Ohana Institute

The Ohana Institute is a non-profit, private, exploratory and innovative school serving middle and high school students in the Florida Panhandle. The school operates year-round on a flexible calendar that emphasizes project-based learning and combines both theoretical and real-world experiences for students through an engaging and broad array of subjects.

Ohana’s staff is comprised of a blend of certified teachers and local professionals with strong expertise in their respective fields. Delivery of instruction occurs through a range of virtual courses augmented by face-to-face instruction.

Why Ohana

With the advent of the New Millennium, education in America has become more structured and test-centered. Opportunities for creative exploration have given way to test preparation emanating from a strong focus on state standards. Teacher discretion to design and implement student-centered activities has given way to the proliferation of highly prescriptive curricula driven by increased state and federal mandates. The progress and innovation that accompanied such methodologies as Project Based Learning (PBL) in the nineteen nineties has been virtually eliminated from public schools. In place of learning by applying concepts to solve problems, the focus of education has become student assessment through one objective: test scores

At Ohana, we believe that students gain a deeper understanding of concepts and standards through pursuing projects. Projects also build vital workplace skills and lifelong habits of learning. Projects offer students opportunities to address community issues, explore careers, interact with adult mentors, use technology and present their work to audiences beyond the classroom. PBL can motivate students who might otherwise find school unchallenging, uninteresting or meaningless.