Celebrating your 102nd birthday is already a very special occasion. But Grade 10 student Ian Rife ‘23 was able to make it even a little more special for ‘Ilima at Leihano resident, and retired Air Force Colonel, Bruce Hunt. Rife created a thoughtful birthday board displaying the well-wishes of more than 20 Island Pacific Academy students and faculty and presented it in person to Col. Hunt.

Five Middle school students recently participated in the MathCounts Competition Series, competing in the virtual O’ahu Chapter Competition on February 5, 2021. They competed individually in the Sprint and Target rounds, which focus on speed/accuracy and problem-solving/mathematical reasoning, respectively. IPA performed well and Jinghao Li ‘25 scored high enough in the Chapter Competition to advance to the Chapter Invitational Competition held February 25, 2021.

IPA’s annual interactive, hands-on Make a Difference Day was converted to an engaging, meaningful, and impactful virtual experience this year with students participating in the Students Rebuild Change Maker Challenge, helping to raise funds for a number of organizations.

Seven ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY students had an opportunity to participate in Hawaiʻi Business Magazine’s CHANGE Event Series on February 25, 2021 and listen to community leaders and changemakers from across the islands discuss problems and solutions centered around six issues that make up the CHANGE framework put forth by the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.

What started as a Grade 5 design project in sustainability and gardening evolved to include all of the Elementary grades and resulted in the beautiful rainbow of container gardens hanging along the campus fence in… more w

ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY middle school students had a special opportunity to reconnect with former classmate Kea Peahu, star of the new Netflix film Finding ʻOhana. She and the film’s director, Jude Weng, joined Grade 6-8 students, faculty, and special guests for a Zoom Q & A where they shared their insights and experiences in the film industry.

Three DP Art seniors were recognized for excellence at the 2021 Hawai’i Regional Scholastic Art Awards on January 28, 2021. Awarded the Silver Key were Grace Gehrich, Sophia Holmen, and Laney Tapia. Gehrich and Holmen were also recognized with Honorable Mentions along with seniors Amara Kennedy, Breana Alexander-Higa, and Kaitlyn Taaca.

Island Pacific Academy alumna Erica Machida ‘15 has always had a passion for drawing, and she has turned it into an international career in animation. Machida may not be famous yet, but she already boasts an impressive creative portfolio, including her short 2D animated film, "Musubi".

As their final class project, Grade 7 Design Technology students were challenged to use the design thinking process to create a home ornament using one of three types of structures – an illustration on a wood cutout, a pierced out image and or word, or a tab and slot design that transformed a 2D design into a 3D object.

Twelve ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY Secondary students had the unique opportunity to take part in the Hawaii Business Magazine CEO of the Year virtual event on December 11, 2020 with honoree Micah Kāne, CEO and President of Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.