WAIMALU — Librarian Sandra Takishita came up with the idea and principal Kaylene Yee is looking forward to keeping her promise of kissing a pig if every class at Waimalu Elementary meets its reading goals this school year.

It'll be a live pot-belly pig, Yee said with a chuckle. No doubt, the children's book "Our Principal Promised to Kiss a Pig" by Kalli Dakos and Alicia DesMarteau is well read at Waimalu.

Pupils have dropped off small toy and ceramic pigs at the principal's office to remind her of her promise.

It's part of the 'ohana spirit at Waimalu, where staff and volunteers give extra effort to making school a happy experience for the pupils.

Cynthia Casamina, one of the few full-time music teachers at a public elementary school, worked last summer with her student chorus group that performed on Danny Couch's "Christmas in Hawai'i" CD.

Yee recalled that retiring principal Irene Okawaki called her "Priscilla's mom" when introducing her as Waimalu's new principal 11 years ago. Priscilla, currently a University of Hawai'i med student, is one of Yee's two daughters, both of whom attended Waimalu Elementary. Her other daughter, Carrie Anne Yee, is a fashion designer in New York.

Other notable Waimalu alumni during Yee's tenure at Waimalu include local journalists Peter Boylan (The Advertiser) and Marisa Yamane (KHON-TV), and Joelle Sugai, a former University of Hawai'i soccer player who earned 2004 third-team academic All-America honors.

What are you most proud of? Student achievements and volunteers, which include partnerships for about 12 years with Pacific Air Forces' Computer Systems Squadron and also Headquarters, Communications and Information Directorate, and the Hawai'i Air National Guard's 293rd Combat Support Squadron. Volunteers contributed 2,200 hours of service during the last school year, according to Yee.

Best-kept secret: Cafeteria service staff, headed by Pam Yuen, for quality food "not typical of school lunches," Yee said. With a recent Parent-Teacher Organization donation, for example, the staff served brownies last week on the same day that the popular beef stew was on the menu. The cafeteria staff also provides extras for faculty such as occasional turkey jook or pansit and a daily salad bar.

Everybody at our school knows: Karen Guerrero or "Miss Karen." The A-Plus coordinator and lunch supervisor, who is the "first to arrive on campus and the last to leave," according to Yee, has been a fixture at Waimalu Elementary for 17 years.

Nobody would guess that: Yee, in her 33rd year with the Department of Education, was the sports editor of Farrington High's newspaper, The Governor, in 1965 when the Govs became the last public school to win an Interscholastic League of Honolulu football championship. Her maiden name is Mau.

What we need: Air conditioning for classrooms. Waimalu is on a modified year-around schedule so school starts in July when it's hot. When windows are opened, freeway noise intrudes.

Projects: Proceeds from Student Council car washes and snack bar donated to Hurricane Katrina relief. Also food drive for the Salvation Army.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.