Only five minutes from the beach? That is Waialua High and Intermediate School! Because of this, the North Shore ocean has become almost an extension of our campus. Our students, teachers and staff are very involved with the beaches, and it is not unusual for students to come to their first classes with wet hair because they went swimming or surfing in the early morning.

Students participate in many different activities at the beach in addition to swimming and surfing: They dive, fish, paddle, or even just hang out. Our teachers are often spotted at the beaches.

Cody Shumway, a math teacher at the school, is an excellent surfer and is popular among the surfing crowd. He even has a sandwich named after him, the “;Cody Special,”; at Stortos, the local deli in Haleiwa. In addition, Shumway was the talk of the campus this year when his eye was speared by a needle fish as he was paddling out to surf. He pulled the needle out and missed being blinded by only a few millimeters. Ever the surfer, Shumway paddled the rest of the way out and surfed in before he drove himself to the emergency room. “;Why waste a wave?”; said the inveterate Shumway.

Mary Chun, a history teacher, can be found paddle boarding alongside her son Asa, a substitute teacher at our school who also teaches the sport. “;I love seeing my students at the beach,”; she said. “;I like seeing them in a relaxed environment and I love when they scream, 'Is that you, Mrs. Chun?'”;

Several of our school sports involve the ocean. Our location makes practices for the paddling team very convenient. “;I don't have to try to get a ride—I can walk and so I always make practice,”; said junior Kekoa Kaaiawaawa.

In addition, the beach makes a great conditioning location for other sports. In the summer, the volleyball teams became very familiar with the terms hard work and endurance. All through the summer, the teams trained and participated in intense practices in the sand. “;Conditioning at the beach was very challenging, but it really got me in shape and gave me a good tan!”; said junior Jasmine Lucero.

The beach also offers a lot of job opportunities. Senior Jasmine Kalihi-McCormick is a surfing instructor for Sunset Suzie. McCormick teaches tourists the surfing basics on the sand and then takes them out into waves. “;Working at the beach is better than working in an office because it is very fun and relaxing,”; she said.

Momi Green, another senior at Waialua, has a family-owned business right on the beach where they rent out equipment such as surfboards, body- and skimboards, and more. “;I love it because school and work are both stressful, so having the beach so close is such a great privilege to have,”; Green said.

Waialua High and Intermediate School is very fortunate to have the beautiful North Shore beaches in its back yard, and students often participate in beach cleanups. This helps students give back to their community by maintaining the beaches they love.