ABOUT US
Where education meets exploration
West Hawaiʻi Explorations Academy (WHEA) is a public charter school located at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi. Since 1994, WHEA has offered an innovative, project-based learning (PBL) environment rooted in hands-on, real-world education. Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), WHEA combines rigorous academics with inquiry-driven projects that take students beyond the traditional classroom—into outdoor learning spaces, scientific field studies, and community-based experiences.
WHEA’s curriculum aligns with Hawaiʻi State Common Core Standards and emphasizes student responsibility, collaboration, and self-direction. Our approach blends academic instruction with applied learning, giving students the opportunity to explore, design, and problem-solve in authentic settings. At WHEA, education is not just about meeting standards—it's about cultivating curiosity, independence, and real-world readiness.
OUR BELIEFS
Equitable & Engaging
All learners are welcome, and they have the right to equitable access and participation in the WHEA curriculum. When connecting kinesthetic learning to meaningful real-world challenges and projects, we believe all learners have the opportunity to participate in authentic learning. WHEA’s ethos is grounded in critical thinking and problem-solving through project-based learning, which increases motivation and prepares students to face a rapidly changing world. We believe in developing meaningful relationships with our students and engaging in the learning process together as a whole school community.
OUR APPROACH
Project-Based Learning
WHEA is a Project-Based Learning (PBL) school dedicated to hands-on educational methods. Simply, PBL is a dynamic pedagogical approach in which students actively explore real-world problems and challenges. Students acquire a more profound understanding through the process of conceptualizing, designing, building, and producing. While many WHEA projects use NELHA as a unique learning environment, the larger goal is the development of methodologies that are replicable in other educational settings. PBL is applicable across all disciplines and is expected in all classes and projects.
OUR PROGRAMS
Serving students grades 6-12
GRADES 6-8
Tier One
Tier One introduces students to project-based learning, focusing on developing foundational academic and life skills that set them up for success. The Tier One program includes Advisory sessions prioritizing social-emotional learning (SEL) to support the whole child. Students can self-select projects in the categories of STEM, Marine Science, and Arts, fostering student voice and choice while engaging in off-campus learning experiences. Tier One projects emphasize teaching experimental design, engineering design, independent learning, and problem-solving.
GRADES 9-12
Tier Two
Tier Two is a program with a curriculum designed to engage students with meaningful, real-world problems that promote lifelong learning and a sense of caring for others. The program prioritizes advancing essential soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and adaptability while fostering the development of responsible, engaged citizens in the modern world. With a focus on student-led projects, the curriculum encourages ownership and creativity, integrating authentic, real-life experiences that make learning relevant and impactful.
GRADES 11 & 12
Tier Three
Tier Three is a program designed to help exceptional students focus on their future career goals and give them more independence to be able to explore those career options through an Internship and/or individual Capstone Project while also taking dual enrollment classes with the local community college. Students will be provided support about college and career options, while also learning financial literacy, workforce skills, time management and organization, project management, and also, general life skills.