Hawai‘i Island Principals Nominated for Leadership Award

Nominees for the 13th Annual Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership Award.
Photo courtesy of Island Insurance Foundation.

The Island Insurance Foundation has nominated 14 outstanding Hawaiʻi public school principals–including three from Hawaiʻi Island– for its 13th Annual Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership Award.

Tyler Tokioka, Island Insurance Foundation president, presented each nominee with a $1,000 cash award on Saturday, April 1, at an event honoring the nominees for leadership excellence. Special guests at the event included Department of Education Deputy Superintendent Keith Hayashi and 12 complex area superintendents and their representatives, as well as Honolulu City Councilmembers Carol Fukunaga and Brandon Elefante, State Senators Breene Harimoto and Laura Thielen, and State Representatives Beth Fukumoto, Mark Hashem, Ken Ito and Nadine Nakamura.

The annual award winner among the nominees will be announced at the Public Schools of Hawaiʻi Foundation Dinner on Thursday, April 20, 2017. They will receive $25,000: $15,000 for a school project of their choice and an additional $10,000 as a personal cash award. Two semifinalists will each receive a $2,000 personal cash award.

The Hawaiʻi Island public school principals nominated for the award include:

• Darlene Javar, Naʻalehu Elementary School 
• Kelcy Koga, Waiakea High School
• Shawn Suzuki, Konawaena High School

The award is named after the founder of Island Insurance, Masayuki Tokioka, and continues his legacy of education and hard work as a recipe for success.   

“My grandfather, Masayuki Tokioka, believed that education, integrity and hard work were the keys to success,” said Tyler Tokioka. “Everything that he achieved was only possible because the Hawaiʻi public school system provided him with the foundation to pursue unlimited opportunities. This is why we are so honored to be able to recognize these principals who give so much to their students and our community.”