Honored school principals include 2 from Maui County
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HONOLULU - Pomaika'i Elementary School Principal Rene Yamafuji and Kaunakakai Elementary Principal Janice Espiritu were two of 12 public school principals honored this past weekend by the Island Insurance Foundation.
As nominees for the Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership Award, each of the principals received a $1,000 personal cash award and a commemorative plaque during a ceremony held Saturday at Island Insurance Center in Honolulu.
The winner of the school leadership award will receive $25,000 (a $10,000 personal cash award and $15,000 toward a school project designated by the principal). The winner will be selected and announced at the Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation Dinner set for May 20 on Oahu.
Two semifinalists will each receive a $2,000 personal cash award.
Yamafuji has served as a principal for nearly 12 years and opened Kahului's Pomaika'i Elementary School in 2007. She previously served as principal for Kula Elementary School, where she was nominated as the Maui recipient of the National Distinguished Principal award sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and was featured in Maui No Ka Oi Magazine as one of its 10 Most Intriguing People.
As Pomaika'i's first principal, Yamafuji oversaw all the legal, organizational and administrative requirements to open the new school. She also hired, trained and supervised the entire staff.
"Ms. Yamafuji is diligent in her innovative vision, having arts integrated into the children's learning, courage by putting student achievement above politics, and spirited leadership; all of us have an important role in the success for all children," wrote Pomaika'i Vice Principal Dawn Mains.
In order to integrate arts into the school's focus, Yamafuji established a partnership with the Maui Arts & Cultural Center Education Department, helping to provide training and resources to the teachers, and to research the benefits of an arts-integrated curriculum on students' overall educational experience.
Espiritu, meanwhile, has served as principal at Kaunakakai Elementary for eight years. During her tenure, she has initiated many programs to stimulate student learning and parent involvement. These include Families for Resource and Early Action Learning, Families and Classroom Teachers, and Focus on Standards.
Under Espiritu's leadership, Kaunakakai Elementary met the federal benchmarks required in the No Child Left Behind Act for the first time in 2007.
"Mrs. Espiritu motivates myself and others to achieve our best by saying that we can do it and never give up," wrote Kaunakakai Student Council President Katalina Pania Santiago. "She always tells us to strive in our work, both in and out of school, and that's what great principals do."
Island Insurance Foundation created the school leadership award in recognition of the challenges public school principals face.
The Masayuki Tokioka award is named for the founder of Island Insurance, who immigrated to Hawaii at age 12 and credited his public school education with putting him on the path to success.
