Kauai High School graduation of 274 graduates shared a lot in common with the two other public high schools that celebrated graduation on Friday night.
Kapaa High School, with 216 graduates taking the walk for their high school diplomas, celebrated to an overflow audience at the Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Park stadium, and Waimea High School with 187 candidates for graduation celebrated at the Hanapepe Stadium on the same night.
U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda dropped in for the Kauai High School graduation where school officials anticipated more than a thousand people cramming the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields.
Tokuda said she was not scheduled to be a keynote speaker, or deliver any sort of speech.
“I’m just here to experience this graduation,” Tokuda said. “I’ll be in Kona on Saturday morning, and back on Oahu Saturday night. I just want to be able to experience as many of the public high school celebrations as I can.”
Kauai High School Principal Marlene Leary said 98 percent of the class, or the largest percentage since the COVID-19 shutdown, are graduating, and the 274 students who showed up represented at least 95 percent of the eligible students.
Tokuda’s tour, which started about 30 minutes before “Pomp and Circumstance” announced the graduates, allowed her time to chat with Red Raider graduates, parents and even grandparents of Kauai High School graduates.
Once seated, Tokuda joined members of the congratulatory panel to offer congratulations as each Red Raider received their diploma.
“As a proud public school graduate, and mom, high school graduation season holds a special place in my heart,” Tokuda said. “Our graduates’ resilient spirit reminds us to celebrate their journey and to rekindle the audacity and optimism of our own youth. They inspire us to believe again in what is possible, and they give us hope. To all of our graduates, congratulations and mahalo for making Hawaii proud.”
