‘Iolani aims to expand its campus and reach

‘Iolani School announced Thursday that it will build a high school dormitory to foster global connections for its students and will expand its elementary school with new classrooms, science labs and music studios.

Altogether, the campus projects are slated to cost between $30 million and $40 million. Construction is set to start later this year, but no opening dates have been set.

The school will create a Kindergarten-First Grade Community with 10 new classrooms that blend indoor and outdoor learning, arrayed around a parklike playground. The facility will allow ‘Iolani to accept 24 more students in kindergarten, the entry point where demand is greatest, for a total of 96 students.

The high school dormitory is expected to draw international, mainland and Hawaii students seeking a college preparatory education. The school, founded by King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma in 1863, housed students from around the world through 1959, and often fields inquiries about the possibility of boarding.

“One of our goals is to become a more globally connected school, and that’s for our students,” Timothy Cottrell, head of school, said in an interview. “If we can bring more of the world here, more cultural experiences, and expose all of our students to that, everyone will grow in their cultural competencies.”

“That’s really looking at the skills our students will need to succeed in our ever more connected world.”

The school bought 5.5 acres of adjacent land in 2009, and plans to use one acre of that for the K-1 Community, according to spokeswoman Cathy Lee Chong. She said 26 apartment units will be affected by the construction, and that the administration is giving renters options to relocate.

“We are working really closely with the longtime residents who are in the buildings that will be affected on that one acre of land,” she said. “They are being given options to remain on the property in a different building, so they can stay in the neighborhood if they like, for the long-term residents. All other renters, we are talking with them and providing options.”

The other construction projects are on land that is already part of the campus. The residence hall will accommodate 112 more students in grades 9 through 12, on the site where the head of school residence is now located. The school currently has more than 50 international students.

Along with the K-1 Community, two other buildings will be built to serve the whole lower school. They will feature high-tech science labs, a technology center and “maker space,” dance and music studios, and workshop spaces for English and math.

The lead architecture firm on the project is G70, formerly known as Group 70 International.

The expansion plans have been in the works for four years, Cottrell said, and are intended to benefit local students, not detract from their experience.

“There will be no effect on our day student tuition,” he said. “We have ways to fund it outside of that. It won’t affect our financial aid budget. It won’t affect class size. Our class sizes, which are already very, very small, are going to get even smaller. Also the boarding program won’t displace any local kids.”

Even though kindergarten enrollment will grow, learning space per student in kindergarten and first grade will more than double. The student-teacher ratio will be low: 12 to 1 for kindergarten and 16 to 1 for first grade.

“We are very excited that our new K-1 Community will enable approximately 30 percent more local students to enter ‘Iolani in kindergarten and experience the nurturing, small school atmosphere and intimate learning environment for which the school is known,” Jenai S. Wall, chairman of ‘Iolani’s Board of Governors said. “‘Iolani has long recognized the critical role early childhood experiences play in establishing a foundation for lifelong learning.”

Cottrell said the school is committed to “creating the best education spaces in the world for our students.” ‘Iolani completed the Sullivan Center for Innovation and Leadership at its upper school in 2013.

Few schools in the islands offer boarding options. Among them are Hawaii Preparatory Academy on Hawaii island and Kamehameha Schools. Mid-Pacific Institute closed down its dormitory more than a decade ago but offers a home-stay option.