A Mid-Pacific Institute academy that encourages private and public school students to take classes and collaborate online from anywhere in the world is planning to undertake a $750,000 expansion, thanks to a major grant.

Mid-Pacific received a $250,000 Educational Leadership Grant from the New York-based Edward E. Ford Foundation to grow the Manoa private school’s Global Exchange Academy, nicknamed GlobalX.

The foundation grant requires at least an equal amount in matching funds, but Mid-Pacific is proposing a 2-to-1 match to its donors to bring the total investment to $750,000.

The grants focus on private schools with innovative programs making an impact on the wider community. Mid-Pacific hopes to use the funds to triple the current enrollment in the GlobalX program to more than 500 students in five years, said Paul Turnbull, Mid-Pacific Institute president. All students, regardless of whether they attend public, private, charter or home schools, stand to benefit, he said.

“The idea is to really try to solve the very real issue in education that there are students who have passions and purpose in any number of different pursuits, but no one school can provide … all the experiences and the course pathways to those passions,” Turnbull said.

“We would like to bring students together in our local community to provide them with that service. It’s not to be in competition with any school. It’s to supplement every school and really, truly be a ‘learner-centric’ service.”

The Global Exchange Academy, now in its first year, is an educational “hub” that provides in-person, virtual and blended courses that students from anywhere can take. A school news release reads: “An accessible, economical option for enhancing one’s educational journey, GlobalX and its extended learning programs benefit all students (DOE, private, charter, neighbor island) in grades 4-12 and adults of any age.”

Offerings for spring 2023 include credit-bearing, co- curricular and professional courses; summer school courses and programs; “micro-courses”; studios; certificate-based courses; community-based learning workshops; and internships.

Classes vary widely by topic, rates and format. For instance, a FIRST robotics competition class for grades 9-12 costs $500 for 29 classes of 90 minutes each. A keiki hula class costs $372 for 14 90-minute sessions. College 101, for parents whose children are newly enrolling in higher education, costs $50 for four one-hour classes.

Some of the most popular offerings recently have included the science of cooking, sustainable fishing and cryptocurrency, Turnbull said.

Asked how financially challenged families would be able to take advantage of the Global Exchange Academy, Turnbull said expanding access will be a priority.

“Access is really important to us. Part of our fundraising is about finding partners and funders and donors … who also believe that every student should have the ability to have an amazing teacher in front of them,” he said. “If we find the right partners, we can lower the price point for some of these courses. … Where you live and where you’re born shouldn’t dictate the quality of the education you receive.”

Find Global Exchange Academy’s full course list and rates at globalx.midpac.edu.