David Y. Ige

View this release online here.

HONOLULU – Kealakehe Intermediate School teacher Mathieu Williams was named the 2019 Hawaii State Teacher of the Year.  Williams received the state’s top teaching award from Governor David Ige and Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto during a ceremony held at Washington Place this afternoon.

The honor is presented annually to a classroom teacher selected from more than 11,000 educators within the Hawaii State Department of Education.  Williams was among seven District Teachers of the Year and one Charter School Teacher of the Year recognized today.

“Mathieu’s passion and dedication has accelerated Kealakehe Intermediate’s technology and digital media program into a very popular focus among his students and has developed them into a nationally competitive team in two short years,” said Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto.  “His collaborative work to improve education through the sharing of best practices among his fellow Hawaii District teachers and community-based education programs has been truly inspiring.  Mathieu has done amazing work to energize his students, his school and his community, and we look forward to even greater achievements from him in the future.”

Williams will represent Hawaii in the National Teacher of the Year program.  Each April, the President of the United States announces the national winner.  Today’s Teacher of the Year ceremony included:

·         A $500 award to each District Teacher of the Year by The Polynesian Cultural Center, the Teacher of the Year program’s corporate sponsor for over 30 years, and an additional $1,000 award to the State Teacher of the Year
·        A one-year lease of a new Nissan Leaf courtesy of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association and Nissan Hawaii to the State Teacher of the Year

In addition to Williams, Hawaii’s District Teachers of the Year honored today are:

·        Shane Albritton, Public Charter Schools, School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability (SEEQS)
·        Brandon Arakawa, Maui District, Kahului Elementary School
·        Sean Doi, Kauai District, Kauai Complex Area Office
·        Sam Hankins, Honolulu District, Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School
·        Gail Izumigawa, Leeward District, Waipahu High School
·        Mary Ann Kurose, Central District, Radford High School
·        Debbie Morrow, Windward District, Kailua Elementary School

Williams joined the DOE family in 2016 and currently serves as the technology and digital media teacher at Kealakehe Intermediate.  His achievements include leading his media students to the 15th annual Student Television Network National Convention in Nashville to learn from media professionals, participate in contests and hone their production skills.  The convention, known for its demanding on-site competitions, gives students a limited time to shoot and produce high-quality video features, and the team earned a first place award for a Spot Feature and third place award for a Movie Trailer among dozens of competing schools.
Williams also led his media students on a trip to Honolulu to train with digital media professionals at PBS Hawaii and to host the Hiki No education program.

At HIDOE, Williams led coordination efforts for the inaugural West Hawai‘i Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teaching conference, designed to spotlight teacher leaders in West Hawai‘i and share their experiences and best practices.  The event was an incredible success, and teachers left feeling inspired, equipped, and connected, as part of a larger community of educators.  He is also very involved in different community based programs and has worked closely with the Hope Street Group and Kamehameha Schools.

Click here for an event flyer and more details.

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About the Hawaii State Department of Education

The Hawaii State Department of Education is the ninth-largest U.S. school district and the only statewide educational system in the country. It is comprised of 256 schools and 36 charter schools, and serves about 180,000 students. King Kamehameha III established Hawaii’s public school system in 1840. To learn more, visit HawaiiPublicSchools.org.

Derek Inoshita
Communications Specialist
Phone:  (808) 586-3232
E-mail:  [email protected]