"Over the years, AOP and Assets have each provided high quality educational opportunities to Hawaii students with unique educational needs," commented AOP Board Chair Barron Guss.  "Through this merger, we can celebrate AOP's rich history and the many lives that have been touched by this unique school throughout its 52 years of service to the community.  We are also confident that this transition will ensure that the needs of children requiring a creative alternative to traditional learning environments can be met."

As part of the transition, Assets will form an integration team to collaborate and share knowledge of both AOP and Assets to ensure that the legacy of AOP is honored and remains strong.  In addition, Assets has invited two existing members of the AOP Board, Phil Bossert and Fritz Johnson to join the Assets Board of Trustees.

"Both AOP and Assets have been very important to me and my family," said Assets Board of Trustee member and AOP alumni McD Philpotts.  "Barron [Guss] and I went through high school together at AOP.  That small school had a big impact in our lives, as it has for so many others in the community throughout the years.  Both my sons went to Assets and are now at Cal Poly and we know Assets was key to making that possible for them.  So you could say, like father like son, finding the right learning environments have been the key to our success. The two schools have been educating a similar population for generations. This merger will ensure that the spirit of AOP lives on and will continue to benefit those in this community who are gifted and/or learn differently.  With this new campus, Assets greatly increases its capacity to serve these students for generations to come." 

Assets will honor the naming of the buildings on the campus, Dorothy Douthit Courtyard, the John Mason Young building and Damon Hall by ensuring that the naming remains the same.  A plaque acknowledging The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation for their support of the athletic complex will also remain.

AOP alumni will be invited to participate in all Assets events.  In the near feature, a link will be added to the Assets website specifically for AOP alumni and donors.  The site will include legacy information and will explain how the vision and services of AOP have been combined with Assets to ensure that these important educational opportunities and services continue.

"This gracious gift of a new campus is a gift of a new beginning for so many children who need an individualized, integrated learning environment, " Paul Singer, Head of Assets School.  "On this beautiful campus, children will continue to become empowered and will maximize their potential just as they had for many decades before."