|
        |
|
FAQs
What is the High School of the Pacific? What is the High School of the Pacific? The High School of the Pacific (HSP) is a college-preparatory boarding and day school serving grades 9 through 12. HSP offers a comprehensive educational experience promoting academic excellence, leadership skills, and principles of world peace for students of the Pacific Region. HSP was intentionally conceived and designed to cultivate aptitudes of high academic achievement, leadership, and global understanding. Faculty and student body alike are international and intercultural, and the lesson plans are non-sectarian. Who can attend the High School of the Pacific? Children of families from all cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and faiths are welcomed openly at HSP. What are the specific Academic Goals? The goal of the academic program is to prepare students to enter the university or college of their choice. Specifically our academic program:
HSP provides college preparatory courses and encourages the cultivation of skill sets that render each student capable of dealing with the challenges of university life and/or a professional career path of choice. HSP, therefore, provides an outstanding academic program of excellence and distinction. Graduates demonstrate mastery of advanced knowledge and skills in one of three core areas enabling them to excel in future studies with a focus on their chosen field of endeavor. Additionally, individual and group activities designed to prepare students for leadership roles in their respective societies are initiated continually by our staff. Students choose one of the following areas of mastery for their final two years at HSP:
What are the core values of High School of the Pacific? Excellence: We strive to be a school in which excellence and integrity are valued in all endeavors. Distinction: Our graduates demonstrate distinctive and measurable skills and accomplishments in their chosen area of concentration. Mastery: We strive continually for our students to develop and display exemplary social behavior. Students and staff alike, as learners and members of the school community, exhibit self-mastery of ethical behavior and academic competency. What are the educational activities apart from offering college preparatory coursework? HSP is continually seeking partnerships with local educational institutions, especially those of secondary and post-secondary learning, which allows our students additional academic and specialized training. HSP students can diversify their studies by taking online courses from approved programs. Besides providing cognitive skills and knowledge retention, our courses and extra-curricular activities are geared toward the development of leadership and social skills. Community service is therefore a required component of each student's educational program. Does HSP incorporate project-based learning in the courses? Project-based learning is an important part of our students’ educational regimen. Learning practical applications to translate schoolroom academics into real world results takes place under the tutelage of our experienced teachers. When students see firsthand results from personal experience in tackling definable objectives, they are naturally inspired to continue on the path of becoming take-charge, responsible adults. Our system of project-based learning provides a unique opportunity for students to succeed in college and later on in their profession of choice. Project-based learning is consistent with the goal of HSP to improve student achievement by providing a curriculum based on state and national performance standards. That is, a deeper sense of understanding is imparted by integrating specialized content with real world, problem-solving strategies; therefore, project-based learning is and will always be an important component of our teaching methodologies. What is the nature of HSP’s project-based learning? Communication skills are essential in all aspects of life. HSP's administration deems it important for our students to present convincing ideas based on logic and facts. Thus, HSP’s faculty works to ensure that our students are trained to value researching and making presentations. Students at HSP are shown how to do research using the latest technology tools, and in so doing experience the confidence-building that comes through making public presentations. With hands-on responsibility, team assignments, and an emphasis on creativity, students learn that what they do in a project can make a difference in society. Being student-centric, we do not view academics and project-based learning as end results. Rather, through our educational methodologies, we uphold high academic goals, definable objectives, and foundational logic as the means of showing how concerted, cooperative efforts can foster the genuine rewards in life of prosperity, good will, and a sense of self-worth and personal satisfaction. The task orientation and project-based learning models at HSP ensure that students are given the knowledge and social skills necessary to survive and prosper in an ever-changing world. Moreover, our educational training is designed to be an enjoyable experience for both students and staff. What are the leadership traits that you seek to cultivate? Successful leaders usually perceive difficulties in life, business, or politics not as obstacles, but rather as opportunities from which to learn and grow. Students whose ideals and creative imagination are nurtured in a supportive learning environment can become the kind of people who view life with a positive outlook. The aspirations to achieve financial prosperity, family stability, and social well-being are the natural outgrowths of strong character and a well-adjusted state of mind. Included in this success-formula-for-life is that HSP students develop an appreciation and excitement for learning. They also gain the knowledge of how to utilize the foundation of a good educational background in real-world situations. The ultimate goal of HSP is to empower each of our students to become valuable contributors to the societies of their respective nations. We describe our students as “peace ambassadors to the world.” To HSP that keystone phrase is not simply metaphoric or symbolic. Rather we look to foster individuals’ abilities, empowering them to face life’s challenges with confidence and determination. At HSP, we recognize that each of our students has the capacity to achieve a bold dream. It is our belief that dreams can become reality if the qualities of dedication and commitment are encouraged during a child's formative years. How does HSP differ from public education? In contrast to publicly-funded education that over time has institutionalized the removal of God and spiritual values from the educational process, we share a common sensibility that, above all else, there is a loving and benevolent Supreme Being. We therefore provide a nurturing atmosphere in which students can seek a deeper understanding of life through the simple act of personal prayer and through reverential respect for all peoples, nature, and the universe itself. Do you offer formal religious instruction? Although no formal religious instruction is provided, we offer an environment supportive of religious values inspired by family ideals centered on filial piety. Our faculty has differing views philosophically and religiously; nevertheless, as a whole, HSP seeks to bolster parental care and authority. We desire to assist parents in their efforts to raise children who can appreciate the dignity and importance of loving parental authority and morality-based citizenship. Along this line, we encourage the development of moral focus as central to realizing a future world-minded citizenry. What values do you seek to impart? The school expresses a commonality of dignified appreciation for all expressions of faith and ethical human endeavor. Our staff seeks to provide evidence, by way of example to the students, that peoples of different persuasions can work together unselfishly for the good of all. This caring philosophy is an important part of each student's development in learning to trust others, in seeing the value of sharing, and in finding ways of cooperating to solve everyday life challenges. What is the summary of your leadership/character goals? The optional HSP character-building elective is based on universal principles of compassion and a general respect for human dignity. Students abide by a school honor code that engenders trust, self-esteem, and nurtures a student's leadership competencies, conscience, and sense of duty to society. Students practice responsible public-mindedness through opportunities of school and community service, public speaking, leading/mentoring, the study of values, cooperative learning, problem solving, and participation in the Self-Mastery Program. How does HSP provide Character Education? We impart the means and supporting rationale as to why making correct choices in life benefits not only the choice maker, but others as well. Character Education (CE) is taught together with the basic human values of kindness and honesty. CE is not the central coursework, but rather is shown by the living example of our faculty and emphasized through lectures by guest speakers. Additionally, CE is conveyed informally whenever opportunity that enables the fostering of positive attitudes arises. How does Character Education exemplify the school philosophy? An important goal of Character Education is to help students appreciate their individual uniqueness within the context of a larger society. From the family to the world level, our students are taught that people need to live in harmonious relationship with others. Basically, it is important that children understand early on that their future decisions and actions will have meaning and consequences for themselves and for those around them. The school philosophy seeks to affirm that ethical and moral values are not only integral but essential in helping to improve one’s quality of life and to making positive contribution within communities and society as a whole. HSP’s philosophy also seeks to enhance each student’s interest in becoming a life-long learner. Reinforcement of ethics and the ongoing cultivation of personal integrity are stressed in all grade levels. Beyond this our faculty is committed to ensuring that each child is given ample opportunities together with all possible resources to succeed in life’s journey. What are some aspects that distinguish HSP from local schools? Intercultural and international awareness are experienced daily within the school. Interaction and team spirit associate a greater awareness of the things that differentiate peoples from various cultures, but more importantly, help define those elements of humanity that bind us together. In the spirit of building future leaders and citizens appreciative of peaceful and harmonious human interaction, through the guidance of our administration and faculty, we look to cultivate elements of character and leadership. In support of this emphasis, the school requires discipline, good behavior, and a respectful studious manner. Additionally, there is standard daily attire during school hours, i.e., students wear uniform shirts and trousers or skirts. Why do you maintain a theme of Pacific culture in the school? The original endowment was provided with an emphasis on offering a number of scholarships for children from Pacific Island nations. Additionally, due to the original founding vision -- as indicated in our name -- the school will always have an orientation for the Pacific Oceanic region. What do you provide in the way of technology training? Each student is required to have, or will be provided, a laptop computer. Our administration believes strongly that informational industries will gain precedence in this century, and that mastery of technology in the various emerging mediums is a practical necessity for every student. Although we have a dedicated computer lab, our daily courses make computer use a natural part of each course offering. What kind of sports facilities are available? Our sports activities utilize modern, well-maintained, publicly-available playing fields and facilities. HSP provides adequate training and supervised transportation to and from the designated location for a particular sport. The facilities and grounds available to our students for athletic activities include an Olympic-sized swimming pool, basketball courts, gymnasium, tennis courts, and the traditional football, soccer, and baseball fields. Local modern facilities house showers, lockers, and bathrooms that are available to our students. Performance-tracking is essential to determine that each student is on a successful path to academic achievement. In this regard our school is uniquely gifted with the talented individuals we have on our team. Among the members of HSP's executive management are pioneers in online and CD-ROM based medical educational methodologies. Their extensive background spans years of experience, and includes development of medical student performance evaluations for teaching hospitals and medical schools. This talent is drawn upon for the ongoing development and implementation of a new generation of student administrative software tools. What unique methodologies or technology tools are available to your faculty? Finding ways that our faculty can devote their full attention and energy to students is of critical importance to us. Besides the technology enablers of performance evaluations, HSP faculty have available a one-of-a-kind advanced system of academic assessment. Additionally, we expect faculty to participate in the design and implementation of the latest in online technology tools which reduce many of the time-consuming tasks that are not student-focused. The more time freed up by automated systems, the more time our faculty can devote to providing personalized attention for HSP students. Besides the curricula regimen, how do you prepare students for their college entrance exams? To augment our training we utilize professional college placement and college exam preparation services (when appropriate) to evaluate and foster a solid foundation for the rigors of standardized testing. Additionally, the hardware and software provided to faculty and students alike help ensure that each student gets the very best in remediation studies, as well as to help achieve a comfort level with exam taking. There are many aspects to the software applications we employ, and our support features assist our students to obtain a cognitive grasp of required knowledge for high-level college placement. In essence, harnessing online technologies adds to the arsenal of the teacher’s toolkit, uniquely empowering our faculty. Personal attention will always be the mainstay of our school, yet the adaptation of teacher-student interactive technology enhances individualized tutoring while making student exam taking and homework studies much more productive and far less stressful. How are the students prepared for higher education after graduation? HSP offers some courses approved for college credits at affiliated universities. Also, HSP works closely with professional college placement organizations and, as part of our unique strategy, is developing sophisticated software and training regimens specifically to help our students cope comfortably beyond high school. |
Copyright © High School of the Pacific • 79-7486 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kealakekua, HI 96750 • Tel: (808) 324-7333 - Fax: (808) 324-7444
|
 |