MEDIA RELEASE

Parker School has received a $50,000 grant from the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation for the creation of a new middle and upper school media studio.

Victoria Hasty, vice-president of First Hawaiian Bank and Harold Hughes, vice-president and area manager of the Kamuela branch of First Hawaiian Bank, visited the school recently and presented the check to headmaster Carl Sturges.

The facility is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012 and will be named the First Hawaiian Bank Media Studio, Sturges said.

“Parker School wishes to express its gratitude to First Hawaiian Bank for making this possible. Thanks to the bank’s generous support, our students will soon be able to take advantage of the advanced videographic capabilities provided by the new media studio We promise to make good use of the bank’s investment in Hawaii’s educational future,” he said.

“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Parker School to offer its students a creative learning experience through the new First Hawaiian Bank Media Studio,” said Bob Harrison, First Hawaiian Bank president and chief operating officer. “This media studio will help students gain the technical skills they need for the future.”

For the media studio, an existing building on Parker’s upper campus will be renovated and the 475 square foot space will be equipped with video conferencing and podcasting equipment, still photography cameras, a SmartBoard, film editing resources and a conference table.

Parker School’s Foundation for the Future two-year comprehensive campaign was launched in the fall of 2010 with the goal of raising $500,000 for the Annual Fund for Education and three major facilities improvements: a regulation-sized soccer field (which is nearly complete); upgrades to the historical theatre; and the lower school library and media resource center as well as the middle and upper school media studio.

First Hawaiian Bank is the largest corporate contributor to charity in Hawaii. The bank, through its Foundation, annually donates more than $2.5 million to over 400 local charities.

Parker School is a small, independent, co-educational day school located on the Big Island of Hawaii. The school provides a college-preparatory program, emphasizing personal and educational excellence, for students in grades K-12.

Its small class sizes; ohana, or family-like, atmosphere; and diverse, caring and talented faculty combine to produce a rewarding educational experience for students destined to make the most of their lives. Parker School is fully accredited in grades K-12 by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS).

— Find out more:
www.parkerschool.net