ʻIolani School is a private coeducationalcollege preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It serves over 2,200 students with a boarding program for grades 9 - 12 as well as a summer boarding program for middle school grades.[2] Founded in 1863 by Father William R. Scott, it was the principal school of the former AnglicanChurch of Hawaiʻi. It was patronized by Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma who gave the school its name in 1870. ʻIolani in the Hawaiian language means "heavenly hawk". Today, ʻIolani School is affiliated with the Episcopal Church in the United States. It is administered by a Board of Governors and is one of the largest independent schools in the United States.[3]
In 1863, Staley's companion Father Scott purchased land in Lāhaina and established Luaʻehu School, a school for boys. When Father Scott fell ill and returned to Britain, Father George Mason was summoned by Staley to administer the school on Maui. On January 12, 1863, the St. Alban's College was also established in the Pauoa Valley in Honolulu. Mason also seemed to have managed this school as well. Before Staley, too, left the islands for Britain in 1870, Father Mason merged the two schools and relocated it to the St. Alban's campus. Later Bishop Alfred Willis purchased land on Bates Street in Nuʻuanu Valley and moved part of the school there, intending it for students of full or part Hawaiian descent, under the new name of ʻIolani College. The St. Alban's College, intended for white students, separated and continuing operating at Pauoa until 1887.[4][5][6]
With the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and annexation to the United States in 1898, the Anglican Church of Hawaiʻi became part of the Episcopal Church United States (ECUSA). ʻIolani School was moved to Nuʻuanu, transferred back to downtown Honolulu and then moved to Nuʻuanu a second time. It remained in Nuʻuanu from 1927 to 1953, when it was moved to the present Ala Wai site. The elementary school was moved to the Ala Wai site in 1946.
In 1979, the school became co-educational, ending its all-male enrollment policy.
Development
ʻIolani School grew and refined its program offerings with a standard college preparatory curriculum as a foundation for every student. Religion, performing and visual arts, music, and athletics became integral parts of the ʻIolani School education. As such, all students in fourth grade must be involved in performing arts.
Returning to its history of being a boarding school, ʻIolani opened its newly constructed residential dormitories for boarding students in February of 2019.
Campus
View of ʻIolani Campus with Diamond Head, Ala Wai Canal, Ala Wai Golf Course, and Waikiki in the background (circa March 10, 2010). Note: this photo is missing a number of newly constructed buildings.
The campus is divided into Upper and Lower School. Buildings include Castle Building, Weinberg Building, the I-Wing, the art building, the Nangaku Building, the Sullivan Center for Innovation and Learning, Boarding Dormitories, the Kaneshiro Science and Innovation Center, and the Sidney and Minnie Kosasa Performance Studios and Courtyard. Other facilities include the Upper Gym and the Lower Gym, the Tsuzuki Library, the Dillingham Pool, the FabLab, and St. Alban's Chapel. ʻIolani School also has a stadium (Kozuki Stadium), a baseball field, an outdoor basketball court (the One Team Field house), and several tennis courts.[7]
Upper School
The Harold K.L. Castle Building was dedicated in 1980 to the Castle Family which had donated land to 'Iolani School. The Castle Building also contains most classrooms for the 7th and 8th Grade.[8] Orchestra and Choir also use this building for their Performing Arts classes for both Upper and Lower School students.
The Sullivan Center for Innovation and Leadership was finished at the end of 2012 for the replacement of the Upper School Library. The Sullivan Center was created to emphasize sustainability and includes classrooms, laboratories, an auditorium, and a garden among other facilities.[9]
In late 2023, plans for a new Student Center were revealed, following a $10 million donation from parents Justine Stamen Arrillaga and John Arrillaga Jr. (son of John Arrillaga). The project is scheduled to be completed in 2025.[10]
Lower School
The Kaneshiro Science and Innovation Center and the Sidney and Minnie Kosasa Performance Studios and Courtyard were both opened for the 2019 school year. These state-of-the-art and eco-conscious facilities allow the K-1 community at ʻIolani School to embrace their creativity with the aid of a number of decorations created in the school's Sullivan Center for Innovation and Leadership.[11] An interactive organ was installed as well.
Athletics
ʻIolani School's athletic program was founded in 1932 by Father Kenneth A. Bray. Over 900, or 70%, of the student body, participates in one of over 32 competitive sports. ʻIolani School is a member of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, an athletic conference composed of Honolulu-area private schools.
Since the formation of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, ʻIolani has won over 75 state championships in various sports. It is the only school in Hawaiʻi to have won five consecutive state championships in Boys Basketball from 2002 to 2006.[12] ʻIolani has the most consecutive state championships in Boys Wrestling, and is the first ILH school to win a Girls Wrestling State Championship in 2005.[13] They also have eight consecutive D-II football titles, highest in the nation.[14]
Curriculum
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ʻIolani School's campus is divided into two sections: Lower School and Upper School. Lower School is for elementary students, kindergarten through 6th grade.[15] Upper School is 7th through 12th grade. The daily schedule has six periods that rotate weekly.
Summer school
ʻIolani’s summer school allows students to earn graduation credits; credit courses offered during summer include art, history, science, computers, and language.[16]
Harold Keables was first a teacher in Denver, where he was named the National Teacher of the Year by Life magazine;[17] in 1965 he started teaching at ʻIolani School.[18][19] Each year his legacy is honored via the Keables Chair, which brings "outstanding teachers, writers, and artists to ʻIolani."[20]
ʻIolani Fair
The ʻIolani Fair has been held every year in late April to fundraise for student expenditures. Initially started as the Fun Festival in 1948, it would later become the Carnival, and eventually in 1990, the Fair. Themes for each year were introduced shortly thereafter. The fair typically consists of different sections including food stands, games, rides, a silent auction, a video game center, a white elephant sale, and a marketplace. While the fair was canceled in 2020 and 2021, it is set to return in 2022.[21]
Extracurriculars
ʻIolani students are involved in many extracurricular activities from academic to interest-led.
Imua ʻIolani
Imua ʻIolani is the school newsmagazine. It is published quarterly,[22] distributed to all students, and is available online. In 2008, Imua ʻIolani was named the best school newspaper in the state.[23]
Math Team
The 'Iolani math team has been participating in the Oahu Mathematics League since the mid 1970s (the league was started in the 1968–69 school year) and is currently the president of the league.[24] The team has won the league championship in 1977, 1981, 1984, 1990, 1991, and from 1993 to the present, they currently hold a 30 year winstreak.[25][26] This marks 34 total championships, including the past 29. This streak is tied with the Punahou boys swimming team for the longest state championship streak of any competition in Hawaii. The JV team has claimed the top spot ever since the inception of the JV division in the 2000–01 school year. Also, 'Iolani holds the record for placing first 18 times in the Hawaii State Math Bowl (which was started in 1978).[27]
Science Bowl
‘Iolani has won the Hawai’i Regional Science Bowl in the High School division since 2015.
Science Olympiad
'Iolani has three Science Olympiad Teams, Division A (grades K-6), Division B (grades 6–9), and Division C (9-12).
Division A has been a part of Science Olympiad since 2023.
Division B has been a part of Science Olympiad since 2012.[28] They have qualified for the national tournament three times (in 2012, 2014, and 2022).[29][30] For every other year they have competed, they have been the runner-up at the states competition.[29] In the 2012 National Competition, Division B placed 5th in Water Quality. [31] In the 2022 National Competition, Division B placed 2nd in Dynamic Planet and 4th in Botany.
Division C has been a part of Science Olympiad since 2011.[28] They have qualified for the national tournament every year they have competed, except for 2013 when they placed as runner up.[29] At the 2014 national tournament at the University of Florida, the team was the national champions in the trial event Hydrogeology.[32] At the 2015 national tournament at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Division C was the national champions in both Fossils and Geologic Mapping and placed 2nd in the trial event Science Bowl.[33] In the 2016 National competition, the Division C team was the national champions in Fossils, and placed 3rd in Game On and Anatomy and Physiology, and 4th in Geologic Mapping.[34] They also placed 2nd in Game On and 3rd in Indoor Bottle Rocket at the 2017 National competition.[35]
Speech and Debate
ʻIolani has an Intermediate Speech Team (grades 7–8) and a Speech and Debate Team (9-12). Both teams have won numerous competitions. Every February, the school hosts the ʻIolani Debate Tournament, one of three State-Qualifying tournaments of the season.[36]
Real World Design Challenge
In 2009, ʻIolani's team "NDC" became the national champions at the U.S. Department of Energy's Real World Design Challenge, out of nine other teams from nine other states.[37][38] In 2010, the ʻIolani ZAMA team took first at the state level. Team members J. Hara, C. Kodama, E. Masutani, M. Muraoka, D. Reiss, T. Van Etten, M. Williams represented the state of Hawaiʻi March 26–29, 2010 at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., placing second at the national level.[39][40][41]
The teams compete at the Hawaii Regional and compete at the annual FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas.
Vex
In 2008, ʻIolani's Vex team competed in the VEX World Robotics Competition, held at California State University Northridg, [42] and typically hosts the East Oahu VEX Robotics Competition. On December 6, 2008, the Vex team competed in the 2008 VEX Pan Pacific Competition, held at the Hawaii Convention Center. The ʻIolani team (2438a) was part of the winning alliance, and qualified for the 2009 VEX World Robotics Competition, to be held at Dallas, Texas. They won the Community award and the Champion award.
In 2010, ʻIolani's VEX team again qualified for the World Competition by being part of the winning alliance at the Kahala VEX Regional. At the 2010 VEX World Robotics Competition, they won the notable CREATE award for design, as well as placing as division semifinalists. In the 2011 VRC season, ʻIolani's VEX team again was in the winning alliance at the Pan Pacific Competition.
FLL
ʻIolani's FIRST Lego League team won the Hawaiʻi State Championships in 2007.[43] They competed at the World Festival in 2008 as the representative for Hawaiʻi.
Two of the FLL teams competed in the Niu Valley qualifier on December 6, 2008; both teams qualified for the Hawaii State Championships to be held in January 2009. The teams took first and second place, and merged to form one team that traveled to Dayton, Ohio, for the US Open Championships. They won third place in Quality Robot Design and first place in the Alliance Rounds along with the Landroids and the ZBots. ʻIolani's FLL team is the only FLL team to win twice at the Hawaii FLL State Championships.
Every spring, the Iolani Economics Challenge team competes in the state, regional, and national economics challenge. Iolani has won ten consecutive state championships and has won the national championship four times at the A.P. level and once at the non-A.P. level.
Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA)
ʻIolani School's Gender-Sexuality Alliance strives to promote inclusivity on campus and allow spaces for discussions on contemporary issues such as gender identity, pronouns, and sexuality through student-submitted questions, in addition to ice breakers for members and media with representation LGBTQIA+ individuals. Furthermore, the club provides website resources for students to utilize if necessary. Every year, the club holds its annual No Name-Calling Week in conjunction with the Chapel Council to bring to light the issue of bullying and discrimination, as well as participating and walking in Oʻahu's annual Pride parade.[44] While originally named the Gay-straight alliance, the club decided to change its name in order to foster greater inclusivity of students and identities.
Model United Nations (MUN)
Originally the 'Iolani School International Affairs Association, or ISIAA, ʻIolani's Model United Nations club has competed in various conferences since its founding in 2011. With the help of coaching by two advisers and student leadership, the numerous delegates who have joined since the club's founding have competed in a number of conferences, amassing a multitude of awards from different committees. Examples include the annual PacMUN conference, as well as international conferences such as AJMUN and VMUN, in addition to national conferences such as SCVMUN.[45] Delegates from ʻIolani, in addition to competing, often help to staff and run conferences held around the island, allowing for a learning experience for all delegates. Many of these delegates have continued to participate in Model UN in college as well. ʻIolani runs its annual conference ʻIoMUNC in autumn, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced committees chaired and staffed by members of ʻIolani's delegation with the participation of schools around the island.
Chamber Music Program
The chamber music program at ʻIolani School allows for talented students to be coached weekly by virtuosic musicians from around Hawaiʻi. During the semester, each group practices and prepares a piece to be performed at a recital held in the middle and end of the school year. Pieces from all different periods of classical music are performed and are not restricted to a specific time period or composer. These quartets are possible due to the gracious support of sponsors and continue the musical growth and education of ʻIolani students, allowing for the unique experience of playing in chamber ensembles.
Surf Team
The active participation of ʻIolani's surf team in numerous competitions around the island has yielded great achievements to its members. Members participate in the annual Hawaiʻi Surf Association's yearly competition, participating in both divisions of the shortboard, longboard, and bodyboard events.[46] The team won the state championship in 2024.[47]
Notable alumni
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(March 2017)
^Soong, Irma Tam (1997). "Sun Yat-sen's Christian Schooling in Hawaiʻi". The Hawaiian Journal of History. 31. Honolulu: Hawaiian Historical Society: 151–178. hdl:10524/527. OCLC60626541.
^Iaukea, Curtis Piehu; Watson, Lorna Kahilipuaokalani Iaukea (1988). Schweizer, Niklaus R. (ed.). By Royal Command: The Official Life and Personal Reminiscences of Colonel Curtis Piehu Iaukea at the Court of Hawaii's Rulers. Honolulu: Hui Hanai. pp. 8–20. ISBN978-0-9616738-6-4. OCLC16006083.
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