LEADERSHIP CORNER | MAHINA ELENEKI HUGO

Q. Many people know you from your volleyball days at the University of Hawai'i; how did you wind up at La Pietra?

A. It wasn't long after my playing days at the University of Hawai'i that I had heard that there was an opening for a physical education position at La Pietra, and that was back in 1992. I thought, "That sounds like it could be a fun job," and so I applied and I was fortunate enough to get the job. I loved it and I stuck at La Pietra, and soon after that, I went from a teacher/coach to administrator in admissions. I was a middle school dean for a number of years and assistant head of school.

Q. Was it your goal to become head of school?

A. No, not at all. If you had asked me just last year, the answer would have been no. The pieces sort of fell together for me. I was on the search committee to find the new head of school and they had asked if I was interested. I said no, mostly because of the time commitment and I was already as the assistant putting in a lot of hours. I went through a few meetings with the board of trustees and I would come out of those meetings so fascinated with the search process. At about the sixth meeting, they turned around and said, "We've been watching you and the trustees were discussing things and said, 'We're no longer going to ask you to put your name in the hat. We want to offer you the position.' " At that point, you're supposed to sound highly intelligent and it was one of those "caught-me-off-guard" moments. I told them that I needed to think about it. One of the main reasons that helped me decide to do it was all the support that they were willing to give me.

Q. Has it been a big adjustment to go from assistant to head of school?

A. I would say yes. Everybody asks what's my toughest thing and I sort of joke about everybody wanting a minute of my time. I always say that my real day doesn't start until about 4:30 in the afternoon, when everybody's gone for the day and I can actually answer e-mails and return phone calls. But I love it. I love talking to people and new things pop up at my door every day, so it's interesting in that way.

Q. Besides demands on your time, what are some of your other challenges?

A. I'm in charge of a lot more, the financial aspect, the faculty, and it's a little bit higher level now as far as my responsibilities. I find it fascinating and it's interesting, yet it's quite a puzzle where you have to keep the pieces all together.

Q. How does the school get its funding? Is it through tuition, fundraising?

A. All of the above. We do a lot of fundraising and we have the annual giving campaign where the faculty, community, parents and alumna donate and try to get money. It comes from various sources and it's a constant fundraising effort. Fortunately we have a committee, and I'm part of that committee, to brainstorm which ideas would work and what events would help bring in the revenue.

Q. Has the school changed since you've been there?

A. I'm very proud of the fact that even prior to my becoming head I was part of creating what the school is today. I have had the opportunity to make some changes here, but I've also been very fortunate to have been here these past years to help these changes come to a certain point. I look at the faculty and my staff as a team, and my philosophy is making sure my faculty views it that way and we work together.

Q. Does that come from your athletic background?

A. I think it's a direct result. I use a lot of analogies about my years of playing. Sports to me is a way of life, not just the team thing, but you learn the discipline and you learn the commitment and just the dedication that it takes. Those are some of the work ethic qualities that I look for in myself and in the faculty around me.

Q. Is there a greater emphasis on athletics at the school now?

A. That's been one of the biggest things that I want and that I will work hard for, both on the athletic front and the teacher front. The teacher front, the retention is really good. The coaching front, that's where I'm really trying to build. I want to build a program, not just one team. (I want to) bring good coaches in and have them remain and really concentrate on building the program from the intermediate years and then JV and up on to varsity.

Q. Why is athletics so important?

A. It does wonders for not just the girls themselves, but it builds confidence, it's great for the school's spirit and morale, and even a few girls are able to go off to college on athletic scholarships. That winning spirit that "we can do this" adds so much to school life and for each individual girl that it's a neat feeling.

Q. What's the enrollment at the school?

A. We are at 250 from grades six through 12. It's up a little from last year, and that's a very comfortable number. We probably could go just a few more, but the enrollment has been steady for the last several years, which has been nice.

Q. What do you tell parents when they ask you why they should send their daughter to La Pietra?

A. Of course I love the school, so I'm not selling anything that I don't believe in. We call ourselves "a small school with a big curriculum." We are college preparatory, so we have our share of the advanced-placement courses. We do have some really good electives as well. So we have a nice array of courses. It's building the entire girl as well. We have a small student-teacher ratio. It's about one to 11, so our girls get a lot of individual time with their teachers. An all-girls school, I think, that's a bonus. There's a comfort level here whether it be in the classroom where the girls aren't afraid to ask questions, the girls have opportunities here. They are the student council, presidents and they're class officers. So there are lots of opportunities here for girls to express themselves creatively.

Q. Does your notoriety as a former Wahine volleyball player help or hurt you?

A. When I first started out of college, the girls would come up to me and it was nice because they did respect me as a role model. Now I just have to laugh because the girls will come up to me and say, "My dad and mom said you used to be a Wahine." I told somebody that the day that somebody comes to me and says, "Oh, I remember you from my grandmother's time," then it's going to be time to retire. But I think people in the community are so supportive. I can't say enough about the time when I was playing. Everywhere we traveled in the world, Hawai'i by far has the best crowd and community support. It's amazing.

Q. Have you set any goals for yourself at the school?

A. Making sure of the financial sustainability of the school and always to try and keep up with refreshing our curriculum. Technology is always changing, so trying to maintain that we are forward in our thinking. At the same time, I'm a firm believer of preserving the ethos of the school and some of the history that it was built upon. So trying to keep that fine balance of the new forward thinking versus preserving the old. Trying to maintain that balance is always a good goal. I'm having a great time and I love this school and I think that it's evident in our girls. That's always at the root of a lot of my decision making and things that I do. It's the girls first and foremost.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.