School Staff
Dennis Kingma - Principal & 7th-8th Grade Teacher
I have been a teacher and school administrator since 1975, working throughout Hawaii, California, and Oregon. I actually started my teaching career at this school and subsequentally taught on Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island. My goal is to help students realize and achieve their highest academic potential as life-long learners and friends of God. I believe my personal education in the public schools of San Francisco has given me a skill set of experience that has successfully translated into the private school setting. My academic degrees include a Bachelors degree from Pacific Union College and a Masters degree from Portland State University.
My wife and I have four beautiful children and are now proud grandparents of ten awesome grand kids. We enjoy the blessing of seeing our grandchildren grow day by day and being part of their lives. I have had a life-long passion for all things related to the ocean, and though my surfing experience might be considered world class by some, to me it's just part of a natural lifestyle I adopted as a kid growing up in San Francisco. After moving to Oregon in 1986, snowboarding became a natural extension of the surfing experience, and to this day, I continue to pursue an active lifestyle with enthusiasm.
Uilani Banister - 4th, 5th, & 6th Grade Teacher
Born and raised on O’ahu, I am a Kamehameha Schools graduate. My credentials include a Bachelor of Education and a Masters degree in Elementary Education and Educational Counseling. I began my teaching career in the Hawaii Department of Education in 1996, subsequently joining the Seventh-day Adventist school system in 2008.
I equip my students with the ability to apply knowledge to real-life situations and guide them in becoming Christ-centered, self-sufficient, critical-thinking, problem solving, responsible members of society. Christ's love is demonstrated through acceptance, understanding, fairness, and compassion in a loving environment where every child is encouraged to excel, therefore building in each child a positive self-esteem and a healthy mental outlook on life.
A Bible verse I hold close to my heart is James 1:2-4. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (NIV) I have learned to be thankful for trials, because through them, God has shown me His mightiness, infinite love, and protection. He has taught me to have greater faith and shown me that His goodness will always prevail.
Amanda Mekeel - 2nd & 3rd Grade Teacher
Amanda Mekeel was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. She is the youngest of three girls. She graduated high school from Takoma Academy in 2001. While in high school, Amanda was very involved in drama and performed in two major plays, Cheaper by the Dozen and A Tale of Two Cities. She was also a member of Student Association and other clubs at the school.
For college, Amanda attended and graduated from Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee. She received a B.A. in Elementary Education: Language Arts. After college, Amanda moved to Oklahoma where she began her teaching career at Parkview Adventist Academy. She taught there for five years. While at Parkview, she taught grades 1-3, 1-2, and 1-4. She was also the yearbook sponsor. In 2008, Amanda decided to begin work on her Master's Degree. For four summers in a row, she went to Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas and worked on getting her degree in Reading Curriculum and Instruction. She just finished and plans to graduate in December.
Amanda has a strong passion for drama and photography. Her favorite Bible verse is Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” No matter where Amanda goes, no matter how far she is from her family, she knows that God is with her and taking care of her. She's excited to be teaching grades 2 and 3 at HMA Windward this year!
Brandi Akins - Kindergarten & 1st Grade Teacher
Brandi Akins was born in Berrien Center, Michigan in 1979. She grew up in the Midwest, living in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. In 1997, she graduated from West Bloomfield High School in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Brandi planned to attend college in sunny and warm Tempe, Arizona to study Wildlife Conservation, but God had other plans…
While the majority of her family’s Adventist roots go far back, Brandi was not raised in an Adventist home. While visiting close family friends in Southern California the summer before college, she went to church and experienced what she had been missing. Ultimately, Brandi decided to stay in Southern California and give her life to Christ. While there, she became a task force worker for the church and worked with the youth while attending community college for a year. Finally, she heard the calling that had been tugging at her heart all along and decided to let God lead her to Pacific Union College to receive her B.A.in Liberal Studies and Teaching Credential.
After finishing her student teaching in 2002, the Lord led her to Fresno, California to teach Kindergarten at Fresno Adventist Academy. It was while she was teaching at FAA that she met her future husband, Michael, who was stationed at Pearl Harbor in the U.S. Navy at the time. After three wonderful years in her beloved classroom at FAA, she married Michael and moved to San Diego with him.
Not knowing how long they would be stationed in San Diego, Brandi did not pursue a teaching position right away. She tried her hand in the corporate world, but not only deeply missed working with children, but sharing Jesus with them. When orders came for Michael to return to Pearl Harbor aboard the USS Texas, she was thrilled at the opportunity to live in paradise, never fathoming what God had in store for her.
After praying for guidance and a string of miraculous events, Brandi was thrilled to accept the position of Kindergarten/First Grade Combination teacher at Hawaiian Mission Academy Windward Campus. She is firm believer and a total testament to 1 Peter 2:6: Those who trust the Lord shall not be disappointed. He has led so amazingly in Brandi’s life and she cannot wait to see how the Lord will use her at Hawaiian Mission Academy Windward Campus!
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Maile Olsen - Registrar/School Secretary
Maile Olsen was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1972. After graduating from Farrington High School in 1990, she began working as a Receptionist/Secretary at Omar the Tent Man. Finding that she wanted to do other things, she enrolled at the Hawaii Computer Training Center, a program run by Alu Like, where she studied and was trained in Administrative and Office procedures.
Upon completing her studies, she worked at Catholic Charities as the Secretary in the Na Ohana Pulama Program. However, in 1994 she decided that she wanted to raise her children and became a housewife for the next several years. While Maile only has one son and one daughter, she is considered to be "Aunty Maile" to many others.
Maile joined Hawaiian Mission Academy Windward Campus in June of 2000, accepting the position of Registrar. She has now decided that she would like to continue her education and is making plans to go back to school to get her degree as a Registered Nurse. When asking Maile why she loves working at HMA Windward, she states, "Working at the school has been a blessing. I love being around the students and watching them grow and have a closer walk with the Lord."
