The state Department of Education on Tuesday announced 15 complex-area teachers of the year and one charter school teacher of the year as finalists for the 2025 Hawaii State Teacher of the Year award.
“Each of these educators utilize innovative approaches to cultivate high-
quality environments of teaching and learning where students can thrive,” state schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in a statement. “Their passion for teaching and unwavering dedication to student success inspire and elevate our students, staff, schools and
communities.”
In October one teacher will be selected as the 2025 Hawaii State Teacher of the Year and represent Hawaii in the National Teacher of the Year program. This honor is awarded annually to a teacher chosen from over 13,000 HIDOE
educators.
In 2023, Jackie Freitas, the natural-resources teacher at Leilehua High School, won the award. A Leilehua High alum herself, Freitas, 36, has been teaching at the school for
14 years.
“When my name was announced, I was very surprised,” Freitas said. “And when I got called, I was in disbelief because I thought of myself as only an ag teacher. That was how I perceived myself, I didn’t do all these awesome things.”
She later realized that she wasn’t just an agriculture teacher; she was a teacher who made a significant impact on students, “changed lives and made the kids feel like they are my own personal
children.”
“I may not only be their ag teacher; I might also be their parent figure, their counselor — I do more
than just teach,” she said. “Throughout this year it really opened my eyes that I’m more than just an ag teacher.”
Freitas said she has a strong connection with her students, often playing a parental role. She always keeps her door open for anyone who wants to talk.
After winning the award, Freitas said she received the validation and recognition that she was doing
her job well, fulfilling her long-held desire to be an
educator.
She also received benefits including a $1,000 cash grant from the Polynesian Cultural Center, a one-year car lease and all-expenses-paid trips to DOE events. One of the most significant experiences was attending a dinner at the White House in Washington in April, where she joined other state Teacher of the Year winners.
“Our profession is not one that everybody strives for, but it is a profession that is very much needed and valued,” she said.
Jaime “Kumu Eva” Palakiko, 48, from Lahainaluna High School, one of this year’s nominees, said the teaching profession is often reserved for “unique individuals” who pursue it out of passion rather than for the paycheck.
Around May, toward the end of the academic year, Eva was informed by her vice principal and a curriculum coordinator that they wanted to nominate her for the Teacher of the Year award.
“I was so honored, but also I’m kind of one of those people who find it hard to accept praise sometimes; I get awkward,” she said. “Also because I do what I do for the kids.”
She has been teaching Hawaiian language and hula in Lahainaluna High since January 2021, after previously teaching at Kamehameha Schools Maui.
Eva said she remains in the profession because it is a labor of love. She sees it as a way to pass down her legacy to students, who
can then carry it forward to future generations.
Another nominee, Bryan Silver, an engineering career technical education teacher from Kalani High School, said he often spends an additional 30 hours per week after school working on robotics with his students.
“Being recognized by
my peers and the administration for some of the work we’ve been doing is very nice,” Silver said. “The big point to it is showing what teachers are doing in
Hawaii.”
This year’s nominees, listed in alphabetical
order:
>> Leah Aiwohi from Kauai High
>> Robin Cone-Murakami Barros from The School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability (charter school)
>> Ian Cablay from Waialua High
>> Tennelle Clark from Waianae Elementary
>> Lauren Collier from Kaneohe Elementary
>> Leah Gouker from
Pahoa High
>> Nicole Laeha from
Kailua Intermediate
>> Karla “Viviana” Martinez from Konawaena High
>> Jessie O’Neill-Prest from Kihei Elementary
>> Jaime “Kumu Eva” Palakiko from Lahainaluna High
>> Jonathan Peralto from Waiakea Intermediate
>> Jennifer Sato from Kuhio Elementary
>> Bryan Silver from Kalani High
>> Erin Takamura-Luu from Red Hill Elementary
>> Sherry Tenn from Waipahu High
>> Kim Virtudazo from Campbell High
