Aug. 17, 2015

Contributed by Elizabeth Ahana

Ua ahu ka imu, e lāwalu i ka iʻa
All preparations have been made; now let us proceed with the work
- Mary Kawena Pūkuʻi

Standing on the kahua of its mission to improve the capability and well-being of people of Hawaiian ancestry and with the SP2020 as its guide, the new Kamehameha Schools (KS) Education System team is poised to meet the ever-changing educational needs of Native Hawaiians throughout the state.

With Dr. Holoua Stender, executive vice president of Education, at the helm of Kamehameha Schools’ Education System, five groups, including Nā Kula ʻo Kamehameha (K-12 campuses and preschools), Community Education, Hoʻokahua (Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy), Hoʻolaukoa-Educational Systems and Strategies (formerly the Office of Educator Growth and Development), and the newly created Mālama Ola, (Student Well-being, Safety and Health Services Department) will come together to create an integrated education system preparing all of Kamehameha’s keiki and ʿōpio for lifelong learning through educational and cultural pathways that will prepare them for college and careers.  

Working alongside Stender are the leaders in the new KS Education System, who will work to achieve Kamehameha’s goals and outcomes for its unprecedented education plan. The team members are:

Waiʻaleʻale Sarsona – Managing Director of Community Education
Phyllis Unebasami – Managing Director of Hoʻolaukoa Educational Systems and Strategies
Dr. Randie Fong – Executive Culture Officer for Hoʻokahua
Dr. Rod Chamberlain – Ke Poʻo o Nā Kula (Head of Schools), Nā Kula ʻo Kamehameha (Three  K-12 campuses and 30 preschools)
Dr. Kenny Fink – Director of Mālama Ola

“Titles of our leaders were reassessed during this process to better align with the goals of SP2020,” said Stender. “This was a necessary and appropriate exercise to ensure consistency and clarity within the new KS organizational and reporting structure.”

“The Education System team background and experience pulls together all key functions of our educational system,” said Sarsona. “Being part of this larger system affords the opportunity for us to be grounded in culture-based education and to have continuity among services.”

Unebasami sees that accessibility and meaningful use of data in the hands of educators is key.

“With opportunities to share wisdom in order to deepen their understanding of current efforts is essential to an educator’s success,” Unebasami said. “Deepening their understanding of current efforts and generating insights on where to focus efforts for innovation and improvement will allow us to continue to meet the aspirational goals of our students.”

“As we head into this new era of system-wide education at Kamehameha, I am confident that our leaders and their teams will ʻauamo their kuleana to the thousands of learners and their families that we serve.”

To learn more about the structure and work of KS’ new Education System, and organizational changes happening throughout KS to support SP2020, visit the SP2020 site.

The Education System team background and experience pulls together all key functions of our educational system. Being part of this larger system affords the opportunity for us to be grounded in culture-based education and to have continuity among services.
Waiʻaleʻale Sarsona, Managing Director of Community Education

The newly formed KS Education System team: Managing Director of Hoʻolaukoa Educational Systems and Strategies Phyllis Unebasami, Ke Poʻo o Nā Kula (Head of Schools) Dr. Rod Chamberlain, Executive VP of Education Dr. Holoua Stender, Director of Mālama Ola Dr. Kenny Fink, Managing Director of Community Education Waiʻaleʻale Sarsona, and Executive Culture Officer for Hoʻokahua Dr. Randie Fong.