Each year Island Pacific Academy celebrates its birthday or “Founders Day” on September 13. IPA’s inaugural “first day of school” was on Monday, September 13, 2004 following months of construction. Today IPA is eleven years old and with the 2015-2016 school year enters its twelfth year of operation.
Island Pacific Academy’s first building under construction in 2004 as seen from the fourth floor open lanai of the Bank of Hawaii Hale o Kapolei building on Haumea Street. The Kapolei Library can be seen in the background.
Over 180 eager students from junior kindergarten through grade seven began the first school year in 2004-2005. The seventh graders of September 2004 would become graduating seniors, IPA’s first, in May 2010.
The students of the Class of 2010, Island Pacific Academy’s first graduates, display their individual personalities in this group photo.
Each year, seniors who have been enrolled at IPA since 2004 are noted as “founding students” in the Commencement program. The final group of “founding students” will graduate in 2018; these students were the four- and five-years-old’s of 2004. From 2019 onward, graduating students who have attended IPA for their entire schooling (JK- or K-12) will continue to be recognized at commencement.
All students, staff, and faculty gathered on the lawn for a traditional Hawaiian blessing on Founders Day in 2013.
Whether your student and family has been part of the IPA ohana since inception, for a few or many years, or just joined our community this fall, we are thrilled to have you here. Mahalo for enriching the school with your greatest asset, your children. We are grateful for your trust and support.
Happy Birthday, IPA! Imua Me Ka Ha’aheo. Go Forward with Confidence.
For Founders Day 2013, volunteers assembled a giant birthday cake made of over 600 individual cupcakes–one for every single person in the IPA community.
The next formal celebration of Founders Day will be for IPA’s 15th anniversary during the 2018-2019 school year.
