Punahou School, formerly Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, non-sectarian college preparatory school located in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. With a student body that averages 3700 students annually in kindergarten through the twelfth grade, Punahou School is one of the largest independent schools in the United States. Founded in 1841 as Oahu College, Punahou School was originally a school for the children of Congregationalist missionaries serving throughout the Pacific region. The land on which Punahou School sat was a gift of Queen Kaahumanu to the Rev. Hiram Bingham, the first Christian missionary in Hawaii. The first class was held on July 11, 1842 and consisted of only fifteen students. With a proud and rich history, Punahou is the most respected academy in Hawaii, and one of the top schools in the nation

Folklore

Punahou School derives its current name from local folklore about the area's water source. According to the story, an aged Hawaiian couple lived on the land but had to travel quite a distance for water. As this was difficult for a couple of their age, they prayed for a spring. In a dream they were told to uproot the stump of an old pandanus tree. Upon doing so, they discovered a spring which they named Ka Punahou, which in Hawaiian language literally means the new spring. Located beside the school chapel, the spring is the centerpiece of the Punahou School campus.

Case Middle School

A gift of ten million dollars by America Online founder Steve Case, a Punahou School graduate of 1976, led to construction of a new middle school for grades six, through eight.

The idea of a new middle school started when Punahou started looking at the needs of the middle school. The building and construction of it started off with a gift of over 10 million dollars from Steve Case, a Punahou alumnus and former CEO of AOL.

The furniture was provided by Herman Miller. The furniture include pieces from the action office system, passage desking system, intersect portfolio, caper chairs, mirra chairs, meridian unity lateral files, avive table collection and procedure supply carts.

The whole Case Middle School cost over sixty million dollars and made possible through donations. The new middle school has opened on January 4, 2005, but the sixth graders had been using their buildings since the beginning of the 2004 through 2005 school year.

Notable Students

• Hiram Bingham III, U.S. Senator from Connecticut
• Steve Case, America Online founder
• Norm Chow , former BYU, North Carolina and Southern California assistant football coach. Currently with Tennessee Titans.
• Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, Prince of Hawai'i
• Barack Obama, Illinois politician
• Michelle Wie, youngest winner of an adult USGA and PGA golf tournament
• Kelly Preston, Actress; Married to John Travolta (Twins, Jerry Maguire, Jack Frost, Dr. Seuss)
• Scott Coffey , Actor; Shag , Satisfaction , Lost Highway
• Gerry Lopez , Surfer

Resources

• Punahou School