 Hi, I'm Rusty Komori and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. I was the head coach of the Punahou Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. This show is based on my books Beyond the Lines and Beyond the Game and it's about leadership, character, and creating a superior culture of excellence. My special guest today is the highly respected leader of Marinal School. She is President Shana Tong and today we are going beyond the classroom. Hey President Shana, welcome to Beyond the Lines. Aloha Rusty, so good to be with you today. President Shana, I've had the honor of talking and meeting with you a couple times during the last few weeks and it's just, I'm amazed at what you're doing at Marinal School, but first can you tell me a bit about your background growing up? Sure, a local girl born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and actually attended Marinal since kindergarten. So I'm a K-12 Marinal Legacy student and then returned to teach at Marinal. You know, I was fortunate enough to attend the University of Hawaii graduate program at Gonzaga University and at Shamanad University, my second master's. When I returned to teach in 1988 at Marinal, I taught second grade and have taught every grade from second through eighth and was fortunate to get picked up as an administrator. My principal asked me to be the vice principal and then I became the principal, the vice president and here I am, president of Marinal School. Man, that is such an incredible story. I mean you, you are Marinal. There's many of us here that are, you know, you just get attached to the school community. Now President Shana, tell me about Marinal School. I mean the, the grades and you know just in general, what do you offer at Marinal? Well, we're established in 1927 by the Marinal sisters. So we have a lung legacy. So you have many alum that follow the school and remember there are special times here. We are kindergarten through 12 across two campuses. So our K-8 on this campus and then the 9 to 12 on Punahou Street. We have about 950 students, 120 faculty and staff. Well, I think that's a really nice size for a school and President Shana, I like really looking at some of these young little students and then really kind of projecting what they're going to be like in the future upon graduation. What, what kind of values and disciplines do you expect your graduates to possess when they graduate from Marinal? Our goal is to be partners with their parents in really educating this child in, I want good people. I want you to graduate with good character, our spirit of noblesse oblige to whom much is given, much is expected. You serve the community and see yourself as how you fit into the global society bigger than just you. Of course, you know, academics is a given. You want them to have a passion and to be able to explore where they want to be in their future, giving them some of the programs that will entice that. Yeah, no, that's really good to hear. And I know that Marinal has been thriving for, you know, some years now. And what do you see are the reasons why for that? We've really had a chance to revisit, especially with the pandemic, revisit, restart, recharge. It's an exciting time at Marinal. We'll be opening our pre-K for four year olds starting in the fall. We're working on our licensing for that. We are the only Mandarin immersion program. So right now, our current fourth grade entered as kindergarten, where they have 50% of the day in Mandarin and 50% of the day in English. Aside from that, we also have our pathway program that really gives students opportunity to explore their passion. So in STEM and civil air control, in medical innovations, in creative arts and expression. And we did announce that we're in a capital campaign here for Bachelet Hall, a renovation of our beloved Bachelet Hall. And that will be our arts center performing arts center. Well, it's so good to hear that you have, you know, some unique classes like that. And you guys also have, do you have robotics as well? We do. We have a coding club. We have a strong robotics team. And actually the robotics team starts in the grade school, you know, with the VEX IQ, and then moves up into the high school. So that partnership where you have model students, and you want to be like that when you get into high school, exciting. Yeah, no, that really is. You guys offer a lot. And besides COVID, what are what are some of the challenges that you you're dealing with at Marinal? You know, just getting back into engagement, engagement of our families. Also really determining who you are as a school and what direction you want to go. It gives you a chance to recharge and be excited about your future. Yeah, no. And you know, there's, there's never a time to be complacent in anything you're doing. I mean, you're the, you're the coach of the entire Marinal school. And you're such a great, well respected leader. And what are some of your future goals? What would you like to see Marinal become in the future? Keep producing just good citizens, good children, people who are confident in themselves, ready to tackle the world. You know, as your book says, no fear, right? You can, you know, see that shoreline and it's okay to take the risk of separating yourself from that. Really, I would say it's the global thinking students that are equipped for, you know, their future in terms of our immersion program, but also again, the pathways. If you want to be a nurse, then you would enter our medical innovations pathway and have experiences and mentorships that will allow you to really know that that's the field you want to go into. President Shawna, I had a chance a few weeks ago with you to really tour your, your gym. I mean, you guys have such a beautiful gym. I absolutely, I'm blown away by it. And what are your thoughts about the importance of learning life's lessons through sports? You know, believe it or not, I was a cheerleader for Marinal school. And, you know, that's a difficult sport. But it gives you the sense of teamwork, of belonging. It really gives you confidence to know that as a team, you can achieve anything. And what that gym has done for our sports program has really elevated, you know, the confidence level and the equipment that it takes to create champions. Now, I totally agree with you. And when I've been watching a variety of your sports teams, what I'm noticing is there's some great team bonding. There's some great team culture with all of these sports that you have. And it all starts with the coaches. I mean, they're creating this culture, this really culture of excellence. Do you see the same as well? I do. You know, our athletic director, Ben Volley, who is also an alum of Marinal school really prides himself on, you know, that you are scholar athletes, and you are imitating to others what it means to be a leader in the in academics, but also in athletics. And only together as a team, can we, you know, really move forward and achieve the excellence that you want. Now, when you were attending Marinal versus what Marinal is now, what are the differences that you see from back then to now? You know, of course, we had many more sisters, the religious, and we've really now we're all laity, right, lay teachers. Marinal has boosted itself in terms of the confidence that we have in the marketplace that we offer a good product that constantly evolves and achieves more and more excellence. Also, in addition, would be extracurricular activities has expanded quite a bit to include things like speech teams and math teams, robotics and our athletics program. Coding clubs, things like that. And the facilities that support it, that has been the biggest area of growth at Marinal. And, you know, President Shawna, with your sports teams, because Marinal is considered, you know, a slightly smaller school, are you guys still able to fill a lot of your sports teams? Because I know some of the smaller private schools sometimes have difficulty filling their sports teams. You know, there's a pride of being a scholar athlete. And so many of our athletes do play in more than one sport. And then of course, our division one would be our basketball and our softball. You know, those are areas that you'll see students participate in a variety of the sports because they just like being part of a team, you know, it expands their experience at Marinal as a student. Now, President Shawna, I know that you have both of my books and I want to ask you what are some things that really stood out to you in the books? Well, there's so many, Rusty, you're an inspiration to me. And I really will read these over and over, you know, the four Ps of bringing people together that as the leader, you really need to model listening to people and involving people. One of the things that I came to realization early on in my leadership is that you're not a leader if you look behind you and nobody's following you, right? And my philosophy and I'm encouraged by what you say in your books is really that as a team, you move forward. And that's how you achieve the excellence. I love many aspects of your book, but really making sure that people feel valued and how you help to stretch them and grow. Well, President Shawna, there are thousands of people behind you following you. I can guarantee that because you are someone that really goes beyond the lines. You're a tremendous leader. And we during these past few weeks, we're able to have and do two big book donations to Marinal School with Dr. Tommy and Ryuko Sakoda and with Charlene Lee. And what are your thoughts about how we're trying to really inspire these schools with through these book donations? You know, as we know, leadership gives us confidence to be successful in life in whatever aspect of the life you're dealing with. You know, thank you to Mrs. Lee and on Dr. Sakoda and Mrs. Sakoda. You know, you're just spreading the word and it's through their generosity that we're able to use this as a tool. So we're starting at Marinal with our leadership team and then we'll also share with middle-level management training for leadership. You know, as you said, coming together. And we even have plans that we'll start with some of our student leaders because they're the ones that interact with the rest of the community every single day. And when we did that book donation from Dr. Tommy and Ryuko Sakoda, it was so great to see Judge Peter Fong with us as well. I mean, he's the chairman of the board. What are some things that you feel super grateful and thankful for that have such a great leader and person like a Judge Peter Fong? You know, we have so many people who support us. Many are alum and some are people who just love Marinal. And Judge Fong actually was instrumental in introducing you to us and he is our board chair. We have a very strong chair of our foundation of Marinal school, of our development committee, of our school board, our alumni association, parents, students, and just people who love Marinal all coming together to really make sure that Marinal's here for the future. Yeah, no, I totally agree. That's so good. And I want to ask you, President Shana, you and I have both been on various teams throughout these years. And we know what the leader does that's good and what the leader does that might be not so good. What do you feel are some of the things that the greatest leaders do? For me, a good leader, as mentioned in your book is, you know, sometimes you need to not be always the one in the forefront. That bringing people together is more important, making people see what strengths they have and nurturing them and giving them the confidence to be the next set of leaders. Succession of leadership is really important to me, listening, making people feel very comfortable. And that's how you move your organization forward. And that's exactly what you're doing. And President Shana, how would you describe your leadership style? We is greater than me. That it's only as a team, as good as anyone on that team that you're going to move forward. And that's my new philosophy really is the we is greater than me. You know, Rusty, I look at it like, you know, le po'o, it's more commonly known as ahakule. You have so many different personalities, so many different ferns and flowers. But it's only together that those ferns and flowers become this beautiful lei. And when I look at that, I'm often reminded of the beauty and the different talents that come from within our community, that when woven together has such a perfect ending. And I like that, you know, that analogy for me is important. Well, I really like hearing that analogy about that haku lei. I mean, that's so good to hear from you. And President Shana, what do you see? What's been an adversity that you dealt with, whether it's personally or professionally in your life? And how did you overcome that adversity? You know, believe it or not, I was a very shy child, very sensitive. I still am. So I think oftentimes my adversity comes from my own insecurities. And it's when you look at a product like Merino School, and you say, my goodness, this institution is so important to me, that I need everybody on the same page. And I'm going to put all my efforts to bring the community together. And you get people who really boost you up because they have different talents than you do. So I would say my biggest adversity throughout my life has been somewhat being shy or introvert, believe it or not. And you just work on these things for the betterment of, you know, wherever you are in your life. It's funny you say that because I was the same way. I was really shy. I was an introvert. And when I became captain of my high school tennis team, that kind of was the moment that I broke out of my shell, because now I'm in a leadership role as being captain. What do you see as when was it that you broke out of your shell from going from introvert to heading to the extrovert side? You know, I would stay sometimes after school on the grade school campus, you know, waiting to be picked up. And I was in seventh grade. And the cheerleader from the eighth grade came up to me and said, hey, Shauna, I want you to become a cheerleader. I want you to become one of us. And I was like, oh my goodness, I can't do that. You know, I don't have the confidence. And it was that point becoming involved in a team that really gave me the confidence. And then, you know, I started getting involved in student council and becoming parts of clubs. And although I was still shy, people around me and the, you know, the intertwining of my contacts and relationships with people, and then also mentors who said they see this is what your book says too, you see in someone a special talent, and you're going to encourage them to really pursue that. And that's what I was surrounded by people who really cared about me, who loved me, and who gave me the confidence to succeed. I want to ask you more about cheerleading. I mean, I feel so, I was so happy when cheerleading became recognized as a regular sport because it's so difficult doing what they do and what you have done as a cheerleader. Can you tell me more about really behind the scenes, how challenging it is to be a cheerleader? You know, people think you put on the cute outfit. You've got your pom poms and your hair bow. But, you know, you have to train. You have to practice. You run. You know, in those days, we used to run stairs. You run up and down the stairs. I don't think we had a stair master, but that's what we did. You know, you stretch and you prepare yourself both physically and mentally. And, you know, the hours of practice that it takes to create pyramids, the hours of practice that it takes to be able to perfect your, you know, how you all move together synchronously in, you know, in your moves and in what you do. And then projecting your voice in the proper way, you know, there's just so many different components that come together in whatever sport you're in. And the danger factor, I mean, I'm sure, I mean, did you ever get injured or a lot of your teammates get injured and cheerleading? You know, actually my vocal cords, my doctor, you know, put me on a special, you're not to yell at this decibel. Your knee suffers a lot. Your back, you know, and so that's why the weight training is also important. And then in how you build your pyramids and how you do your splits and what have you, all of the preparation that goes into being physically prepared. Yeah, I totally see that. I would watch our cheerleading teams practice and when you see what they do, I mean, and then they support all of the sports teams. I mean, it's really incredible what cheerleaders do. And President Shawna, I want to ask you about you again, about, you know, if you can share what's a valuable, important lesson you've learned in life so far. You know, don't be afraid to ask for help. Don't be afraid to reach out to others and to not only support others, but I have learned that you gain so much in how you interact with people. I remember being an eighth grade teacher and I would evaluate because I was a dean at the time, a kindergarten teacher. And I learned so much from just being able to push the limits of my instruction and curriculum by really being a constant learner. And you know, that's what I wish for all our students to be just constantly learning, to be confident, and to know that they're loved and they have a special safe place here at Marino. Now, President Shawna, we've all had teachers that had such a big impact on our lives growing up. Who's a teacher that had a very positive big impact on your life when you were growing up and what was the reason for it? You know, it's hard to identify just one, but I do have, ironically, it's my two English teachers. Mrs. Marilyn Dunn, she taught me eighth grade language arts. And then Mrs. Frankie Lucas as my high school sophomore English teacher, you know, I just wanted to be like them. They were classy women who were smart, who were compassionate, and who really made you feel special. And what they did was look at where you were at and always boosted you up so that you could be confident and successful in whatever your project was. And I always said, when I'm a teacher, I want to be like that. Ironically, I did end up coming back as a teacher and were able to call them colleagues. And I have no hesitation in always identifying that, hey, you too are the ones that I model my teaching and my leadership after. Well, and that's why, you know, it's really important to talk about these things because some of these students right now, I mean, they're being impacted by these teachers. And whether these teachers know it or not, I mean, they are all role models, don't you agree? I agree, definitely. You know, when you're a teacher, you're constantly in the spotlight of those students, they go home and they imitate you. And it better be a good imitation. You're right. I've imitated some of my teachers before too. Now, President Shawna, in my book, I talk about how risk promotes growth. Can you give me an example of a time when you took a risk? You know, February 1st of last year, when I accepted the role of head of school for Merino School, that was a big risk for me. I, you know, to own the position and to give it 100%, you just want to do so well for the school that means so much to you. And that was a big risk for me. Fortunately, if I've had people who have stepped forward to offer their mentorship, and their love and their care and their guidance and wisdom. No, I can totally see how that's a risk. And because you care about Merino and you care about what you do and, you know, you're in that role where you're a reflection of everybody at Merino and everyone's at Merino is a reflection of you, right? Yes, definitely. Now, President Shawna, what would you, I mean, you're a very successful leader, and people define success in different ways. How would you define success? You know, when you say I'm a successful leader, it's only because of the people that who are successful around me that we come together as a team. To me, success is many things to many people. But for me, it's definitely just doing the best that you can do to make sure that all of the students at Merino feel loved and cared for, and that they have a special safe place. And if my students feel that, then that's my success. Well said, President Shawna, and I know that gives you extreme fulfillment, and I can see that happening, you know, from the outside looking in for sure. And Shawna, I want to really thank you for taking time to be on the show today, to really share insights about, you know, why Merino is thriving. Rusty, thank you for being an inspiration to all leaders. Enjoyed your books, and I'm excited for the things that we will do in our leadership training. Oh, I'm excited to really see what happens there, and thank you, President Shawna, and thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. For more information, please visit RustyKamori.com, and my books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope that President Shawna and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence, and to find your greatness, and help others find theirs. Aloha.