Ms. Dawn M. Pilon selected Interim Principal of Kubasaki High School

DoDEA Pacific South District Superintendent Dr. Melissa Hayes is pleased to announce the selection of Ms. Dawn M. Pilon as interim principal of Kubasaki High School, located at Camp Foster in Okinawa, Japan, effective 18 September 2023.

“We are excited to have Ms. Pilon step into this role,” Dr. Hayes said. “Her desire to ensure the mission of the school – to prepare every student for success in college, career, and life – is evident in all she does and highly regarded.”

Ms. Pilon attended Central Michigan University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Psychology, with minors in Military Science and Interpersonal and Public Communications. Upon graduating college, she was commissioned as a Military Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army.  She served in Yongsan, Korea after attending Airborne School, and was then assigned to the 9^th Blackhawk Battalion, 101^st Airborne Division as the S2, being promoted to 1LT. She deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield and while serving four years was awarded the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal. After leaving the Army, Ms. Pilon earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Louisville and a Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership from Drake University.

Ms. Pilon worked in various capacities in the Des Moines public school system, including Spanish teacher, School Improvement Consultant, Dean of Students, and Vice Principal. Once relocating to Maryland, she returned to the classroom to teach Spanish and was then selected as an Assistant Principal for Meade High School. She joined DoDEA five years ago, serving at Ramey Unit School in Puerto Rico. With more than twenty years of experience, she quickly found there was still a lot to learn about how children learn. She lives by the philosophy that she has just as much to learn from those around her as they can learn from her. She has served as the Assistant Principal at Kubasaki since 2020.

Ms. Pilon is the proud mom of one son, Alex, who lives in Baltimore and is close to her family: her mom, sisters, nieces, and nephews.  She also considers the friends she has met through her time in school, positions in education, and travels as family, and truly believes that “friends are the family you choose.”

Ms. Pilon believes that every decision she ever made, every turn in the road she has ever taken, has led to this current moment.  It is with great excitement that she believes this is the right place, and the right time to become the interim principal at Kubasaki High School and play a positive role in each person’s life.