Longtime Hope Lutheran School principal Kristen Okabayashi to also lead Seattle Lutheran HS

Seattle Lutheran High School has new leadership. Here’s the announcement we received from the school:

Seattle Lutheran High School and Hope Lutheran School are excited to welcome Kristen Okabayashi in her new position as Principal of Schools. Okabayashi received the keys to the building Thursday and is excited about her new role.

“After months of planning and some behind the scenes work on special projects, I am excited to actually be working at the school with the amazing team already in place, from the\ talented faculty to the organized office staff,” said Okabayashi.  

She is in her 12th year as principal at Hope Lutheran School and will continue to serve in that role with newly appointed assistant principal Jennifer Neafcy assisting at Hope Lutheran.

Okabayashi holds hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration (Accounting and Finance) from the University of Washington, a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University, and a Master’s of Education in Educational Leadership (K-12) also from Seattle Pacific University.

Andie Merlino will continue the hard work she has been doing at SLHS as interim principal and will serve this next year as the part-time assistant principal. Merlino will directly oversee the teachers, curriculum and academics at SLHS, and looks forward to strengthening the overall educational programs over coming weeks and months. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Whitman College, a Master’s degree in Math Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Washington, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Seattle University and has worked in education for over 35 years as a math teacher and dean of students.

“I look forward to working more closely with Kristen next year. She and I have a very similar approach to education, and I value her leadership experience and dedication to the students, parents and staff. She’ll be a great addition to our community,” commented Merlino.

Okabayashi and Merlino are already working on finalizing the fall schedule, adding a few additional classes to the course catalog, hiring staff and planning for students to attend fully in-person in the fall. “Our staff is really looking forward to welcoming all our students back into the building and bringing back many of the activities, sports and clubs that make Seattle Lutheran a great school. Our school has a lot of room to grow and we look forward to opening our doors to more students and their families,” said Okabayashi.

This coincides with the start of an agreement announced early this year for the two schools to be managed together.

2 Replies to "Longtime Hope Lutheran School principal Kristen Okabayashi to also lead Seattle Lutheran HS"

  • April Miller July 2, 2021 (5:32 pm)

    Kristen Okabayashi will be a phenomenal addition to the SLHS team! Everything said above About Kristen is true. She is also very caring, relational, effective communicator, and encouraging to both students and their families. She has actively engaged in school sporting and club events. This school has been a hidden gem that Kristen Okabayashi I believe will help shine bright!

  • WS98 July 3, 2021 (11:55 am)

    Does anyone know about diversity and inclusion at SL? I couldn’t find anything on their website.

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