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IPA Families Welcomed Back on Campus for Hoʻike Night

ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY was thrilled to invite families back to campus for Hoʻike Night: A Celebration of Secondary Arts on Friday, December 3, after last year’s hiatus. The annual event is organized by the Secondary Art department to celebrate the creativity of IPA’s secondary students and highlight the importance of the arts program in the Secondary curriculum.

Parents and the IPA community were invited to the early evening event showcasing select artwork and music by our IPA secondary students, led by art teachers Jene Komine and Warren Andrade, music teacher Ellie Healey, and theatre teacher and Art Department Chair Brandi Dul.

IPA ceramics teacher, Warren Andrade, fired up his kilns on the lanai again this year for the popular make-and-take raku firing. Guests purchased pre-made sgraffito ceramic pots created by the students, glazed them, and then watched as they were fired, smoked, and cooled to create beautiful and unique ceramic pieces for them to take home.

The highlight of the evening was the Hoʻike Night Winter Concert led by Secondary music teacher, Ellie Healey. Families sat socially distanced in the Gulab and Indru Watumull Multi-Purpose Room as the Beginning Instrumental Ensemble and Advanced Band and Orchestra performed festive seasonal pieces along with some popular classics. Several IPA Secondary students also performed vocal and instrumental solo pieces, including Karenna Meyermann ’23, Madison Narbaez ’26, Rhianna Hara ’24, Maddy Arvman ’25, Kaʻimi Khim ’25, Chloe Morris ’24, and Victoria Vascovich ’23. And the audience was treated to a special performance of “Walking on Sunshine” by IPA’s Secondary faculty band, 4th Period Extension, with Aiddy Weisbecker and Erinn Abragar on vocals, Stan Vincent on drums, Iokepa Waiwaiole on lead guitar, and Ellie Healey on bass, with special guest musician Tyler Vanyo ‘22 on rhythm guitar.

The evening was a welcome return to normal and was a beautiful celebration and inspiring showcase of the many talented and passionate students at ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY.