Paul Singer, Head of School

Webster's dictionary defines Illumination as: "Light that comes into a room, that shines on something."  Reflecting on our incredible group of talented students at Assets, I like to think of our upcoming Illumination event as a celebration of our students who, without exception, light up our classrooms on a daily basis.

Each year, over 500 parents, friends and colleagues attend Illumination, enjoying great food, great shopping and great company, while generously contributing to our schools commitment to socio-economic diversity.  By doing so, they are honoring and respecting the idea of equal educational opportunity.  

Year after year, we recommit ourselves to providing a strong, researched based multi-sensory program to as wide a socio-economic spectrum as possible, knowing that by doing so we are supporting the unique individuality of our population of gifted, talented learners, who happen to learn differently.

The event is so much more than merely a means of raising tuition assistance; it benefits every student, every family and everyone in our community in need of our unique expertise and resources. The event is a celebration of who we are and the meaningful work that we do and a celebration of our everyday heroes - our students. The event is a reminder that, "Children Are Our Greatest Assets."

Whenever I walk around campus or observe in classrooms, I'm consistently taken aback by the combination of genius and creativity along with an endearing awkwardness among our students, most of whom have remarkable strengths that have gone unrecognized in other school settings. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to watch these fine, unique individuals grow and learn as they come to recognize their strengths, as well as their personal challenges, in a way that allows them to become superb self-advocates.

Our students illuminate our campus with their compassion, sensitivity and respect for differences. They illuminate our campus with their poetry, photography, athleticism, creativity and academic excellence in a wide variety of subjects. They illuminate our campus by being themselves in our accepting, non-judgmental setting.

I hope you will join me on March 7th at the Hawaii Convention Center in celebrating our amazing students by joining the fun at Illumination. You'll have a great time, while supporting a noble mission and helping well deserving, wonderful students.