Several staff members at Voznesenka School have diligently worked to create an environment that makes students feel connected to our school, rather than school being something they attend as a requirement. Making aesthetic modifications to the facility, offering additional courses of interest, implementing a school-wide student management system and providing opportunities for our students to participate in cocurricular activities are some of the approaches we have used to produce this transformation. To the outside eye our most visible changes are the athletic opportunities we now offer our students.
Two years ago our school only had a few intramural activities available to students. Next year, we will have four ASAA sanctioned sports available at Voznesenka School, as well as a few activities for our elementary and middle school students. These opportunities bring a sense of pride, belonging and commitment to Voznesenka. Since the school is the only public entity in our village, it has been challenging to increase school-community interaction. Sporting events have opened new doors of communication among staff, students, and community members through attendance at games and meets.
Increased cocurricular opportunities are also positive persuaders for students’ academic accomplishments. Grade checks keep our athletes motivated to meet school and district expectations. Participation in practice and games is dependent on attendance, which positivity impacts students’ time in school. Furthermore, athletics will encourage more students to graduate from Voznesenka School.
We are proud of the student-centered initiatives shaping the culture of Voznesenka School. Striving to meet the needs of our students is our first priority, which does give them a sense of belonging. Continued efforts will enhance the engagement of students at their school.
Story contributed by Principal Michael Wojciak
Year: 2015
Student grown seeds and greens in Tebughna's community garden
How does your garden grow? We do not have silver bells or cockle shells. However, our ‘pretty maids all in a row’ are the ladies who work for the Tyonek Tribal Conservation District (TTCD). These “dirt ladies” coordinate and collaborate with the school and the community to create a successful and productive community garden.
The “Dirt Ladies”
Christy has been with the Tyonek Tribal Conservation District since October of 2011
Nicole began working with TTCD in April of 2014
Shortly after spring break they begin having the students plant the seeds. It is the responsibility of the students to water and care for the sprouts until mid-May when they have the students plant the sets into the prepared ground at our community garden plot.
On August 23, 2014, a community harvest meal was celebrated. People prepared their favorite dishes made from the produce gathered from the community garden. We took this opportunity and held the Open House at that time as well. Due to the fire in Tyonek last spring, we were unable to have our promotional celebration for our students, so we presented trophies and awards to our students at this celebration. Great food and trophies, who could ask for anything better?
The TTCD ladies, Nicole Swenson and Tanya Kaloa have provided and continue to provide fun activities for our students. So far they helped our students make pumpkin muffins from pumpkins harvested from our community garden. They also baked some of the pumpkin seeds. Yum-yum!!! They were at the school in January and helped the students build a watershed model and demonstrated how a watershed works and what happens when conditions in a watershed change. On February 25, they plan to take the students ice fishing for pike and later we will be dissecting some of the pike. Then in March we will begin the preparation for the new garden plants again.
We were fortunate to have Deborah Kane, the National Director of USDA’s Farm to School Program, visit our school along with the Alaskan Director, Johanna Herron. They were here to see how effectively the school is working with TTCD to help provide fresh produce for our village and to work on a plan to have some of the garden products used within our school lunch program. They spoke with our students, staff and Dean Hamburg. A couple of our students taught them how to do the seal hop.
We may not have silver bells and cockle shells, but we sure do have fresh vegetables from our local garden which are not always available to us here in a fly-in village. The garden also provides a great way for us to learn new things about science and nutrition.
Panther leadership at Skyview Middle School
Leadership is many things to many people. For this year’s Skyview Middle School Panther Student Council (StuCo), leadership can be summed up in three words: courage, compassion, and commitment.
Each of those words was exemplified in the work Panther StuCo did to raise funds for the KPBSD Students in Transition program earlier this school year. Program liaison, Kelly King, was a guest speaker at a lunch time meeting. The library was packed with seventy plus student council members who hung on her every word as she described the students and families she assists, their situations, and what our council could do to be helpful to the program. StuCo members asked great questions, the compassion for their peers in need evident in every word. And then courage made an unexpected appearance as one of our StuCo members raised his hand and shared how important the SIT program is to people in need. He knows. He was one of them. The commitment of the young people in that room grew ten-fold as they listened to their friend’s words. And that commitment resulted in a Penny War fundraiser that gathered over $700.00 in donations for the SIT program.
The young people who make up our Panther Student Council are not elected. They are not nominated. There are no speeches, campaigns, or popularity contests to win to be in StuCo. Instead, students in good academic and behavior standing sign a Membership Commitment agreeing to the following:
- Work with others to establish a welcoming environment for ALL students at SMS
- Model behavior that demonstrates kindness and helpfulness toward ALL students and staff
- Value and respect the ideas and contributions of ALL members of our school community
- Organize and participate in activities and events that promote a positive culture at SMS
- Identify and organize ways to serve our community: local, national, global
- Actively promote and participate in activities that serve our community
- Demonstrate commitment to community by meeting service requirements each semester
- Maintain academic eligibility in order to participate in Student Council meetings and events
- Meet Attendance criteria in order to participate in Student Council meetings and events
- Meet high behavior expectations required of a leader at Skyview Middle School
- Serve as an ambassador for SMS at events such as conferences, orientations, celebrations
Lunch time meetings held in our school library are packed and table leaders work with advisor, Mrs. Pothast, to ensure agenda items are covered, votes taken, and attendance recorded. Activity Nights, Pep Rallies, and Service Projects are coordinated through committees, e-mails, bulletin board sign up sheets, and the tireless efforts of students working together to get things done.
Given the right opportunity, encouragement, and guidance leadership ability blooms in all of us. Organizers, chairpersons, artists, craft creators, music DJs, set up crews, clean-up crews, photographers, poster makers, food collectors, announcers, mascots, spirit leaders, game supervisors and more have emerged from this group of seventy plus Student Council members as each has found his or her niche, a way to step up, share a talent, and lead.
Seward High students grow greens
Students at Seward High School are using their greenhouse to supply the school with healthy greens, which provides essential nutrients and supports the local student body. Greenhouse preparations began in November and planting started the first week of January. Seeds were planted a week apart in order to have a sustained yield, which means the students can harvest every week. The first batch of lettuce was delivered on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, and demand exceeded supply.
By utilizing the greenhouse, students can extend the growing season in Alaska throughout the winter. The project will conclude before the spring term ends. The greenhouse is an interactive way of getting greens locally, which is fresher, cleaner, and helps consumers know what is put into their food. This is project-based experiential learning. It helps students in finance with business planning, students in environmental science with agricultural understanding, and students in statistics with concepts and data.
–Story contributed by George Reising, Seward High School math and science teacher
Job shadow: a big, heavy project
Seward High School students Marcus Sharamek and Kris Hettick spent Friday March 20, 2015, with Troy Hager and his heavy equipment class. The job shadow day was arranged through the Kenai Peninsula School District and John Clare. It allowed Kris and Marcus to see what AVTEC is like and to get a taste of the type of work a Heavy Equipment mechanic does. The guys had fun and it was “cool to see how the excavator came apart,” said Hettick. They enjoyed the new trucks, being in the shop, and getting hands on experience with the other students. It was fun to be involved taking the tracks off of the John Deere 135 Excavator and seeing how it actually works. Both Sharamek and Hettick feel this type of work is something they are interested in pursuing. They learned a little about shop operations, shop safety, and how to work with a team on a big heavy project. It was also good for the AVTEC students–they became the mentors and found out they learn more when they have to explain what is going on. AVTEC hopes to extend this type of opportunity to other high school students around the peninsula or state.
Story contributed by Kent Berklund
KPBSD nurses promote health and wellness
Nurses in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District constantly encourage healthy lifestyles. Frequently there are Medic First Aid classes for district employees and students taught by one nurse or a group of nurses. Nurse Pam Howard works with a group of students who travel to schools in the district to encourage their peers not to take up smoking, or to stop smoking before it becomes an ingrained habit. Many of the nurses are involved in teaching portions of health classes at a variety of ages and grades such as Matt Neisinger who recently planned several lessons for 4th and 5th graders. Daily the nurses teach students on a one-to-one basis about health habits that will improve their performance and help them feel better.
Recently Yolanda (Yoly) Ifflander, the nurse at Seward Middle School (SMS), made a gigantic leap to educate her students by submitting a video for the NutriLiving UNI Project. (See her video at http://bit.ly/UNIwin1). The video captured the attention of the team at NutriLiving and Ifflander and Seward Middle School were awarded $10,000 to benefit the students by improving their nutrition. Seward Middle School was one of five schools across the nation to receive this excellent award. The UNI Project is designed to help students learn the benefits of healthy eating and to explore how nutrition effects them.
The kick-off for the UNI Project at Seward Middle School was held February 17, 2015, in the commons. Students selected to participate were given a Nutribullet to practice at home the nutrition habits they will learn over a 90 day period. That evening the students and their parents were treated to samples of two types of Nutriblasts that contained leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, seeds and either coconut water or almond milk. Additionally, the students received hoodies and other items designed to encourage their participation and remind them to have a “blast” at school each day. NutriLiving staff and parents assisted in focused assessments of students. At the end of the program, students will again be assessed by the same criteria. The goal is that student will see positive changes in their performance and general well-being as a result of improved nutrition. The students are off to a great start in improving their health and well-being.
Huskies collect cans
Homer Middle School Huskies shared the love during the Month of February to give back to the community and to show their spirit. The students at Homer Middle School partnered with the Homer Food Pantry to collect and donate 765 cans and other non-perishable items. The Student Government sponsored the event; Mrs. Jen Booz’s class won a pizza party for their class donation of 195 cans. In addition to the food drive, Student Government sponsored an ice cream fundraiser to purchase a gift card for Angelica Haakenson, a fellow student from Chapman School involved in a car accident earlier this year.
One small department and 8K PCs, 800 printers, 690 wireless access points
To the public, the face of the school district is likely the local school your kids go to now–or once attended–or maybe the local school you attended growing up. You remember your teachers, or your children’s teachers: the good ones you liked and maybe even some of the ones you didn’t like so much. Most people’s view of the district is generally pretty localized, and compartmentalized by our own limited local school experience.
The public doesn’t hear much about the district’s Information Services staff. These are the computer guys that work in the bowels of the Borough building in Soldotna or travel from school to school supporting technology in the field. The Information Services view of the district may be different than yours. They see a much bigger picture, because, well, they have to keep that big picture up and running. The district is big business, and it takes Information Technology professionals on top of their game to keep the peninsula’s largest employer running smoothly, with 8,000 PCs, 800 networked printers, hundreds of Interactive white boards, 690 wireless access points, and 900 security cameras, and so forth. The list of things to maintain and support goes on and on … and seems to gets bigger every year as technology evolves. Add all those schools together and the district is much bigger than many people realize.
Information Services lives in an evolving environment, adapting to the ever-changing needs of our students and staff. For example, last summer saw a major software upgrade to 30 point-of-sale computers used in our school cafeteria lunch lines. Those final 30 completed a multi-year move to Microsoft Windows 7 on all district computers. Since the beginning of school in August 2014, there have been some substantial bandwidth upgrades at Nanwalek, Port Graham, Hope, Seldovia, Tyonek, and Marathon school, improving network performance at those sites. Add to that 96 Terabytes of disk storage for servers and databases being installed now. Just a few activities, on a wide variety of fronts, in the Information Services department at KPBSD, where something big is always happening.
Link
KPBSD Information Services
Story contributed by Jim White, director of information services
March 2015
News Release: KPBSD Pre-Kindergarten assessment dates
Pre-Kindergarten Title I assessments will take place in April
Soldotna, March 17, 2015—Children who will be four years old by September 1, 2015, have an opportunity to attend pre-kindergarten classes at their local area school in the fall. To qualify for the classes, parents and guardians must contact their local area school to schedule a Pre-K assessment, and complete an application prior to the school screening appointment date.
“The Title I funded Pre-K programs available at specific sites in the KPBSD provide an excellent opportunity for children who turn four by September 1, 2015, to get a jumpstart on success in school. KPBSD’s Pre-K teachers are all certified and have specialized training in early childhood education. As a result, the programs they offer are engaging and developmentally appropriate, with an emphasis on preparing children to be successful when they enter kindergarten. Pre-K the KPBSD way focuses on experiences that facilitate each child’s growth in the targeted areas of social and emotional development; approaches to learning; communication, language, and literacy; cognitive development, and; physical well-being.” –Dr. Christine Ermold, director of elementary education
Parent or guardian action steps before school assessment date in April
- Contact local attendance area school for times and testing locations. (See alphabetical list of schools offering Pre-K sessions*)
- Complete a Pre-K Application—the school office in your attendance area will provide applications
- Return the application to your neighborhood school office during school hours
- Schedule your child’s assessment prior to the date for your neighborhood school. (Dates listed below)
- Children must be age 4 by September 1, 2015
- Title I KPBSD programs web link: Title 1 programs at KPBSD
*KPBSD Title I Elementary Schools and Screening dates
Students qualify for Title I services based on academic need
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Chapman Elementary, 235-8671, April 14, 2015
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Mountain View Elementary, 283-8600, April 16, 2015
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Nikiski North Star Elementary, 776-2600, April 15, 2015
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Paul Banks Elementary, 226-1801, April 23, 2015
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Redoubt Elementary, 260-4300, April 28, 2015
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Seward Elementary, 224-3356, April 30, 2015
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Soldotna Elementary, 260-5100, April 28, 2015
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Sterling Elementary, 262-4944, April 29, 2015
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Tustumena Elementary, 260-1345, April 9, 2015
Title I programs are required to utilize effective, research based instruction, and must also provide evidence that students receiving Title I support are showing academic growth. Such evidence is gathered through regular formative assessments and through annual state standardized tests.
Link
Title 1 Programs at KPBSD
Media Release: March 17, 2015: Title I PreK testing in April
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News Release: Sean Dusek selected as Superintendent of Schools
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888
Soldotna, March 3, 2015—At a special board of education meeting today, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District school board voted, with unanimous consent, to offer Mr. Sean Dusek the position of Superintendent of Schools.
“I am humbled and honored to be selected as the next superintendent of our district. We are on a journey of continuous improvement that will positively impact our students and enhance how they are being prepared for their future. It is exciting to be able to continue all of our good work with such outstanding students, staff, and communities in this capacity. I am very much looking forward to this opportunity.” — Sean Dusek
An Alaskan educator since 1991, throughout his entire career Mr. Dusek demonstrates a commitment to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. He has served the students of KPBSD as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, director, assistant superintendent, and now, superintendent. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education – Math, and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership.
Superintendent Dusek’s focus is to ensure all students in KPBSD are prepared for their future. Problem solving, effective communication, respectful collaboration, and creativity are critical skills all students must develop while in our district. When these skills are combined with a solid academic foundation, including information and technology skills, students will be able to pursue all opportunities available to them upon graduation.
Board President Joe Arness said, “We have every confidence that Superintendent Dusek will be able to carry on the tradition of excellence we have come to expect in our school district. Thank you to everyone who provided public comment during this process.” Arness will meet with Dusek to negotiate the terms of employment, and bring a contract to the Board of Education for approval. The Superintendent of Schools position will begin July 1, 2015. Dusek has been the interim superintendent since December 1, 2014.
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