Fern Elementary School Principal Glen Miyasato has been named Hawaii’s 2023 National Distinguished Principal by the Hawaii Elementary &Middle School Administrators Association.

The award program through the National Association of Elementary School Principals annually recognizes elementary and middle school principals from across the country who set high standards for instruction, student achievement, character and climate for their students, families and school staff.

Miyasato will be invited in the fall to Washington, D.C., where he and other national state awardees will represent their states and be recognized for excellence in leadership.

State schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi and sponsors at HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union joined leaders of the state organization Sunday at the Hawaii Okinawa Center to recognize the seven nominees for the state award.

“Our school administrators are a cornerstone of our educational system and provide the foundation on which student success is built,” Hayashi said. “I am incredibly proud and humbled by the dedication of our award nominees … for their commitment and perseverance in advancing the academic achievement and social- emotional well-being of all of our students.”

Miyasato has been with the state Department of Education for more than four decades and has led Fern Elementary since 2018. Nicknamed “Po‘o Kumu,” Hawaiian for “head of school,” Miyasato oversees approximately 400 students; nearly half have limited English proficiency, and 95% of students are eligible for free or reduced- price meals.

Complex-area Superintendent Rochelle Mahoe praised Miyasato as an instructional leader who exemplifies the DOE’s “Na Hopena A‘o” principles of belonging, responsibility, excellence, aloha, total well-being and Hawaii sense of place. As an example, Mahoe noted that Miyasato leads Fern’s “walking school bus” from neighboring public-housing complexes to the Kalihi campus each morning.

Miyasato represented Honolulu District. The other nominees were:

>> Stacy Bookland, principal of Lahaina Intermediate, Maui District.

>> Heather Dansdill, principal of Hilo Intermediate, Hawaii District.

>> Glen Iwamoto, principal of Waimalu Elementary, Central District.

>> Alexandra Obra, principal of Waiahole Elementary, Windward District.

>> Christine Udarbe- Valdez, principal of Nanai­kapono Elementary, Leeward District.

>> Jason Yoshida, principal of Kaumuali‘i Elementary, Kauai District.