Stephanie Wilcox is a new teacher here at Moanalua High School, teaching both German and World History. She received her master’s degree and has five years of teaching experience. Mrs. Wilcox is originally from Germany, and before arriving here, she lived in Wisconsin and Colorado. Hawai’i was a location that she’d always had on her bucket list. Besides teaching, she loves hiking, going to the beach, and watching the TV Show Bluey with her child!
Anthony Wilcox is the new math teacher at Moanalua High School. With just over three years of teaching experience, he has taught at three different schools before arriving here. During college, he studied Health and Exercise. However, he found that in-class teaching was his true passion, initially coaching students at summer camp and tutoring college physiology. He’s been enjoying playing Dungeons and Dragons in his free time since he was 13.
Ms. LeaDan Yee is a new ELA and speech teacher here at Moanalua High School. Although this is her first year teaching here, she has been a coach for our Speech and Debate team for quite some time! Ms. Yee was born and raised in Hawai’i, having spent most of her teaching career at Kamehameha Schools. In her free time, she enjoys debate and cosplay, often finding a way to combine the two! She‘s excited to begin the new school year and advises students to always have a plan for the future, but to also be open to what life has to offer!
Mrs. Evette Gallant is one of our new business teachers. Outside of school she spends as much time as possible with her two kids. Growing up around educators, such as her mother and grandmother, community was an important factor to her. “I felt like teaching was a really good job to show my kids how to be good people and to help others,” she expressed.
She enjoys watching sports, specifically the NFL (National Football League) along with Mrs. Gallant and her family. She’s also a big fan of local talent! She appreciates the great talent that comes out of Hawai’i, especially the athletes. She enjoys cooking and being a member of a book club with her friends. Straight out of college; she became a teacher at Farrington for 8 years until the COVID-19 pandemic. After the pandemic, she took some time to be with her family. She then got a job working for Zippys, specifically in the operations and training department. “I was doing leadership development over there [at Zippys], which I feel is going to be very helpful, because I’m a business teacher now.” She stated. Her background experience in the restaurant industry is especially valuable because she can apply finance and operations directly in her lessons. “I think the students are the best part of teaching, the main reason why I like to do it. You never have the same day. Other jobs can be monotonous or repetitive, but teaching is one of those rare jobs where every day is a new challenge,” she explained.
Chad Mann is the new counselor here at Moanalua High School. Before working here, he was a long-term substitute counselor. His passion for enhancing the emotional and physical well-being of students has contributed to what he does now. Outside of his work, he enjoys watching all sports games, such as football (both professional and college). This also includes the football games here at Moanalua High School. He hopes that one day he gets the chance to coach a sports team.
Janelle Gusiff is a new counselor at Moanalua High School. She’s from California and attended UC Davis for about five years. Her approach focuses on making students feel welcome, committed to understanding each student’s unique situation, and building connections with students along with their families. She plans on communicating and providing students with the best solution to share their story and get the help that is needed. She plans to stay up to date by attending conferences and school events. By doing so, she aims to figure out the best solutions and gain trust effectively. A piece of advice she offers, “Everything is figure-out-able. Make a plan, then find a solution.“
Darnell Domingo is one of our newest members who works as a DPUST at Moanalua High School. He has a background in media arts, but found his way to Informational Technology (IT), finally getting certified during the COVID-19 pandemic. One thing Mr. Domingo wants to achieve this year is to get to know the staff and students at Moanalua High School. He hopes to make a difference on campus. Outside of work, he enjoys volunteering at his church, drawing, and watching movies. Mr. Domingo’s favorite genre of movies is rom-coms (romantic comedies), specifically ones that consist of summer flings, such as, ‘Superman’ and ‘Fantastic Four’. His dream vacation is to go to the Philippines, so he can visit his family that he hasn’t seen since he was in elementary school. Some advice he’d give to his students would be to take advantage of everything that’s available at Moanalua High School, for example, clubs, classes, etc.
Nova Fukumitsu is one of our new clerks at Moanalua High School. Her inspiration to join us here comes from keeping it within the family. Her husband was a previous Moanalua graduate, and her sister-in-law just recently graduated here. One fun fact she’d like to mention is that she’s expecting her first baby! Her hobbies and interests include art, reading, and running. Something she enjoys the most about this school and her position as clerk is the ability to see the behind-the-scenes of how this school functions. She added that it’s nice to see the inner workings and the interactions with students she’s able to have. Her go-to comfort food is both Taco Bell and ramen noodles!
LaGeva Oliver is one of our new clerks here at Moanalua High School. She decided to work for our school because she’s heard positive comments, and it’s in close proximity to where she lives. She’s from Ohio, but has been in Hawai’i for about 4 years. Something about this job that she’s most excited about is expanding her knowledge about Hawai’i’s culture and becoming more grounded. In her free time, she enjoys watching True Crime and spending time with her family!
Ms. Lona Dengler is a new PE (Physical Education) teacher here at Moanalua High School. She‘s originally from Florence, Oregon, but moved to Hawai’i from Vacaville, California. As a PE teacher, she’s passionate about physical activity and sports. In fact, she played in the NCAA Division II Women’s College World Series! When she wasn’t playing college sports, Ms. Dengler was fighting wildfires in California. She describes it as the hardest thing she’s ever done. She’s also the advisor for the Class of 2029! She loves the positive energy of the freshmen class and encourages them to get involved in their community as soon as they can.
Ms. Bonnie Fox is our new Language Arts (Expository Writing and American Literature) and Korean teacher. Ms. Fox is originally from San Diego California, but later moved to Portland Oregon during high school. She later moved here to Hawai’i for undergrad in 2012 at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She holds a Masters (M.A.) in Korean, two Bachelor’s (B.A) in Linguistics and Korean, while being a Ph.D. Candidate at UHM. Prior to teaching at Moanalua High School, she taught Korean for nine years at UH. In her free time, Ms. Fox likes to “fill her cup” with yoga and arts & crafts.
Mr. Alex Sun is our new Algebra I and ALP (Alternative Learning Program) teacher. Outside of school he enjoys reading, watching movies, playing tennis, and hiking. Originally from China, he moved here in 2007. “I love it. Hawai’i is such a [nice] place. You can play tennis all year long,” he shares. He holds a PhD in economics and was an economics professor in college before arriving at Moanalua High School. He was also a chemical engineer and worked in finance. Teaching runs in his family! It’s a passion of his that he enjoys because he gets the privilege working with kids. “I realized many college students had difficulty with math, so I have been very curious about what happened,” Mr. Sun explains. He hopes to get down to the root of the problem and solve it by becoming a math teacher.
Mrs. Kamikawa is one of our new Vice principals at Moanalua High School. Coming from Nanakuli Elementary, this is her seventh year in administration. She also has teaching experience, having taught at Moanalua Elementary for 11 years. In her free time, she loves to travel with family and read books. In addition, Mrs. Kamikawa takes deep pride in hula. Since the age of 13, she has competed in 20 Merrie Monarchs, even performing in front of multiple presidents. Just like hula, Moanalua is deeply rooted in her. “I love Moanalua’s legacy… everyone has so much to be proud of.”
Ms. Kimberly Oshiro is our newly installed TA vice principal at Moanalua High School. From the time she has spent here so far, she has observed that all the teachers are very student-focused and kind. She notes that not only the teachers here at Moanalua High School, but all staff, including custodians, security, and cafeteria staff, have been very kind. A fun fact that she’d like to share with students is that she loves building Legos in her free time! She loves to spend time with her family, who are very into baseball. Something that Ms. Oshiro is hopeful for is to have a positive impact on students and to see them succeed. Her go-to comfort dish would be spicy tuna rolls and/or California rolls.
Mrs. Loretta Washington, also known as Chief Washington, is our new JROTC teacher. During her high school years, she attended Radford High School and enrolled in its JROTC program. After graduation, she decided to enlist in the Air Force and served 28 years. During those 28 years, she accomplished the highest enlisted rank, which is Chief Master Sergeant. This accomplishment is meaningful to her and her community because only a few individuals reach this rank. In her free time, she hangs out with her husband, watches football (their favorite team is the Steelers), and enjoys crafts like building tables. One fun fact about herself is that she was born in New Zealand. She’s looking forward to working with students and parents, helping them develop leadership skills and be upstanding citizens, a great opportunity for them to use in the real world.
Ms. T (Ms. Williams-Powell), is a new teacher on campus with a background in college-level poetry and writing. She has a strong desire to advocate for herself and others, bringing a growth mindset and commitment to understanding individual faults. Her teaching approach shines brightly upon student voice and empowerment, encouraging students to try all things and measure growth. As a creative and nurturing individual, she’s dedicated to making a positive impact on students’ lives. With a love for music and poetry, she aims to create a supportive learning environment. By sharing her own experiences and passions, she hopes to inspire everyone around her to find and pursue their own passions. For one piece of advice, she says, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
