Keaau High principal wins $25,000 award

Keaau High School Principal Dean Cevallos was honored Thursday night as The Island Insurance Foundation’s 11th annual Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership Award winner.

Named in honor of Island Insurance Company Ltd.’s founder, the award, which includes a gift of $25,000, was announced at the annual Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation Dinner at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.

The award is presented each year to a public school principal who is “visionary, community-minded, and has an entrepreneurial spirit – qualities of leadership that Tokioka exemplified in his own company and in the business community,” according to a press release.

“Principal Cevallos exemplifies the type of leadership that can transform our public schools into model learning institutions,” said Tyler Tokioka, Island Insurance Foundation president.

“By recognizing outstanding principals such as Dean, it is our hope that his accomplishments will inspire others in public education.”

Cevallos received $15,000 for a school project of his choice and an additional $10,000 cash award.

The Island Insurance Foundation also presented a $2,000 cash award to the top two semi-finalists, Principal Malaea Wetzel of Haleiwa Elementary in Haleiwa and Principal Stacie Kunihisa of Kanoelani Elementary in Waipahu.

Thirteen candidates were nominated for the award.

They each received $1,000 and a commemorative plaque, which were presented to them at a recognition ceremony on March 28.

Dennis O’Brien from E.B. DeSilva Elementary School was among those nominated.

Cevallos has been principal of Keaau High School for nearly four years. During his tenure, the school experienced a dramatic turnaround in student performance.

Cevallos plans to utilize the prize money to upgrade the school’s technology infrastructure.