Adventuring in the great open outdoors is tightly woven into the DNA of HPA, from the earliest days of the Academy, when students used Kawaihae harbor as the school swimming pool and rode horseback through the green hills of Kohala up the slopes of Mauna Kea. Then, as now, the belief was that an HPA education should broaden your horizons, test your resolve, and help you find the joy of living. Today, this legacy continues with HPA’s Outdoor Program, a signature offering dedicated to connecting HPA students in powerful and personal ways to the sublime natural wonders surrounding them.
“We aim to foster a deep connection with nature, promote environmental stewardship, and instill a sense of adventure and belonging in our students,” says Outdoor Program Director Lindsey Paulekas.
In addition to regular coastal clean-ups and ocean safety clinics, the Outdoor Program offers day adventures and overnight excursions throughout the school year — all at no cost to participating students.
“I like to focus on a variety of adventures,” Paulekas says. “Some kids have never gone backpacking and are not comfortable in a tent… So some trips are cabin-based, while some trips require hiking 20 miles and are quite strenuous.”
Backpacking through the wonders of Hawai‘i Island began, at least in a formal way at HPA, in 1978, with WEP: the Wilderness Experience Program. It was meant to allow each student to undertake a three-day backpacking trip to a remote area of Hawai‘i Island. Today, however, visiting remote, often culturally sensitive spaces on the island is not always possible, and guiding students who are new to the island toward respectful exploration is a journey in itself. “It can take time to learn,” Paulekas says. But she is careful to select trip locations where HPA is welcome and the site is appropriate for a school group. “It’s definitely a balance between being selective of the places we visit and introducing awareness of ourselves, where we are, and those who have been here before,” she says. This is a balance that both Paulekas and the school are committed to seeking.
Partners in adventure
The Outdoor Program is always happy to partner with organizations, alumni, and friends of the school who might be able to host a small group of adventurers on their land. If you can help, please email outdoor@hpa.edu
As part of HPA’s overall institutional commitment to educating the next generation of environmental leaders, the Outdoor Program is an important channel for inspiring awe and promoting authentic connection to the land. First, though, everyone has to unplug.
“At the beginning of every trip, we power off our phones, turn them in, and do not receive them again until we return,” says Wynter Radey-Morgan ’25, a day student originally from Alaska.
For Radey-Morgan, this is a welcome change of pace, and she’s quick to add that cameras are provided for the documentarians among them.
Fellow adventurer Adela Vystrcilova ’25, a boarder from the Czech Republic, sums it up: “The outdoor program always brings me once in a lifetime experiences, new friends, and unforgettable memories.” Overall, she says, “the program is one of my favorite parts of HPA, and I am so grateful for the opportunities it has given me.”