About the trip:
Huaka'i is the Hawaiian word for journey. The BHS Hawaii Marine science trip is a 15-day journey to the Hawaiian Islands designed to provide students with an opportunity to be immersed in marine science and Hawaiian culture.
The trip will be spent on the Big Island of Hawaii. Students will stay at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy (http://www.hpa.edu/). At HPA, the students' experiences will be both in a traditional classroom and in the ocean conducting various labs. Students will be taking a marine science seminar class in the morning. In the afternoon, all the students will be participating in various activities such as ocean labs and field trips. Some labs include fish identification, coral reef zonation, a nighttime and daytime tide pool lab, and a wave lab in which students will hike down to a black sand beach. In addition to learning about the marine environment, students are immersed in traditional Hawaiian culture with tours of ancient Hawaiian sites and guest speakers. Some of the tours and field trips include visiting Hapuna Beach, hiking down Pololu Valley to a beautiful black sand beach, visiting the Mo'okini Heiau, exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, being mesmerized by Kahuna Falls, star gazing at Mauna Kea, going on a submarine ride, hiking the volcano flow at Kilauea, nighttime manta ray snorkeling, enjoying an afternoon sea cruise, and much more.
What are the benefits of going on this trip?
This trip will earn students 1 science elective credit at BHS. Grades will be based on classes prior to the trip, the grade earned at HPA, and a final reflection paper grade. In addition to earning credits, this trip is a great opportunity for anyone interested in marine science. However, it is much more than that. On this trip students will experience a culture different than their own. They will meet new people. They will gain a better appreciation for the environment. They will see sacred Hawaiian places that are not open to the public. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and life changing for most.
All program and BHS rules apply to the trip, and violations may result in removal from the course and/or early departure from Hawaii at an additional expense to the parent(s).