Hawai‘i teachers looking for a hands-on history lesson, take note: overnight trips to visit Pearl Harbor Historic Sites are being offered to Neighbor Island students.
Pearl Harbor Historic Sites is now accepting applications for the 2026 spring semester of the Pearl Harbor Explorer Program, which aims to give students a “comprehensive learning experience by visiting multiple historic sites in Pearl Harbor,” a recent joint announcement noted.
A partnership with Southwest Airlines will provide 400 complementary tickets to Neighbor Island keiki in grades 4 through 12 to take part in a two-day trip to O‘ahu, which includes an overnight stay on the Battleship Missouri.
Applications for the program’s spring semester — which will take place between Jan. 15 and April 30, 2026 — will be accepted through Nov. 14.
Elizabeth Po‘oloa, director of visitor operations at the Battleship Missouri Memorial Association, told Aloha State Daily that logistically it’s “important to give the opportunities to our other islands the same way that we give the opportunities to our students here on O‘ahu.”
This takes away the barrier of transportation, she says.
“It’s important because they’re all in the same grade levels and have similar programming in their schools, so to be able to offer the same program to them as we do to the O‘ahu schools is something that feels equitable and fair for the Neighbor Islands,” she says.
Po‘oloa noted, too, that the history presented at Pearl Harbor is place-based.
“We could do a virtual program and offer programming to the Neighbor Island schools through our screen, but to be here in the place is a whole other tangible level of learning for the students,” she says. “That feels really good for us as educators to be able to bring these students to actually be here and feel that sense of place and see the sights for themselves and feel what living on a battleship feels like or getting to go to the Aviation Museum and actually seeing the aircraft up close. The same with Bowfin, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum — seeing what a real submarine looks like.
“A lot of the students that we are enabling these visits for, they might come from remote areas of outer islands, and their exposure to even just coming to O‘ahu is going to be pretty limited, so [this] represents a lot of expansion of world view, and I think for us as educators, that’s been pretty special.”
The Pearl Harbor Historic Sites — including the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial, Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, Battleship Missouri Memorial and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum — welcome more than 1.5 million people each year. These sites offer “a unique and immersive journey into some of the most significant events in world history,” the announcement says.
According to the announcement, to apply for the Explorer program, educators should submit an application that describes their interest in the program, the anticipated impact it’ll have on students, specific financial and travel requirements, and how they’ll ensure a safe travel experience for the students.
Transportation to Pearl Harbor, museum admission and education program fees, meals and overnight accommodations, if needed, may also be requested. Because funding is limited, not all applications will be awarded.
According to the announcement, Hawai‘i Technology Academy from Maui was the fall semester awardee school, and students participated in the program earlier this month, getting hands-on learning experiences across the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites.
This is the second year Southwest has donated tickets.
Kelly Knox, Southwest Airlines’ leader of corporate responsibility across Hawai‘i, said in the announcement that the airline, which has 700 employees based in the Islands, is “especially proud to support efforts that connect keiki to the places, stories and experiences that shape their understanding of Hawai‘i. Helping students from across the Islands visit Pearl Harbor is one small way we can invest in the next generation and honor the history that connects us all.”
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
