It’s a little after 8 a.m. and Hawaiʻi schools superintendent Keith Hayashi is walking around a ballroom at the Ala Moana Hotel holding a cup of coffee in his left hand so he can shake hands with his right. It’s a friendly room and he’s a friendly guy. Eh, howzit. Good to see you. Good to see you.
He’s an energetic guy, too. Hayashi says he usually gets up around 5 a.m. and starts on the coffee, which he drinks all day, but he doesn’t have a hyper, over-caffeinated energy like a strobe light. He’s more like an incandescent bulb. No flickers, no sparks, just steady light.
He’s the opening speaker for the gathering of school counselors and advisors who all seem to be wearing black slacks, lanyards and comfortable shoes. Hayashi is wearing a bright yellow Sig Zane aloha shirt, a sartorial choice he made early in the morning to match the school colors of the last school he will visit on this four-campus day…