Accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges
A SPIRE PERSEVERE I NTEGRITY S PIRITUALLY GROUNDED
WELCOME TO
ASIA PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Welcome to Asia Pacific International School, Hawaii Campus! Asia Pacific International School (APIS) is a private, nonprofit school, fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), with the following mission: APIS strives to educate its students, in a loving and caring Christian environment, to become globally enlightened citizens, who are able to bridge the gap between the East and the West, and are ready to welcome the exciting challenges of the New Pacific Century. APIS is not the first school to recognize the importance of global mission and vision in education. While almost all schools teach about matters beyond their boundaries, most schools do not operate in any meaningful way outside of them to provide an authentic, contextually global educational experience. APIS is different. Moving away from the traditional educational paradigm, APIS has created a global network of campuses under one school — our East Asia campus in Seoul, Korea, and our campus of the West in North Shore (Hauula), Hawaii — offering a unique educational opportunity to draw from the advantages of both the East and the West. Imagine the possibilities! A student from our Hawaii campus could spend a semester studying at the Seoul campus, taking advantage of its East Asian language program and interning at a leading IT lab in Korea. A student from our Seoul campus could come to Hawaii to do a research project on ecofarming, natural resource management, and marine biology and conservation.
Euysung Kim, Ph.D. Founding Director
Shared curricular emphases across the Seoul and Hawaii campuses ensure that APIS is one integrated “learning community.” At the same time, each campus will have its own curricular specializations and emphases. For example, our 97acre APIS Hawaii campus, nestled against an emerald mountain backdrop and overlooking the Pacific Ocean, is a residential boarding school serving middle and high school students (grades 5-12). This campus will feature the “APIS Futures Academy,” an innovative, student-directed, educational program, which will serve as our center of project-based, experiential, and service learning. Topics that students could explore include air and water quality, entrepreneurship and social responsibility, endangered species, and building a sustainable future. APIS is committed to a small class size (average of 15 students per class), and a low faculty to student ratio (1:10). Currently, 100 percent of our graduates go on to four-year colleges and universities, matriculating in top institutions such as Stanford, Cornell, Wash U, NYU, Williams, RISD and Duke. Finally, APIS is a Christ-centered school. APIS’ religious affiliation is nondenominational Christian and welcomes students from all religious and cultural backgrounds. APIS places great value on the spiritual health of our community as well as the academic vitality to nurture caring global citizens, who will be leaders of the New Pacific Century.
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WHAT SETS US APART
APIS has: • A highly distinguished teaching staff recruited from the finest universities in North America and the world. Our teachers’ expertise and passion for teaching are the main reasons why our students achieve excellence. • An intimate, family-like learning environment with a 10:1 student to teacher ratio. • A rigorous, international curriculum contextualized in project-based learning to help our students gain the competitive edge necessary to take on the challenges of the New Pacific Century. • A commitment to help our students nurture their unique talents and aid in their own personal growth through an emphasis on the arts and design thinking. • A learning center staffed with full-time teachers to provide both in school and after school support for any students who need extra academic assistance. • A truly loving and caring Christian environment where students of Christian faith and students from all religious and cultural backgrounds can be nurtured together to achieve the highest possible level of intellectual, spiritual, and personal development. • A resource rich learning environment, including high-speed wireless access and the most up-to-date tech tools in every classroom, comfortable, adaptive classrooms with state-of-the-art classroom furniture, and a 97-acre campus providing numerous outdoor learning opportunities.
APIS Academics The backbone of achieving the APIS vision is a coherent, comprehensive, and spiral curriculum based on standards and benchmarks. The middle school curriculum addresses the intellectual, physical, and social growth that defines the early adolescent years. Through core classes and explorative electives, instruction is aimed at promoting academic rigor and excellence while accommodating students with diverse talents and levels of maturity. In our high school academic program, our goal is to prepare our graduates to become confident, independent scholars who are enthusiastic learners with a passion for knowledge. We place a particular emphasis on humanities in our curriculum, focusing on developing analytical minds and effective verbal and written communication skills. We expect and require consistent hard work by all students as a fundamental skill leading to growth and success. We also offer a variety of courses in Advanced Placement.
APIS Literacy Program One of the key strengths of APIS’ educational program is its emphasis on building strong literacy skills in our students. The middle school institutes a balanced literacy program, in which we implement our Writer’s and Reader’s workshops (based on the work of Lucy Calkins of Columbia University). Our commitment to literacy is continued in high school through a rigorous humanities program with an emphasis on academic and creative writing.
Project-Based Learning Opportunities APIS Hawaii’s emphasis on project-based learning provides real-world application of knowledge and skills, and the development of success skills such as critical thinking/problem solving, communication in a variety of media, and collaboration. Students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge.
Global Citizens Program The Global Citizens Program (GCP) at APIS is a valuable component of our school’s mission in fostering an ethic of service to others as global citizens. By traveling with students and teachers on a week-long service learning program, students are provided the opportunity to develop an understanding of the interconnectedness between individuals, societies, and countries and to consider the cultural, environmental, economic and political dimensions of global issues. Annual GCP excursions include such locations as: Borneo, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, The Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
College Matriculation Our graduates have been accepted to top colleges and universities, including Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, NYU, Rutgers, Stanford, UC Berkeley, USC, University of Michigan, Washington University in St. Louis, Rhode Island School of Design, and Yonsei University (UIC).
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THE HIBISCUS MODEL
OF APIS EDUCATION
The flower hibiscus symbolizes the APIS way of international education. Biologists describe hibiscus as a complete flower. In order for a flower to be considered complete it must have 4 components: sepals, petals, stamens, and pistils. With each of these parts serving a uniquely important function, a complete flower has all of the necessary components to sustain and reproduce itself. Similarly, the four components that we believe make our educational philosophy complete are: APIS Mission, Core Curricular Emphases, Skills and Dispositions, and Key Character Values.
Core Curricular Emphases
APIS MISSION Key Character Values
Skills & Dispositions
APIS MISSION
CORE CURRICULAR EMPHASES
SKILLS & DISPOSITIONS
KEY CHARACTER VALUES
APIS mission sets the direction for our educational philosophy by asking “what will the New Pacific Century demand from our leaders?” The New Pacific Century refers to the growing importance of the linkage between the East and the West. Moreover, we recognize the growing importance of the East in terms of economics, politics, and culture. In a loving and caring Christian environment, we strive to educate our students to be the bridge builders between the East and the West.
Our focus on four curricular emphases (East Asia Emphasis, Emphasis on Performing and Visual Arts, STEM Emphasis, and Spiritual Emphasis) is deliberate in design to address the unique challenges facing the New Pacific Century. We believe certain core knowledge or expertise simply cannot be fully outsourced to machines or to others. They can only be useful and serve a basis for further innovation if we possess the appropriate literacy and fluency in these content areas.
We use the term ESLRs (Expected Schoolwide Learning Results) to describe skills and dispositions we believe are necessary for the New Pacific Century. Defined into four main categories (Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Global Citizenship as Christians), our ESLRs reach beyond the simple 3-Rs of the conventional education: Read, wRite, and aRithmetic.
Nurturing character values at APIS, we believe, is the most important supporting component because it is the foundation or backbone for the other two supporting components described above. That is, the content area expertise and ESLRs can only take one so far unless they know how to Aspire to the highest standards/goals and to Persevere in the face of obstacles. With Integrity, they will know how to make choices that stand up to one’s faith and the higher moral standards. Spiritually grounded, they will know the meaning and joy of leading a life of calling. Asia Pacific International School
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Apart from completeness, the hibiscus also symbolically captures the “two campuses under one school” model of APIS education. Hibiscus (Mugunghwa) is the national flower of Korea, where our campus of the East is located. Hibiscus is also the official flower of the state of Hawaii, where our campus of the West is located. The symbolic link between Korea and Hawaii captured by hibiscus appears too strong to be a mere coincidence when one finds out the name of the town where the APIS Hawaii campus is located: Hauula. Hauula in Hawaiian language means “red hibiscus!” We hence adopted the red hibiscus as the logo for our Hawaii campus. The gold hibiscus is adopted for the East. The color gold is to symbolize the new emerging “golden age” of the East in the New Pacific Century. We look at this symbolic link as an important reminder of God’s presence and purposeful plan in APIS’ development.
東 EAST
WEST
西
Finally, the hibiscus flower as a school symbol helps capture the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit of the APIS education. The hibiscus wilts in a day and yet it is known as a flower meaning “seize the opportunity!” This is because a new flower continues to bloom for a long period of time. (The Korean name for hibiscus, Mugunghwa, means a flower that never wilts.) While it may look like its flower never wilts, a new flower is actually replacing the old. Hibiscus sustains its beauty by continuing to rejuvenate itself. APIS commits itself to continued innovation and to the “outside the box” way of thinking to provide cutting edge education that will prepare our students for the New Pacific Century. The introduction of the APIS Hawaii campus, for example, is our pioneering attempt to bring the classroom out to the world. While many schools teach about global issues, they do not operate in any meaningful way outside of them to provide an authentic, contextually global educational experience. With the “one school/two campuses” model of APIS education, we are different. Like the hibiscus flower, APIS will continue to reinvent itself to achieve our mission.
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APIS MISSION
APIS strives to educate its students, in a loving and caring Christian environment, to become globally enlightened citizens, who are able to bridge the gap between the East and the West, and are ready to welcome the exciting challenges of the New Pacific Century.
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CORE CURRICULAR EMPHASES
Education for the 21st century must accomplish and go beyond the traditional expectations of graduating students with exceptional literacy and numeracy skills. We believe our four areas of emphases are critical building blocks for providing each child with a truly international and distinctive education that will prepare them well for the New Pacific Century.
1
East Asia Emphasis
2
Emphasis on Performing and Visual Arts
3
STEM Emphasis
4
Spiritual Emphasis
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1 East Asia Emphasis APIS offers a rigorous, international curriculum with an added emphasis on the East Asian culture and civilization to help our students gain the competitive edge necessary to take on the challenges of the New Pacific Century. Hence, at APIS, our foreign language emphasis is currently on three major East Asian languages: Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
The Foreign Language Program At APIS, students in all grade levels take part in the foreign language program, which includes language arts, history, and culture. APIS has a fully articulated foreign language program that starts from the kindergarten level and extends all the way to grade 12. According to research, learning another language, especially if it is begun at an early age, further develops the higher-order critical thinking skills, therefore positively impacting academic performance in other subject areas as well. Moreover, in preparing our students to become the bridge builders between the East and the West, we want to expose our students to oral and written Chinese, Korean, and Japanese from the very beginning so that they can gain deeper insights into the people, values, and cultures of East Asia.
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2
Emphasis on Performing and Visual Arts The APIS education philosophy is anchored in our commitment to help our students nurture their unique talents and aid in their own personal growth. APIS is committed to establishing an extensive arts program. We offer instruction in a wide range of visual and performing arts.
APIS Performing Arts Program Asia Pacific International School believes in a strong and thorough music education for all students. Music benefits many aspects of cognitive and emotional processing and is critical to the intellectual development of our students. Music is an important academic tool; numerous studies have shown that students exposed to an intensive music program do much better in math and reading assessments than those who do not have musical training. In addition, music is a universal language used to communicate across cultural and national barriers. In this age of globalization, it is important for our students to gain the skills to succeed in our “flat world.� Most importantly, music is fun. The purpose and emphasis of the music program at APIS is not to make every student a professional musician. Rather, we believe that every student should learn to take pleasure in being involved in music from an early age. Not being part of it would be to miss one of God’s truly great gifts to humanity.
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3
STEM Emphasis
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Technology is a main driver of economic as well as social changes in this era of globalization. We take advantage of current technology in every possible aspect of the learning experience to provide an innovative and up-to-date education in science, technology, engineering, and math. The ultimate aim of our curricular emphasis is to develop our students’ potential to become future leaders in a world where keeping up with the latest changes in science and technology is of the utmost importance.
Technology Integration at APIS At APIS we combine current best practices in education and modern technology to create engaging and relevant learning experiences for all students. APIS strives to be at the forefront of information technology in education. We support this commitment with our state-of-the art technology infrastructure: wireless access throughout the school; the most up-to-date tech tools in all classrooms; and one-to-one computer access in our secondary school. Handin-hand with technology access is the expectation for our students to be responsible and ethical, digital citizens.
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4
Spiritual Emphasis With its foundation deeply grounded in the Christian faith, APIS strives to provide a truly loving and caring Christian environment where students of Christian faith and students from all religious and cultural backgrounds can be nurtured together to achieve the highest possible level of intellectual and personal development. As a Christ-centered school, we espouse the following beliefs: 1. A P I S i s a n e d u c a t i o n a l institution focused on academic excellence, intended to serve students of all faith.
2. A PIS will provide each student the opportunity to consider and accept the Christian faith in an atmosphere without pressure or the fear of disadvantage.
APIS is committed to providing a truly loving and caring educational environment where all children, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or nationality, can be nurtured together to achieve their fullest intellectual and personal development.
APIS aims to maintain an atmosphere where all members respect the personal convictions of others. Each student is ensured of the right to make his or her own decision about faith. At the same time, by choosing to matriculate in a committed Christian school, non-Christian students are expected to respect APIS’ Christian norms and practices.
1. APIS is an educational institution focused on academic excellence, intended to serve students of all faith. APIS is committed to providing a truly loving and caring educational environment where all children, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or nationality, can be nurtured together to achieve their fullest intellectual and personal development.
2. APIS will provide each student the opportunity to consider and accept the Christian faith in an atmosphere without pressure or the fear of disadvantage. APIS aims to maintain an atmosphere where all members respect the personal convictions of others. Each student is ensured of the right to make his or her own decision about faith. At the same time, by choosing to matriculate in a committed Christian school, non-Christian students are expected to respect APIS’ Christian norms and practices.
Christianity at APIS Firmly founded on the Christian faith, APIS seeks to foster the spiritual growth of its members in a loving and caring Christian environment where both Christians and non-Christians can work and learn together. We believe that an environment where both Christians and non-Christians are working and learning together is highly advantageous for all. Such an environment can, we believe, lead to a kind of spiritual growth that is more robust and enduring than would otherwise be possible in more traditional settings. For the non-Christian student, it amounts to being afforded a unique opportunity to understand the Christian faith, a movement which has been incalculably important in the shaping of world history and culture. We believe that this alone is of tremendous educational value. Lastly, for all students, this model helps equip them to successfully live and work in a very diverse and increasingly close global community. Christian education at APIS is departmentalized, as opposed to being infused into every part of
our curriculum. The chaplain and the Christian life & education department at APIS administers to spiritual guidance and Christian education of our students. Any course offerings not led by the Christian life & education department are, by design, identical to those offered in a standard, non-religious context. In other words, the availability and opportunity to access Christian education specialists and programs set APIS apart from other secular schools. While a plurality of worldviews is acknowledged at the school, APIS does not espouse other religious traditions. Neither have we designed the Christian life & education department to incorporate them in our spiritual life and practice. We do encourage all students and staff to pursue spiritual life and knowledge, but to this end, the school does not endorse or offer as part of our program practices rooted in religious traditions other than Christianity. This we see as essential to maintaining clarity in the theological position of the school.
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SKILLS & DISPOSITIONS EXPECTED SCHOOLWIDE LEARNING RESULTS
Upon graduation, students at APIS will: Communicate Effectively • Listen attentively, read critically, write effectively, and speak competently • Communicate in at least two East Asian languages • Express themselves using a variety of medium and tools, including writing, the arts, public speaking, and technology • Effectively communicate with others of diverse needs, beliefs, values, and cultures
Solve Problems Effectively • • • • • •
Identify problems, discover solutions, and analyze results Explore and share creative ideas and solutions using both Eastern and Western perspectives Reason critically and abstractly Recognize, adjust, and adapt to the opportunities of the New Pacific Century Use technology as a problem solving tool Use teamwork and collaborate with others to solve problems
Learn Independently and Cooperatively • Aspire to high standards in their work and assume responsibility for their education • Understand learning as a life-long process, requiring intellectual curiosity, varied & purposeful strategies, and perseverance • Successfully work with others in learning teams
Demonstrate Responsibility and Christian Values as Citizens of The World • Act with integrity and accept responsibility for their actions and choices • Develop an understanding of fundamental beliefs, values, and practices of the Christian faith and grow spiritually • Engage in self-reflection about their roles & purpose in the context of family, community, nation, and the world • Uphold an ethic of service by giving back to the local and global community • Use technology appropriately, ethically, and responsibly • Demonstrate understanding, compassion, and leadership for humanity in the New Pacific Century
KEY CHARACTER VALUES The vision of what we hope to achieve together at APIS is motivated by the following four key character values that are derived from the acronym of our school name:
A P
All of us at APIS are pioneers with the highest expectations for ourselves as well as for each other. Our aspirations are ultimately driven to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.
spire
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” PHILIPPIANS 3:14, NIV
We press on in patience. To persevere is not simply to endure hardships and obstacles. It is to put us on the path to success! We firmly believe that if we put our patience to work and press on, God’s promise will be revealed and fulfilled in our lives.
ersevere
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” HEBREWS 10:35-36, NIV
We strive for honesty and truthfulness guided by our relationship with the unchanging God. The measure of one’s integrity is in fact shown when he or she does something wrong: repent and step back into God’s grace.
I
ntegrity
S
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word. Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws. Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law. The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.” PSALMS 119: 105-112, NIV
APIS strives to be a community that nurtures each other in the unity of our faith. We nurture each other by serving each other and by learning to take correction from the Holy Spirit and from His people. Spiritual growth does not occur in isolation but does so when we are joined together as a body of Christ.
piritually Grounded
“[By] speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” EPHESIANS 4: 15-16, NIV
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APIS FUTURES ACADEMY
The APIS Futures Academy takes advantage of Hawaii’s rich natural and geographical resources to offer a dynamic and innovative, student-directed learning experience using project-based leaning, experiential learning, and fieldwork in local communities – all designed to prepare our students for the challenges of the New Pacific Century. Some of the topics that APIS Futures Academy students will explore in their learning are:
• Air and water quality and its effect on people and the environment • Health and its influence on life • Entrepreneurship and social responsibility • Culture and its influence on identity • Endangered species and sustainable future • Eco-farming and natural resource management
AN INTEGRAL PART OF HAWAII'S LOCAL LEARNING PROGRAM The experiential and project-based approach of APIS Futures Academy makes it essential that APIS Hawaii campus be an integrated part of the local learning community. Examples of possible APIS Future Academy Partnership with local communities:
• If a student who has passion and interest in art is creating visual autobiographies of local Hawaiian heroes, the student may partner with a local artist to learn and utilize their story in their project. • If a student has passion and interest in studying engineering through city planning and design and he/she is an avid naturalist, the student might partner with a local engineer to create a sustainable design around some of the most popular tourist sites in Hawaii. • If a student is researching business plans to explore international marketing opportunities, the student could connect with a company or community member with background and experience in doing business both in Asia and in the US.
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OUR CAMPUS HAWAII CAMPUS APIS Hawaii is located in Hauula, on the North Shore of Hawaii, approximately 1 hour from Honolulu. Nestled against the emerald green mountain backdrop and overlooking the crystal waters of the mighty Pacific Ocean, our Hawaii campus provides students the unique opportunity to pursue their academics and connect with the beauty of their natural surroundings at the same time. APIS classrooms and administrative offices form a purposeful learning community that blurs the lines between inside and out. The 97-acre campus includes flexible, 21st century classrooms, music and performing arts facilities, purpose-built “Maker spaces� and state-of-the-art science labs where students have the opportunity to undertake hands-on learning, athletic fields, and a competition swimming pool.
SEOUL CAMPUS The APIS Seoul Campus is located near the heart of Seoul, Korea (57 Wolgye-ro 45ga-gil, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 139-852, Korea – which is about a 30 min drive from the Seoul city center). APIS classrooms and administrative offices are housed in a main academic building (with 60+ classrooms and offices). In addition, the APIS campus includes an auditorium, children’s playground, athletic field, and gymnasium. In our state-of-the-art classrooms and labs, we take advantage of our superb IT-infrastructure in every possible aspect of the learning experience to provide the most innovative and up-to-date education. All of our classrooms have wireless broadband connections and are equipped with Smart Boards™.
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PERFORMING
BAND
ASIAN
EAST
ARTS
CHORUS ORCHESTRA
KOREAN
CHINESE
JAPANESE
COMPETENCIES
&
COMPUTER
SCIENCE,MATH
SCIENCE
EDUCATION INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
SPIRITUALLY GROUNDED CHRISTIAN FAITH
www.apis.org
Asia Pacific International School 54-230 Kamehameha Hwy, Hauula, Hawaii 96717 Tel : 808-670-1900 Email : apis@apishawaii.org