Principal shows true character

By Apryl Lactoen

Principal Ron Okamura laughs at memories from his time as a principal.

Before, Okamura didn’t actually think about being a principal. Okamura would always look at himself in the future as the first Japanese professional NFL football player.  So he tried out football during his time at school.  Sure he was a little too short for an expected football player size but as time went on, he was able to overcome and break down every single obstacle that was ever in his way.  In the end, he thought being the first Japanese professional  NFL football player might not come to his reality.

Some principals can be mean at first but that’s because they do what’s best for your education.  Okamura is actually a friendly type of principal.  Just ask him any question really and he will help you with his wisdom through guidance.  If students were to understand him more, he can be funny at times.  

When he was thinking about being the first Japanese professional NFL football player, he said, “Problem being is that you don’t see too many 5’7″ 210 pound NFL players running around so as I got older, I realized okay I guess my dream of being the first NFL football player is not going to happen.”

As an administrator, he makes sure the teachers and staff give the students the best education possible.

“There is a phrase  that we have been using all this time since I’ve been here,” Okamura said.  “All means all.  All of our students, all the time, in everything we do.”

Okamura makes sure that no student is left behind.

 “Our goal is I want to make sure that every student is taken care of,” said Okamura.

 After thinking that he wasn’t going to be “the first professional Japanese NFL football player,” he thought why not be a chef.  Okamura likes to eat a lot of food.

“I like a lot of food; that’s the problem,” said Okamura.

His favorite food is pizza and it’s interesting to know why.  Okamura was born on the Big Island, in Hilo.  Back at his place, they didn’t have that many food restaurants.  He explained to us what made him like food a lot is that he remembers a pizza place at Hilo.  He and his friends didn’t go out that much and when they tried it, he liked it.  More restaurants came in and it made him like food more.

Okamura would always cause trouble in class, although he got good grades.  After some thinking, he thought that he wanted to do something he’s interested in.  He was accepted to the University of Hawaii and majored in accounting.  He thought that he wouldn’t fit in so he switched majors and became a major in teaching.

“In this field I get to work with all these different people so that’s when I decided I wanted to go in education,” said Okamura. “Throughout my teaching career, I wanted to make a bigger impact.”  

He then got his master’s degree and got his certification in administration.  He was in administration for the last 18 years before coming to McKinley. 

 “The funny thing is that my high school teachers, because I was not the best student, couldn’t believe that I became a teacher and they couldn’t believe it and all of a sudden I’m a principal,” said Okamura.

If you were called in his office, what you would see is some toys, pictures, skateboards, and football helmets from Hilo. The toys are meant to help the students feel relaxed because principals can be intimidating.  Okamura wants his students to feel calm and relaxed to get some business done. Another fact is that he collects M&M toys.

He has pictures behind him in his office because he wants to let the students know that he is also just like everyone else.  Finally, he has football helmets to help him through his hard times. When looking at his helmets, it helps him think of all the accomplishments he’s done in the past so it helps him go through the day.

That’s McKinley High School’s principal Ron Okamura.  If students didn’t know, he has an open-door policy. If students need help, they can come to his office. He will be happy to help.