Community Partners – Page 3 – KPBSD Communications Field Notes

invitation: Possibility becomes reality for Project SEARCH interns

You are invited!
Project SEARCH intern showcase

Possibility becomes reality when a school district and hospital collaborate to create a business-led, one-year, school-to-work program for students with disabilities.

Everyone is invited to discover how Project SEARCH is a positive impact in our community.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Denali Room, Central Peninsula Hospital, Soldotna, Alaska

Families, local employers, educators, partner organizations, and the community are invited to:

Meet student interns who will showcase learning from their internship rotations
Talk with the teacher and job coach; meet the hospital job mentors
Light refreshments will be served

The Project SEARCH High School Transition Program is a total workplace immersion, facilitating classroom instruction, career exploration, and relevant job-skills training in strategically designed internships. Through targeted internship rotations, students acquire competitive, marketable, and transferable skills. Students also build communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills which is important to their overall development as a young worker. The goal: independent adults prepared for competitive employment opportunities.
Local employers of previous interns include: Safeway Bakery; Fred Meyer; Wal-Mart; Central Peninsula Hospital; Heritage Place; Blue Moose Bed and Biscuit; Charis Place Assisted Living; Walgreens; KPBSD.

Kenai Peninsula Project SEARCH is made possible through the collaborative efforts of Project SEARCH Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Central Peninsula Hospital, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Frontier Community Services, and the Kenai Job Center.
Questions? Contact: Cindy Worley, Project SEARCH Instructor, KPBSD and CPH, 907.513.9691

Seward SOS – Sources of Strength learning

“A best practice youth suicide prevention project designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, bullying, and substance abuse. … Sources of Strength moves beyond a singular focus on risk factors by utilizing an upstream approach for youth suicide prevention. This upstream model strengthens multiple sources of support (protective factors) around young individuals so that when times get hard they have strengths to rely on.” – Sources of Strength

Seward Middle School and Seward High School roll out Sources of Strength training. A blizzard couldn’t keep adults from a day of learning on Monday, and Tuesday added students to the learning. #SewardStrength

Day 1 – adult SOS learning #SewardStrength

The program identifies and increases the Sources of Strength that students already leverage to overcome adversity and challenges of all kinds. Seward Middle and Seward High students learn to recognize their strengths and use them to support each other and the larger Seward secondary age school community.
Training continues in Kenai on February 15 – 16, 2017! A network conference is in the works for late April or early May to include learning for SOS students, partners, and student leaders from non-Sources of Strength schools. Stay tuned.

Pointer: don't aim a laser at an aircraft

January 6, 2017 – This post is on behalf of FAA Aviation Safety in Kenai, Alaska, in an educational outreach effort to students and the Kenai Peninsula communities.

Homer and Kenai report aircraft are being targeted by lasers.

When aimed at an aircraft from the ground, the powerful beam of light from a handheld laser can travel more than a mile and illuminate a cockpit, disorienting and temporarily blinding pilots. Those who have been subject to such attacks have described them as the equivalent of a camera flash going off in a pitch black car at night.

The Federal Aviation Administration along with local law enforcement investigates each report. If you have information of laser activity by someone you know, please take a minute to report them. Our goal is to keep the skies and pilots safe. It would be very sad if this resulted in an aircraft accident here on the Kenai Peninsula. Let’s work together as a community and stop this before anything happens.
The FBI announced a program aimed at deterring people from pointing lasers at aircraft—a felony punishable by five years in jail—and in some locations, reward those who come forward with information about individuals who engage in this dangerous activity.
Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is a serious matter and a violation of federal law. It is important that people understand that this is a criminal act with potentially deadly repercussions.
The new initiative—which includes a campaign to educate the public about the dangers of “lasing”—will run for 60 days in 12 FBI field offices where laser strikes against aircraft are prevalent. A key part of the program is reward money: At some locations, the Bureau will offer up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of any individual who intentionally aims a laser at an aircraft.
We hope that more public awareness about this issue will lower the instances of laser strikes. We also want to encourage people to come forward when they see someone committing this felony—one that could have terrible consequences for pilots and their passengers. As of December 2013, the FAA had documented at least 35 incidents where pilots required medical attention after a laser strike.
Interfering with the operation of an aircraft has long been a federal crime, but the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 specifically made it a federal felony to knowingly point the beam of a laser at an aircraft. The new law has lowered the threshold for prosecution, and the trend is on the rise for jail time in these cases. For example, a 23-year-old California man was sentenced to 21 months in prison for aiming a laser pointer at a Fresno County Sheriff’s Office helicopter. Court records showed that the man deliberately tracked and struck the aircraft.
If you have information about a lasing incident or see someone pointing a laser at an aircraft, call your local FBI office or dial 911.
info: http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/laws/

Soldotna High Making a Difference

“Every day I speak to students at Soldotna High School about respect, treating people right, kindness, and dreams. I tell them that the choice is theirs: they can choose to make a difference in their lives as well as the lives of others.

Actions speak louder than words, and this year they broke the sound barrier!

With the help of the students, staff, and the community, we were able to fill 25 baskets for families in need at Soldotna High School, give 30 turkeys and all the meal fixings to Love Inc., and still donate over 900 pounds of food to the Food Bank. All-in-all, we had enough food to feed 75 families this Thanksgiving year.
I am so proud and extremely thankful to call this my community and be a part of the Soldotna High School family. Make it a great Thanksgiving. Remember, the choice is yours!”

–Tony Graham, Principal, Soldotna High School

Tsalteshi Trails Story Mapping and App Project

Skyview Middle School eighth grade students in Sheilah-Margaret Pothast’s classes took to the Tsalteshi Trails to learn about GIS (Geographic Information Systems), use GPS to map a new trail, build a mobile app, and provide research for a story map now posted on the Kenai Peninsula Borough website.

Mrs. Pothast explains, “My first and second hour eighth grade American History classes participated in much of the research “grunt work” guided by our outstanding adult volunteers. Many of the ideas for direct links, etc. that you’ll see in the product are ideas the kids recommended. Our adult volunteers contributed the expertise in their respective fields as well as the actual technical construction of the map. Students worked with adults to add attributes to the app and worked in teams led by the adults to develop the basic content ideas for each tab. Students are seeing the work for the first time and loving it! They are also already thinking of ways to improve it. This has been a wonderful learning experience for all of us, and one I look forward to continuing in the future. Many thanks to our adult volunteers without whom this would not have been possible.”

Thank you to the SMS staff, and amazing community partners and volunteers who did so much with our students, including: Bobbi Lay and Celina Robinson – KPB GIS Department; Nancy Carver – KPB Kenai River Center; Austin Johnson, City of Soldotna; Stephanie Queen – City of Soldotna Economic Development & Planning; Branden Bornemann – Kenai Watershed Forum GIS Specialist; Mark Laker – Kenai Wildlife Refuge Ecologist; and Bill Holt, Tsalteshi Trails Maintenance Manager extraordinaire.
Link: Tsalteshi Trail System

Top 12 innovative ideas from KPBSD teens

KPBSD News Release

Teens respond: What can I do, invent, or create?

Soldotna, April 28, 2016—More than 300 KPBSD students competed in the Caring for the Kenai (CFK) competition this year, with $28,000 awarded to students and classrooms. The CFK essay prompt challenge is, “What can I do, invent or create to better care for the environment of the Kenai Peninsula or improve the area’s preparedness for a natural disaster?”

“I am very proud of all the finalists for Caring for the Kenai,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “This program allows the students and staff in our district to extend learning beyond the classroom in a meaningful way. These types of projects are the true measure of education in our district and exemplify what is happening on a daily basis in our classrooms. Congratulations to all of the participants and I look forward to the students taking the next step with their projects by making them happen in our communities.”

After several rounds of judging, the top 12 ideas were presented in a live competition, before a panel of community judges.

In first place, Evangeline & Marguerite Cox [Nikiski Middle-High School] claimed $1,600 with “Breath for Pets.” Their project places pet oxygen masks in the hands of first responders on the Kenai Peninsula. “Animals are a big part of our lives, not just domestic pets but wildlife as well, and these respirators can save both in emergency situations,” said Evangeline.

Second place and earning $1,100 is freshman Hunter Hanson [Kenai Central High School] who plans to put drones into service for environmental research, “My plan is to use drones to survey moose on the Kenai Peninsula using thermal imaging,” said Hunter.
Third place and claiming a $900 prize is Alicia Steiner [Homer High School] who is implementing a program at her school to reduce Styrofoam tray waste, “My project is to limit the amount of Styrofoam trays by implementing ‘Tray-less Tuesday’ which is one day of the week that we don’t use any Styrofoam only paper products,” said Steiner.
Fourth place and claiming $750 is Rowan Biessel [Homer High School], whose idea is to install algae photo bioreactors in buildings on the Kenai to combat climate change.
Fifth place and winning $650 is Victoria Giles [Soldotna Prep] who wants to convert common trash into energy with a bio-digester that could be used in homes or landfills.
Sixth place and winning $550 is Jacob Nabholz [Kenai Central High School] who is teaching the bio-cultural connection between people and nature by learning the meaning of ancient language of our host Dena’ina culture that reveals knowledge of local ecology.

In addition to the $8,000 in cash awards for the finalists, this year $20,000 will be awarded to the schools science departments, thanks to the CFK signature sponsor Tesoro Alaska and the community partners Kenai River Raven Lodge, Hilcorp Energy, ASRC Energy Services, Peninsula Community Health Services, and Peninsula Radiation Oncology Center.
Other finalists that earned $400 each for making it to the final 12 out of over 300 entries were:

Robert McGinnis of Ninilchik with his mobile recycling unit
Elise Webber a Homer senior who has begun a program for disaster alert registration of cell phones
Chelsea Oberle-Lozano of Ninilchik with a project called “Facing your Feces,” an idea to provide poop-bags at trail heads
Samantha Graves from Homer has a plan to save more otters with volunteers
The team of Katelyn Moore and Drew Davis from Nikiski prepared emergency “To Go” bags for disaster preparedness
Owen Myer also of Homer is starting a sleeping bag drive to collect no-longer used sleeping bags to be used in case of an emergency

High schools using CFK as part of classroom curriculum are Homer High School, Kenai Central High School, Nikiski Middle-High School, Ninilchik School, Seward High School, Soldotna Prep, and Voznesenka School. Each school receives $750 for their participation and the remainder of the $20,000 was allocated proportionately to how the students ranked in the CFK competition. Additionally, twenty plus students received special recognition awards from local businesses and individuals.
On Saturday, April 30, 2016, finalists, teachers and guests will attend the CFK V.I.P. Awards banquet hosted in their honor by Tesoro at the Challenger Learning Center in Kenai. This year’s April 21, 2016, oral presentation judges included Borough Mayor Mike Navarre, Cameron Hunt, Tesoro vice president Kenai Refinery, KPBSD Superintendent Sean Dusek, Ray Chumley, ConocoPhillips LNG plant superintendent, Marnie Olcott, CEO Challenger Learning Center of Alaska, Monica Adams PCHS chief executive officer, Amanda Millay, Environmental Program Technician Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and last year’s CFK 1^st place winner Keira Stroh. Caring for the Kenai is administered as part of the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska educational programs.
Questions? Contact Merrill Sikorski, contest creator and coordinator, (907)-262-4949
Links:

Caring for the Kenai website
Caring for the Kenai on Facebook

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BP celebrates five KPBSD teachers

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888

News Release
BP celebrates five KPBSD teachers

Soldotna, April 19, 2016—Five KPBSD teachers learned they were recognized as a 2016 BP Teacher of Excellence when Superintendent Dusek made surprise visits to congratulate the teachers and share the news. Selected from more than fifty excellent nominations, BP and KPBSD celebrate Darilynn Caston, Redoubt Elementary School; Sharon Hopkins, Tustumena Elementary School; James Knoebel, Soldotna High School; Nickole Lyon, Seward Elementary School; and Patricia Truesdell, Hope School.
A celebration banquet will be held May 4, 2016, and the Kenai BP Teacher of the Year will be announced that evening.
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BP News Release: BP RECOGNIZES 32 TEACHERS OF EXCELLENCE Outstanding Alaska teachers celebrated for excellence in education
ANCHORAGE (April 15, 2016) – BP will again honor a select group of teachers from across Alaska for their exceptional performance in the classroom, dedication to students and contribution to the state’s future.
Five Kenai Peninsula Borough School District teachers are among the 32 honorees. Now in its 21^st year, the BP Teachers of Excellence program will recognize 32 Alaska teachers in 2016, with winners receiving $500 gift card and a $500 matching grant to their school. “At today’s oil prices, we look closely at every dollar we spend, and we believe that continuing to support our teachers in communities across Alaska remains a great investment in our state and in our future,” said BP Alaska Regional President Janet Weiss. “It’s another part of BP’s commitment to Alaska, and we’re honored to continue this great tradition.” The program honors K-12 teachers from all school districts, including public and private schools. Since the program’s inception in 1995, BP has recognized 680 teachers for their dedication to teaching and inspiring students. This year, the program attracted more than 1,000 nominations.
For the complete list of winners across the state visit: BPteachers.com.
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This and all KPBSD media releases are online at this web page: http://bit.ly/MediaPublicRelationships
Suggest or contribute a story online link: http://bit.ly/SuggestKPBSDstory

Teens present innovative ideas in live competition for 25K in prizes

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888
News Release
Twelve students present their innovative ideas in live competition, for 25K in cash awards
Soldotna, April 18, 2016—How can we improve our environment or prepare for a natural disaster? Three hundred KPBSD students entered the annual Caring for the Kenai (CFK) competition and put their forth their best innovative ideas. The top twelve students take to the live stage Thursday, April 21, 2016, 6:00 p.m., in the Kenai Central High School Little Theater before a panel of community judges, and the opportunity to win cash prizes, and ultimately implement their idea. The public is invited.

Caring for the Kenai Live Competition
April 21, 2016, 6:00 PM
Kenai Central High School
9583 Kenai Spur Hwy
Kenai, Alaska 99611
Free, everyone is welcome

Now in its twenty-sixth year, the CFK community partnership offers cash awards to the best twelve proposals addressing the prompt,

“What can I do, invent, or create to better care for the environment on the Kenai Peninsula, or to improve the area’s preparedness for a natural disaster?”

More than 300 students from KPBSD schools including Homer High School, Kenai Central High School, Nikiski Middle-High School, Ninilchik School, Soldotna High School, Soldotna Prep, Seward High School, Voznesenka School, and Connections Homeschool submitted their entries online through the CFK website. “From simple but practical ideas to the use of hi-tech innovations this year’s proposals will challenge us all to do more for our environment and natural disaster preparedness. The oral presentations is an event not to be missed and is a tribute to our school district,” said program creator Merrill Sikorski.
“Caring for the Kenai is a great program that supports our efforts to have students apply their classroom learning in problem solving activities,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “This program is truly cross curricular and allows students to be creative and collaborate with their peers, teachers and the community. I appreciate the efforts of our teachers to integrate this program into their classes and am thankful that people like Merrill Sikorski have kept this opportunity alive for our students.”
The finalists will compete for over $8,000 in cash prizes for themselves, plus $20,000 in cash awards for their high school classrooms. Tesoro Alaska is the signature sponsor of CFK, administered by the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska. CFK Community Partners contributing cash for classroom awards include ASRC Energy Services, Hilcorp, Kenai River Raven Lodge, Peninsula Community Health Services, and Peninsula Radiation Oncology Center.
This year’s panel of judges includes Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre, KPBSD Superintendent of Schools Sean Dusek, Tesoro Plant Manager Cameron Hunt, Jade Gamble ADEC Spill Response, Challenger Learning Center CEO Marnie Olcott and last year’s CFK winner Keira Stroh. The public is encouraged to attend the CFK oral presentations to experience personally the great ideas coming forward from our youth. All judging prior to the oral presentations is done anonymously with the student’s name and school not being revealed until after the final oral presentations.
The competition will also be streamed live over the internet, and easily available by going to www.caringforthekenai.com and clicking on the home page banner.
Contact: Merrill Sikorski, Caring for the Kenai Coordinator, 907-262-4949
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This and all KPBSD media releases are online at this web page: http://bit.ly/MediaPublicRelationships
Suggest or contribute a story online link: http://bit.ly/SuggestKPBSDstory

Homer High student video is national contender in Toyota #TeenDrive365 Video Challenge

Homer High student video is a top ten national contender in Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge Three Homer High School students triumphed over more than 1,500 entrants from across the country – the highest number of submissions ever received in the competition’s five year history – to be one of the top ten finalists in the annual Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge. The 56 second video, “Let’s Be Smart” topic is distracted driving, and it is up for a People’s Choice award based on online votes received by April 25.* Please vote online and share via social sites!

Liam Somers, Johann Kallelid, and Lyndsay Brown are finalists and have 1 in 10 chance to win up to $15,000 and participate in the video production of a PSA with Toyota and Discovery Education!

Plus, the People’s Choice winners also win $5,000. Encourage your school and community to support these creative and community minded students. Go to www.TeenDrive365InSchool.com/vote by April 25, and share with ‪#‎TeenDrive365‬ on Twitter.

www.TeenDrive365InSchool.com/vote

Let’s Be Smart video producers, Liam Somers, Johann Kallelid, and Lyndsay Brown, in Homer, Alaska — Let’s Be Smart video in Homer, Alaska L-R: Liam Somers, Johann Kallelid, and Lyndsay Brown

“I’ve always loved to get my friends together and make movies for fun, so when I saw that there was a scholarship being offered for making a video about distracted teen drivers, I immediately rounded up some actors and began filming. I’ve also realized, during my few short years of driving, just how dangerous distracted driving can be, and I thought that by making this video we could hopefully help prevent future accidents due to distractions.” – Liam Somers, Homer High School student
“Liam is the brains behind this whole video. He created the whole script and the green screen, everything. I am really proud and honored to be a part of this, and the fact that we are now in the top ten finalists, is incredible. Liam worked really hard on this video and deserves to win it all!” – Lyndsay Brown, Homer High School student
“In the past, Liam, me and some other friends have made many videos. Liam called me and asked if I wanted to make another video with him and of course I said, yes. It’s so cool that we’re in the top ten finalists. It’s a great feeling.” – Johann Kallelid, Homer High School student
“This is another great example of how our students are applying their education to make a difference in the world using new media platforms. I’m very proud of them—now please give the Let’s Be Smart video an online vote by April 25.” – Sean Dusek, superintendent

*VOTE by April 25: Let’s Be Smart video by Lian S, Johann K., Lyndsay B., in Homer, Alaska

To view Liam, Johann, and Lyndsay’s video along with the other finalists and pick a favorite, visit www.TeenDrive365InSchool.com/vote, and use #TeenDrive365 on Twitter. The People’s Choice Winner will receive a $5,000 prize and a behind-the-scenes trip to a taping of a Velocity network show. In addition to the People’s Choice winner, a panel of judges from Toyota and Discovery Education will choose several other prize winners. The first place winner will receive $15,000 and will work with a Discovery film crew to reshoot their video into a TV-ready PSA to air on a variety of Discovery networks. Other prizes include:

Second place prize – $10,000 and a behind-the-scenes trip to a Velocity network show taping
Third place prize – $7,500
Fourth to tenth place prizes – Each receives $2,500
Four regional prizes – Each receives $1,000

“We launched the Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge five years ago with Discovery Education because we wanted another way to engage young people in our commitment to make the roads safer for us all,” said Mike Goss, General Manager, Social Innovation, Toyota Motor North America. “It was tough to choose the 10 finalists this year and we were blown away by their creativity. Some of the videos were funny, others were profound, but all inspired us to think even more deeply about the importance of driving safely.” “We applaud this year’s finalists and their use of digital storytelling, creativity and passion to influence the behavior of their peers and ultimately help save lives,” said Bill Goodwyn, president and CEO at Discovery Education. “Discovery Education is proud to partner with Toyota on addressing this critical issue by empowering young people to make smart decisions behind the wheel through engaging digital resources and experiences.” To learn more about the resources offered through TeenDrive365: In School, go to http://www.teendrive365inschool.com/.

KPBSD participating in training exercise in Soldotna Alaska

Repost from http://kpboem.blogspot.com/
March 29, 2016

Multiple Agencies to Conduct Training Exercises in Soldotna Alaska

This week emergency response exercises will be conducted in Soldotna, AK on Thursday March 31st and Friday April 01st. These exercises are part of the statewide Alaska Shield 2016 exercise. On these days, you may see uniformed first responders or Alaska Army National Guard, staged vehicles and equipment as well as directional signs in the Soldotna area.
On Thursday March 31st the Borough, School District, Soldotna Police, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Army National Guard, Central Emergency Services and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members will exercise three areas of preparedness: (1) assessing Borough departments’ Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP); (2) evaluating cyber security reporting protocols; and (3) training employees in an active shooter program. These are preparedness exercises intended to evaluate multi-agency interaction and capabilities.
All of the exercises will be held in Soldotna, Alaska at the Office of Emergency Management or at the Borough/School District Administrative Building. You may see uniformed first responders or Alaska Army National Guard at both locations. There will be staged vehicles and equipment. Be on the lookout for directional signs on the streets adjacent to the exercise areas.
CERT members and Guardsmen are instructed to keep people from entering these locations during the exercises. During the active shooter exercise, two staging areas will be provided for the public or media observations on March 31st at 5:00PM (see map below). Please do not interfere with the exercises.
For more information contact Brenda Ahlberg, Public Information Officer at 907-714-2153 or 907-231-6505 for the latest information.

You are invited! Project SEARCH intern showcase