High school senior Alexandria Agdeppa is flanked by (from left) Mayor Charmaine Tavares, Sen. Roz Baker and Princess Nahienaena School Principal Kaipo Miller following the unveiling of hundreds of books purchased with funds Agdeppa raised. Photo by the County of Maui.

A community project by a Lahaina student will benefit Princess Nahienaena Elementary School students for years to come.

For her senior project at Kamehameha Schools-Maui, Alexandria Agdeppa raised more than $2,000 to buy books for Princess Nahienaena School’s library.

A former student at the Lahaina school, Agdeppa received great support from Barnes & Noble Booksellers and the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunrise in her charity campaign.

Barnes & Noble held a Book Fair that raised $780 for Agdeppa’s project during the summer. Rotarians, who each year give brand new dictionaries to third-graders at Princess Nahienaena School, matched the fair’s proceeds with a $780 donation.

Used books donated to the cause were sold to bring the tally over $2,000 to buy new books for the elementary school students.

“I love reading so much that I asked my mom to read to me every single night when I was younger. I wanted to make sure that these students had the same opportunity to enjoy books, too. Knowledge will last forever, and when you read, you gain more knowledge,” said Agdeppa, a senior at Kamehameha Schools-Maui.

Mayor Charmaine Tavares joined Rotarians, Sen. Roz Baker and school officials to honor Alexandria at a ceremony on Sept. 3.

Tavares presented Agdeppa with a commendation and called her an exceptional leader.

“It’s inspiring when young leaders such as Alex Agdeppa use their abilities to organize, speak out and take action to help others. As a former teacher myself, I know that reading is a key component of education, and our schools are always in need of community support,” the mayor said.

“Two-thousand dollars’ worth of books is a valuable investment in our children, and we’re very grateful for Alex’s hard work.”

Support West Maui students in their community efforts. You can start by making a donation for Cherise Milanio’s project to replace the torn up mat in the LHS Wrestling Room.