HONOLULU – Waikele Elementary School and Kohala High School were both recognized at the 29th annual National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC) conference Monday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for leading the country as schools with strong academy programs.
Waikele Elementary School is the first elementary school in the country to achieve the 2025 NCAC Model Academies with Distinction with its Academy Pathway program. The program’s mission is to support the Waipahu Complex pipeline by providing all students relevant and rigorous learning experiences that will ignite passion and discovery of their career aspirations and ensure students are college, career and citizenship ready. They were the first elementary school in the state to fully implement an Academy Pathway program integrating career and technical education into its school design.
“I’m very proud of our students, families, and the entire faculty and staff of Waikele. This recognition validates the ongoing work and passion at our school,” Waikele Elementary School Principal Sheldon Oshio said.
Kohala High School became the first small school in the nation to receive the NCAC Model Academy designation. With a student enrollment of 260, the school offers four career pathways: Natural Resources-Food Systems, Construction, Health-Nursing, and Culinary—each embedding entrepreneurial skills and supported by dedicated teams and community partners.
“Being the first small school in the nation to achieve Model Academy status is a tremendous honor for our school and community. More than the designation itself, this milestone truly represents the continuous and tireless effort of our teachers and staff to provide meaningful, real-world opportunities for our students. Though our town and school are small, the dreams and potential we see in our students are limitless,” said Kohala High School Principal Amy Stafford. “This achievement is a shared success that fuels our commitment to their future.”
Superintendent Keith Hayashi was also honored with the 2025 Charles Bowser Leadership Award, named after the founder of the Academy Model. Hayashi was recognized for implementing the first wall-to-wall national model academy high school in Hawaiʻi at Waipahu High School, where he served as principal for 12 years.
“He demonstrates a leadership style, like that of Charles Bowser, committed to organizational success, rather than personal gain, known for quiet resolve and ability to credit others for their achievements,” NCAC President Jay Steele said. “With calm confidence and humility, Keith Hayashi leads as superintendent of Hawaiʻi public schools, his support for the academy model remains intense and unwavering.”
The conference opened with a hula performance by students in James B. Castle High School’s Polynesian Dance and Hula class and a panel moderated by Lord Ryan Lizardo, vice president of education at the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi featuring four current public school students and three recent graduates. The panelists shared their experiences in academies, how it supports their current goals and how educators can better support students today.
Some of the panelists, like Kamakoa Paulo-Galstote (Waiākea High, Class of 2025) and Kaylin Guieb (Kapolei High, Class of 2024), are now pursuing higher education after discovering career pathways and gaining work-based learning experiences in high school. Mikah Hall (Pearl City High, Class of 2025) entered the workforce directly after graduation and now works as a welder and rancher on Oʻahu — earning more than both his parents combined, he said. He credits high school internships and hands-on projects with helping him chart his path.
Current students also spoke about how academy pathways helped them discover their passions and plan for life after graduation. Damien Mendez (James B. Castle High) plans to pursue acting after being introduced to the performing arts. Kylee Jazelle Acob (James Campbell High) hopes to become a veterinarian for zoo animals after interning at a vet clinic. Nick Nishimura (Waipahu High) is considering a career in politics after interning with a state agency where he applied what he learned in his school’s Academy of Natural Resources. Glemarie Pearl Rosete (Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High) wants to become an architect after turning 2D blueprints into 3D models in class.
The NCAC also recognized:
- Waipahu High School’s ʻOhana of Excellence Academy with the inaugural North Star Award. (Students in the ʻOhana of Excellence Academy—which “sees beyond limitations and obstacles, concentrating on the promise of within every student”—made history last school year as the first special education class in the HIDOE to earn college credit through an Early College course.)
- Dean Snelling of Kohala High School with the John Thompson Exemplary Educator Award.
The NCAC recognizes academies that show exemplary performance in the National Standard of Practice (NSOP) through a review and accreditation process. Academies can earn a rating of: model with distinction, model, certified or in progress. To reach the model with distinction level – the highest level of recognition – a school’s career academy must meet or exceed proficiency in all 10 NSOP criteria.
Hawaiʻi public schools boast 26 high schools with model academies, with 20 of them as “Wall-to-Wall” academies, meaning every student in the school is part of one of its nationally recognized career academies. This year, the following schools were received model academy honors from the NCAC:
2025 NCAC Model Academies with Distinction:
- James B. Castle High School (Freshmen Academy)
- Kapolei High School (Hoʻola Natural Resources Academy)
- Waipahu High School (Ohana of Excellence Academy)
- Waikele Elementary School (Waikele Pre-Academy)
2025 NCAC Model Academies:
- Hilo High School (Freshmen Academy)
- Kapolei High School (Business Academy, Engineering, Design & Energy Academy)
- Kohala High School (Academy of Sustainability)
- Waiākea High School (Arts and Communication, Academy of Industry and Technology
- Waipahu High School (Academy of Arts and Communication)
The NCAC annual conference brings together education leaders from across the country to
The conference continues Tuesday with various breakout session presentations from schools and concludes Wednesday with tours at Kapolei High, Pearl City High, James B. Castle High, Farrington High, Waipahu High, Waipahu Intermediate, James Campbell High, Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary and Kohala High showcasing their academy models.
