By Andrew Roberto
andrew@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
KOBLERVILLE Elementary School is inviting community members to find their next favorite book on campus after receiving a donation of 15,000 library books from Hawaii State Sen. Glenn Wakai earlier this week.
School Vice Principal Jonas Barcinas called the donation an “extraordinary gift.”
“This is a great way to promote literacy within our community,” Barcinas said. “The books are very meaningful. It really aligns with what the kids are learning.”
For her part, Principal Naomi Nishimura expressed gratitude to Wakai, a former KMCV news anchor on Saipan.
“Senator Wakai’s generosity has brought immense value to our schools and families. This donation not only enriches our campus library but also allows us to share this wealth of knowledge across the CNMI,” she said.
Barcinas said he was part of an email thread with Wakai, who was reaching out to entities in the Micronesian region who could take the donation. Barcinas took the opportunity.
He told Variety that the KoES school librarian has gone through the collection to identify resources relevant to their elementary students. He added that much of the collection would also benefit middle and high school students, and that librarians and principals from other schools in the Public School System — and beyond — have been invited to select materials for their own collections. Parents are also encouraged to find books they would like to take home for free.
The CNMI community at large is now invited to browse the collection, Barcinas said. Those interested may email him at jonas.barcinas@cnmipss.org to schedule a time to view the books, which are currently displayed on the school’s performance stage.
The campus will also be open to the public on Saturday and on Oct. 18, from 8 a.m. to noon, for book viewing.
Barcinas said they are grateful to Matson, Saipan Stevedore Company, the Commonwealth Ports Authority, CNMI Customs, and CTSI for assisting with logistics involved in storing and moving the books during shipping. He said the storage fee was waived through the efforts of Lee Cabrera at SSC, and that CTSI donated the transportation of the books from the Port of Saipan to the school.
