Second and third graders at Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) presented How to Interact with Human Beings at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 2. The performance, which was free and open to the public, was held at Gates Performing Arts Center on the school's Upper Campus.

In this curriculum-based musical, four super heroes struggled to improve their people skills as their sidekicks avoid them and their advisors demanded mastery of the important skills. HPA's Lower School music teacher Georgia Poláková directed.

This is the second performance in a series of musical productions by HPA's Lower School students. The next production by the kindergarten and first grade classes will be on February 3.

For more information, call 885-2501 or 885-2500.

On the December 14, ten sixth graders poured through the door of the Wishard Building at the Upper Campus.

Their excited voices filled the reception area, and in a matter of minutes, there stood a very special Christmas tree complete with white lights, and colorful, hand drawn ornaments--each of them with an extraordinary note on the back.

These are some of the heartfelt words of the Middle School students when they were asked, "What metaphorical gifts have you received from HPA?

Teachers are amazing.

Gave me confidence.

Gave me pride in getting an education here.

Has given me the full ability to learn, and make more friends from all over the world.

Has given me the space to practice excellence.

Has given me the place to challenge my mind.

Has given me the ability to stay determined.

Has shown me the value of my voice.

Has given me a place to live, a nice community, new friends, food, and a great education.

Has given my father a great job, and a place where I feel welcomed.

Taught me to be creative physically and mentally.

The gift of new friends and great experiences.

The gift of friendship, teachers who understand me, and great memories.

Thank you for preparing me for life, and the best years of my life.

Thank you for giving me the gift to see that education is more than memorizing.

Thank you for the gift of freedom.

Thank you for increasing my creativity.

Thank you for the gift of choice.

These inspiring words for HPA's faculty and staff, were a wonderful holiday present.

Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy welcomes Tamar Elias, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist, who will present Volcanic Air Pollution: The What, Where, and How of Vog in Hawaiʻi at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18, 2017, at the schoolʻs Gates Performing Arts Center (Upper Campus). The event is free and open to the public.

Elias will address volcanic air pollution (vog) in Hawaiʻi, from its origin as volcanic gas emitted from Kīlauea Volcano to the impacts of vog on the natural environment and humans. Elias will review recent vog research and how communities throughout the world cope with volcanic air pollution. She also will share information on resources for living with vog in Hawaiʻi and answer audience questions about volcanic gases and vog.

Elias has been studying volcanic gases emitted from Kīlauea and other Hawaiian volcanoes for more than two decades. In addition to her work in Hawaiʻi, she has responded to volcanic unrest around the globe through her work with the USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program. She also teaches observatory staff from other countries about gas monitoring techniques through the University of Hawaii's Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes international training program.

For more information, visit http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov, email askHVO@usgs.gov, or call 808-967-8844.

Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) is hosting a kindergarten Preview Day from 8:15 to 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 16, 2017. Parents will observe the kindergarten class, learn about the school's philosophy on academic and social development during the kindergarten year, and meet with faculty and administrators.

Lois Inman, Dyer Memorial librarian, and Jaime Johnson, Upper School English teacher, will lead the group. The current book selection is The Vegetarian by Han Kang, winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize and named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, Publisherʻs Weekly, Time, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

Fraught, disturbing, and beautiful, The Vegetarian is a novel about modern day South Korea, but also a novel about shame, desire, and our faltering attempts to understand others, from one imprisoned body to another.

For more information, contact Jaime Johnson at jjohnson@hpa.edu.

The following students at Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) were named to the Dean's List for the first semester:

Middle School:

Grade 6: John (Jack) Arrillaga, Minami Asbjornson, Bianca Brown, Jane-Grace Cootey, Andrew Fung, Ryder Garcia, Isabella Hodges, Jakob Honda, Bayla Jefferson, Harlow Johnston, ʻAnolani Liu, Aleena Madrid, Caleb McKendry, Roxanne McMackin, Malia Mitchell, Hai-Chi O'Leary, Nicholas Sebastian, Maya Slaven, Parker Smith, Laʻakeaokanaʻauʻao Sohriakoff, Ali Wawner, Sana Yamakawa, and Chase Zucker.

Grade 7: Sydney Chin, Roisin Darby, Chloe Delos Santos, Brenda Gomez,

Briana Harmon, Emily Houser, Sofia Howard, Lily Kassis, Forest McKinney, Jordan Perry, Maile Puckett, Grace Tadaki, Emily Thompson, and William (Bear) Wawner.

Grade 8: Kahalley Anton, Jared Barrett, Nicholas Barrick, Grace Bostock,

Kaija Cooper, Morgan Davis, Abigail Foster, Julian Fried, Malia Honda, Hana Husek, Sara Kimura, Katharine Kuyper, Xander Lai, Kamahaʻo Liu, Malia McKendry, Isabella Police, Emery Ramirez, Kanalumaliemaikalani Shimizu, Jessi Sohriakoff, Kayla Tadaki, and Kelsen-Jaye Walker

To receive Dean's List recognition, a student must achieve: a semester grade point average of 3.67 or higher, no semester grade below B, and a conduct grade of A- or better.

Upper School:

Grade 9: Malachi Acdal, Lily Ameika, Makana Blake, Ry Bleckel, Madison Bram, Kirra Brown, Hillary Connors, Morgan Dean, Dillon DuPont, Lily Eastman, Sacha Grunberg, Charlotte Head, Chloe Hughes, Michael Hughes, Kassadie Hurney, Ami Ibaramoto, Brock Imonen, Ivanni Jamin, Umikoa Kealoha, Harley Kell, Alyssa Klett, Natalie Klett, Fisher McKinney, Maia Mills, Gabriella Nakamaru, William Nudo, Mia Patig, Jenna Perry, Gabriella Pike, Maria Ramirez, Bess Arielle Rowland, JuliaAnn Salvador, Mark Schiller, Anna Schroedel, Hikari Shaver, Anna Sorensen, Cameron Supplee, Kahelelani Walsh, and Zane Willman.

Grade 10: Seth Beach, Annika Berezney, Yann-Hsiang Chen, Christopher Chock, Mikaela Chong, Katt Chong-Gum, Yui Chu, Sydney Cochran, Hayley Emmons, Yong Jae Ha, Kealia Haitsuka, Devyn Harmon, Riley Hiatt, Emalia Higgins, Holly Hoffbauer, Sihkea Jim, Ethan Kilkenny, Ted Kim, Maile Kuyper, Maile Lawson, Jason Lee, Luis Madrid Aguera, Daniel Mark, Brendan Moynahan, Luke Myers, Gemma Palleschi, Keaton Riley, Skyler Roque-Sunahara, AnnMarie Ryan, Jacob Schneider, Audrey Shim, Tyrie Tanaka, Xiaoli Tang, Kiawehokua Tarnas, Airi Tomihara, Zachary Vermeulen, Hayden Virtue, David Welch Keliihoomalu, Mako Yamamoto, Zixin Yan, and Zhichun Zhao.

Grade 11: Payton Au, Joar Berglund, Soli Boo, Sienna Byrne, Zachary Chaikin, Kristen Cole-Lanier, Malcolm Davis, Thierry Devost, Emily Fong, Sora Frysinger

Kailer Garcia, Oliver Grayson, Daniel Groves, Sara Heymann, Sarah Houser, Jody Jamin, Alice Kirkham, Madison Lee, Zoë McGinnis, Elza Moore, Anna Morita, Sneha Nair, Karly Noetzel, Matthew Ostrem, Nathaniel Padrnos, Kira Parker, Caroline Parks, Julia Perry, Silas Rhyneer, Emma Saito, William Savage, Aliya Smigel, Amelia Snyder, Yerden Suraganov, Nahe Texeira, Alexandra Thomas, Minh Truong, Teah Van Bergen, Matthew Vazquez, Gillian Winston, Yi-Chen Wu, Zichun Xia, Sanghyup Yoon, and Keanu Young.

Grade 12: Tyler Alt, Elijah Anakalea-Buckley, Anthony Beetem, Hailey Briseno, Jasmine Rose Suasin Buerano, Shanae Butler, Colby Camero, Alicia Chow, Casimir Dahrouch, Viet Tung Dao, Michael Duggan, Tania DuPont, Sarah Emmons, Elyse Fujioka, Vanessa Gary, John Daniel Gilhuly, Chyna Hanano, Tereza Kanalosova, Jeeyoon Kim, Seungyou Kim, Braden Kojima, Rowan Kotner, Nicole Lorenzo, Lorenzo Maestroni, Tola Mahoney, Sabrina Marvin, Riley McMackin, Dyllan Millar, Kai Miller, Gharin Pautz, Tanner Riley, James Schneider, Millenna Seid, Tristan Sienkiewicz, Ethan Stake, Sidney Vermeulen, Ziyan Wang, Mimi Werdegar, Blake Winston, Noah Wise, Thomas Yoo, and Qianhui Zhen.

To receive Dean's List recognition, a student must achieve: a semester grade point average of 3.67 or higher, no semester grade below B, no honor violations, and a passing citizenship grade.

Three independent, private schools in Waimea have announced February 6, 2017 as their common priority deadline for applications for the 2017-18 school year. In an effort to simplify the process for families applying to multiple schools, Waimea Country School (WCS), Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) and Parker School have aligned due dates. Families will also receive notification of admission decisions from the three schools at the same time—February 27 for kindergarten and March 6 for all other grades.

"Many families are unaware that the deadline to apply for the next school year occurs in February," Emily Pagliaro, Admissions Director at Parker School, said. "We want to get the word out so that those who are interested in an independent school education have as much information as possible about how and when to apply."

Gregory Parks '21, an eighth grade student at HPA, won the school-level competition of the National Geographic Bee on January 19 and a chance at a $50,000 college scholarship.

Ethaniel Wilson '21, also an eighth grader, placed second at the school Bee, where students answered oral questions on geography. This was the first round in the 29^th annual National Geographic Bee.

Thousands of schools around the United States and in the five U.S. territories are participating in the 2017 National Geographic Bee. The school champions, including Parks, will take a qualifying test; up to 100 of the top scorers on that test in each state will then be eligible to compete in the their state Bee on March 31, 2017.

The National Geographic Society will provide an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., for state winners to participate in the Bee national championship rounds May 15-17, 2017. The first-place national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the Society, and a trip to the Galapagos Islands.

The national finals will air on television on May 19 at 8 p.m. EST on the National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD, and later on public television stations. Check local listings for dates and times.

Everyone can test their geography knowledge by downloading the "National Geographic GeoBee Challenge" app, with more than 1,000 questions culled from past Bees, available on the App Store for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad; from the Android Market; or for NOOK Color.

National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit membership organization driven by a passionate belief in the power of science, exploration, and storytelling to change the world. The society funds hundreds of research and conservation projects around the globe each year. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.org.

More than 600 students in grades K-12, parents, and employees gathered in Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academyʻs Castle Gym on Monday morning, January 23, to celebrate the schoolʻs Blue Zones Project Approved^® Status. The school achieved this milestone by completing the Blue Zones Project^® School Pledge. Carol Ignacio, Blue Zones Project Government and Community Affairs Manager—Hawaiʻi Island, and Blue Zones Project team members were on hand at the special all-school assembly to present banners and certificates to administrators and K-12 student council members.

"You have completed the School Pledge to become a full-fledged Blue Zones Approved school and weʻre here to celebrate and acknowledge that," said Ignacio.

Through the Blue Zones Project initiative, HPA has committed to optimizing its campus environment so students are supported to eat better, be physically and socially more active, and act with mindfulness. The schoolʻs Ulumau and Ulu Malama farm to table initiatives teach students that growing healthy food fosters healthy lifestyles, which in turn manifests healthy communities. Sodexo Food Services purchases local first whenever possible so the freshest fruits, vegetables, and meats are served in the dining halls. The school also encourages students to participate fully in physical education, athletics, and events and activities such as the Keiki Triathlon, Bieni 5k Fun Run and Dog Walk, outdoor education hikes, and biking to school, to reduce sedentary time.

"The Blue Zones Project is a wonderful opportunity for our school community to consciously focus on choices to improve quality of life. At HPA, educating ourselves for a healthy lifestyle is as essential as achieving academic success," said Head of School Robert McKendry.

For more information about HPAʻs School Pledge Actions and about Blue Zones, visit www.hpa.edu/connecting/parents/blue-zones.

Kindergarteners and first graders at Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) will present Character Matters II at 2:15 p.m. on Friday, February 3. The performance, which is free and open to the public, will be held at Gates Performing Arts Center on the school's Upper Campus.

In this curriculum-based musical, the Fairy Tale Advice Council is back with more advice for the famous folk creatures. Snow White apologizes for never thanking the Seven Dwarfs. The Princess and the Pea demonstrates how to remain civil under trying circumstances. Can Hansel and Gretel teach the Witch to be a good neighbor? HPA's Lower School music teacher Georgia Polakova directs.

This is the final in a series of musical productions by HPA's Lower School students.

For more information, call 885-2501 or 885-2500.

HPA welcomes Justine Finn, director of Relation-Shift, for a free parent workshop, Social Media, Media, and Sex: Opportunities, Solutions, and Challenges Facing Kids and Teens and What Parents Can Do. The interactive workshop, which runs about 90 minutes, begins at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8, at the schoolʻs Gates Performing Arts Center (Upper Campus). All community members are invited to attend.

"Teens in the United States spend an average of nine hours a day on a screen, not including for school or homework," says Finn. "Socializing, exploring identity, and dating often occur between texts and social media, raising new challenges and positive opportunities."

As young people begin engaging in romantic and intimate relationships, many experience violence, abuse, and harassment. How can parents guide, empower and mentor their children to engage in healthy media and relationship behaviors? Finnʻs workshop will reveal what children are learning about sex, gender, and relationships from social and traditional media, and will provide parents with strategies to address common problems (and opportunities) facing their children and communities.

Download the Flier

Finn founded Relation-Shift at the Harvard Innovation Lab after receiving the 2016 Harvard Graduate School of Education Entrepreneurship in Education Award. Relation-Shift works with middle and high schools to address relationship and sexual violence amongst middle and high-school aged youth. For the past 10 years, Finn has worked to advance the equality of women and men, focusing on creating inclusive workplaces and school cultures and developing the capacity of young people to engage in healthy relationships. Finn facilitates classes, workshops, and seminars across the country on gender, media representation, and the prevention of sexual and relationship violence and bullying.

For more information, visit www.relationshiftproject.com, or call 808-881-4002.

Nine HPA Middle School students will participate in a unique learning experience that involves two helicopters flying to the schoolʻs Upper Campus on Wednesday, February 8.

Between 9 and 11:50 a.m. the students will have an opportunity to fly in a helicopter as one of their culminating activities for the schoolʻs Theme Week program, "Come Fly with Me." The helicopters will take off from HPAʻs Upper School baseball field and return about every 15 minutes. Mauna Loa Helicopters and HPA are taking every safety precaution for the students and community and Mauna Loa Helicopters is making every effort to minimize rotor noise.

Flight times are subject to change based on environmental conditions.

Hawaii Preparatory Academy appreciates the communityʻs understanding and support of this student experience.

For more information, please contact Mark Noetzel, HPAʻs Dean of Campus Life, at 808-881-4053.

HPA seniors and soccer standouts Austin Schneider and Braden Kojima signed their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, February 1, in the schoolʻs Castle Gym with their coaches, family, and classmates in attendance.

Schneider will continue his soccer career this fall at San Jose State University (NCAA Division I), while Kojima will play at Pacific University in Forest, Grove, Oregon (NCAA Division III).

Pictured with Kojima and Schneider are their parents, Jim and Victoria Schneider, Wally and Julie Kojima, and Rich Braithwaite, HPA boys soccer head coach.

HPAʻs Ka Makani Players present Beth Henleyʻs Crimes of the Heart, winner of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Crimes of the Heart will run February 23-25 at the schoolʻs Gates Performing Arts Center. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Tickets, which only are available at the door, are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

After a separation of five years, the Magrath sisters, Meg, Babe, and Lenny, gather at the family home in Hazelhurst, Mississippi to await the news of the family patriarch who has been hospitalized with a stroke. The play is the story of how the Magraths escape the past to seize the future. The telling is true, touching, and consistently hilarious.

"It has heart, wit, and surprisingly zany passion...it would certainly be a crime for anyone interested in theatre to not see this play," wrote a New York Post reviewer.

Due to the complex plot and sophisticated language, this production is most appropriate for audiences 13+ years old.

The cast features Kate Gargiulo as Lenny Magrath, Aislinn Carroll as Chick Boyle, Colby Camero as Doc Porter, Sarah Emmons as Meg Magrath, Riley McMackin as Babe Botrelle, and Thomas Yoo as Barnette Lloyd. HPA theatre instructor Mary Ellen Agnew-Place is the director and Upper School faculty member Jared Terpak is technical director.

For more information, please call 881-4002.

The 2016-2017 HPA winter sports season was defined by a tremendous amount of grit, teamwork, and hard won success. HPA teams brought home four Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) titles (Boys soccer, Girls Soccer, Boys Swimming and Diving, Girls Swimming and Diving) two Hawaii High School Athletics Association (HHSAA) titles (Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer) and one runner-up HHSAA state title (Girls Swimming and Diving). Another notable achievement was diver Joar Berglund '18 winning the HHSAA state 1-m Diving event, the first such title in HPA history.

Above and beyond titles Wrestling, Paddling, Boys Basketball, and Girls Basketball truly represented the school's values of integrity and respect.

Over the course of the season, HPA photographers were present to document not only the action on the field, but also the moments on the sidelines. Please enjoy this photo gallery that highlights the best moments of our winter sports season.

By Michael Duggan '17

Water. Water everywhere, The first thought in my head as I wake up from a doze in the car. My shoulders squished in between my fellow swimmers as I sit in the back seat of our rented minivan, all I can think is "water". As a swimmer I know water on a personal level. Not only was I going to compete in the water, but it looked like I was going to be spending my last swim meet of high school in the rain. It was storming; rain, wind, the occasional blast of thunder, but importantly no lightning,

The car pulls to a stop in front of the entrance to the pool, and like an airlock being opened in deep space the mini van door slides open and we all shudder as a blast of wind forces itself through the door. I climb out of the depths of the back seat to stand in the pouring rain and wait for someone to hand me a cooler full of drinks to carry in. I walk in and see that we are the only team at the pool. Thunder rolls in the background as we all look and call to coach Noetzel. All the swimmers gather under our soaked pop up tents and like bees in the winter, we stand as close as we can to each other to conserve body heat.

"It's Hawaii," I think to myself "It could be sunny in five minutes." As the morning rolls on and the water keeps coming all the coaches gather in a top secret swim coach room thingy to discuss the day's fate. When they come out to the pouring rain we all hold our breath to see which way Caesar's thumb would turn. Coach walks up and begins one of his many inspiring ballads.

"We train in Waimea guys, we know how to swim fast in this weather. A little rain won't stop us. The meet was on!!!

See the Full Results

Learn more about our team of swimmers, divers, and adventurers

HPA's third graders were outstanding in the Wonder League Robotics Competition. Two teams of the five finalists who submitted perfect code were from HPA's 3^rd Grade class! To put this awesome accomplishment into context, their teacher Mr. Bobby Barretto helped us recap the competition details...

"Over 5,000 teams sign up from 52 countries. This year 80 percent of the teams were from the United States followed by Canada, Mexico, Australia, Spain and China, and 44 percent of the participants were female. Out of all the teams that registered, 33 percent of them made it to the end and submitted solutions.

After the first round of grading, 290 teams from the age bracket 6-8 and 180 from age bracket 9-12 received a full score. Of those who received a full score, five teams submitted perfect code in the state of Hawai'i—TWO were from HPA's 3^rd Grade! They move on to the perfect score round and have a chance to win five robots for the class!"

Let's root them on as they progress to the next stage!

Peace-Love-ʻUkulele: Make a Better Place for You and for Me is the theme of our 24th Annual 'Ukulele Festival. The performance, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, at the schoolʻs Gates Performing Arts Center (Upper Campus).

More than 150 students from Hawai'i Preparatory Academy, Kealakehe Intermediate School, Parker Middle School, and Waikoloa School will perform under the direction of Dagan Bernstein and Georgia Poláková (HPA); Gloria Juan (Kealakehe), Sara Lilley (Parker), and Lani ʻOpunui (Waikoloa).

Highlights include all students performing Imagine, Wavinʻ Flag, Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World with a hula, and a Michael Jackson medley.

For more information, call 885-2500 or 885-2501, or visit www.hpa.edu.

View photos from last year's festival:

On a clear day in September, nine Upper School students and two Middle School students quietly wade into the shallow waters off a white sandy beach at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Park. Teamed up with members of the park staff and under the watchful eye of George Balazs, senior sea turtle scientist of the Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program within the Protected Species Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, the students use large scoop nets to carefully capture green turtles (honu) feeding in the shallow waters of the basalt reef flat.

They quickly transport each turtle from the beach to a scale to be weighed. Each honu undergoes a physical examination with students participating every step of the way—handling the honu; recording morphometric data such as several measurement of the shells, any unusual conditions, the type of algae, if present, in the turtle's mouth; scanning it for a microchip containing a unique identification; and gently returning it to the sea.

"Belly, back, up, ocean." Balazs instructs the group on how to position the turtle on the examination table, and calls out a series of measurements and observations. "Forty-eight centimeters, red algae in its mouth, it's shiny with no bumps or abrasions, tail-15.5 centimeters." A student recorder carefully and accurately records and repeats everything to ensure accuracy.

When the research station is fully manned, a few students break off to explain the activity to park visitors observing. One bystander comments, "Our high schools don't get to do this in Denver."

A turtle tagging trip is the ultimate field trip for the students—a day at the beach under the blue sky, but beyond that, it also is a day of collaborating with other organizations to further research being done to save a threatened species, and experiencing firsthand how research is conducted. For some, it helps them realize a future career choice, and for others it is an act of service.

"This is my first year at HPA, and I love the Sea Turtle Research Program," said Hailey Briseno ʻ17. "It is the first step to my becoming a marine biologist and marine veterinarian."

"I love seeing how people internationally help endangered animals and it is incredible being able to be a part of it," stated Alicia Chow ʻ17. "Turtles are adorable!"

In October 1987, the collaborative partnership with the NOAA and Hawai'i Preparatory Academy created the Sea Turtle Research Program with the mission of aiding research about the green sea turtle (honu) by gathering scientific data to learn more about the life and ecology of this threatened species.

• On the program's first tagging trip 15 Upper School students dared to spend two nights and three days at a lagoon at Kiholo on the Kona Coast with Balazs and HPAʻs David Gulko and Marc Rice. Dive teams stretched a special net across the lagoon to capture turtles moving in and out of the area as the tide changed.

Based on the six turtles captured on that first expedition, many would not have predicted these accomplishments over the last three decades:

• Expansion from one study site to nine across Hawai'i Island—Kawaihae, Puako, Kiholo, Honaunau, Hualālai, Kaloko, Kahalu'u, Kapoho, and Punalau'u
• 255 trips and 2,200 student participants
• Tagging several thousands of turtles
• Working on many of the Hawaiian Islands – Kaua'i, O'ahu, Lana'i, Moloka'i, and Hawai'i
• Working in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, including Midway Atoll and French Frigate Shoals
• Strengthening conservation efforts statewide
• Traveling throughout the North and South Pacific to assist with research in American Samoa, Australia, Japan, New Caledonia, and Singapore
• 15 student presenters at the Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation—Orlando (2000) and Miami (2002), Florida; Greece (2006), Mazatlan (1998) and Loreto (2008), Mexico; New Orleans (2014) Peru (2016), Philadelphia (2001), and Texas (1999)
• Creation of the Sea Turtle Hotline with 147 calls between 2001 and 2016
• Assisting with research that has led to more than 30 scientific papers on the green turtle, and more than 12 scientific papers on the loggerhead turtle

Despite an overall declining trend globally, green turtle population growth rates are variable among nesting populations and regions. The Hawaiian green turtle population actually is increasing in abundance and is calculated to be increasing by about five percent per year.

Balazs quickly points out that the progress has been facilitated by HPAʻs Sea Turtle Research Program, which has thrived under the leadership of Marc Rice.

"Any partnership such as ours relies heavily on personalities involved," said Rice. "George Balazs has been a stalwart in supporting and including HPA in many of his multitude of research activities and projects over the years. What kept us both going in addition to the research were the interactions with the wonderful HPA students."

The mutual respect between the two is obvious when observing them in action, and the belief that the best way to learn is to do, which they share, also shines through.

"By engaging students in the hands-on aspects of this program, we can enlarge their understanding of the possible career choices they have, increase their ability to work as a team, and enhance their understanding and use of technology in scientific research," explained Rice. "And it provides them with the opportunity to do original research and get involved in the publication of their research."

On a recent trip to Oʻahu, Middle School student Morgan Davis and Upper School students Tyler Alt, Cecilia Calvi, Sebastian Restrepo, and Sidney Vermeulen deployed 15 sonic tags on 15 honu. The tags are emitting hypersonic signals being picked up by four receivers along the Anahulu River in Haleiwa. As her capstone project, Davis will be deciphering the data from these receivers—which turtles are in the river, how much time they spend there, and where in the river they spend their time.

"The use of technology in our research has enabled us to gain a far better understanding of the daily lives of sea turtles through the deployment of remote sensing devices like time-depth recorders, satellite tags/GPS tracking devices, remote controlled video cameras, UAVs and the use of satellite imagery and oceanographic sensors," remarked Rice.

The HPA Sea Turtle Program will continue to work with NOAA on sea turtle biology and ecology studies, and maintain a low-level capture/recapture monitoring program on the west coast of Hawaiʻi Island providing students with this unique learning opportunity.

"Using travel and experience, the love of the sea turtle is the thread that takes you through the fabric of life," said Balazs.

Student Memories

"Being a part of the inaugural turtle tagging team back in 1987 was one of my fondest and rewarding memories of my time at HPA. Having the opportunity to work alongside George Balazs, David Gulko, and Marc Rice was truly an honor and privilege. The experience of giving back something to nature and the future generations of our society was, and is, one of the greatest moments of my life. Today, as I enjoy my days on the water, or sitting on the beach, I canʻt help but feel a sense of fulfillment as a random turtle swims by, or a tourist talks about their experience with turtles on their vacation."

—Neil Ozaki '88

"I cannot tell you how much the turtle tagging experience meant to me in high school. It was simply amazing! That opportunity opened up my world and I love telling Marc Rice and George Balazs that part of why I work for the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is due to my high school turtle tagging experience."

—Claire Johnson Fackler '90

"My favorite Sea Turtle Research Program memory was traveling to New Caledonia to tag and release loggerhead turtles."

—Meimei Nakahara '12