Page 46 – KPBSD Communications Field Notes

Let’s turn 10K into 20K for students who are homeless

News Release
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888

What’s Your One Thing?

Soldotna, November 25, 2015—A generous person who believes in kindness learned about the Candlelight Vigil for KPBSD students who are homeless, and wants to make a difference. So, the donor offered a gift: a 100% matching challenge up to $10,000 for all financial donations to the Students In Transition (SIT) program through December 18, 2015.

Help make it $20,000. Why?
KPBSD anticipates serving close to 300 students who are homeless this year; already 185 students are enrolled. Our student numbers are on the rise, needs are increasing. One of the highest expenses is for basic clothing and winter gear. In addition, emergency food supplies, hygiene products, school supplies, and other unexpected expenses. The 2015-2016 McKinney-Vento grant funds are spent. Thus, the program relies on generous donations that come from student advocacy, school projects, private donations, and fundraisers, such as the spaghetti feed and silent auction the Kenai Central High School student leaders are hosting on December 4, 2015, at 6:00 p.m.

“This is an incredible offer of generosity, and I am truly grateful; it is also an incredible opportunity for the community to make a significant impact. My hope is that people with a heart for homeless children and youth use this challenge as a catalyst for conversation, contribution, and extension of care.” – Kelly King, KPBSD homeless liaison

How to contribute
Monetary donations can be made through the school district into a designated KPBSD account.
One hundred percent of every donation goes directly to supports and services. Donations are 100% tax deductible. To donate, contributions can be made at the district office—make sure to indicate it’s for the SIT program. Additionally credit card* donations can be made through the KPBSD website online payments link on the Students-Parents tab or via the online payments icon on the KPBSD mobile app. Questions? Call Kelly King or the district office. *There is a 3.61% processing fee calculated on all payments, no exceptions. This is the actual cost of the processing fee from RevTrak, and is not a source of revenue for the district.

“We are very appreciative that a donor is willing to make such a substantial and generous donation to our SIT program. I am very thankful for this opportunity and for all of the donations that are coming in for our program.” – Sean Dusek, superintendent

This school year
The SIT program has enrolled 185 students since the start of the school year in August, 2015, and this number will continue to increase as the year progresses. These students range from pre-kindergarten to the twelfth grade and are in every community within our school district. In the central peninsula, 136 youth are enrolled, 31 are unaccompanied youth, and 105 are with a family unit. In the southern peninsula, 49 students are enrolled, 19 are unaccompanied youth, and 30 are with a family unit.
The purpose of the SIT program is to ensure educational programs for students are not interrupted while they are in transition. Eligible families or youth are those who lack a stable, adequate, and permanent place to sleep at night. If you or someone you know is sleeping in a motel, a camper, a tent, couch-surfing, or living with friends or relatives then this program can help.
KPBSD Students in Transition program contacts
Kelly King, homeless liaison, serving Central Peninsula, Seward and Tyonek schools, kking@kpbsd.k12.ak.us, 907.714.8869
Jane Dunn, homeless liaison, serving Southern Peninsula schools and Ninilchik,
jdunn@kpbsd.k12.ak.us, 907.226.1890
Links
KPBSD SIT program website http://bit.ly/TransitionsKPBSD
KPBSD Students in Transition on Facebook
December 4, 2015, public event KCHS Spaghetti Feed and Silent Auction Fundraiser
KPBSD Highlight Story
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6th Annual Candlelight Vigil for Youth and Families who are homeless

Care notes for students enrolled in the SIT program

Chapman School and Nikolaevsk School named National Title I Distinguished Schools

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888

News Release
Soldotna, November 23, 2015—Each year two Alaska schools are honored as a National Title I Distinguished School. This year, Chapman School in Anchor Point was recognized for exceptional student performance for two or more consecutive years. Nikolaevsk School in Nikolaevsk was recognized for significantly closing the achievement gap between student groups. Both schools are in the diverse Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD).

We are very proud of the schools,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “Their staff, students, and communities have worked very hard. There is an obvious focus on meeting individual student needs which has shown great results. We are very excited that the schools have earned this honor from the state level.”
A November 20, 2015, press release from the State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development stated: “Title I schools receive federal funds to support programs that supplement instruction to meet the educational needs of low-achieving students in high-poverty schools. The National Title I Distinguished Schools Program is a project of the National Title I Association. Selected schools must have a poverty rate of at least 35 percent and have been recognized by the state as a reward school in either the highest performing category or the highest progress category. Each state, using its own selection process, may select one school in each category for the honor.”
“The educators, students, and parents of Chapman School and Nikolaevsk School believe that all students can achieve, and they prove it every day,” said Commissioner Mike Hanley. “It is a great pleasure to congratulate these school-communities for their well-deserved recognition.”
Chapman School
Chapman School focuses on interventions and supports for grades K-3 in an effort to help decrease the learning gap between student groups. The foundation for these interventions is based on district-adopted and research-based curriculum partnered with strong data-based decision making for all students. The students at Chapman get a rich and varied education experience thanks to strong community partnerships.
“Through our Title I programs, Response To Intervention (RTI) program, community involvement, and top-notch staff, we continue to make it possible for all of our students to achieve—our students continue to rise to the challenge and do just that,” said Principal Conrad Woodhead.
Nikolaevsk School
Nikolaevsk School is proud of its high expectations for students and consistent 100% graduation rate. All students at Nikolaevsk develop SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound) based on their personal academic data and lead their own student-parent-teacher conferences. All Nikolaevsk teachers work as a cooperative team and operate under a shared philosophy that every student is everyone’s responsibility.
Principal Michael Sellers said, “As a result of the teachers’ efforts toward focusing on individual student needs, adopting programs that fit within those goals, and focusing on research-based methods in instruction, Nikolaevsk has seen years of success as a five-star school and a school with successful students.”
Alaska identifies eligible schools for the award based on their students’ performance on state standards-based assessments. Identified schools then must choose to apply for the honor, providing evidence of effectiveness in research-based instructional strategies, opportunities for all children to achieve, coordination of Title I with other programs, professional development of staff, and partnerships with parents, families and communities.
Links and contacts

Chapman School Anchor Point Alaska on Facebook
Nikolaevsk School on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/NikolaevskSchool
National Title I Association Distinguished Schools program, http://www.titlei.org/ds
Chapman School Principal Conrad Woodhead, 907-235-8671
Nikolaevsk School Principal Michael Sellers, 907-235-8972

News Release: Two KPBSD Schools named National Title I Distinguished Schools
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News Release: KPBSD students are homeless // come to a candlelight vigil

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888

News Release
Candlelight vigil for KPBSD students who are homeless

Soldotna, November 12, 2015—Families and unaccompanied youth are homeless on the peninsula. An invisible reality to many residents, would it surprise you to know that 253 is the average number of students who experience homelessness, but are enrolled in the KPBSD Students In Transition (SIT) program, and attend a KPBSD school, everyday?
The SIT program has enrolled 183 students since the start of the school year in August, 2015.
People of every age are invited to the 6^th Annual Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth and Families
Thursday, November 19, 2015
6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Farnsworth Park
Birch Street, Soldotna, Alaska
The event is posted on the KPBSD Students in Transition Facebook page. Please connect there, then share the event invitation in social circles.
Guest speaker Pegge Erkeneff, KPBSD communications liaison, will help raise awareness about the reality of homelessness on the Kenai Peninsula, and invite us to become a voice, advocate, and welcoming presence to our young people who are homeless. Music will be provided by Vickie Tinker, the Knight in Shining Armor Award will be presented, and information for high school students regarding the Scholarship of Hope will be shared. Learn ways everyone can help support local homeless students, and connect with our caring community members. This is an outdoor event, please dress for the weather.

“For the past several years we have seen an increase in the number of students in transition across our district,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “This is very challenging, but through the efforts of Kelly King, homeless liaison, our district is stepping up to support our students and meet this challenge. The public vigil is an excellent opportunity for all of us to stop and reflect on our students in transition. The vigil is also a time to re-focus attention on this issue to further benefit our students in transition.”
About KPBSD Students in Transition (SIT) program
Students experiencing homelessness are provided assistance through two KPBSD homeless liaisons. This program’s primary purpose is to ensure that educational programs for students are not interrupted while they are in transition. In order to facilitate helping our communities grow in awareness and advocacy, KPBSD created a Facebook page to provide updates and resources. Please like and share, KPBSD Students in Transition.
The SIT program provides KPBSD Pre-K to12th grade students:
• An advocate to help students and families find the resources they need in the community for food, shelter, clothing, transportation, and permanent housing
• Free school lunches
• School supplies
• Immediate school enrollment
• Paperwork assistance to secure school documents
• Special academic support if needed
• Local referrals to other agencies
Eligible families or youth are those who lack a stable, adequate, and permanent place to sleep at night. If you or someone you know is sleeping in a motel, a camper, a tent, couch-surfing, or living with friends or relatives then this program can help.
KPBSD Students in Transition program contacts
Kelly King, homeless liaison, serving Central Peninsula, Seward and Tyonek schools, kking@kpbsd.k12.ak.us, 907.714.8869
Jane Dunn, homeless liaison, serving Southern Peninsula schools and Ninilchik, jdunn@kpbsd.k12.ak.us, 907.226.1890
Links
KPBSD SIT program website http://bit.ly/TransitionsKPBSD
KPBSD Students in Transition on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kpbsdStudentsInTransition
2014 Vigil for Youth and Family Homelessness KPBSD story
An outpouring of advocacy, care, and service for students who are homeless: 2015 students helping students story
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Volunteer Lisa Green receives Golden Apple award

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Golden Apple Award
November 2, 2015
Lisa Green, Volunteer

Mrs. Lisa Green and Superintendent Sean Dusek

“If it needs done, Lisa Green is there to do it,” said Doug Hayman, Tustumena Elementary School principal. “She does it with style, thoroughness, and the upmost attention to detail. A room parent and “Miss Lisa” to the students, she goes on every field trip with her children. Her level of commitment and involvement is unmeasurable. She is in our building at least one full day each week, but the work she gets done in that day exceeds anything one would normally expect. Her leadership is also appreciated. She recruits other parents for school events and field trips as well. She was instrumental in the completion of our school garden including the planting, and now harvesting, of our first crop of potatoes. Mrs. Green is always willing to work with small groups of children whether it is on a project or remedial instruction.”
Mrs. Lisa Green volunteers at Tustumena Elementary nearly every day she has off from her regular work at Cadre Feed Store. Even when she is working at her regular job, she is functioning as a liaison between the school and the business community, gathering donations or arranging discounts for projects around the school. She has been a part of every PTO function or activity in the last seven years.
In addition to the PTO events, Mrs. Green helps every teacher—in any capacity that is requested. It doesn’t matter if one of her children is in the classroom, she will laminate, prepare materials, make take-home booklets, tear out workbook pages, label supplies, and she makes extravagant bulletin boards throughout the school. She runs our Box Top store, organizes bake sales—including large contributions to the sales—and solicits items for the school Harvest Auction fundraiser.
Lisa Green also takes on initiative projects. She has been the point person on professional development with our Vari-Quest machine (a fancy die-cut machine), and worked on our Schoolyard Habitat Project. She has taken the initiative to clean out and organize the school workroom, as well as contact a company representative when the Vari-quest machine was in need of repair.
Without doubt, Mrs. Green’s service to Tustumena Elementary has benefited every member of the school community. From students, to teachers, from parents, to administration, Lisa Green is a go-to person and a value-add to the community.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education is proud to recognize Mrs. Lisa Green for her dedication to the students of the school district, past, present, and future.
Links

Lisa Green and Tustumena Elementary staff, school board meeting

Educator Patrick Dwyer receives Golden Apple award

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Golden Apple Award
November 2, 2015
Patrick Dwyer, Educator

Golden Apple recipient Patrick Dwyer, and Skyview Middle School staff

“Mr. Patrick Dwyer is a positive educator who builds rapport with students and goes beyond the scope of his teaching duties when working with students,” said Sarge Truesdell, Skyview Middle School principal. “He is an innovator in the classroom as well as in his duties as our athletic director and head track coach. He has been teaching science at the middle school for the past nine years. A positive staff member, he mentors young teachers and is creative when working toward complex problems in our large building of over 400 students, and more than 50 staff members.”
In 2012, Mr. Dwyer co-created a sixth grade transition program for incoming students to the middle school. As a seventh grade science teacher, he recognized the challenges that incoming students had when transitioning from elementary school to middle school. The summer program has continued to grow serving over 20 students a year, despite shrinking resources. In the four years since Mr. Dwyer helped to create the program, it has served nearly 100 students. Mr. Dwyer has been able to work alongside one of his colleagues to continue to be responsive to the need of students despite limited time and funding.
An innovator, Mr. Dwyer not only developed the middle school transition program, but he has contributed on several district and statewide committees. This past summer he was part of a district-wide science collaboration that worked well into the summer break to find resources that matched the KPBSD science curriculum. Mr. Dwyer is a highly organized person and during his five years as the athletic director, he has put policies and procedures in place to make the athletic department more efficient. When Soldotna Middle School relocated and transitioned to become Skyview Middle School, he successfully transitioned the entire athletic department—including all the equipment and ordering of new uniforms. The ordering of uniforms was a daunting task as it required sizing, quotes, colors, numbers, and funding for every sport offered at the middle school.
Mr. Dwyer has his administrative degree and is the first person to volunteer to substitute in the office when the principal and vice principal are out of the building. Additionally, he has substituted in other KPBSD schools when an administrative substitute was not available. As a substitute principal, Mr. Dwyer can handle any situation that arises, keeps parents informed, and holds students accountable. “Mr. Dwyer is a work horse—he puts in the time that most other educators are just unwilling to put in,” said Sarge Truesdell. “His vehicle can be found in the parking lot early in the morning and late at night. He can be seen setting up cross country running events, putting the flags on the soccer field, and rolling out the scorer’s table for basketball games all throughout our athletic seasons. He does all of that while still planning and preparing for a full six class period day with multiple age and grade science classes. He demonstrates on a daily basis all of the personal and professional qualities of a powerful and dedicated educator.”
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education is proud to recognize Mr. Patrick Dwyer for his dedication to the students of the school district, past, present, and future.
Links

High accolades for speech, language, and hearing contributions

High accolades for three KPBSD employees who receive praise and recognition during the Alaska Speech–Language-Hearing Association (AKSHA) conference, October 16-17, 2015, in Anchorage, Alaska!

“The speech-language pathologists working in the KPBSD are incredible,” said Clayton Holland, director of pupil services. “It is wonderful that Cynthia Detrow, Judy Gonsalves, and Amy Hogue were recognized for their outstanding contribution to their profession in Alaska. They each bring so much to the table in the terms of expertise, hard work, collaboration, and service to students. I consider it an honor to work with them individually and with the entire group of speech and language pathologists in our district.”

KPBSD October 2015 AK Speech award (1) — Judy Gonsalves, Cynthia Detrow, and Amy Hogue receive high accolades for contributions that make a difference!

Judy Gonsalves, West Homer Elementary
AKSHA Sourdough: Long-Term Dedication and Outstanding Contributions in Speech Language Pathology and, or Audiology—Judy Gonsalves

This award recognizes an Audiologist and, or SLP who demonstrates long-term dedication to issues in the state, advocacy, leadership, or outstanding clinical practice.
Judy Gonsalves is the Speech-Language Pathologist for grades third through sixth at West Homer Elementary School and has been for the past 12 years. Ms. Gonsalves began 30 years ago as an itinerant SLP in Bristol Bay, flying out to 11 different villages to give services to Alaskan students. Recalling her experience, she said, “I always packed an apple, granola bars and a book for when I got weathered in, and worked hard to keep the audiometer warm in the bush planes on cold winter days!” After filling in for an SLP on maternity leave, she found herself in need of a job and returned to school for her Type A certification, then taught third grade for 15 years. Keeping up her Type C certification, she was able to apply for her current SLP position in Homer. Besides working in the school, she is also active in the community through the Homer Council on the Arts, Homer Friends of the Library, and the KBBI public radio station.

Cynthia Detrow
Red Lantern: Outstanding Contributions in Rural Alaska by an Audiologist and, or a SLP—Cynthia Detrow (Kenai Peninsula Borough School District)

This award recognizes the unique challenges many AKSHA members work under to provide services to those in our rural areas.
Cynthia Detrow took the initiative to pursue providing a distance delivery speech program to the remote sites in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. “By providing telespeech services from another location in the district, Ms. Detrow is able to offer more consistent, efficient, and effective services to students living in hard-to-reach rural areas of the district,” noted Clayton Holland, Director of Pupil Services with KPBSD. “We no longer need to worry about the weather preventing the delivery of services to students.” Cindy, also, travels to the peninsula’s village schools on a rotating basis to provide on-site assessment, collaboration with school staff and parents, and direct services to students. Cindy’s blended approach of distance delivery combined with on-site work has led to therapy that is mutually beneficial to all involved, creating cost benefits for the district while also maximizing the effectiveness of services. Cindy’s work has also inspired other district specialists to use distance technology to provide services, attend meetings when otherwise weathered-out, and link students in remotes sites with students in other locations in the district for educational purposes. Detrow highly deserves recognition with AkSHA’s Red Lantern Award for her outstanding contribution to speech-language service delivery in rural Alaska.

Amy Hogue, President’s Award

Amy Russell, president of the Alaska Speech-Language Hearing Association, selected Amy Hogue for her President’s Award. She said the following: “Amy has made many contributions to our association. Many therapists in the Kenai area have joined our association at the encouragement of Amy. She has also been a great AKSHA ambassador to her employers at the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. Amy has served on our ASKHA board for many years. Currently, she is our Communication Chair and has been for almost four years. She has been a key contributor to our current website and has become our Wild Apricot specialist, as we navigate and figure out all that the company has to offer our association’s website. If you ask her to do something, it’s done without a second reminder and done quicker than you even thought possible. If you’ve ever received an email from AKSHA, Amy was probably the one who hit the ‘send’ button.”
Links

AKSHA, http://www.aksha.org/
KPBSD Pupil Services

#GoldenStory

Resources: KPBSD Community Budget Development Meeting

The district is facing a fiscal gap for our 2016-2017 budget. We are prioritizing the programs and services we will be able to offer in our schools. The district may need to make difficult decisions depending upon the level of funding we receive from the state and borough. I encourage the public to use this meeting as an opportunity to learn about this fiscal reality, and to think in terms of what we can do differently to produce a balanced budget. – Sean Dusek, superintendent

Action # 1: Review facts and figures
Click to read the October 15, 2015 PowerPoint KPBSD FY17 Budget Development Meeting Presentation by Sean Dusek, superintendent, and Dave Jones, assistant superintendent of instructional support. And, you might want to navigate to this page to watch a video of the presentation–it’s a link in the FY17 budget development section.
Action # 2: Learn what site councils asked and see summary from October 15, 2015
Review site council questions from the October 15, 2015 discussion and KPBSD administration responses, together with a summary of site council feedback from the budget development meeting discussions and ideas. Both of these documents were presented to the school board on November 3, 2015, during a worksession.
Action # 3: What do you think?
Contribute your thoughts about the KPBSD budget and offer feedback about areas of the budget that can be reduced or should be expanded, and suggestions about solutions to our funding shortfalls. What matters, what doesn’t? Contribute your ideas to KPBSD: Online public comment form. Responses will be collected and shared with the board of education in November and December, 2015.

Links

PDF: October 15, 2015 budget development meeting presentation
PDF: Site council budget questions and KPBSD answers, October 15, 2015
PDF: Site Council budget development feedback summary, October 15, 2015
KPBSD Finance Department webpage
News Release: October 15, 2015: Community Budget Development Meeting at 23 school sites
Alaska Governor Walker Building a Sustainable Future Conversation website

Title VII Indian Education meeting is October 8, 2015

News Release, October 2, 2015 | Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Title VII Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting – Interested tribal elders, community members, students and parents are encouraged to participate.
The Title VII Advisory Committee is comprised of parents and guardians of Title VII students who have been appointed by school site councils.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Borough Assembly Chambers,
Borough Administration Building
144 North Binkley Street, Soldotna, Alaska 99669
The KPBSD Title VII, Indian Education Program, supports Alaska Native and American Indian students for a successful experience throughout their K-12 schooling years. The Title VII Program is designed to assist and support students’ academic achievements, social and emotional development, and cultural awareness in the classroom. KPBSD Native students will be supported and enabled to receive an educational foundation, and given the skills to respond successfully with adults, situations, circumstances, activities and opportunities in school and life.
Over 114 Alaska Native Tribal affiliations are represented in the nearly 1,200 identified Native students in the KPBSD Title VII Program.
Agenda includes

Outreach in schools to identify all students who quality for Title VII services, online form
Review of past priorities and outcomes in 2014-2015; Set 2015-2016 priorities
Project Grad

Please RSVP to Maribeth Snell, MSnell@KPBSD.k12.ak.us
Questions? ContactConrad Woodhead, KPBSD Native Education Program Coordinator, CWoodhead@KPBSD.K12.ak.us, 907.235.8671; or Tim Vlasak, Director of Federal Programs and Assessments TVlasak@KPBSD.k12.ak.us, 907.714.8829
KPBSD webpage: Title VII Indian Education
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Eleven KPBSD Title VII schools designed and created unique banners for their schools as well as a banner representing the collective Native pride that exists in KPBSD. This project was made possible by a Youth Cultural Heritage grant from Alaska State Council on the Arts. Title VII Indian Education Meeting is October 8, 2015 — Eleven KPBSD Title VII schools designed and created unique banners for their schools as well as a banner representing the collective Native pride that exists in KPBSD. This project was made possible by a Youth Cultural Heritage grant from Alaska State Council on the Arts.

Teens can meet college representatives at Kenai Peninsula College Fair

News Release
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888
Soldotna, October 2, 2015—Peninsula high school students have an opportunity to meet representatives from more than 40 educational institutions

Tuesday, October 20, 2015
10:00—1:00
Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska

Choosing a college takes time and effort so KPBSD is making it easier for students to dream for and plan their future education path by inviting college representatives to come and meet with students here on the Peninsula. The sixth annual Kenai Peninsula College Fair is free, and no appointments are needed.
KPBSD juniors and seniors will attend with their schools. Connections, IDEA and Cook Inlet Academy students can sign-in at the door.
Students and parents can learn more about scholarships, loans, state and federal financial aid programs at the Financial Aid booth.
KPBSD students must sign-up with their school counselor to attend; transportation is provided.
Confirmed educational institutions: Alaska Bible College, Alaska Christian College, Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, Alaska Job Corps OA/CTS, Alaska Pacific University, AVTEC – Alaska’s Institute of Technology, California Baptist University, Central Washington University, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University, Colorado Mesa University, Colorado State University, Eastern Washington University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Fort Lewis College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Idaho State University, Institute of American Indian Arts, Kenai Peninsula College, Lincoln College of Technology, Linfield College, Mayville State University, Northern Arizona University, Northern Industrial Training, Oregon Coast Culinary Institute, Oregon Institute of Technology, Pacific Lutheran University, South Dakota State University, Southern Oregon University, Southwestern Oregon University, St. Olaf College, The Art Institutes, The College of Idaho, The Master’s College, UAA College of Engineering, Universal Technical Institute, University of Alaska – Anchorage, University of Alaska – Fairbanks, University of Alaska – Southeast, University of Hawaii at Manoa, University of Idaho, University of Portland, Willamette University.

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KPBSD students will Drop, Cover, and Hold On at 10:15 am

News Release, October 1, 2015 | Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888

KPBSD schools ShakeOut on October 15

All K-12 schools in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will participate in the Great Alaska ShakeOut “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” earthquake drill on Thursday, October 15, 2015, at 10:15 a.m.

KPBSD students and staff join more than 69,000 Alaskans who have already registered to participate. Dave Jones, assistant superintendent of instructional support, said, “We need to be prepared for incidents we hope never happen, but if they do, we can minimize the danger to our students, staff, and community.”
Earthquake preparation and the proper “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” technique is valuable safety education for our students and employees. We will also practice a radio check-in to the district office from each of our schools following this earthquake drill.
Alaska schools, families, and businesses are also encouraged to participate by signing up at
Resources, including audio clips for the drill, are available online at http://www.shakeout.org/alaska/

News Release, October 1, 2015: Great Alaska Earthquake Drill is October 15
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What’s Your One Thing?

News Release Candlelight vigil for KPBSD students who are homeless

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Golden Apple Award November 2, 2015 Lisa Green, Volunteer

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Golden Apple Award November 2, 2015 Patrick Dwyer, Educator

Judy Gonsalves, West Homer Elementary AKSHA Sourdough: Long-Term Dedication and Outstanding Contributions in Speech Language Pathology and, or Audiology—Judy Gonsalves

Cynthia Detrow Red Lantern: Outstanding Contributions in Rural Alaska by an Audiologist and, or a SLP—Cynthia Detrow (Kenai Peninsula Borough School District)