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C H A M I N A DE MAGAZI NE
Leading With Faith WHEN SHANA TONG, MED ‘08 WAS OFFERED THE POSITION OF INTERIM PRESIDENT AT MARYKNOLL SCHOOL, A PRIVATE CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN HONOLULU, THE SITUATION COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE URGENT. IT WAS JULY OF 2020, AND THE EDUCATION SYSTEM AROUND THE WORLD HAD JUST BEEN ROCKED BY ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES OF THE CENTURY: THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
“As times change, faith gives you something to rely on, it gives you a sense of responsibility”
Schools across the globe had spent the last part of the 2019–20 school year scrambling to finish out the year remotely. No one really knew what fall of 2020 would bring—would schools be able to reopen? Would everything be online again? Would there be a hybrid option with both online and in-person teaching? Teachers and administrators were working double-time to prepare for all scenarios. In Hawai'i, things were looking stable in early July. Coronavirus numbers were relatively low, hospitals had dismantled their COVID units, businesses were reopening, and there was talk of the travel quarantine being lifted. But one month later and the situation had changed. Numbers were rising, and quickly. By
mid-August, public schools had been mandated to begin their school year online. If there is anyone that could have led Maryknoll through these difficult times, it was Tong. Tong knew Maryknoll like the back of her hand. She had had every possible relationship with the school—she had been a Maryknoll student, parent, teacher and administrator. And her endless optimism and easy manner would serve the school well during the unpredictable times. Tong graduated from Maryknoll in 1983, and then spent a few years getting her B.A. in Speech and Communications before finding a job working for a major airline. That career path didn’t last long.
“I said, ‘oh my goodness, this isn’t me,’” recalls Tong. “So I started taking classes in elementary education at Chaminade—it was Chaminade that made education a nice experience for me and made me want to continue that route.” Not long after, she rejoined the Maryknoll family as a second-grade teacher and speech coach. Other than a two-year stint working for Sacred Hearts, first in Honolulu and then in Lahaina, she has spent her entire career at Maryknoll. She found her calling in teaching. There was something magical about watching a child learn, and knowing that she was responsible. “It’s when a student gets that ‘aha!’ moment when you know that you made a difference,” describes Tong when asked what she loves most about being an educator. “As a new teacher, you think, ‘Oh my gosh, I hope my kids learn from me.’ But as you get to become more familiar in your career, you really come to recognize the impact that a teacher can have in the life of a student.” When she became vice principal at Maryknoll in 2004, she already had her masters in curriculum and instruction. But being on the other side gave her a whole new glimpse into the education system, and she wanted to learn more about running a school. So she enrolled in Chaminade’s Master of Education in Educational Leadership program and took classes in the evenings. “It was easy for me to relate to Chaminade,” says Tong. “It was a small class size, and it had a sense of family. And of course, it had the Catholic spirit.” The program helped her fill in the gaps. She already knew how to teach—but actually running a school was different, and posed new challenges. “I learned more about the business aspect of running a school—law, finance, HR...” says Tong. “The Chaminade program offered an all-encompassing look at what a principal needed to know to run a school. I may not have been fully equipped when I became vice principal, but having those classes gave me the support that I needed.” What struck her most was how caring her professors were. While she was a student, a close
