Hawaii Conference
2019
Outdoor School By Sarah Traczyk
U
nplug, learn, and connect with our Creator: These were the three goals that Hawaiian Mission Academy schools had in mind as principals from three HMA schools planned a re-vamped, threeday Outdoor School for fifth- to eighth-grade students.
Camp Waianae is traditionally used as a summer camp and weekend getaway, but this year principals wanted to give their students a break from the everyday learning routine and bring the classroom outside. So 115 students from HMA Ka Lama Iki, HMA Windward Campus, and Adventist Malama Elementary School pulled into Camp Waianae on a toasty afternoon in November with great excitement and over-stuffed bags. Students were assigned cabins
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based on their home school, but they were also coordinated in groups according to their grade level. Staff didn’t want to place students entirely with their regular classmates because they wanted them to get to know their peers from sister schools. “These students will interact soon enough for both sporting events and going into high school,” Principal Sarah Traczyk said. “This was a good way to break the ice. We wanted students to not be concerned about what school someone is from and to just view
