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Four apply to
be next St. Louis
president

The search committee will
report to the trustees next week;
a new leader should be in
place by the fall term

By Mary Adamski
Star-Bulletin

Four members of the Marianist religious order have applied to become president of St. Louis School, a position that has been vacant since the Rev. Mario Pariante was fired in November.

The board of trustees of the Catholic boys' school will meet Wednesday to hear a report by the president search committee, led by Honolulu psychologist William Tsushima.

"We hope and intend that a new president will take office this fall," said chairman Walter Kirimitsu. He said he expects the four men will be interviewed before the Wednesday board meeting. He declined to identify them.

Kirimitsu said: "If none of them measure up, at that point, we would appoint an executive search firm" and the field would be expanded beyond the international religious order that founded St. Louis and Chaminade University."

Kirimitsu said St. Louis' bylaws say if there are no qualified Marianists, next the school next must look at a qualified religious leader from another order, and only then extend the search to any Catholic lay person.

One applicant is stationed in Hawaii and the others have mainland assignments, said the Rev. John Russi, provincial of the Marianist Province of the Pacific. Russi, who was Pariante's predecessor as St. Louis president, now oversees Marianist schools and operations in California, Hawaii and Korea from its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.

Russi said Pariante, who left Hawaii earlier this year, will take a nonadministrative job at a Southern California Catholic school at the beginning of the next school year.

The trustees' removal of Pariante after 2 years as president set off two turbulent months of criticism from some parents, faculty and community observers. The trustees said at the time that Pariante, 45, who had six months remaining on his contract, had not measured up to their leadership and communications standards.

But the prevailing theory of Pariante supporters was that the priest tried to promote academic strength and control the school's powerful football program, which produced 13 straight Oahu Prep Bowl victories and captured the first Hawaii state championship last fall.

It was voiced again yesterday by John Beresiwsky, who has sent three sons to St. Louis, the youngest now a junior. "Hopefully in the future, academics will be emphasized and football de-emphasized." He praised one of Pariante's innovations, the establishment of a drama department. He said his son was a performer in the school's recent production of the musical "Grease."

"He won the top drama award as sophomore and junior. Because of that, because of (drama coach) Patrick Fujioka, we are keeping our boy in the school," Beresiwsky said.

"I would hope they'd have a priest as the next president. I would want another spiritual person. The school philosophy is important, the religion, the character building, based on treating each other in a respectful manner, is why I want my son there."

The 820-student school has been administered since December by Marianist Brother Edward Gomez as interim president. Burton T. Tomita continues as principal.

Kirimitsu said: "We took Brother Gomez from his job at Chaminade. He gives the students an assurance there is a Marianist, somebody with substantial experience." Gomez, 61, was formerly St. Louis principal and has been on the campus for 30 years in various jobs.

Russi said: "Things have tamed down. I'm satisfied they are on a good course. When I was there a month ago, I found the campus settled, the students were happy, the teachers were happy."

Russi said a new president will be faced with the challenge of getting up to speed quickly because the school is up for accreditation evaluation next spring. The faculty and staff are already preparing for inspection by Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

St. Louis also faces a problem shared with other private high schools -- enrollment has declined for the past few years.

Although selection of a new president is in the board of trustees' hands, approval of their choice lies with the St. Louis corporate directors, who include Kirimitsu, Russi and other Marianist members.

Nalani Bickson, school communications director, said the period after Pariante's dismissal "was a tumultuous time." She said trustees and administrators "went into small classrooms over three weeks to address the students in their rooms, answer questions. We tried to get back to business as usual.

"We are moving forward, that chapter is closed," said Bickson. "After 154 years, the school is bound to outlast any of us."

The search panel The search for a new president for St. Louis School is being conducted by a committee headed by Honolulu psychologist William Tsushima, a trustee.With him are: Margaret Oda, former Department of Education deputy superintendent, also a trustee. State Intermediate Court of Appeals Chief Judge James S. Burns, president of the St. Louis Alumni Association, an ex officio trustee. The Rev. John Bolin, director of the Marianist Center of Hawaii. David Trask, a member of the board of directors of St. Louis Education Foundation, the school's fund-raising agency. Chaminade University President Sue Wesselkamper. Marlene DeCosta, parent of a student. Robin Campaniano, president and chief executive officer of AIG Hawaii. Tsushima, Burns, Trask and Campaniano are St. Louis alumni.