In a world that has changed much in the past 60 years, one constant feature is St. Anthony of Padua School’s commitment to God, children, parents and the community. Kailua’s oldest private school celebrates its diamond anniversary this year.
Maryknoll Father Michael Henry, pastor of St. Anthony Church, opened the parish school in 1952, and staffed it with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Since then, some 13,000 students have walked through its doors to receive a solid educational foundation. Today, St. Anthony continues to nurture children from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade with an energized classroom environment.
The school opened with kindergarten through third grade, adding an additional grade each year following. Melvin De Costa enrolled in the third grade that first year and graduated in 1958 with the first graduating class. He remembers the Kailua community being extremely excited about the school’s opening.
The education and Catholic values De Costa first learned at St. Anthony School have served him well throughout his life. For 28 years, he was a police officer with the Honolulu Police Department. He went on to get his bachelor and master’s degrees in criminal justice from Chaminade University of Honolulu, where he has taught part-time and is now head of security.
Three more generations of De Costa’s family attended St. Anthony School. His daughter Pualani De Costa Todd said that, in addition to the academics and Christian values, it is the spirit of ohana that keeps her family coming back. “The school has evolved, but at the core is a family atmosphere,” she said. “It is an all around positive place.”
St. Anthony School has evolved by being at the forefront of educational innovation. This year is the fourth year the school has received a Hawaii Community Foundation Schools of the Future grant. This school year, the sixth through eighth grade students received iPads to take home, while the lower grade teachers received an iPad for their classrooms. The teachers incorporate the technology into their curriculum.
Seven classrooms have also been equipped with Promethean interactive “smart” boards which also enhance the learning environment.
The dedicated staff of teachers makes a big difference at St. Anthony School. De Costa Todd, who graduated from St. Anthony in 1979, said the teachers have always treated their students like family. Her daughter Kaui Todd graduated in 2002 and some of the same teachers are still there today.
One of them is middle school science teacher Marcia Braden, now in her 14th year at the school. “Over the years I have chosen to stay because of the positive administration and wonderful family atmosphere,” she said. “I love teaching in a small school where I can get to know the children in the lower grades before they come up to middle school. I also appreciate teaching in an atmosphere where we are trusted as professionals and given a lot of freedom to try new curriculum and teaching methods.”
From the classroom to the many extracurricular activities, St. Anthony provides a Christian environment in which students are encouraged to become responsible citizens of their nation and the world, conscious of their obligations to themselves and to others.
De Costa Todd said, “St. Anthony School is a place where you get a feeling of coming home.”
The school is hoping many of the alumni will come home and help celebrate its 60th anniversary. The Parent Teacher Student Guild (PTSG) is hosting a gala and silent auction, “An Evening on the Bay,” April 13 at the Marine Corp Base Hawaii Officer’s Club.
It will be a night where those who have a strong commitment to faith, education and community will come together to celebrate a place that for 60 years has provided all of this and so much more and will continue to do so for many years to come.
If you are interested in attending the celebration, email ptsg@saskailua.org.
