West Hawai'i Explorations Academy (WHEA), officially West Hawaii Explorations Academy Public Charter School, is a public charter school located in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, founded on May 4, 2000. It includes a middle school (grades 6-8) and a high school (9-12), with a total student body of about 175. The school has a project based curriculum with emphasis placed on individual time management, technical writing, and experiential research. Most WHEA projects can be classified as either marine, Malama ʻaina (taking care of the land), or energy related. The school motto is "No Child Left Indoors" which reflects the school's focus on getting students outdoors and into the community to participate in meaningful hands-on education. The program was originally created as a school-within-a-school of Konawaena High School where students with at least a 3.6 GPA could attend for a semester. Currently, the school does not screen students on the basis of academic merit, although it does tend to attract self-motivated students interested in science. In 2005, WHEA was honored by the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School Awards, and Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction.