Right when the clock hits 8 a.m., the final rush of boarders and day students enter their classrooms for the day to start. Depending on which of three two-hour courses they have first, they pull out their materials that will help them conquer the challenges thrown at them, whether it be their hands to mold clay or the CSI kits filled with lights and powder to uncover fingerprints. There’s almost an endless stream of activities in a student’s day at Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy’s Summer Session.

By the beginning of lunch at noon, students will have met and connected with several new people from around the world, from places like Kazakhstan to Oregon, to our very own hometown of Waimea. The cafeteria always is booming from the second class lets out to the moment it starts again.

After the students fill their plates with whatever new delicious food the cooks have prepared for that day, including homemade spaghetti and pesto chicken, they fill the tables and chatter bounces around the room and out onto the bright red tables directly outside the cafeteria under the massive solar trees.

At 1 o’clock, once plates have been cleared and the sound of lively conversations has died down, kids start filing back to their next and last class of the day.

For the next two hours, students spend their time learning and filling their brains with more knowledge from their third period class, which might range from math to drama. As soon as teachers dismiss their classes, kids buzz with the end-of-day excitement and head toward their sports and other after school activities. They spend more time bonding with peers and expanding their minds, testing and challenging themselves to their limits while putting in their best efforts. Once these activities have come to an end, the students either head to their dorm rooms, or homes, to get a good night’s rest so they are ready to for what the next day holds for them.