Pacific Buddhist Academy
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The Pacific Buddhist Academy is a private, co-educational college preparatory high school in
Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...
. The school's stated mission is "To prepare students for college through academic excellence, enrich their lives with Buddhist values, and develop their courage to nurture peace." Students of all beliefs and religious backgrounds are welcome; conversion to Buddhism is not part of the school's mission. Founded in 2003, the school is the only Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist high school in North America. Pacific Buddhist Academy's first class of 14 students graduated in 2007; its total enrollment as of the 2013-2014 school year, in grades 9 through 12, is 71 students. The school won accreditation in 2009 from the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools and the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Sam ...
for a six-year-term through June 2015, with a mid-term visit in spring 2012.


Affiliations

Pacific Buddhist Academy was founded with an initial $1.5 million endowment from the Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist Church of Kyoto, Japan. The school also receives significant financial support from the temples and individual members of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, which operates Hongwanji Mission School, covering preschool through grade 8. Pacific Buddhist Academy and Hongwanji Mission School are affiliated academically, but the academy was founded as a separate
501(c)3 A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 5 ...
nonprofit organization to allow for independent fundraising efforts. Team sports are conducted through the academy's membership in the
Interscholastic League of Honolulu The Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) is an athletic activity league whose membership is primarily private secondary schools in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The ILH has 24 member schools with over 13,000 student athletes participating in 37 differ ...
.


Curriculum

Pacific Buddhist Academy's curriculum aims to combine traditional college preparatory content with group projects and a global, applied approach to learning. Instructors seek to recognize and build upon students’ individual learning processes as they teach students to think critically and creatively, and to collaborate. The school works to integrate basic Buddhist principles—including interdependence, compassion, mindfulness, and gratitude—into the courses as well as daily academic life. Pacific Buddhist Academy class sizes do not exceed 24 students. Coursework makes extensive use of on-campus wireless Internet access.


Core academic curriculum

Pacific Buddhist Academy offers core academic courses, electives, and co-curricular opportunities. Core academic offerings include: * English * Math * Science * Social studies * Japanese Language * Buddhist Education Electives are divided into four related strands: budō or martial arts, emphasizing spiritual & philosophical development, the expressive arts, the visual arts, and academically-based electives (standard and honors track). Students also have the opportunity to participate in academic, community service and social clubs.


Peace education and spiritual development

Peace Studies, fine, performing, and
budō is a Japanese term describing modern Japanese martial arts. Literally translated it means the "Martial Way", and may be thought of as the "Way of War" or the "Way of Martial Arts". Etymology Budō is a compound of the root ''bu'' ( 武:ぶ), ...
arts classes, service learning projects, and Buddhist education comprise the peace education program at Pacific Buddhist Academy. The foundation for these programs is derived from Buddhist principles that focus on wisdom and compassion. The perspectives of all schools of Buddhism are recognized, but with an emphasis on Shin Buddhist teachings. Buddhist Living classes are required for four years, and students attend temple services each Friday. As freshmen, students focus on personal spiritual development through experiential learning. They enroll in courses such as
taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming ...
(Japanese drumming), kendo (swordsmanship), and
judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
that foster self-awareness and the unity of mind, body and spirit. In their sophomore and junior years, students focus on interpersonal communication, mediation, and conflict resolution skills that directly apply to their developing and intensifying relationships with peers and parents. Finally, in their senior year, their attention moves to clarification and application of their personal values at the community, national and international levels as they engage in peace projects.


Athletics

Pacific Buddhist Academy students can compete on the
Interscholastic League of Honolulu The Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) is an athletic activity league whose membership is primarily private secondary schools in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The ILH has 24 member schools with over 13,000 student athletes participating in 37 differ ...
's Pac-Five teams in baseball, girls’ softball, judo, swimming, tennis, track and field, water polo, and wrestling. In addition, the academy fields its own cross-country, boys’ basketball and girls’ bowling teams. Students also can participate on Pac-Five member teams in girls’ basketball and volleyball.


Campus

The Pacific Buddhist Academy campus fronts Pali Highway in the Nu'uanu area of Honolulu on the grounds of the Hawaii Betsuin, the main temple of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii. Classrooms and administrative offices occupy a remodeled annex building of the Betsuin. The academy also shares a gymnasium, martial-arts dojo, swimming pool, science labs and art and music classrooms with Hongwanji Mission School, a Betsuin-run elementary school located on the opposite side of Pali Highway. The campuses are connected by a pedestrian tunnel. As of 2010, the academy has launched a capital campaign for the construction of a new classroom building along the Lusitana Street side of its campus, as part of a plan to expand to a maximum of 240 students over the next 10 years. The first phase of the construction is planned to accommodate 120 students. In late 2017, the Harry Jeanette Weinberg building opened to learning, while continuing to utilize the "old building" for extra-curricular activities.


Demographics

Reflecting Hawaii's diverse ethnic heritage, 42 percent of the academy's students identify themselves with more than one ethnic group, with the overall breakdown as follows: American Indian, 5.45 percent; Asian, 89.09 percent; Filipino, 14.55 percent; Hispanic or Latino, 18.18 percent; Pacific Islander, 16.36 percent; White, not of Hispanic origin, 25.45 percent, and Other, 1.82 percent. One-third of student families identify themselves as Buddhist, one-third Christian and the rest specify no religious affiliation.


Notable alumni

*
Lauren Tsai Lauren Tsai (born February 11, 1998), is an American visual artist, model, and actress. She is best known to audiences for her appearance in the Fuji TV and Netflix series '' Terrace House: Aloha State''. She made her acting debut in the third an ...
, illustrator and
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...


References


External links


Pacific Buddhist Academy

Hawaii Association of Independent Schools

Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii

Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist Church
{{authority control 2003 establishments in Hawaii Buddhism in Honolulu Buddhist schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 2003 Japanese-American culture in Honolulu Preparatory schools in Hawaii Private high schools in Honolulu Religious schools in Hawaii Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii