Tag: award

news release: Seward Elementary wins 10K for Hour of Code

Kenai Peninsula Borough School DistrictPrint
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888

News Release
Seward Elementary awarded 10K for Hour of Code

Soldotna, December 2, 2014—Second grade Seward Elementary teacher, Leigh Ray, organized an Hour of Code for her school last year, and invited other KPBSD schools to participate. Imagine her surprise in November, 2014, when she learned her school would receive $10,000 worth of computer hardware and accessories from Code.org. In addition, Seward Elementary was one of 51 schools, and the only school in Alaska to receive the award!
“What’s exciting to me about this gift is the increased opportunities it gives our students here in Seward,” said Leigh Ray. “We already have an award-winning school and a supportive little town, and through this gift, our ability to educate our elementary students with first class technology has leapt forward substantially! Imagine what this will do for our students’ curiosity, aspirations, and love of learning! Through technology, our world has changed. It’s only natural that our classrooms should be equipped to support learning that matches those changes.”
Hour of Code 2014The international Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to show that anyone can learn the basics of computer coding. Last year during Computer Education Week, nearly 15 million students tried computer science in one week. This year, December 8 – 14, 2014, marks a week when tens of millions of students in 180+ countries will participate.
A Seward Elementary assembly will take place at 1:00, December 8, 2014, to celebrate the educational experience taking place in the school, and accept the $10,000 award.
“We are very excited that Seward Elementary has won this opportunity through the efforts of the school and in particular, educator Leigh Ray,” said Sean Dusek, KPBSD superintendent. “Utilizing projects that are application based like this are the kinds of activities that make a real difference in developing student thinking and technology skills. I am very happy the school is emphasizing 21st Century learning schools in this manner. Congratulations Seward Elementary!”
Links
http://hourofcode.com/us
KPBSD story: Hour of Code, 2013 http://bit.ly/KPBSDHourOfCode

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Hour of Code, 2013, Seward Elementary

 

Nadejda Reutov receives Golden Apple award

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

Golden Apple Award | November 3, 2014
Nadejda Reutov, Support Staff

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Golden Apple Award | November 3, 2014 Nadejda Reutov, Voznesenka School Custodian

“Nadejda Reutov is a custodian who is dedicated to her job and the Voznesenka School. Her eight and a half years of exceptional service have made our school a welcoming place for students, staff and visitors,” said Michael Wojciak, school principal.
Nadejda has a “do what it takes” type of attitude and often goes above and beyond her job duties for our school. Essential responsibilities include cleaning, maintenance, safety and security, and teamwork. Not only does Nadejda excel at her job duties, she is also an effective communicator with a pleasant personality. She greets students and staff in the hallways and passing between buildings. As a result, she has gained the respect of the students. This is evident by their attention and reaction to her voiced concerns about the upkeep of the school. Furthermore, Nadejda communicates with her colleagues throughout the school on a daily basis. She pays attention to details and puts forth her best efforts to fulfill any requests. She rarely misses a Site Council meeting, and is always willing to be open and honest about the issues involving the school.
When Nadejda does need to be away she never leaves it up to the school to find a substitute, and takes care of this on her own. She makes sure the substitute has the necessary keys and everything is prepared at school to make a substitute’s work as easy as possible. Nadejda is also a kind donor and volunteer to Voznesenka School. She often brings homemade goodies to share with staff, she donates to school programs like consumer science, and she and her husband help with repairs when needed.
Principal Wojciak said, “Nadejda Reutov’s personal pride is visible within our school, she pours her passion into every aspect of her job. She never complains about her responsibilities, is understanding in regard to school activities, and takes initiative without needing direction. Nadejda has an incomparable work ethic and is an invaluable member of the Voznesenka staff and school culture.”
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education is proud to recognize Nadejda Reutov for her dedication to the students of the school district, past, present, and future.

Project GRAD Mike Petersen receives Golden Apple award

Golden Apple awarded to Mike Petersen, Project GRAD, and students from the 2014 Summer Institute surprise Mr. Petersen at the school board meeting!
Golden Apple awarded to Mike Petersen, Project GRAD, and students from the 2014 Summer Institute surprise Mr. Petersen at the school board meeting!

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District 

Golden Apple Award | June 2, 2014

Mike Petersen, Community Member

Mike Petersen’s contribution to Kenai Peninsula Borough School District students started in 2004, when he moved from Saipan International School to Homer, Alaska. A math and literacy coach with Project GRAD Kenai, he began by serving our schools in Nanwalek and Port Graham.
Mike was interviewed and hired over the Internet, and flew directly from his former position to Houston, Texas, to meet his new Project GRAD team and receive training. Rita Pfenninger, a former Project Grad coach, recalls that when the Kenai team waited in the hotel lobby to meet Mike, they watched the door and wondered if he would arrive suited and formal like many of the gentlemen entering the lobby. When Mike arrived they knew immediately that he would fit in well with the team due to his open, friendly, and casual manner.
Working as a Project GRAD Coach from 2004 – 2011, in order to assist staff to determine school needs, Mike provided his schools, and Project GRAD, with detailed data reports. According to Mike Sellers, former principal at Nanwalek School, “Mike’s strong suit is his ability to give you exactly the information you need to make good decisions. Mike could provide any data you needed.” Jamie Meyers, former Project GRAD coach reports, “Mike is a data person, always crunching numbers to get a better picture.”
In addition to data collection, Mike provided school staff with professional development based on best practices; he actively modeled lessons and consistently provided instructional support. As a coach, each  week he flew to Nanwalek and Port Graham where the chances of being weathered in can be a very real problem. Mike was never afraid of what the weather might do. Once in the village he didn’t watch the weather, but focused on the job. He always arrived with a back pack ready to extend his stay if necessary.
Project GRAD hosts an annual summer institute for two weeks in June. The Institute provides Project GRAD students an opportunity to work together in teams and earn high school credit. From the beginning, Mike has been instrumental in both organizing and facilitating summer institutes. Mike facilitates courses such as orienteering and Kayak or Yurt construction, and students put to use math concepts such as measurement or angles to complete projects.
In 2011, Mike moved from his coaching position to become the Project GRAD Kenai Executive Director. In this position Mike provides professional development to his team of coaches, works closely with the Project GRAD board, and continues to build strong community support for the Project GRAD program. He works collaboratively with KPBSD directors, administrators, and staff to continue the development of support systems to ensure student success for all KPBSD students.
Mike consistently provides strong, respectful leadership to his team and to Project GRAD schools located  in Nanwalek, Ninilchik, Nikolaevsk, Port Graham, Razdolna, Tebughna, and Voznesenka. He is well respected among his peers and the students with whom he works. He takes to heart the Project GRAD goal that “Graduation really achieves dreams.”
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education is proud to recognize Mike Petersen for his dedication to the students of the school district, past, present, and future.
Link
Project GRAD Kenai Peninsula on Facebook
Project GRAD website

Mike Petersen, Project GRAD executive director, receives Golden Apple award from KPBSD Board of Education
Mike Petersen, Project GRAD executive director, receives Golden Apple award from KPBSD Board of Education

KPBSD celebrates employee Greg Zorbas

Kenai Central High School teacher Greg Zorbas named ASTE* 2014 Teacher of the Year!

“My biggest take away from this award is the fact that the program that Rob Sparks, Gregory Weissenberg, and I started eight years ago has changed the way we teach. With over 80 years of experience we are still willing to look at new ways of delivering history. When Gregory retired it forced us to change again how we are doing things and now Rob and I are team teaching from two different buildings. The use of video conferencing around the world is a means to enhance our curriculum but the collaboration that has happened because of the video has allowed us to develop a new strategy for teaching. The collaboration allowed us to focus on our concept of thinking historically which is continually making kids think at higher levels. A better lesson is the result of three or four teachers working together—who are not afraid to have themselves and their lessons evaluated. We created a history class that kids don’t want to miss; they use the video technology to be in class when they are gone. It’s a class where before the bell rings to begin class, kids start working, and after the bell rings to end class, continue without being told to do so. I think I have always been able to relate to kids and find ways to be a successful good teacher but I have never been more excited and worked harder in my career. We really are developing a strategy that has kids using history to understand the present and in many cases think about the future.” –Greg Zorbas

greg and cathy award
Mr. Zorbas’ work with his students using technology to access classrooms from around the world is inspiring,” said Dr. Steve Atwater, superintendent. “The learning opportunities that he brings to his class are an excellent way to broaden his students’ perspective on the taught content.”
“Greg Zorbas of the Kenai Peninsula School District is, first of all, a world history teacher. He is one, though, with an affinity for collaborative technology and one who quickly mobilizes those technologies to broadly engage students and foster learning. Today there are fifteen educators in eight Kenai Peninsula schools whose classes routinely connect via videoconference, all thanks to Greg blazing an electronic trail for us. Students now routinely collaborate via their many technology devices with teams from other schools in the district or interact with an expert (e.g., a Soviet gulag survivor) thousands of miles away. None of this would have happened without Greg’s gift for adapting technology to the curriculum. Time and time again, I have seen an apathetic student enter Greg’s world of connected learning, get excited about his technology and opportunities, and then transfer that enthusiasm into lesson content.
I am one of the teachers who Greg has touched and I will tell you that Greg is really not so much about technology–mere bits and bytes–as he is about teaching! Though he and I each have 20-plus years in the classroom, I am a far more effective teacher today than I was eight years ago when Greg started us on our journey. His technology has served as a catalyst for reinventing (and re-energizing!) our instructional methodology. Indeed, his enthusiasm is infectious–how can you do a half-hearted job when you know Greg was in at 0400 setting up your conference?
While Greg is a classroom teacher, you must understand that his classroom is The World. Via videoconference he takes his students across the globe. He also, though, brings an international coterie of technology-enabled educators into his classroom. For instance, in 2013 Greg led a workshop on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) collaboration at the ISTE conference while his students back home presented projects to the distant audience and answered questions regarding the experience. Students learned world history, sure, but they also gained poise and 21st Century skills interacting with a sophisticated international audience.
In my two decades as a classroom teacher, I have never met anyone more committed than Greg to the concept of student success. He has a vision for the future and how his students should have their part in it. He is absolutely tireless in attacking impediments in their way.
On behalf of all of those: the tenth-graders and their parents in Soldotna, the colleagues across the Kenai Peninsula, fellow Alaskan teachers, and the international body of educational innovators who have learned from this remarkable teacher, it is my privilege to nominate Gregory Scott Zorbas as the 2014 ASTE Teacher of the Year.” – Rob Sparks, KPBSD teacher
CWOW Zorbas KCHS 1“I have been invited to the many videoconferencing (VC) events Greg plans for KCHS students outside the school day,” said Karla Barkman, district librarian and technology integration coach. “He uses Polycom’s CAPSpace, Global Nomads, and The Manhattan School of Music to expose his students to people and ideas they would never have access to in Kenai. He most recently arranged four VC sessions in which his students have opportunity to interact with students in Tunisia. Due to time difference, these events are often early in the morning (as early as 5:00 am) and yet students come for the experience.
Besides being an excellent teacher, Greg takes time to provide support and professional development for those he works with. He has assisted teachers in some of our small district schools connect with a class in a bigger school to create more offerings for the small school students. Students who may be the only one in their grade at a small school, join a class at a larger school, via VC, and become part of that class. As a result, Greg has become the go-to person for a lot of educators who are interested in video conferencing. He never refuses his help.
The most recent project I partnered with Greg on was creating a PD event for KPBSD teachers introducing sources that provide quality video conference content. We organized a half-day session where presenters from Polycom, The Manhattan School of Music, and Whirlidurb presented content sources. Participants joined the event live or virtually using Polycom and Microsoft Lync.”
Links
Alaska Society for Technology in Education (ASTE)
Polycom video: Greg Zorbas Named 2014 Alaska Teacher of the Year
CWOW story