WHEREAS, WEST HAWAII EXPLORATIONS ACADEMY PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL (WHEAPCS) was established in 1993 as a fully accredited public charter school in Kona's Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, and today has an enrollment of 155 students from the seventh to twelfth grade, 20 percent of which are at-risk children; and

WHEREAS, the vision of WHEAPCS is to cultivate critical thinkers who are able to solve complex, real world problems, and participate as responsible citizens who value stewardship and collaboration through hand-on projects that extend beyond the classroom, with an emphasis on science; and

WHEREAS, with the help of mentoring by nearby scientists and entrepreneurs and accessibility to various community resources, WHEAPCS students develop real-world, long-term projects and perform research, exemplifying the ideal of national efforts to develop educational alternatives to the traditional school model; and

WHEREAS, the Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Award recognizes K-12 schools across the nation that demonstrate excellence in implementing innovative, replicable programs and showcase the effective use of technology, the benefits of strong teamwork, and the development of excellent classroom teachers, resulting in positive educational outcomes; and

WHEREAS, from a field of 3,300 applicants, WHEAPCS was selected to be in the group of 20 finalists that each received a 2005 Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Award, and is the first Hawaii school to achieve such an honor; and

WHEREAS, as a result of its accomplishments, WHEAPCS was invited to present its best practices at the Blue Ribbon Schools Conference in South Carolina in December 2005; now, therefore,