According to Principal Ron Okamura, McKinley currently has a plethora of vacant positions. One of these was recently filled by Darren Weaver, who is now McKinley’s attendance education assistant.

Weaver started coaching in 1986 and had coached for many schools such as St. Louis, Farrington, Kamehameha, Waianae, and his most recent being McKinley. Prominently, Weaver had coached at Farrington for 25 years as a track & field coach. Yet, due to health issues, his coaching career is currently on holiday. When he was asked to come to McKinley, Weaver took on the position of attendance clerk.

“I came to McKinley. I was actually ready to retire. But, since I’m working at McKinley, things have changed, and I feel I can stay here a little bit longer. And I feel I made the right choice in my life,” Weaver said.

As the attendance clerk, Weaver is lifting the burden of attendance issues of the counselors who previously had to tend to. He keeps track of the attendance, tardies, and absences of students, using referral papers when necessary. Weaver also assists the Special Education department when they are in need of aid.

Weaver’s office is tucked away between the larger rooms of A-Building. The inside houses basic work equipment alongside trophies and posters from Weaver. While he had not very much thought on what to decorate the room with, Weaver would like to place the Holy Scripture alongside other Christian imagery and symbols. The posters in Weaver’s room are that of aerial photos of Honolulu in the 1950s, which he would like to hang.

Outside of McKinley, Weaver usually bodybuilds, though would very much want to open a cafe- “Coach’s Cafe” which sells Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, and local-style foods.