This Issue
Winter 2012 - Department | Editor’s Note
Editor’s Note
Remember the old riddle, “What’s black and white and red all over?”
Answer: “A newspaper.”
Almost everyone in America has heard that joke, but do you know this one? “What's red, black, white and read all over and over again?”
Answer: “A newspaper.”
Almost everyone in America has heard that joke, but do you know this one? “What's red, black, white and read all over and over again?”
“‘Iolani’s Classnotes.”
Every three months, a new set of Classnotes is born through the quarterly ‘Iolani School Bulletin you are now reading, both online and in print. What begins as an empty slate somehow blossoms into column inches of news, information, updates, and photos depicting ‘Iolani graduates and the important milestones and events in their lives. For the majority of readers, that group of wonderful alumni includes you!
According to the Institutional Advancement Office database, there are approximately 10,137 ‘Iolani alumni alive today, from the Class of 2011 all the way to alumni who graduated in the 1920s. That’s a lot of you in different stages of life with a lot of news to share with your ‘Iolani family. Sharing important events helps keep us connected. Staying in touch with people in meaningful ways seems to make life more enjoyable. Perhaps that’s why people around the world look forward to receiving and sending Christmas and holiday cards each year.
What begins as an empty slate somehow blossoms into column inches of news, information, updates, and photos depicting ‘Iolani graduates and the important milestones and events in their lives. For the majority of readers, that group of wonderful people includes you!
Long before online greetings and Facebook exploded on the Internet, Classnotes was the only formal way alumni and their families found out about each other’s lives.So how is Classnotes created? There are three main keys to unlocking its success.
The first is Jane Romjue, who has been editing and compiling the content of Classnotes since 1993. She retired from teaching English full time at ‘Iolani in 2010, yet thankfully she is still on campus as an occasional substitute teacher and as the Classnotes editor. All submissions are, ultimately, funneled through Romjue. She transforms what can be hundreds of separate emails, handwritten notes, postal mails, faxes, newspaper clippings and Internet stories into a cohesively well-written and grammatically graced section of this magazine.
The second key is the graphic design firm, Stacey Leong Design & Associates. Leong and her business partner Karyn Yasui Lau take is mostly amateur photos and make our ‘Iolani School Bulletin look great. The clever and attractive cover designs begin with their creative juices. They design the layouts for the entire magazine, from front cover to back cover. These award winning designers face an artistic challenge each issue, needing to make 500 words fit into a 300 word space or turning a candid snap shot into magazine worthiness. All the while, they create a look that’s appealing to the eye and makes each story easy to read. You’ll notice that this issue is our first full color edition. We managed to keep the cost of designing and printing the magazine down while enhancing its look.
The third key is a three-lettered word: YOU. Without the contributions from alumni like you, there would be pages of white at the end of each magazine. Imagine a Bulletin without a group shot of crazy, young college students getting together over Thanksgiving break; or an issue without lovely wedding photos featuring reunited classmates in the wedding party; or an absence of photos of babies born to adoring parents who want to share the happy news with those who matter in their lives. That would be a pretty dull alumni magazine.
So keep your news and photos coming. Send them to and remember our deadlines (published within each Classnotes section). These deadlines help ensure that we can produce a magazine that's delivered to you in a timely fashion every three months.
Sharing news with your ‘Iolani family never gets tiresome, even though that may not be the same for some old jokes.