As ILH president, Schaffer will lead the league's 26 principals in decision-making on athletic issues and policy. He also will work with principals and athletic directors from the state's five leagues on issues and policy for the HHSAA, which has 89 member schools.

"I think the ILH principals and athletic directors do an excellent job being fair and doing what is best for all of our student-athletes," Schaffer said. "I also have the utmost respect for (ILH executive director) Don Botelho. I think he has done a fantastic job and he is looked at as the sage of not just the ILH, but for Hawai'i."

Schaffer, who is beginning his fifth year as MPI's high school principal, has an extensive background in athletics. He was a scholarship athlete in college and coached cross country and track and field at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., from 1972 to 1990.

Schaffer also coached tennis, soccer and basketball at the youth and interscholastic levels.

"He's a good thinker and outstanding when it comes to making decisions from an educational perspective," Ramos said.

The ILH's 26 members include tiny schools like Honolulu Waldorf as well as Kamehameha and Punahou, which rank among the largest private high schools in the nation.