Honolulu, Hawaii

I have been to a lot of places in twenty-two years of this work, and I have a favorite among them. Honolulu is unlike anywhere else I have been, and I come back each time wanting more.

An education market older than the state

Independent schooling in Hawai’i is not a recent import. It predates statehood by generations, and that history is part of why Honolulu is the epicenter of independent education in a way few cities are. The marketplace is wide and deep. There is a school for nearly every kind of family, every tradition, and every idea of what a child should become. Our clients here have been vast and expansive over the years, and I have spoken on behalf of the Hawai’i Association of Independent Schools and worked on many kinds of programs and services across the islands. What stands out most to me, visit after visit, is how closely these schools are tied to their setting. Culture and place are part of how the schools are built, and that is true here to a degree I have not found anywhere else.

Saint Louis School

On the hillside, Saint Louis School shares its setting with Chaminade University, and the pairing gives the campus a distinctive energy. Saint Louis is a football powerhouse, and it is also a place where young men grow up well, with a Marianist tradition that shapes how they treat each other. It is also one of the few schools anywhere whose president once had a hit single that crossed the world. Glenn Medeiros, whose 1980s hit “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You” made him a star, now leads the school as president, and he brings the same warmth to the job.

St. Andrew’s Priory

St. Andrew’s Priory has a lineage that runs back to Queen Emma, wife of Kamehameha IV. She did three things for the Hawaiian people that still matter. She founded The Queen’s Hospital, helping the islands face the diseases that were devastating the Hawaiian people. She helped bring the Anglican Church to Hawai’i. And she brought education to girls. We were honored to help the school extend that founding vision beyond young women, to serve young men through the Prep as well. It is a rare thing to help a school grow while staying true to what its founder set in motion.

Hawai’i School for Girls at La Pietra

Hawai’i School for Girls at La Pietra has been a longtime client of ours, and our work with them has been some of the most rewarding. We recently completed a brand refresh for La Pietra and developed their strategic plan, Vision 2035, which has been foundational for the school and, frankly, extraordinary to be part of.

Why I keep coming back

Every place in this series shapes the schools within it. In Honolulu, the shaping goes further. These schools are rooted in the history, the people, and the culture of the islands, and they do not borrow their identity from anywhere else. There is no place like it, and I expect to keep coming back.