Letter from the Head of School

I am pleased to report that Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy’s fi scal year ending May 31, 2019 was one of continued fi nancial stability. As you will read in the pages ahead, it was a year in which the HPA Fund broke all of our school records, alumni giving nearly tripled, and judicious investment in our physical and technological infrastructure brought tangible improvements to life across both campuses.

Over the past several months, as I have come to learn more about this remarkable place and the community of students, teachers, parents, and alumni who make it what it is, I have been heartened by the abundance of generosity, innovation, and aloha found here. At every turn, I see our students participating in meaningful work as their teachers guide them through the process of learning, creating, and discovering. Central to the philosophy of Aristotle is this same idea of meaningful work: energeia. For Aristotle, meaningful work—being deeply engaged in whatever it is we are doing—is key to a good life. As HPA continues to make steady progress on both our Strategic and Sustainability Plans, we also keep meaningful work at the heart of what we do; educating our students so that they might lead lives of meaning and virtue. We see this thread carried through in our alumni ‘ohana; HPA graduates are giving back to their communities and to their alma mater in remarkable ways. They are moving and changing the world with their creativity and courage, and we are proud to count each one as part of our ‘ohana. As I write to you from March 2020, we are grappling with the novel coronavirus global pandemic. Though these are trying times for us all, we know that we will be stronger and more connected for having carried on through this together. I am honored to assume leadership of this great institution, and I look forward to sharing more good news on our progress across many fronts in the months and years ahead—as we meet our ambitious sustainability goals, increase our capacity to provide fi nancial aid for students who need it, and continue to provide the kind of education that enriches lives and shapes communities.

With aloha,

PATRICK J. PHILLIPS / HEAD OF SCHOOL