WAIMEA – Parker School has received a $90,000 grant from First Hawaiian Bank Foundation. The funds will be used to support the school’s $12 million “Broadening Foundations for Excellence” Capital Campaign to build a new Center for Sports, Science, and the Arts.
“We are grateful for the generosity and support of the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation. Not only does this donation push us closer to our $12 million goal, it shows other donors and foundations that this is an important next step in Parker School’s history,” said Carl Sturges, Parker School headmaster, in a press release.
Currently, Parker School does not have an indoor gym or a space large enough to gather the entire student body of over 300, leaving students, sports teams, and school traditions at the mercy of Waimea’s often windy and rainy weather.
Known as the Center for Sports, Science, and the Arts, the $12 million capital improvement project on Parker’s 23-acres campus will include a 10,800-square-foot gymnasium with locker rooms and athletic personnel offices, a 3,600-square-foot technology center (three divisible rooms featuring a robotics lab, makerspace and design lab), a 1,600-square-foot dance studio, a 1,200-square-foot fitness center, a commercial kitchen and multiple outdoor learning spaces.
“The Center for Sports, Science, and the Arts will provide, for the first time in our school’s 43-year history, an on-campus, all-school gathering place for graduations, May Day celebrations, pep rallies, sporting events, robotics competitions, and the ever-popular summer programs,” said David Kirk, Parker School board president.
Parker School was established in 1976 by community leaders. It educates more than 330 kindergarten through 12th grade students annually.
“The Foundation has been a strong supporter of educational institutions, and we appreciate Parker School in providing a quality education and continuing to create the best opportunities for its students,” said Sharon Shiroma Brown, President of First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, in the release. “We send our best wishes for a successful capital campaign.”