While many may feel a certain responsibility to help those younger than us from time to time, Dr. Lisa Delong, an alumna of 1977, took her passion for young students and turned it into a career lasting many years and impacting even more lives. Working in the Hawaii Department of Education for over two decades, from teaching all the way to administrative roles like principal and superintendent. Now coaching prospective admin, and even teaching at Chaminade University, Dr. Delong has proven to be an integral part of a young teen’s learning development and educational environment.
First starting out as a Special Education teacher, Delong’s love for connecting to others started in high school. “A significant thing that I did that probably launched my whole career in education was in a typing class. My teacher at the time asked, ‘Does anybody want to tutor students with hearing impairments at Aikahi Elementary?”.
“We could take some time out of his class a couple of times a week, volunteering to tutor students. For me, that was what piqued my interest in becoming a teacher,” she said.
Later, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa was where Delong graduated with an undergraduate degree in elementary education and a master's in special education. Afterward, with another master's and doctorate in education leadership, Delong worked up the educational ranks as a teacher at Barber’s Point Elementary in Kapolei.
But it would be both high and intermediate school students that would become the center of her life for many years thereafter. In total, serving as Principal at Kahuku High Intermediate and Kailua Intermediate for over a decade, Delong shared her love for students as well as advice for prospective teachers of the future. “Making a welcoming environment where students could grow, learn, and develop into the person they wanted to be when they grow up– is something I always tried to strive for in my work with students”.
As Kahuku is home to students ages middle and high school, Delong recounted the busyness of academic and extracurricular life. “We had as many as 2,200 students. We ran, 56, just like Hollywood, but 56 different sports, and the kids always went to playoffs. It was an amazing time to solely be focusing on what the kids loved to do, instead of drama, fights, and things like that.”
Oftentimes we may see administrators like Mr. Rippard or Mrs. Gumapac throughout the campus, Delong delved deeper into what her day-to-day was like as Principal. “For me as principal, I was always meeting with people and just trying to improve programs, like whether it was athletics or co-curricular.”
As for Delong, being an administrator meant always seeking out an opportunity to make anything through the campus the best it can be. “Like you might be meeting with the facilities people to talk about the plans for a new building or renovation or just something very basic like plumbing.” Whether it be working within the community or even working admin in the DOE, Delong shared insight for students aspiring to be educators in the future.
“Seek every opportunity to work with students. Maybe that looks like being an aide in a class, but then do more than help correct papers, see if you could even maybe help teach. Or volunteering as a summer or after-school leader at Kamaaina Kids.”
“To me, there's no shortage of money or talent or effort or opportunity. Everyone is needed and has some sort of talent or skill that can make our community a better place for us and future generations.”