WHEREAS, the people of the State of Hawaii take great pride in recognizing and honoring the superb achievements and notable contributions of educators, who through their extraordinary dedication and personal efforts, significantly improve the quality of education for the children of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, conceived to recognize outstanding school principals who show excellence in educational leadership, complex problem solving, professional growth, and community involvement, the National Distinguished Principals Award program commends principals for their dedication to providing every student an excellent education; and

WHEREAS, three outstanding educators LISA DELONG, CAROLINE WONG, and BRUCE NAGUWA – have been honored for their extraordinary efforts, and have displayed initiative, creativity, and productivity within their respective school; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii is extremely proud of Principal LISA DELONG, Hawaii's 2005 High School Principal of the Year, who has been at Kahuku High and Intermediate School for six years, and has organized small learning communities, which allows the school to provide a safe, supportive environment where a caring, stimulating, and knowledgeable staff have the resources to understand and meet the needs, interests, and goals of each student, shaping them into lifelong learners; and

WHEREAS, named as the 2005 Middle School Principal of the Year, CAROLINE WONG has been Principal of Moanalua Middle School for the past 14 years and recognizes that the academic, social, and emotional needs of the students are met by providing a secure, non-threatening, and supportive climate which is pleasant and conducive to learning, and by providing challenging opportunities for students to gain the experience and skills needed to become responsible members of the school and community; and

WHEREAS, as principal of Kipapa Elementary School for the past 4 years and named Hawaii's 2005 Elementary School Principal of the Year, BRUCE NAGUWA's highest priority is learning and under his dedicated leadership, the school has developed kid-friendly guides for reading, writing, and mathematics, as well as provided teacher-developed assessment tools, resulting in students' scores on state test increasing significantly over the past few years; and

WHEREAS, as principals, LISA DELONG, CAROLINE WONG, and BRUCE NAGUWA rely on partnerships with parents, teachers, businesses, social agencies, and communities to raise the learning standards of their students, a key ingredient of academic excellence; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that this body hereby recognizes and congratulates LISA DELONG, CAROLINE WONG, and BRUCE NAGUWA for their exemplary initiatives and successes and for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to public education in Hawaii, and extends to them its sincerest mahalo for a job well done.

Report Title:

Honoring Hawaii's 2005 Principals of the Year