West Hawaii Exploration Academy(WHEA), is located on some of the hottest coastline in the country. Most of the students take the public bus for an hour or more to commute to this unique high school opportunity. At Whea we focus on STEM Sciences such as marine biology and robotics. We have really amazing opportunities like having a shark tank on campus and getting to travel to neighboring islands to present at scientific symposiums. This school is very important to me because it allows me to hone my skills as an environmental advocate and educator, as well as participate in programs like the youth soil competition with the USDA and getting my research paper published. This has helped to shape me into a person who is more passionate about environmental issues and has better research, group, public speaking, and time management skills.
I am a former graduate of WHEA. I attended for only my senior year which I regret for several reasons, let me explain:
That's another thing. The school hosts tours, essentially money pits that the school harvests every year. People will schedule a tour to visit the campus and get shown around by a teacher's pet. The tours almost always go well thanks to the special training the teacher's pets receive. They end in a personal chitchat with the principal and he tries to get them to enroll their children in it. Be warned, if you want your child to succeed, don't take them here. The teachers themselves are amazing. While they plan terribly, they are good people (minus the bias in a certain few unnamed teachers). They work hard every day and to little to no amount. Personally, I liked the teachers.
This school is great if you want to grow up and flip burgers at a low level joint. Fun fact, the graduation rate is INSANELY LOW. Why do you think that most graduates give college scholarships? Because like ten people a year graduate.
But hey, I'm not the one seeing if it would be a good school for my child. That's up to you.
Now, let's talk about the bias. The bias at this school is unreal. The first year I attended, I was told I could not do multiple things because I was not a "second year". The school is about pushing students and it did not do that at all. If you went to this school since the sixth grade, maybe a teacher would like you. Maybe even the principal. The principal, need I tell you, is a piece of work. He favors few and gives no one else a chance. Need I tell you he's paid as a teacher but teaches nothing? Absolutely nothing. He just grazes by meeting the minimum requirements while he has his staff, or as should be referred to coworkers, slave around and do everything.
4.) I was not allowed to work on certain projects because they said I was not a returning student, even though I was a senior. I was upset by the fact they were not willing to even consider making an exception.
Whea is project based which leaves a lot of time for spending time outdoors. Students only spend 1-2 hours in a classroom each day. The rest of the day is spent on field trips to the mountains or ocean or appreciating what our beautiful campus has to offer. This education style has made me passionate and concerned with environmental stewardship by instilling in me the deep understanding that we need to protect these learning resources so the next generations will be able to enjoy them as well. Also I am very concerned with climate change and global warming because Whea is located on the hottest coastline in the United States, and we don't want it getting any hotter!
As a parent, I appreciate the school's systems and processes, including student-led conferences and the integrated way the subject matter is presented. I also love that each student is given the opportunity to excel on their own terms, advancing even full grade-levels in some subjects.
This school.
I'm currently a freshman at this school (been here since 7th grade), and I can honestly say that it's one of the best schools I've ever attended. They emphasize writing, science, and math. One of the best things about this school is that you can make your own electives. This allows students to pursue their interests to their heart's content. Unless you're child is self-directed they'll never succeed here. The reason why the drop-out rate is so high is because not enough kids are self-directed learners. Parents send their kids here without understanding their child's limits. I strongly recommend this school for kids who love learning.
Moving to Kona from a city where nationally-competitive top public schools are the norm, we were concerned about our daughter's educational future. Enrolling her at West Hawaii Explorations Academy was the best thing we could have done! After a year and a half (6th and 7th grade), our daughter is thriving and now has dreams of working in aerospace or becoming an engineer for NASA. She's a consistently straight-A student who excels in WHEAs project-based curriculum.
3.) The small school politics have a double standard, you are either categorized as a student likely to succeed or drop out, there is no in between. If one teacher does not like you or your group of friends, they will label you and your friends as "likely dropouts", this is not a joke! My advisory teacher had some kind of personal problem with me, and I had to get my parents involved to force them to switch me with a different advisory teacher.
The students are all . . . Special. Some are smart and would do well in a regular school, but it is apparent other students would certainly have a very hard time in regular classes. Let alone a large group of them are highly inconsiderate of the campus by doing drugs on it, interrupting tours and whatnot.
5.) It became very obvious that many of the students at WHEA previously had a hard time fitting in a regular school. Many of them had social problems and did not get along well with other students.
Last year, the Robotics teacher chose only her favorites to go on trips, to California and even Mississippi, on the claim that the school "didn't have enough money" when a $25,000 grant was awarded to the project at the beginning of the year. Best part? Some students worked really, really hard and were completely overlooked when they should have gone. Coincidentally, she got a new car shortly after that. Embezzlement? Maybe. I don't know. Since then, the project has been shut down. Sort of. This year, a "battle bots" project has been started, with only the teacher's favorites from last year on it. Coincidence?
Also, the account name is an alias.
I strongly do NOT recommend this school for many reasons. Simply look at the dropout rate, the numbers speak for themselves.
1.) The dropout rate of this school is unbelievable, a TOTAL of 7 students graduated in my 06 class. Most students who leave WHEA end up getting their GED because of all the red tape involved when transferring to another school, usually requiring an extra semester in order to graduate elsewhere. 2.)They do not offer any kind of Prom or dance for Seniors, or anything special for the older students. They definitely cater more to the younger grades.
No school is perfect, but I can say that WHEA has been the perfect choice for us!
Being a recent graduate with friends that still attend, let me tell you a few things.
West Hawaii Explorations Academy is a US School based in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. West Hawaii Explorations Academy is located at 73-4500 Kahilihili St, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740, USA.
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