Club (High School Rotary International Organization) has joined the Kapolei Adopt a Block program. The group joins a number of other organizations throughout Kapolei including Target, Goodwill, St. Nicholas Episcopal Church (which meets at IPA), and the Kapolei Rotary Sunset Club, which sponsors the IPA Interact group, and coordinated by Lorraine Gershun from Kapolei Sunrise Rotary Club.
Working along Haumea Street, Interact Club members pick up trash.
Interact has...
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...
IPA Junior Austin Hirstein is one of four male swimmers selected by USA Swimming and Hawaiian Swimming to represent Team Hawaii in the upcoming Oceania Championships to be held in New Caledonia at the end of May. Kacy Johnson, Kale Ai, and Jacob Urbano round out the men’s team.
Coach Ron Tsuchiya and Austin Hirstein ('13).
This invitation recognizes Austin as one of the top swimmers in Hawaii. “I’m overwhelmed that Austin has been given this opportunity to...
Senior Amirah Majied and junior Kelsi Teramae are both on pace to spend some time on the Big Island this May for the HHSAA State Track and Field Championships.
Amirah Majied ('12) in a hurdles race.
In her second year at IPA, Majied has already qualified for the state championships in the 100 and 300 meter hurdles as she looks to improve on last year's fourth-place finish in the 100 meter hurdles. Her first-place finish at the March 24 meet at Iolani was her second of the...
It was another bountiful harvest for Navigator athletes during the ILH winter sports awards season. Senior Jackson Durrett became the second consecutive Navigator basketball player to win the ILH Division II Player of the Year award. Theo Duplechain (`11) garnered that title in 2011. Durrett’s teammate, Jason Brenner (`13), picked up ILH second team All-Star honors for the second straight year. With a game average of 17.7 points, Durrett led IPA to a league record of 8-6 and season...
In its first year of existence, the upper school Robotics Team, emerged from the Hawaii Regional FIRST Robotics Competition on March 23-24 as one of the three schools in the winning team. The NaviBots (IPA’s school nickname is the Navigators) have thereby earned an invitation to the FIRST World Competition in St. Louis, Missouri, April 25-28.
In an exciting finish, the “Red Alliance” team (which also included Baldwin High on Maui and Waialua High on Oahu) outscored...