The Hawaii Catholic Schools Annual Conference for Catholic Educators, Jan. 31 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa, will honor 18 Oahu Catholic school educators marking 20, 30, 40 and 60 years of service.
Neighbor island events will honor two educators on Kauai, four on Maui and seven on the Big Island.
Being recognized for 60 years in the field of Catholic education are Sacred Hearts Sister Georgene Perry of Sacred Hearts Academy and Mabel Pacheco of St. Joseph Schools, Hilo.
The morning-long Oahu event opens with Mass celebrated by Bishop Larry Silva, who will also give the homily. The liturgy will be followed by the service award ceremony and keynote address.
Superintendent Michael Rockers will present the awards.
The keynote speaker is Kathy Mears, executive director of the National Catholic Educational Association Elementary Schools Department, who will close the conference with an hour-and-a-half presentation.
Mears will also speak on Jan. 30 at St. Anthony Church in Wailuku, Maui, and Feb. 5 at St. Joseph School in Hilo.
The theme for the Oahu event is “21st Century Learning in Hawaii Catholic Schools.”
Forty-year awardees are Andrea Hamilton and Gaylen Isaacs of Sacred Hearts Academy, Daphne Kauhane from St. Ann Model Schools and Rudolph Alejo from Damien Memorial School.
Being honored for 30 years are Linda Debo from Sacred Hearts Academy, Angeline A.V. Thomas from St. Philomena Early Learning Center and Stephanie Jardine from St. Ann Model Schools.
Educators being recognized for 20 years of service are Sheila Banigan and Melanie AhSoon from Sacred Hearts Academy, Amytes Quiason from St. John’s Catholic Preschool, Conception Gora from St. Theresa School, Marife M. Argel from St. Philomena Early Learning Center, Gail Nakamura, Sheila Worley and Blaine Gier from Maryknoll School, Dominican Sister Merle Lebaquin from Rosary Pre-School and Neil Nitta from Damien.
On the Big Island, which only has one Catholic school, St. Joseph pre-K through 12 in Hilo, Susan Wehrsig will be honored for 30 years of service. Colette Tyrin, Miri Sumida, Stella Kawaauhau, Janan Malinowski and Robert Alapai will be recognized for 20 years.
Maui educators being recognized on Jan. 30 are Carlene Santos of St. Anthony Preschool for 30 years, and for 20 years, Ardella Kahula of St. Anthony Grade School and Ernest Mendoza and Kathleen DeLima of St. Anthony Jr.-Sr. High School.
Twenty-year honorees on Kauai are John Rowell and Zibeth Hada, both of St. Catherine School.
Keynoter Mears is a former Catholic school teacher and administrator and assistant school superintendent for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
She has extensive experience in special education, school improvement programs and professional development. She inaugurated Project REACH which helps teachers provide for special needs children in regular classrooms, resulting in an increase in the number of special needs students served by Catholic schools.
She was named executive director of the NCEA Elementary Schools Department in July 2012.
Mears lives in Arlington, Va., with her husband, Brian. She has two grown children.
