A message from our New Head of School
Aloha kākou,
It is with great joy and excitement that I began this week as the new Head of School for St. Anthony’s. I am deeply honored and humbled by the opportunity to lead the best school on Maui. I am most appreciative of the warm welcome and support I have received from the St. Anthony’s community. The St. Anthony’s community is not only our school, but our parish, our alumni, and our extended ‘ohana – supporters both locally and beyond. I look forward to meeting and engaging with all of you in the weeks and months to come, as well as to hearing about your history and experience with St. Anthony’s School.
We look with anticipation to the beginning of the new school year in a few weeks. Our grade school enrollment has increased, and we have added new teaching staff to address this need. One characteristic of Marianist education is to educate for adaptation and change. Please support those of us who are new as we all become acclimated. We will also be communicating with all stakeholders as we prepare for the opening, and as procedures, including COVID-related protocols are reviewed and finalized.
We do have a couple more teacher positions to fill. Certainly please contact me if you or someone you know may be interested.
St. Anthony’s truly is a thriving, vibrant school community with so many amazing things happening. I look forward to communicating about these and sharing the story of St. Anthony’s in the weeks and months to come. Please introduce yourself to me when you are on campus.
Peace,
David Kenney
Mahalo to our golf tournament sponsors & donors!
Head of School announcement
Dear St. Anthony School ‘Ohana and Parish Community,
Aloha, on behalf of the St. Anthony School Board of Directors, we have exciting news to share! Our rigorous nationwide search for a new Head of School has reached a successful conclusion. With counsel provided by nationally respected Partners in Mission School Leadership Search Solutions, four well qualified semifinalist candidates advanced through our extensive interview and vetting process. Two finalists were identified from those activities and recently completed individual day-long on-campus visits with constituents and stakeholders representing our school and parish communities. We are delighted to share that the search committee, school board, current pastor, Fr. Roland Bunda, incoming pastor, and Vicar Forane, Rev. Msgr. Terrence A.M. Watanabe have all approved Mr. David Kenney as our next Head of School.
As Chairperson of the St. Anthony School Board of Directors and the search committee, I am excited and look forward to the leadership and value David will bring as our new Head of School. His demonstrated success in education will ensure that SAS will continue its current momentum and growth mindset in providing a quality experience to Maui’s families.
Fr. Bunda comments, “We are blessed to have David Kenney as our new Head of School. He brings a wealth of experiences within our Catholic tradition and mission. Let us pray for him as he continues to uphold the Marianist legacy of St. Anthony School and Parish.”
The search committee agreed that David is a strong, humble, Christ-centered leader with extensive education and executive experience who will passionately and strategically advance the mission and vision of St. Anthony School. Mr. Kenney is currently concluding his 5th year as a District Educational Specialist with the Hawaii Department of Education-Maui District. Throughout his nearly 30 years in education, David has served in various administrative roles, including school psychologist, early childhood coordinator, and district-wide executive leadership roles. As a data-driven, student-centered leader, David is known for building curricular programs of excellence and strengthening academic
outcomes.
Mr. Kenney holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Catholic University of America, a Master of Education from the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. In addition, he has completed coursework related to School Finance and Business Administration, Selection and Development of Educational Personnel, Legal Aspects of School Administration, and Human Concerns in Schools. Upon being appointed, David shared, “I am truly honored and humbled for the opportunity to lead St. Anthony School. St. Anthony has a rich deep history of providing excellent academic experiences rooted in Catholic values emphasizing ‘ohana, friendship, integrity, faith, and generosity. As demonstrated by the teachers, parents, alumni, and greater St. Anthony’s community I have met so far, the level of passion for the school has been most remarkable and impressive. I look forward to meeting the entire school ‘ohana in the coming weeks and school year. It is an exciting time to be joining the school. As we begin the school’s 138th year of service, long-planned capital projects are coming to fruition. I am also looking forward to fostering a greater connection between the school and the parish, alumni, and the Maui community. I am excited to be working in partnership with the entire school and parish constituencies to that end.”
In this role as Head of School, Mr. Kenney will serve as the school leader. He will hold full responsibility for implementing the school mission, Catholic identity, academic excellence, and all other aspects of the school’s business operations. He will be directly responsible for partnering with the Board to continue and build upon the Strategic Plan to support the vision of SAS, ensuring for sufficient resources, sound
fiscal management, and financial stability of the school through direct oversight of the business operations, development, alumni, and community relations and enrollment management activities. In partnership with Msgr. Watanabe, they will both serve as the visible and engaged public faces of our school community in attending to the external affairs of the school. Our highly skilled and passionate faculty, staff, and central office teams will continue to serve in their respective mission-critical supporting roles.
Msgr. Watanabe shared, “as the incoming Pastor of St. Anthony Church and School, I am pleased to welcome David Kenney as the new Head of School. I believe that the School Board and Search Committee has done a great job selecting the right person for this job at this time. David is already participating in the life of the parish through his ministry of music in playing the organ for the 7 a.m.
Mass every Sunday, and I look forward to his presence on our team that will bring greater unity and strength to St. Anthony Church and School. He is a man of faith, care, and concern and has the educational background to direct and support the growth of faith and knowledge of the youth who come through our doors. We are very blessed to be St. Anthony from Pre-School to 12th Grade. I look forward to being with all of you in July.” Mr. Kenney will begin serving as our Head of School on July 12, 2021. In the meantime, he will be meeting with our central office team to plan for a smooth leadership transition. We are also in the process of scheduling opportunities for our community to welcome David and his wife Kathleen to our SAS ‘ohana. Additional details will be shared as they become available.
On behalf of the St. Anthony School Board of Directors, I wish to express my gratitude to the SAS community for offering their candid input during the process, as well as to the dedicated members of the search committee who thoughtfully engaged in the search process.
Please join me in celebrating and supporting Mr. Kenney as he takes on this critical role of Head of School of St. Anthony School. Please know of my prayers for the continued growth and success of the school and parish communities.
Gratefully and with much mahalo,
Jeanne Unemori Skog, Chairwoman
Board of Directors
St. Anthony School Poised for a Successful Search in Leadership Transition
St. Anthony School Poised for a Successful Search in Leadership Transition
Experienced Catholic search firm, Partners in Mission, to guide search for new Head of School Wailuku, Maui Hawai‘i – April 12, 2021 – St. Anthony School (SAS) thrives as they continue to provide
safe, Marianist education daily throughout the pandemic and ensures the continuation of excellence as they launch the Executive Transition Search Committee to secure a new Head of School for the 2021-2022 school year.
The current Head of School (HOS), Tim Cullen, informed the St. Anthony School Board of Directors this week that he will be moving upon completion of this school year. In his notification, Cullen explains, “Due to ongoing medical and health issues with parents, the impact of limited access and availability to family during the pandemic and the need to be more directly involved with family matters we made this difficult decision.”
To ensure continuation of the momentum and the energy on campus, the St. Anthony School (SAS) Board of Directors has established an Executive Transition Search Committee and has engaged Partners in Mission to assist in the transition process to secure a new Head of School for the 2021 – 2022 school
year.
Father Roland Bunda, of St. Anthony Church has valued Cullen’s dedication, “Tim ensured that the Catholic identity of St. Anthony School was always a priority through supporting campus ministry and prayer lives of the students. As a strong, faith-filled individual himself, he has done a great job at continuing the strong Marianist charism of the school over the past four years. Although the Marianists are leaving St. Anthony Parish, the Marianist identity and tradition at our school will remain strong. They are committed to continuing to support St. Anthony School. I commend Tim on his leadership in continuing the legacy of a vibrant, Catholic community on the St. Anthony campus.”
St. Anthony School has undertaken numerous endeavors that have enhanced the campus and the school and will build on those accomplishments. These include:
– Sustained and increased enrollment of 16% since 2017
– Sound financial position with balanced budget and projected positive cash balance for current
fiscal year
– Continued expansion of international student exchange admissions through collaborative
overseas partnerships
– Formation of the SAS School Foundation with targeted goals to build on existing endowment and
facility expansion
– Addition of STREAM focus to curriculum, programs and services for K-12 students (Science,
Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Math)
– Continuity of sports offerings through on campus intramural programs for students in Grades 6-
12 during the pandemic
– SAS Kids College initiative scheduled for Summer 2021: K-5 day camp, STREAM sessions for 6-8
grade and High School Credit Success Center
– Creation and implementation of the K-12 Build the Future Plan to guide strategic decision-making
and proactive action steps
– 100% graduation and college acceptance rate continues with students attending one of their top
three choices
These are a few of the many improvements that have transformed St. Anthony School into a vibrant Catholic community to serve Maui’s youth. These changes on campus were driven by the school’s
strategic plan that served as a roadmap to a sustainable future, led by the Head of School, Tim Cullen.
Hired as the first Head of School for SAS in 2017 in its restructured, one school model, Cullen provided faithful leadership to the community and vision for a thriving future. He successfully managed long-term strategic planning, academic programming and most recently, led innovative programs and services to safely guide the school through providing in-person curriculum and an ongoing athletics program during the pandemic. “Tim will be greatly missed around campus,” inserts SAS Board of Directors Chairperson, Jeanne Skog. “His positive energy, steadfast smile and strong faith could be felt rippling through the school on any given day. As an alumni and board member, I’m thankful for the time that Tim has spent at SAS and especially for his leadership that enabled us to provide a safe space for our keiki and families during the pandemic. We are encouraged by the school’s recent progress and excited to continue to build upon the foundation that Tim has developed.”
Cullen closes with encouragement and optimism, “With the updated Build the Future Strategic Plan in place through 2022, an outstanding Board of Directors and staff, ongoing support from the SAS Foundation Board, the continuation of increased enrollment and innovative plans, the opportunity for new and increased collaboration between the school and the parish, and a renewed pride and momentum in our school, SAS is certainly in a great position to be led by the right person who will be chosen to step into the HOS role.”
Click here for more information about the Head of School Search
VIEW BY CATEGORY
View by School
The SAS 2022 Calendar is here
