Faculty Alumni at Damien

Faculty Alumni at Damien 

By: Chloe Costa 

Almost half of the Faculty at Damien are Alumni. These staff were interviewed for The Ke Ali’i article to ask what their experience was like as a student and what their experience is like as a faculty member. They were also asked for any advice and plans they have for Damien students. 

Being a part of the faculty at Damien Memorial School is something these alumni never expected they’d be doing. Some days it’s hard work and some days they reminisce about the times they experienced as students here. Almost half of the faculty are Alumni and share almost the same experiences and feelings. Even though they may have graduated in different times, they all share a love for Damien that made them want to come back to teach, coach, maintain, and connect to the students that attend Damien Memorial today. 

When it comes to being a part of the teaching department at Damien… Philip Higa ( Class of '98) shares that it is a busy schedule and a long one for sure, due to the fact he arrives at school around 5:45 am and stays till 6 pm. Mr. Higa gives good advice to the graduating class by saying that “[they] may not know what [they will] want to do in life but always be productive and use the time [they] have wisely.” Also, since he’s been here so long, one thing he misses from his high school experience is when “They used to have the pastrami melt and it was just butter and delicious….you had to hold it with napkins.” 

Christina Andres (Class of '16), is an alumni who was part of Damien Memorial when it first became a co-ed school. When she was a student here she had to adapt to growing pains and like the rest of the faculty members,  her mindset was different…she was more worried about “making it through the four years and thinking ahead towards college, [her] future, and aspirations” As a teacher, Ms. Andres is more assured of herself and she wants to be able to “strengthen the science department by working more with science fairs and starting up AP chemistry.” She also wants to strengthen the care for students and the connection within the school community. 

Stephen Guzman (Class of '91), says he’s never found fulfillment within a job until he’s worked at Damien. He has found through working at this school that he doesn't feel the need to compete with others, but the need to improve and bring more to Damien Memorial. Mr. Guzman's advice for the class of 2023 is “no matter what adventure or position, always have a mentor to help you get through it..don’t think you can do it yourself, if you do it yourself it will take longer..they will not only help you but push you up.” 

Sensei Esdicul (Class of '01), was asked if he ever thought he would be coming back to Damien after graduating and he said “[he] didn’t think [he] was going to come back to work at Damien but he would come to help out with the sensei [at that time].” He would also volunteer at other Damien events for Mr. Limos as well. So even though he had never thought about teaching, he always stayed close to Damien Memorial and the faculty here. This led to where he is now, which is a sensei that everyone knows and loves. 

Brent Limos' (Class of '94) job includes giving tours to new students, parents and enrollment. Much as what the other alumni have said, his time as a student was different from being a staff because the mindset and focus of the two are very different. As a student “[he] was more self focused.” So now that he is a member of Damien Memorial, he hopes to bring back clubs and events to the school that we’ve had before like the hula halau, dance club, and may day. Mr. Limos wants to increase the enrollment so that “Damien can become a total experience for students...not just having class and that's it.” 

The alumni in the physical education department are Paul Alejo (Class of '98), Anthony Tuitele (Class of '09), and Eddie Williams (Class of '06). In the students' opinion, they all are fit for their job here due to their leadership and willingness to connect with students through the sports everyone loves. 

Coach Pauly (Mr.Alejo) teaches physical education. To many, Coach Pauly is the person everyone can go to when students want to laugh, seek advice, or take their mind off things. He always has a positive energy and his humor is unmatched. His laugh is very contagious and you can’t help but laugh with him. Students that have his classes always say it’s a good time and he gives good feedback on assignments. Even when seeing him on campus Couch Pauly greets everyone and makes sure to stay connected to the students. He’s always asking people about their day and checking on how everyone’s doing. Everyone who has met and gotten to know Coach Pauly, knows that he can always make anyone laugh no matter what. 

Coach Bones (Mr. Tuitele) teaches lifetimes fitness, x-fit and is the football head coach. To the senior football boys; “He was always concerned with football boys' effort and motivation within school and sports.” He also mentions that Coach Bones was very organized by making sure everyone knew what they were doing and that “he was also very prominent on everyone knowing their role and because of that it helped a lot with the football team's chemistry.” By doing this it made sure everyone held each other accountable. 

Coach Eddie (Mr. Williams) teaches physical education for sixth through seventh grade. When he was a student at Damien he would always greet any staff and students that he ran into. He hopes to bring that great value and respect to the Damien community within the upcoming years. He wants students and faculty to focus their values on responsibility, respect, and always be community minded. He says that “the [faculty] before [them] did that for [them].” Meaning they set a good example on respect and always taking care of the school community. Same as Ms. Andres, he wants to strengthen the connection between staff and students. 

Eric Mau (Class of '98) is a part of the maintenance staff at Damien and he is an alumni at Damien as well. His job consists of opening up the campus and keeping the school in good shape. He is seen around campus but his job mostly happens during the summer time. All the maintenance staff including Mr. Mau work hard during summer for each new school year. His days as a student were different from Damien now simply because “times were different”, which consisted of less freedom, typewriters, no street lights, and half of the staff being brothers or mostly all men. He hopes to continue to keep the campus safe and presentable, not only for the students that attend Damien now but for future students as well. 

Rudy Alejo (Class of '69), is the Director of Engagement and Enrichment. He helps the president of Damien Memorial plan future events for the school. When attending Damien himself,  it was a different time where they basically started from the bottom. He also includes that during his time they had various clubs and organizations. Recently some things he wants to put into action for Damien Memorial are summer school and career day. With these new events students are able to interact and connect to their classmates and he hopes the strong connection will form a strong alumni association for the future. 

Rodney Lum (Class of '88) has the job of the 11-12 grade counselor and does an immense amount of work to help prepare students for college. He shows concern for the students by checking on how they are doing academically; which is caring for their well-being, their grades, and giving them the support they need. Mr. Lum also checks on students socially when “a lot of times it means students coming in and wanting to talk about one thing or another…” For the social and emotional aspect; he goes into the classes of the seniors and the juniors and covers topics from bullying, to suicide, and major issues like the Sandy Hook promise. He informs students of these concepts for them to be updated with our world and they are also ways to keep students motivated to keep a positive attitude and healthy environment. 

Now when it comes to the President and Principal of Damien Memorial School. Dr. Arnold Laanui (Class of '86) and Dr. Kyle Atabay (Principal, Class of '84) are in charge. Even though they are never really seen on campus they are hard at work everyday. They plan to bring change to Damien by embracing the technology, dealing with climate change, helping students prepare for college, contributing more ideas to the design of the sports wear, and also making future students feel even more welcomed at Damien Memorial High School. 

Dr. Laanui (President, Class of '86) experience is different because as a student, he was here at a different time that consisted of an all boys school, homemade bologna sandwiches, and his love for track and field. His lunch experience is definitely different from Mr. Higa's time because he loved Damien’s lunch and Dr. Laanui believes that the  “Cafeteria [now] is on point!”  Other than what his experience was like as a student, he hopes to bring many new additions to the school. He is in contact with many colleges and universities to ensure that future students at Damien Memorial will have the ability to connect to these colleges better so when the time comes they already have a better understanding and connection. So no matter where they want to go and the majors they would like to take. they feel comfortable and secure the knowledge of certainty. 

In Damien’s 60 years, there are many alumni that have had different experiences and mindsets while being students here. They all have made many connections with other staff members and an even bigger connection with the students through teaching, coaching, and maintaining the school. Not only has their experiences changed as faculty, their pride for Damien has definitely grown into something that will be with them forever.