Saturday, December 14, 1996
Name: Raymond Sugai
Age: 52
Position: Pearl Ridge Elementary principal
Education: Uniersity of Hawaii; University of Iowa
Pastimes: Running, paddling, church
"He's such a man that would be in the background," said clerk Caroline Shiraishi. "He doesn't want to be in the limelight."
With Sugai at the helm, Pearl Ridge and, earlier, Waiahole Elementary School won National Blue Ribbon Awards from the U.S. Department of Education. But Sugai shies away from taking credit. "I truly believe that when one person is singled out for an organization's success, that's really difficult. Because it's the guys in the trenches" who deserve the recognition, he said.
Sugai was among four Hawaii educators selected for this year's prestigious Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards. Each recipient is given $25,000.
Judges touted his leadership in mobilizing 100 volunteers for last year's "Let's Get Wired!" project at Pearl Ridge. The project set up voice, video and data networks, allowing students to interact with people around the world.
Vice Principal Carolyn Hamada said the two things that first come to mind when she hears Sugai's name are his warm personality and his belief that all children can succeed.
"The thing about Ray is you always know where he's coming from, and it's always going to be that kids are first," she said.