Nearly 50 years ago, Zeke Knight and his psychology students had a bright idea: the HPA Olympics. What started as a project to boost school spirit and bring students together across grade levels had staying power, growing into one of the most beloved and enduring traditions at our Upper School.
For three days each spring, campus transforms into a full-on celebration of creativity, competition, and connection, with more than 100 events including hula, wiffle ball, chalk art, “hungry hippo,” sand castle building, a talent show, and more. And while yes, academic courses and a lively curriculum are paramount at HPA, these few days are about something just as important: community. The Olympics ask us to show up — not just as students or teachers, but as teammates, cheerleaders, and friends. They remind us that joy is serious business, and that community is built in all kinds of ways, especially when we step outside the usual routine.
This year, HPA was honored to welcome back Zeke Knight as part of the school’s 75th anniversary to take in the beloved tradition he helped bring to life so many years ago. His journey from San Diego to Hawai‘i, made with his family, had been planned months in advance. A special VIP reception during the Opening Ceremonies brought together longtime friends, including Sharon Solmssen, Ron Tooman, and Jim and Mary Helen Higgins, to celebrate the occasion.
Students from HPA’s Journalism Club sat down with Mr. Knight and his two daughters, Purea Knight-Koenig ’80 and Marau Beck ’86, to hear the origin story firsthand — how it all began, how it’s evolved, and why, even after all these years, making time to play still matters just as much now as it did then.
Zeke Knight
When you started the Olympics, did you ever imagine it would turn out to be like this?
No, but I hoped that it would have legs. The object of it was to unite the school in friendship. Faculty, students, staff, everybody together to help the school move forward as a great independent school. Everything that I saw with my psychology class was separate groups: this dorm, that sport, that class. So we decided to use sport to unite people. This is such a beautiful, glorious place to grow and worship and be together to make it all happen.
So would you say mission, objective, accomplished?
I don’t feel like anything is ever accomplished. I think there’s a sense of enjoying what we did and just hoping that the next generation of students will do the same. It morphs, it grows. It’s organic. You’ve incorporated some new things that we didn’t have… That’s the beauty of the games.
So it has evolved. But do you believe that the enjoyment is still the same?
You know, the thing that I love the most, and the joy I felt in the gym on opening ceremonies was the seniors coming over to the freshmen and the sophomores going to the juniors, and all being together. And the noise was unbelievable. I’m almost deaf, but I heard it. That brought tears to my eyes, because each individual has to give into that feeling of coming together… That teaches you to reach out to each other with joy and peace.
What advice do you have for HPA students today?
It’s up to you to preserve the spirit of Olympics and reach out. And if you see somebody sitting alone, go sit with them. Be a friend. There’s an old expression… I went to a dancing school in Boston, and my mother said, “I want you to dance with five ‘wall flowers’.” That was the expression, and it meant go dance with someone who wasn’t dancing. So don’t forget… being lonely is a thief of time. It hurts, so embrace people as you go forward. Leave your footprint on this school by giving to her.
Marau Beck ’86
How do you feel seeing what your dad has created?
It’s just really wonderful that it has lasted this long and that it’s grown… And just how much fun the students are having is really meaningful. Anyone can feel it.
As an alumna of HPA, how does it feel to see how this school and event has evolved over the years?
Well, actually, what I really like is that the school hasn’t changed too much. So I like that, and I like that it’s still small. There are new classrooms and some new buildings, but the feeling hasn’t changed.
Purea Knight-Koenig ’80
What is the most surprising thing to you about how Olympics have evolved?
The amount of creativity that you students bring to it, and all the new competitions that you have, and it seems like every year, you know, new things are added and some things are taken away. And I think that’s just so inspiring that you all can come up with so many new ways to compete, but also, be together, and there’s just so much enthusiasm. And that’s really, really fun to see.
Part of your dad’s legacy was so pioneering: this idea that a student’s wellness needed to be considered in order to provide an opportunity for their success. When you see that now in fruition all these years later, how do you feel?
Yes, I mean, just overwhelmed, really. And I think we need so much more of this in our world today. I’m really proud that this idea has really lasted and it’s as meaningful as it was back then. It just goes to show you that you can have an idea that has an impact way beyond what you ever imagined. It’s just amazing to come back and see how he’s been embraced and how people are so appreciative for the legacy that he’s left here. It’s really meaningful at the end of his life, basically, to be honored in this way.