The story of the Kauai High School Foundation begins with the Kauai High School baseball team winning the State DII Championship in May, 2008.  The coach of that team, Hank Ibia, and his group of friends, coaches, parents, and other team supporters worked five months (two fund raisers) to accumulate adequate funds to travel the team to the state tournament on Oahu.  They required plane and bus fare, plus four nights of lodging and food.

Pauline passing out bentos after a game.

To help keep cost down while traveling, Hank's mother, Pauline (Rabasa) Ibia (KHS ‘60) volunteered to cook for the team.  Mother-hen Pauline cooked breakfast and packed bento lunches for the team every day while they were on Oahu.  The cooking started very early in the mornings using rice cookers and portable skillets in the hotel room.  Then after completing her cooking chores, Pauline still had the energy to watch and cheer the team at the ball games.

Pauline with classmates James Kuroiwa and June (Hamada) Minakami

Some of her classmates joining her at the games realized that although winning a state championship makes all of them (and all of Kauai) proud, it also demanded a lot of hard work and effort that ran from January through May.  This task was handled quietly by a small group of dedicated parents and friends without organized outside help.

Pauline’s classmates wanted to help that group.  Her classmates were proud of the achievement of the baseball team, but they also realized that there were other things that made them proud of Kauai High School, too.  Whether it’s a superior achievement such as becoming a U.S. Senator, the Army Chief of Staff, a MLB pitcher, or going to the Rose Bowl Parade with the band, each Kauai High School student’s accomplishment makes Kauai High alumni stand a little taller.  Pauline's classmates are also reminded that much of what they have achieved in their lifetime had its beginning on that hilltop overlooking Nawiliwili….they will never forget that origin.  As an example, here it is nearly 50 years since graduating from Kauai High School, yet Miss Jones is still in conversations among her former students.

They are proud of Kauai High School and owe a lot to the school.  In return, they wanted to help the school by providing a vehicle for financial support to improve the environment, whether in scholastics, sports, or any other educational activities.  Although the baseball team and boosters illustrated the need, it's just a part of the larger Kauai High School environment which would benefit from additional funding support.  So it was with this vision of generating funding support that the group headed by Gary Yamamoto established the Kauai High School Foundation.

It is hoped that the thousands of Kauai High School alumni and friends will join this effort to support the upcoming generations to achieve even greater accomplishments than what has already made us all so proud.