The Moanalua High School administration team experienced a shuffle this summer, with the departure of two vice principals and the addition of three new ones.
Bill Olk accepted a position as principal at Alvah Scott Elementary School over the summer.
“I really enjoyed my time here,” Olk said on a visit to the faculty in the opening days of school. “When I talk to my new faculty, I tell them how much I learned while at Moanalua. I tell them all the stories.”
Tara Hathaway left Aug. 8 for a new position as a resource teacher to schools who need guidance in using the resources the federal government provided to states through its Covid-era Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding. She will be based at Aiea High School.
“It’s been a great eight years,” she said. “I hope I had a positive influence on others. I’ll really miss going to all the school events.”
Her position is for one year only, and she does have the right to request a return to Moanalua High School at the end of the year or seek a new position in the Department of Education.
Even though she will be working from another high school, “I will always cheer for Moanalua,” she said.
Bryan Honda stepped onto the Moanalua campus in early July from the vice principal position at Ewa Beach Elementary, and it has been a whirlwind ever since.
Honda said his transition has been positive.
“The word I would use to describe my experience at Moanalua High School would be ‘supported,’ he said. “Everyone has been welcoming and so helpful in helping me settle in.”
Honda also served as an administrator at Kapolei High School and as a resource Language Arts teacher at Waianae High School.
He said he hopes to “get to know and be able to support everyone on campus, both adults and students.”
New Vice Principal Shana Valenzuela said that when she was a student at Moanalua High School many years ago, she liked to “fly under the radar,” and yet in her first week of school last week, she was already addressing hundreds of students in the gym about school rules.
Valenzuela started her career in education as a teacher at Salt Lake Elementary, then went to the Central District to become an autism consultant. She returned to graduate school for additional training and became a behavior analyst for the Central District South. Most recently, she was a vice principal at Aiea High School before returning to her alma mater this month.
“It’s exciting to give back to the community I came from,” she said.
Melissa Hangai’s previous experience as a counselor and temporary administrator at Pearl Harbor Elementary will provide a solid foundation as she embarks on her administrative internship experience at Moanalua High School. Hangai said she is excited to “build relationships and learn more about the Moanalua culture.”
