The Shack Hawaii Kai closing

The Shack Hawaii Kai, a restaurant and sports bar set along the marina waterfront in the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center, is closing Friday.

Manager Alika Kelii said employees were told Wednesday about the closing after hearing rumors about it last week. He said that business had declined over the past two years, and workers were told the restaurant is shutting its doors because it has had difficulty covering its lease. It employs about 30 workers.

The Shack Hawaii Kai opened in 1991. It was preceded by The Shack Kailua in 1987 and followed by The Shack Mililani in 1999, both of which remain open. The Shack Waikiki closed after four years in 2012.

Passamonte named Mid-Pac’s high school principal

Mid-Pacific Institute in Manoa announced that it has selected Paul Passamonte as its new high school principal.

Passamonte, who has had administrative experience in Hong Kong, Chile and the Philippines, will take the post in August. Passamonte is currently principal of Hong Kong International School and was selected after an international search that lasted several months.

He is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and has a master’s degree in educational leadership from De La Salle University in Manila.

Passamonte succeeds Thomas McManus, who will be taking another school position on the mainland.

Mid-Pacific, Hawaii’s fourth-largest private school, has 1,580 students from preschool to grade 12.