Marianne Kusaka, elementary school teacher and former Mayor of the County of Kauai.
Many fine educators serve their communities as local leaders. One of these is Marianne Kusaka, an elementary school teacher who was also elected Mayor of the County of Kauai in the state of Hawaii.
Marianne was born in Kamuela on the Big Island of Hawaii on September 11, 1935. When she was a youngster, her family in the isolated village of Hana on the Island of Maui. Marianne was raised there.
After she graduated from high school, Marianne attended Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu. She transferred to the University of Northern Colorado. There she earned her degree to become an elementary school teacher.
In 1964, Marianne relocated to the island of Kauai. Since then, she has devoted 33 years of her life as a professional educator, teaching at numerous elementary schools on the island. One of her students at Kapaa Elementary School was Bernard Carvalho, Jr., who later became the mayor of Kauai.
“It is such an honor to live here in this special place,” Marianne expressed in a 2015 interview. “I am honored to have my former students who called me Mrs. Kusaka, now call me Aunty Maryanne — such a warm feeling of respect and aloha — I love it!” she continued. “In some cases, I have become part of their family having taught three generations,” she concluded.
Marianne was still teaching when, in 1994, she was elected mayor of Kauai. While in office, the indefatigable educator launched herself into community beautification projects. Her first project was the clean-up of a beach that had been littered during a hurricane two years prior. She also worked towards refurbishing camp grounds, neighborhood parks, and jogging paths. She also focused attention on increasing tourism in the area.
In 2004, the former teacher retired from politics. But she continued to serve her community on the Board of Directors of the Kauai Museum. In addition, she has been instrumental in staging the area’s Festival of Lights. The celebration honors Hokule‘a, the Hawaiian sailing canoe. The festival features the creations from recycled materials by students from Kauai and Kapaa High Schools.
To read more about this amazing educator, read the full 2015 interview published by the newspaper The Garden Island.