Senior Class Kicks Off Graduation Season and College Application Success

Mr Ryan Kirkham and Dr John James met with the parents of the senior class of 2026 to begin the 32 week countdown to graduations. The senior year countdown officially begins in February with the annual senior class trip, which typically takes them inter-island to Kaua’i during interim week. Behind the scenes, staff is conducting continuous graduation audits to ensure every student meets all requirements in a timely manner. The benefit of our small school size is that "nothing slips through the cracks," ensuring a smooth path to commencement.

 

This year’s college counseling efforts were significantly "retooled," resulting in a massive head start for our largest graduating class in school history. The team of Dr. John James, Mrs. Jessica Lucia, and Trevor Sturgeon is deeply invested in the students, having been their classroom teachers for many years.

Following the motto, "Train hard, fight easy," the team put in maximum effort over the summer to initiate one-on-one meetings. They focused intensively on applications and essays, which allowed students to balance their regular studies and extracurricular activities once the school year started. Importantly, letters of recommendation were requested long before the school year began, giving recommenders adequate time to reflect and write thoughtful endorsements for the seniors.

Before the first day of school, students put in over 500 hours of all-one-on-one time, focusing on their writing compositions. The goal was to ensure every piece of writing was thoroughly edited, with some essays going through 10-15 drafts. This dedicated summer effort positioned the seniors three months ahead of schedule on their college applications, allowing them to finalize the essential components that "make their case for admittance."

With applications largely submitted, the focus now shifts to the next step: applying for local scholarships.