Each year at IPA is full of activities meant to broaden and extend the educational, cultural, and personal experiences of students beyond their classrooms. Experiential learning, off-campus experiences on field or class trips, planning and completing special art pieces or culminating projects, interacting with local and international visitors, and community service opportunities across the grades bring the school’s mission and core values to life.
Grade 8 students learn about biodiversity in the Pana’ewa Rainforest during their Class Trip to the Big Island.
Individual and shared experiences work to instill a commitment to become involved citizens, help build strength of character, and create confidence in our students. In addition to fostering trust and respect while expecting the highest level of ethical standards within the school community, IPA’s core values of generosity of spirit and the power of human kindness all work together. The end result for our students is the realization that everyone has something to contribute and a recognition of each individual’s value.
Students learn more about Japanese culture during a class excursion.
The IPA environment presents all students an academically challenging education including opportunities for personal growth which serve to create a base of knowledge for their future success.
Grade level assemblies and town halls; service groups, honor societies, and clubs; community meetings and training seminars for parents; athletics, drama, music and art events; a parent association; and events on and off campus serve to build a sense of community among students, parents, faculty and staff that extends outward from campus and into the larger community.
Highlights from the 2014-2015 school year
August
- Teachers return from summer break
- New Student Orientations
- “Meet and Greet” day for Elementary grades K-5
- First day of school (1 week earlier for Grades 11 & 12 in HL classes)
- Fall Sports begin
Elementary students busy in the classroom.
September
- School Picture Day
- College Counseling Night (for students and parents)
- Senior & Kinder Buddies meet for the first time
- Back to School Nights for parents (Elementary and Secondary)
- Founders Day (Celebrating IPA’s opening day on September 13, 2004)
- Class of 2015 participates in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Seniors and Kindergarteners are paired at the beginning of the year; with shared activities planned for each month, both students get to know one another and find that friendship has no age limits.
Students look up and smile for an all community photo taken on September 13, 2014, celebrating IPA’s 11th anniversary of Founders Day.
October
- IPAPA Campus Clean-up (approximately once every other month for 2015-2016)
- Club Fest (Grades 9-12 Club membership drive)
- IPA Accreditation Visit by WASC (Western Association of Schools & Colleges)
- Elementary field trips: Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Community Walks to Kapolei Judiciary Complex, Halekuai Center
- MADD (Grades 6-8 Make a Difference Day, 2-3 per year)
- Middle School Dance
- ITJ (Instituto Thomas Jefferson) Queretaro Mexico Exchange Students visit to IPA
- Mock PSAT
- Fall Break
The Class of 2015 took on the “Ice Bucket Challenge” to help raise awareness of ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and to raise funds for research.
November
- Open House
- IPAPA Fall Family Festival
- Fall Play: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Field Trip: NOAA Inouye Regional Center
- Scholastic Book Fair
- Parent Conferences
- Fall Fun Week
- Visitors: Hokule’a crew members come to IPA, a Malama Honua school
- IPA Golf Tournament annual school fundraiser
- Winter Sports begin
- Na Kupuna Day
- Thanksgiving Break
Kupuna (grandparents or special elders) are invited to campus to share a special day with their grandchild.
December
- 2014 Asia Pacific VEX/VEX IQ Championship in China, IPA comes home with 1st and 2nd place awards
- Boxes of Aloha sent to newest Alumni in college
- Blood Drive for Hawaii Blood Bank (2-4 per school year)
- College Financial Aid Night for students and parents
- Winter Ball
- Annual Food Drive for the Hawaii Food Bank
- SSAT Testing at IPA
- Santa Saturday at the Kapolei Shopping Center (Freshman Class project)
- Kapolei City Lights Parade
- Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society) Induction
- Winter Break
A scene from a Midsummer Night’s Dream.
January
- Alumni Breakfast
- School Science Fair
- IPA hosts aio Aloha VEX IQ State Qualifier (in September for 2015-2016) see drone footage
- Field Trips: Senator Fong Plantation, Honolulu Museum of Art, Kaena Point, Chinatown
During the VEX IQ tournament hosted at IPA’s campus, a small drone (helicopter-like, human-controlled robot) soared above and took a “dronie” video.
February
- Field Trips: NOAA Facility on Ford Island, SunEdison/First Wind (Kakuku Wind Power Project), Spanish Market and Marukai
- PYP Multi-Cultural Festival
- Grade 5 students compete in local televised game show Play SMART Hawaii (watch part of an episode here)
- Senior Kinder Buddy Valentine’s Dance
- Japanese IB School visitors from Sendai Ikuei High School
- Spring Sports being
- 4th Annual Global Issues Day
- IPAPA annual Chili Cookoff
- HAIS Science Fair
- VEX IQ Challenge Aloha State Championships at Pearl Ridge (IPA currently ranked #1 in the world for Robot Skills)
Students work at a watershed project helping to plant endangered native seedlings and plants.
IPA Navigator Robotics team members, faculty advisor Weyland Bailey, and team parents with their award-winning robots.
Contestants in the annual IPAPA Chili Cookoff are ready to give out samples of their recipe during this tasty, fun event.
March
- Annual Trike-a-Thon raising funds for St. Jude’s
- Spring Play: The Little Mermaid Jr.
- Grades 6 & 7 Trip: Camping at Mokuleia
- Grade 8 Trip: Big Island
- Spring Spirit Week
- FRC Competition
- One dozen IPA students compete at the HSSEF (State) Science Fair
- Spring Break
The entire school comes out to cheer on the riders during the annual Trike-a-thon.
Students portray Flounder and Ariel in a scene from The Little Mermaid, Jr.
Grades 6 and 7 students practice teamwork skills during Class Trip to Camp Mokuleia.
April
- IPA wins Grammy Signature School Community Award (watch video here)
- IPA Student Exchange group travels to ITJ in Gueretaro, Mexico
- Junior/Senior Prom at Hilton Waikiki Beach
- PYP Student Led Conferences
- Grade 8 Student wins “Thank You Very Much” Contest (watch video here)
- Grand Expedition annual school fundraiser
- Japanese National Honor Society, Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, and Interact Club Inductions
- Grade 5 Exhibitions
- Navigator Robotics win at VEX/VEX IQ World Championships
IPA’s entry to the “Rock Your School Song” contest wins one of three awards given to schools by the Grammy Foundation and Jostens.
IPA’s Navigator Robotics teams place 2nd and 3rd at World Championships held in Louisville, Kentucky.
May
- May Day
- IB Exams for Seniors, IPA final exams Grades 9-12
- PYP Art Show
- Yearbooks distributed
- DP Awards Night
- Teacher Appreciation Week (IPAPA)
- Personal Project Showcase (Grade 10)
- MYP/DP Theatre Showcase & International Thespian Society induction
- PYP Wind and Strings Concert
- Field Trips: Iolani Palace, Judiciary History Center, Coconut Island, Spalding House, Wet n Wild, Honolulu Zoo, Aiea Bowl, Movies, Picnics
- Senior Farewell Assembly and Senior Dinner
- Graduation practices
- PYP Moving Up Ceremony, MYP Transition Ceremony & Grades 6-10 Awards
- Commencement: Keynote Speaker US Representative Tulsi Gabbard
- Last day of school
Mufi Hannemann presented the Harvard Book Award during the Diploma Programme Awards Night.
The Navigator Award is presented to IPA’s outstanding senior ( John Black ’15) during the Diploma Programme Awards Night.
The IPA Yearbook is highly anticipated by students at the end of the year.
IPA’s Commencement was held at Lanikuhonua in Ko Olina with the 49 seniors in the Class of 2015.
June
- MBS Direct Book buyback (available for grades 6-12)
- IB Training for faculty
- Facilities summer maintenance projects including Kindergarten Quad & Playground Renovation
- IPA Summer Session begins
- Hula Halau greets the Solar Impulse 2 when it lands at Kalealoa
- Handbooks and Back To School packets emailed to families
Seniors re-enact the ‘O Captain, My Captain!’ scene from “Dead Poets Society” in honor of a retiring english professor during the Senior Dinner.
Students from IPA’s hula halau were on hand to greet the Si2 solar airplane when it landed in Hawaii.
July
- MBS Direct Bookstore opens for Grades 6-12
- New Uniform vendor: Kula Threads
- Two students selected for Honolulu Magazine’s “Reach the Runway” competition
- IPA Summer Session ends
The month of August will once again welcome back faculty, then students and parents, to be part of the community of IPA. Get ready for “A Year in the Life of IPA 2015-2016.”
