The Doors Open on September 2, 1949

September 2, 1949 was the first day of school of a brand new school year, but not just any school year. It was the beginning of the very first year of Hawaii Baptist Academy. Thirty-six students in the seventh and eighth grade came together to make up the first student body, and they met on a newly purchased two-acre piece of land in Makiki, on Liholiho and Heulu Streets. Purchased in April 1948, the acquiring of this campus was the result of a year-long search. Initially wanting an eight-acre land, founders H.P. and Mary McCormick realized that this compromise was what was available and affordable.

“I do not remember the details, but it is a part of the miraculous story of Hawaii Baptist Academy,” said H.B. Ramsour, the missionary pastor who initially spotted the empty plot of land and reported it to the committee looking for a site for the school. “I do not even remember the price, but the fact that it was within reach of what the Mission could afford was a miracle in itself.”

To prepare for the start of this new school campus, a year’s worth of work, done largely by volunteers, included the clearing of trees, the purchase and refurbishment of army barracks to serve as classrooms, and plans to make the facilities suitable for children and education.

“The buildings are not imposing looking but they are ideally suited for tropical school buildings,” wrote Mrs. McCormick in a letter. “Each room has two exposures and long verandas extending the entire length of one side.”

Along with classrooms, there was a chapel, a library, an auditorium, and a health room. Tuition and fees were $110. Chapel was required everyday. Baptist missionaries served as teachers.

One year later, the enrollment increased from 39 to 122, and an elementary division was added, which eventually led to the construction of a new building to accommodate the new grade levels by the time enrollment reached 227 in 1952. In the following years, the student body continued to increase as more families in Hawaii, Christian or not, became interested in enrolling their children in this new institution grounded on Christian principles and built on humble yet solid ground.

The first few years of HBA’s existence, from before the school opened its doors to the continual expansion of its student body in the early 1950s, were marked by a belief in the miraculous work of God. Financial limitations and the lack of ample space could not hold back the school from sprouting into a reputable institution in the community. Whoever studies the history of the school of its first half-decade can see that HBA’s growth was guided by wisdom and by God’s providence. Soon, HBA will produce its first graduates, and new traditions that still remain today will begin to lay the foundation that will shape the culture and heart of our school for decades to come.