The finalists are (top row, left to right), David Adler, Josette (Kaleo) Akim Hanohano, Jessica Canyon, Susan Chew. (Second row, left to right) Claire Ann (Kalaunuola) Domingo, Steve Hanks, Judith (Elise) Hannigan, Christopher Justo. (Third row, left to right) Jodi Kadoyama, Emily Mendoza, Kristel Pigao, Dawn Spurrell-Robinson. (Bottom row, left to right) Courtney Suma, Kris Tajima, Kathleen Trifonovitch, Natsumi Yamasato.
HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) today named 15 complex area teachers of the year and one charter school teacher of the year as part of the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year recognition.
“This year’s Teachers of the Year exemplify the profound impact our dedicated educators have in preparing our students to become globally competitive and locally committed,” Superintendent Keith Hayashi said. “Their commitment to fostering not just academic excellence, but also creativity, resilience, curiosity and critical thinking, is truly inspiring. We are honored to celebrate these individuals who are actively building a foundation for success for our students, our schools, and our state.”
The teachers of the year, in alphabetical order, are:
老師 | 綜合區 | 學校 | 科目或年級 |
David Adler | 納納庫利-瓦伊阿納 | 納納庫利小學 | 6th grade math and science |
Josette (Kaleo) Akim Hanohano | 卡胡庫城堡 | 卡胡庫高中級 | Modern History of Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian Language |
Jessica Canyon | 法靈頓-凱撒-卡拉尼 | 弗恩小學 | 五年級 |
Susan Chew | 哈納 - 拉海納魯納 - 拉奈 - 莫洛凱島 | Lāna‘i High and Elementary | 幼稚園 |
Claire Ann (Kalaunuola) Domingo | 公立特許學校 | Ke Kula o‘ Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School | Kindergarten (Hawaiian immersion) |
Steve Hanks | 霍諾卡阿-凱拉凱希-科哈拉-科納瓦埃納 | Honoka‘a High & Intermediate | 11th and 12th grade math |
Judith (Elise) Hannigan | 卡烏-基奧-帕霍亞 | 基亞烏高中 | 英語 |
Christopher Justo | 雷萊華-米利拉尼-瓦阿盧阿 | 米利拉尼中學 | Agriculture |
Jodi Kadoyama | 珍珠城-懷帕胡 | 馬納納小學 | Curriculum Coordinator |
Emily Mendoza | 艾亞-莫阿納魯亞-拉德福 | 艾亞高中 | 烹飪藝術 |
Kristel Pigao | 鮑德溫-凱考里克-庫拉尼哈科伊-毛伊 | Waihe'e 小學 | 五年級 |
Dawn Spurrell-Robinson | 希洛-懷阿凱亞 | 希洛-懷阿基亞綜合區 | PreK-6 |
Courtney Suma | 坎貝爾-卡波利 | 卡波雷高中 | Career Academy Coordinator |
Kris Tajima | 凱穆基-麥金利-羅斯福 | 考魯韋拉小學 | English Learner Coordinator |
Kathleen Trifonovitch | 凱路亞-卡拉赫奧 | 莫納威利小學 | 四年級 |
Natsumi Yamasato | 卡帕阿-可愛島-威美亞 | Wilcox Elementary | 幹 |
In September, one teacher will be announced as the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year and will go on to represent Hawaiʻi in the 全國年度教師計劃. The honor is presented annually to a teacher selected from more than 13,000 HIDOE educators.
