After more than two months of skepticism among concerned parents, Principal Debra Badua said Friday that Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School students will receive revised and reprinted class yearbooks. “We’re so happy we can finally provide kids with what they’ve been
After more than two months of skepticism among concerned parents, Principal Debra Badua said Friday that Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School students will receive revised and reprinted class yearbooks.
“We’re so happy we can finally provide kids with what they’ve been waiting for,” she said.
On May 31, students took home a school letter saying the 2006-07 yearbooks would not be distributed due to “substantial errors.”
Some 700 picture-filled mementos “had been destroyed,” Badua said the next day.
Parents and students rallied to have new yearbooks printed. They planned protests, wrote letters to the editor and committed acts of civil disobedience, such as refusing to wear school uniforms.
Belinda Tangalin, whose daughters completed eighth grade at CKMS last year, said she is thrilled to learn that students will receive their yearbooks after all the heartache.
“Many parents continue to ask about the status of the yearbooks,” she said.
Another parent, who requested to remain anonymous, said her eighth grade son will be “so excited to learn this fantastic news.”
Grove Farm, a large land developer on Kaua‘i, donated $2,500 to the Puhi school to help defray costs.
“This will allow us to purchase the copyright and pay for shipping of the yearbooks so we don’t have to pass that cost on to parents,” Badua said. “Right now, we’re working on revising the errors and waiting for a copyright release.”
She declined to elaborate on details of the copyright, other than saying it was for the yearbook “theme and title.”
The principal said she has promised parents that the legal work will be done by Aug. 31, at which time she will mail order forms to all sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from last school year.
After the new yearbooks are printed, Badua said she will schedule a date for students to pick up their copies and for the school to host a yearbook signing event.
Costs for the replacement yearbooks will be under $25, she said.
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
