KAPA‘A — Forty-seven students celebrated the sharing of $90,000 in scholarships on Wednesday when the Kapa‘a High School Foundation celebrated its scholarship awards at the school’s cafeteria.
And since the awards were at the cafeteria, the students and their guests were treated to a special dinner treat thanks to the school’s cafeteria staff and Kapa‘a High School Foundation board members.
Through the efforts of the Kapa‘a High School Foundation board, scholarships were amassed through donations from alumni students and the community and distributions covered a wide range of students and their respective post-high school fields of study.
Among the donors, Pauline and Nicholas “EZ” Street provided the first 25 student recipients with scholarships and best wishes for success. EZ said they started out as immigrants and climbed to become teachers.
Retired Judge Bill Fernandez is coming out with a new book, shortly said his wife Judi. They provided scholarships that were aimed at a student who will be the first in the family to seek higher education, or from a single parent family, with activity involving Hawaiian cultural activities.
The James McCullough Scholarships were offered in honor of James Leon McCullough, a teacher, counselor, and coach at Hemet High School in California.
James McCullough Jr. and wife Megan are Kaua‘i residents and started the scholarship to extend their father’s legacy into the island community and make a difference in students who otherwise may not have the opportunity to attend college.
Numerous Kapa‘a High School alumni, including Kaua‘i Complex Area Superintendent Daniel Hamada, Art Fujita, Eunice Kubota Olivas, the Nakamura Family, the Huddy Foundation, Clyde Kodani and many more added to the pot to lighten the load for those senior students intending to pursue higher education following their May 24 graduation.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
