At Punahou School, the Explorations program is giving students the opportunity to step beyond the traditional classroom and immerse themselves in hands-on, passion-driven learning experiences. Designed as a non-graded and often interdisciplinary program, Explorations encourages students to pursue topics that spark curiosity while developing practical skills, creativity and deeper connections with their community and the world around them.
Students can select from a wide variety of courses that reflect the breadth of interests across the Punahou community. This year’s offerings include “Biology of Birds,” where students study bird behavior, conservation and native species found on campus, and “Broadcast Journalism with Punavision,” where students produce videos covering campus events and student life. In “Business of Fashion,” students examine fashion as both a global industry and cultural force while learning about branding, entrepreneurship, sustainability and marketing from members of Hawaiʻi’s fashion community.
Courses like “Dialogues Across Differences” invite students to engage in thoughtful conversations about democracy, ethics and public policy, while “Fit to Print” introduces students to screen printing and textile design through environmentally conscious art-making practices. In “Food Systems and Sustainability in Hawaiʻi,” students explore how food moves from ʻāina to table while helping organize the We Grow Hawaiʻi Youth Food Summit and developing projects focused on creating a more sustainable local food system.
Students interested in engineering and technology can participate in “FRC Robotics Exploration” and “FTC Robotics Exploration,” where they design, build and program competition robots capable of completing complex tasks on themed playing fields. Other students may choose “History of Tea & Tea Drinking,” a course blending history, culture, mindfulness and tea tasting, or “Kī Hōʻalu: Slack Key Guitar,” where students learn the traditional Hawaiian art of slack key guitar regardless of prior musical experience. “Uechi-Ryu Karate” introduces students to traditional Okinawan martial arts and emphasizes self-discipline, confidence and cultural understanding through kata and sparring practice.
By offering students opportunities to create, debate, perform, research, travel and collaborate, Explorations reflects Punahou’s commitment to innovative and student-centered learning. Whether students are filming a news segment, building a robot, studying sustainability, practicing slack key guitar, or engaging in philosophical dialogue, the program empowers them to explore meaningful interests in a supportive and highly personalized environment.