Aloha! The past two days have been very eventful for the group. On Wednesday we departed Uncle Billy's in Kona and drove across the island to Hawaii Volcano National Park. On the way there we took a pit stop and visited Black Sand Beach. Once arrived at the park, we jumped right into exploring all that the park has to offer. The group visited the Kilauea Visitor Center and the Jaggar Museum, where we learned about the history of the park and the current activity of the volcanoes. We were able to view the Halema'uma'u Crater during the day and at night to see the active lava flowing. While at the park we also walked through a lava tube and hiked 4 miles on the Kilauea Iki trail through the rain forest and into the crater filled with lava from a 1959 eruption. Last night we stayed at Kilauea Military Camp. On the way out of the park this morning we stopped at Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs, which are sacred Hawaiian etchings into the lava. 

After leaving Hawaii Volcano National Park, we traveled to Hilo. Once there, we visited the Lyman Museum where we participated in an archival project using documents from the Hilo Boarding School. We were also able to tour the home of David and Sara Lyman, who were the missionaries who founded the Hilo Boarding School in 1836. The curricular goals of the school were to prepare Hawaiian boys for modern life, but the school also aimed for their students to be Christians. Over the years, the school instructed over 800 boys on regular course work as well as trades such as carpentry and knife work. The school no longer exists today, but its legacy is carried on through the Lyman House Museum and the archival documents it houses.

We will be staying in Hilo until Monday the 9th when we depart for Honolulu. Until then we will continue learning about the diverse culture and education present in Hawaii!