Tag: innovation

From Great to Amazing : 12 students compete for $28K

Caring for the KenaiCaring for the Kenai logo 2017

Twelve student finalists will take their innovative projects from great to outstanding in a live competition, Thursday, April 20, 2017.

Four hundred entries culled to 120 semi-finalists when eight judges set the final 12 pick on March 8, 2017, in the 27th annual Caring for the Kenai competition. The final 12 will remain anonymous until the evening of April 20, and have a little more than a month to further research, create, and prepare, in order to dazzle a panel of industry experts for the opportunity to win a portion of $8,000 in cash awards plus funds for their respective school.
High school students from Homer, Kenai, Nikiski, Ninilchik, Seward, Soldotna, and Voznesenka responded to 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?”

Live competition – 12 teens present innovative solutions
Everyone is invited!
Thursday, April 20, 2017
6:00 PM
Kenai Central High School Little Theater

Be inspired, learn, and support the twelve teens who will present their original ideas!
Bonus: this year’s CFK competition will be streamed live over the internet by Soldotna High School technology students and has been viewed in the past in countries such as Canada, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, Germany, Greenland and Japan. If you can’t attend in person, tune in on a device or online. KPBSD will post the link on social media.
In March, the panel of eight judges from the professional community selected 12 Kenai Peninsula Borough high school students, from 120 semi-finalists, to compete for over $28,000 in cash awards in the oral presentation phase of the CFK program, sponsored by Tesoro. Judges reviewed more than 120 entries in the Caring for the Kenai (CFK) environmental and disaster preparedness contest. “The District’s students greatly appreciate Tesoro’s generous sponsorship of this important annual event and all of the volunteers that make this educational partnership possible every year,” said Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Superintendent Sean Dusek. “The opportunity that Caring for the Kenai offers our students to showcase their creativity and ingenuity is excellent,” added Dusek.
Top 12 selection judges

Community Partnerships

The CFK educational partnership is part of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD) science curriculum. This year $20,000 will be awarded to participating schools thanks to a matching grant from, Kenai River Raven Lodge, ConocoPhillips, Peninsula Community Health Services, and Hilcorp. The $20,000 in CFK grants will be divided proportionately to participating schools based on where their students place in the final oral presentation competition to be held Thursday, April 20th at the KCHS Little Theatre, starting at 6:00pm.

Student Recognition Program

In addition to the recognition and prizes that go to the 12 finalists each year, CFK’s Student Recognition award program continues to grow with over 15 local sponsors presenting special recognition awards to entries of the sponsor’s selection. Student recognition recipients will be announced in a Peninsula Clarion full page ad. The 12 CFK finalists will remain anonymous until after their oral presentations Thursday, April 20th.
CFK is being administered as part of the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska’s educational programs. Marnie Olcott, CEO said, “Challenger is thrilled to be part of such a valuable program, for our students, teachers and communities. Challenger shares the vision of growing the program not only within Alaska, but on a national level; we look forward to a long, successful partnership.”
The live feed, complete history and details of the CFK program are available at www.caringforthekenai.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/caringForTheKenai.com
Contest Coordinator, Merrill Sikorski, 907-262-4949
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2016 Caring for the Kenai Finalists

KPBSD Annual Report #golden #iAmKPBSD #innovation

 Thirty two pages of stories and photos offer a glimpse into our diverse district. You’ve got options if you missed the print version:
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FY16 KPBSD Annual Report (1)

 

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Tip: When you see this icon, you can click it to read more story details online. #golden

The mission of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is to develop productive, responsible citizens who are prepared to be successful in a dynamic world.

 

KPBSD educators honored by United States Distance Learning Association

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888

News Release
Prestigious Videoconferencing Technology Award

Soldotna, May 12, 2016—Two KPBSD educators were honored by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 10, 2016. USDLA awarded Rob Sparks [Soldotna Prep School] and Greg Zorbas [Kenai Central High School] with the Best Practices Gold Level award for excellence in distance learning teaching, for their innovation and excellence in “Videoconferencing Technology – K-12 Education.”

Educator Greg Zorbas, Kenai Central High School, videoconference in Classroom Without Walls (CWOW), and Global Nomads, May 13, 2015, 6:00 AM
Educator Greg Zorbas, Kenai Central High School, videoconference in Classroom Without Walls (CWOW), and Global Nomads, May 13, 2015, 6:00 AM

“Greg and Rob have long been leaders in utilizing technology to expand learning opportunities for our students,” said Sean Dusek, Superintendent. “They have also worked very hard to meet individual student needs every day and have leveraged videoconferencing to do this. I am very proud of their efforts and accomplishments. They are very deserving of this award and I appreciate their efforts very much.”
“Although it is the United States Distance Learning Association, it is actually an international organization recognizing efforts from around the world,” said Rob Sparks. “It has been humbling the number of people who have come up to me and Greg to say ‘Oh, you’re the Kenai guys….’ The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is recognized worldwide as a leader in innovative and effective uses of video telecommunications!”
“We put our students in front of twenty-two industry professionals interactively this semester and they all told the students they will be ahead of their peers at the next level—this validates what Rob and I are doing,” said Greg Zorbas. “Professionally every time we connect with a guest presenter or connect to another classroom everybody has to bring their A game. Lessons get better and better because in this environment we are constantly getting feedback on what worked, but also how we can make it better. I have been gone for three days to attend this conference and receive this award, and I can’t count the number of emails and instant messages I’ve received from students—this tells me they are engaged in what we are doing.”
“As a premier organization for the entire distance learning profession, we are honoring the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District as a leader in the industry,” said Dr. John G. Flores, Executive Director of USDLA and Program Professor at Nova Southeastern University. “KPBSD has raised the bar of excellence and we are truly honored by KPBSD contributions within all distance learning constituencies.”
“This year’s USDLA Awards recipient, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, represents the finest examples of online courses, best practices, and leadership in our field. The depth and breadth of the USDLA membership allows us to engage with leaders from higher education, K-12, industry, military, and government who daily demonstrate the power of distance learning. We are so very proud and excited to be able to recognize this level of excellence,” said Mr. George Collins, President of USDLA.
Link

Educator Rob Sparks, Soldotna Prep, video teleconference (VTC) certificate students with KCHS and students in Palestine, April 11, 2016, 8:00 PM
Educator Rob Sparks, Soldotna Prep, video teleconference (VTC) certificate students with KCHS and students in Palestine, April 11, 2016, 8:00 PM

ss 2016 May Zorbas and Sparks
United States Distance Learning Association awards, 2016

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Top 12 innovative ideas from KPBSD teens

KPBSD News ReleaseKPBSD logo 4c no tag SMALL

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.

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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 1st 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:

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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.

KPBSD logo 4c no tag SMALLCaring for the Kenai Live Competitionlogo
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

Lets be smart video
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/.

2016 ASTE Technology Leadership Awards go to KPBSD employees

Kenai Peninsula Borough School DistrictKPBSD logo 4c no tag SMALL
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888
News Release
2016 ASTE Technology Leadership Awards for KPBSD employees
Soldotna, March 1, 2016—KPBSD celebrates employees Casey Olson and Trevan Walker, who received top statewide recognition with a 2016 Alaska Society for Technology in Education (ASTE) Leadership Award. Each year ASTE selects three people who demonstrate true technology integration and have a positive impact on teaching and learning in Alaska. In 2016, two of the three award recipients are KPBSD staff: the 2016 Technology Support of the Year award recipient is Casey Olson, district programmer and analyst, and Trevan Walker, Seward High School principal, who is the 2016 Administrator of the Year. #golden

Casey Olson, 2016 ASTE Tech Support of the Year 2016 sm
Casey Olson, ASTE 2016 Technology Support of the Year

Casey Olson, 2016 Technology Support of the Year

ASTE Technology Support of the Year Award recognizes Alaskans who help teachers and faculty find and use technology to support academic goals, which may include helping with hardware.
“I am very proud that Casey Olson has been named the ASTE tech support person of the year,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “He is an integral part of our videoconferencing effort to expand opportunities for students around the district. His effort has put a solid infrastructure in place so that students can work with experts and other students from around the world. Students are also able to collaborate with their peers within the district to experience our own diverse cultures. This award is very well deserved and I look forward to Casey continuing his leadership role in meeting our twenty-first century learning needs for our students.”
“The ASTE Tech Person of the Year recognition for Casey Olson is timely and well-deserved,” said Eric Soderquist, director of information services. “Casey has worked diligently to provide the vision and technical guidance critical to the recent Polycom RUS grant award, and continues to be a trusted resource for the video conference platform in use today. He clearly recognizes that IT is about more than just making technology work—focus must be placed on ensuring a given technical solution effectively meets the needs of users. Casey has proven masterful at combining his technical skillset with the vision required to adapt to ever-changing technology implementation and support needs.”
Learning about the award, Mr. Olson said, “I was surprised to be nominated for the ASTE award and honored to be chosen to receive this recognition. Being nominated by teachers in our school district that I’ve worked with for a number of years made the award even more significant to me personally.”

Trevan Walker, 2016 Administrator of the Year

Trevan Walker, ASTE 2016 Administrator of the Year
Trevan Walker, ASTE 2016 Administrator of the Year

ASTE Administrator of the Year award recognizes Alaskans who lead schools or organizations in the innovative use of technology to support academic goals.
“I am fortunate to have a staff who believes in our common vision to endeavor to be all things for all students,” said Trevan Walker, Seward High School principal. “The reality is that they should get the credit as they are the ones doing the hard work—not just with technology integration in instruction, and the innovative practices that come out of it, but also with the relationships they’re building with kids and genuine desire to see each one of them succeed at Seward High School, regardless of the pathway required to find it.”
Sean Dusek, superintendent said, “We are very proud of Mr. Walker for receiving the ASTE Principal of the Year award. Mr. Walker is an innovative school principal that has worked very hard to meet the individual needs of students at Seward High School. The entire staff is engaged in this ongoing effort and also share in this award. We are looking forward to even greater degrees of success with students in Seward as this award represents the beginning of the modern learning system in KPBSD.”
“This district is making serious headway in tackling the online and blended learning formats,” said Amanda Adams, KPBSD distance learning teacher. “It is really exciting to watch whole cohorts of teachers developing new practices to meet the needs of students. With innovative people like Trevan and Casey, they are holding the doors open for teachers like me to not be bound by tradition. The question is not why do you want to do that, but instead, how can I help you do that.”
Links

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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