‘Iolani School Headmaster Val T. Iwashita announced Thursday he will retire at the end of the school year after 17 years in that position, the second-longest such tenure in school history.
"I felt that it was the right time for me to step down," Iwashita, 61, said in an interview. "I feel really good about retirement. I’m ecstatic."
Iwashita said one of his favorite moments as headmaster happened this summer. In a three-week surfing class at Kuhio Beach for seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade students, Iwashita helped push out a student on her surfboard into the water.
"The look on her face, that smile she came back with, is memorable for me," he said. "Obviously, there are other, bigger memorable moments I remember, but it’s the small ones that are exciting and very special to see."
Iwashita is the school’s second-longest-serving headmaster, after the Rev. David P. Coon’s 22 years. Iwashita is also the first ‘Iolani graduate — class of 1967 — to lead the school.
"All of us owe Val our deepest thanks for his tireless leadership, dedication and commitment to making ‘Iolani what it is today — one of the finest college preparatory schools in the nation — and strongly positioning it for the future," Jenai Wall, chairwoman of the ‘Iolani School board of governors, said in a news release.
Aside from awaiting the birth of his second grandchild, Iwashita said he has no firm plans for his retirement, but intends to "keep busy professionally."
He will continue to be involved with special projects during the 2012-2013 school year, including fundraising, facilities development, 150th-anniversary planning and to help ensure a smooth transition for his replacement.
Iwashita is credited with upgrading campus facilities, supporting and inspiring teachers and students, and emphasizing the values and traditions that distinguish an ‘Iolani education, among other achievements, the school said in a news release.
‘Iolani’s board of governors will appoint a search committee and hire a global search firm to identify a new head of school. Cathy Lee Chong, ‘Iolani School’s director of communications, said a new headmaster will be selected by next summer.
