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Academy Days at HMA: A Parent’s Observations
his year, Hawaiian Mission Academy (HMA) decided to do something different for Academy Days visitation. Why not have students from across the state of Hawaii spend not just one day but several days seeing what HMA has to offer? This would give potential new students the opportunity to get to know each other before committing to HMA as their school of choice. I had the fun privilege of escorting my son and two classmates from Kahili Adventist School on Kauai to Oahu for this event. As I arrived at Camp Waianae with the three 13-yearold boys I was chaperoning, I noted several things: the weather was fantastic, how quickly we were settled into our respective cabins, and the hum of energy that was nearly audible. Approximately 40 students, mostly eighth-graders from across the state, were the source of that vibrant energy. They were led by 10 HMA students who had been chosen by the staff to oversee all the activities that would take place over the weekend. Four teams were established, which meant that students from one school were combined with students from other schools. And then the competition ramped up. Each team began putting heart and soul into earning points, which would be translated into “dollars” that would be used to bid on merchandise at the auction to be held on Monday. As the day progressed into evening, it seemed that the energy level did not abate until lights out at bedtime. The Friday events led into Sabbath morning and
26 Pacific Union Recorder
Hawaii Conference
afternoon events. Relay races, balloon popping, cardboard boat building at the pool, team banner painting, and massive tugs-of-war—all teams were working at high speed and cheering each other on. I was interested to note how quickly the boys bonded together. And by Saturday night under the big circus tent, the girls had also formed into a cohesive unit. As the Saturday night games got under way, it was now a competition of boys versus girls. At stake was the camp cleanup chores on Sunday going to the losing side. From the staring contests to the karaoke and lip-syncing contests, the cacophony of noise reached a crescendo that threatened to send the tent soaring off like a hot air balloon. Everyone was all in, with each team pulling even the shyest person into the spirit of competing. As fun as it was to laugh, applaud, and cheer, watching kids having more fun than any video game could offer, I also observed the real achievement for which this event was structured. Despite the high spirits, yells, squeals, shouts, and laughter, when the student leaders got up to talk about their experiences as HMA students, the noise stopped as if a plug had been pulled. Student leaders had been requested to talk about balance in their lives. For one student, this involved time management and procrastination; for another student, this meant body image and learning to accept self; another student leader spoke about parental expectations and the downward spiral when parental encouragement turned into pushing. I looked around the audience and saw the same reaction each time a student leader opened up and talked about
