Seward, AK – May 20, 2013 – A new exhibit will open on June 8 at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. The exhibit, a 21-foot fishing boat which sits within a harbor scene, will highlight the importance and successes of sustainably managing Alaska’s fisheries. The grand opening will happen in conjunction with other scheduled activities and events at the Center to celebrate World Oceans Day.

This boat replaces an older model that was popular with visitors of all ages, but still features an interactive cabin where families can “drive” the boat and listen to pre-recorded radio calls between other fishing vessels. The new boat exhibit will also feature a built-in video game called ecoOcean, located at vessel’s stern. EcoOcean was developed by researchers from the
University of Kiel, with input from experimental economist Dr. Jim Murphy and fisheries economist Dr. Gunnar Knapp of the University of Alaska Anchorage. The game is designed for up to four players. The goal is to earn as many points as possible by driving a boat around the ocean and catching fish. EcoOcean challenges the players to find a way to fish sustainably–if they catch fish too fast they don’t do as well. The goal of each round is not merely to have the largest catch, but to have the largest sustainable catch.

The exhibit was made possible by a partnership with the University of Alaska Anchorage, and the University of Kiel, along with generous donations from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the Rasmuson Foundation, and the Seward Community Foundation. Representatives from each of these organizations will be attending the opening ceremony on June 8.
In addition to the ribbon cutting, other activities scheduled in conjunction with World Oceans Day include scavenger hunts, art projects, ocean story-time, face painting and special programs throughout the day. The Center is also offering an evening Resurrection Bay dinner cruise, which includes an evening program at Fox Island featuring work conducted in Antarctica by Alaska SeaLife Center researcher and University of Alaska Fairbanks research faculty Dr. Jo-Ann Mellish. For more information on the day’s events or to purchase tickets for the dinner cruise, visit www.alaskasealife.org or call 907-224-6355.
The Alaska SeaLife Center is a private non-profit research institution and visitor attraction which generates and shares scientific knowledge to promote understanding and stewardship of Alaska’s marine ecosystems. The Alaska SeaLife Center is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. For additional information, visit www.alaskasealife.org.

Higher resolution photos available from carolet@alaskasealife.org 907-224-6334

We’d like to express our thanks to the following businesses for their amazing financial support for our overnight 6^th grade field trip to Homer this year:  Kruzof Fisheries, Weather Permitting Water Taxi, Storm Chasers Marine, Carlile Transportation, DDS Moriarity, and Shoreside Petroleum.

It was an exceptional experience!  We learned a lot about shore creatures and different plants.  We actually identified 46 invertebrates. We went on a really muddy hike, went tide pooling by China Poot Bay, and played soccer on a field by the shores.  Without your kind donation, this trip wouldn’t have been possible!  We will always remember and cherish the awesome memories we made on this trip.

We learned about different invertebrates, tidal zones, fish, and how to leave no trace in our environment.  The boat ride to the Peterson Bay Science Station was so much fun!  We also learned about Native American tribes who used to live there.  We are so happy that we have

such generous businesses in  this community that made this trip possible.   Thank you so much

Sincerely,

Seward Elementary 6^th Graders

Box 247

Seward, AK  99664

Congratulations Class of 2013!  Graduation starts at 7pm tonight in the High School gym.

Note: not in alpha order.

Class of 2013

Tessa Adelmann                               Laura Dyer                                         

Jamie Jacobson                                 Ray Orr

Tyrone Anderson                             Dima Erchinger                                 

Miles Knotek                                     Emily Quin

Brennan Atherton                           Neeka Erchinger                              

Lindsey Kromrey                              David Ramirez

Hayden Beard                                   Savannah Fackler                            

Gretchen Lindquist                         Sam Rininger

Jeff Buchanan                                   Emma Farris                                      

Mitchell Ludwig                                Dezi Smith

Kacy Burke                                          Keilani Geronimo                            

Sam Melvin                                        Sam Stauble

Theo Cantrell                                     Matt Haddow                                   

Misha O’Leary                                   Jon Thomassen

Nathan Cisar                                      Brandon Hargreaves                      

Jaz Odhner                                         Jake Towsley

Maranda Clark                                   Joey Hettick                                      

Chelsey Olesiuk                                Tyler Wallace

Felicia Cubley                                     Josie Hubbard                                  

Micaela Olson                                    William Whiteshield

Jesse Wolfe                                                Billy Joe Wardlow

(list courtesy of T. Walker)

Posted by M Tougas

AVTEC’s Darrell Deeter Memorial Scholarship Fund (DDMSF) will be coming to a close on May 31 so the money can be put to work.  Before that happens, anyone wishing to contribute can do so by following the links below.

Contribute using paypal, debit or credit
https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/5MRd8

If on facebook please join this group, like it and invite your friends. https://www.facebook.com/groups/deeterscholarship/

NO TECH option: Check or Cash, dropped off or mailed to AVTEC Office, made out to “Darrell Deeter Memorial Scholarship Fund” or “DDMSF” or you can donate at any Wells Fargo branch using that name or the following account information.

Acct#6965479394, Routing#125200057.

Wells Fargo Deposit Form

By Dot Bardarson

The friendship between our sister city, Obihiro, Japan and Seward will be strengthened this year by the gift of involvement.

We have been friends for a long time, when 45 years ago, Seward and Obihiro became sister cities. Then in 1973 we began the student exchange program. This has expanded to include an adult exchange program.

Realizing the exchange of physical gifts has been a bit lop-sided, the city of Seward felt it was time for a major gift to its friend across the ocean. We have so enjoyed the Japanese Tea House that adorns our beach-side path, among other gifts. Now it is Obihiro’s turn to be on the receiving end.

The gift of a mural to Obihiro is more than a physical structure. It will involve Japanese artists to help paint it. (Most of our local Seward murals are a community affair, having been painted by volunteers finishing the work of committees within the Seward Mural Society.) That is the way it will be with the mural gift to Obihiro.

The city of Seward has charged the Seward Mural Society with the task of bringing this gift to fruition. It has been in the planning stages for 4 years. The mural society and the city have learned a lot in the process about working together with the Japanese, how they are extreme planners who move in predictable ways, whereas our working style is more flexible, solving problems as they emerge.

Justine Pechusal is the master artist for “Friendship Across Water”. She will prepare the design for transfer to panels with an overhead projector in a warehouse in Japan. In December she attended the Japanese Emperor’s 79th birthday celebration.

Al Lamberson will head up the group that sands and primes the panels.

One of our early meetings (2010) included 2 Japanese along with the international relations representative from Obihiro, Josh Neta. The Seward Mural Society has been working with him since then.

 We have also been working with David and Noriko Campbell of Obihiro who have already helped us in identifying supplies that can be purchased in Obihiro. David graduated from Seward High school in 1977. He has been teaching English in Obihiro. Noriko will be helping with promotion in Japan.

Working with the city’s city clerks, Johanna Kinney and Brenda Ballou have been a blessing resulting in a well-informed group with close contact with the city of Obihiro.

We chose Kristi Larson to be our valiant leader. Although she doesn’t claim to be an artist, we zeroed in on her organizational skills. She sure can run a meeting. (As an aside, she is also currently president of Rotary)

There will be 8 art delegates to Obihiro in September. Each has an assignment that will be an important cog in the wheel. Obihiro has convened a similar committee there to assist with transportation, lunches, Japanese artists to work on the mural and problem solving.

During Seward’s April meeting, the Obihiro Mural committee accepted the check from the city of Seward to fund the upcoming project based on a budget presented to city council in January. This will enable us to begin purchasing supplies, some of which will be transported in luggage.

Our major concern had to do with supplies. After much research by Gary Cornwell, we discovered that shipping them would cost $10,000, but we learned from David and Noriko Campbell that we could purchase them in Japan after all. We will be working with yen instead of dollars and measurements that must be converted to feet and inches. Our standard 4 X 8 panels will have to be contrived from metric units.

Shown at the April meeting are Art Delegates, Al Lamberson (Panel Boss), Justine Pechusal (Master Artists) Kristi Larson (Head Honcho) Johanna Kinney (City Clerk), Sheila Morrow (Travel and Hotel planner), Jennifer Headtke (Fund-Raiser) Brenda Ballou (Deputy City Clerk),

Seward Senior Center Hosted the Senior High School Breakfast Friday, for the first time in that longtime graduation tradition. The seniors are about to graduate next week, and have a number of events to attend before they do, including scholarship awards night, the senior barbecue and parade downtown, and finally graduation.

Retired teachers and proud grandmas dine with some of the graduating seniors. Heidi Zemach photo.

Some 42 will be graduating in the Class of 2013. In the second photo seniors, Joey, Jon, Brennen and Tyrone before they go into the first-period breakfast.

Seward Senior Center Hosted the Senior High School Breakfast Friday, for the first time in that longtime graduation tradition. The seniors are about to graduate next week, and have a number of events to attend before they do, including scholarship awards night, the senior barbecue and parade downtown, and finally graduation. Some 42 will be graduating in the Class of 2013.

Retired teachers and proud grandmas dine with some of the graduating seniors. Heidi Zemach photo.

Here are Joey, John, Brennen and Tyrone, taken before going in to breakfast. Congratulations everybody.

A carwash is planned at the parking lot of the Chamber of Commerce this Sunday, May 19 from 10-2. Proceeds will fund the Seward High School Exchange Program with our Sister City – Obihiro, Japan. Meret Beutler and Karoline Ernst are this year’s selected representatives to travel to Obihiro in August as Seward’s Sister City Ambassadors for the program’s 40th anniversary. Thanks goes to the community for successful sales of Mother’s Day cookies on Alaska Lemonade Day, and thanks to Seward Safeway for supporting the project through the use of their storefront.

Training Captain Jim Wiles and Engineer Tim Ludwig attended the W.S.Darley Pump and Compressed Air Foam (CAFS) Academy May 5-10 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  The Bear Creek Fire Department has 4 Darley pumps and 2 Darley apparatus including a class A CAFS Rescue Pumper.

The Darley Pump School includes instruction on the theory, operation, maintenance and repair of Darley pumps. The Darley CAFS Academy is designed to acquaint students with the function, operation and benefits of Compressed Air Foam Systems.

Captain Wiles is charge of training for the volunteers and coordinates apparatus maintenance with outside contractors.   Having this knowledge will benefit training and with preventative and repairs of fire pumps on department apparatus.

Engineer Tim Ludwig is the lead apparatus engineer for the department.  Having advanced information on pump operations and compressed air foam system will benefit the department engineers.  Knowing the theory and application on CAFS and troubleshooting pumping operations is essential to safety on the fireground.

Compressed Air Foam Systems are shown to use approximately 1/3 less water to suppress fire, due to the surfactant injected into the water supply and then aerated with the injection of compressed air.  It penetrates and clings to fuels, not only cooling but coating the material to suppress fire.   A benefit as Bear Creeks depends on tankers for structural fire water supply. It also creates lighter hose lines, a benefit to firefighters and decreased water damage.  The Bear Creek Rescue Pumper 118 has a 200 cubic foot per minute air compressor that can also be utilized to supply air rescue tools and air lifting bags at rescue incidents.

Firefighter I, Chris Edgar, also recently completed a week long Engineering Course hosted by the Kenai Fire Department.  The course covered 2 days of apparatus driving, positioning and safety and 3 days of apparatus pumping evolutions. At the completion of the course Firefighter Edger tested out for Fire Apparatus Operator certification from the State of Alaska Fire Service Training.

The department is always looking for apparatus operators to support fire operations.  It’s a great position for someone that wants to volunteer, but may not want to participate in interior fire operations.  The department meets each Thursday night at 7:00 pm at the Bear Creek Department with engineer training often taking place Wednesday evening.

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education meets May 6th in Seward. Heidi Zemach photo

Heidi Zemach for Seward City News

The KPBSD Board of Education’s meeting at the Seward High School Monday night was an eventful, at times dramatic and emotional affair, probably better attended than most board meetings in the district’s larger communities are, said one board member during a much-needed break. Another board member, Liz Downing, from Homer joked that Seward is “the new Homer,” leading some in the audience to wonder if that was meant as an insult or a compliment.

The biggest piece of news for Seward was the board’s decision to delay the Seward Middle School configuration proposal to include the sixth grade in the middle school, in order to allow more time for study, discussion, and planning. The board directed the administration to make its recommendation to school board by October of 2013. That timeline was met with some disappointment by those in the audience who had hoped that the move could occur by the coming fall, rather than more than a year from now. The school went from offering eight to only four elective offerings this year due to lower enrollment numbers, and the public had been told there would probably be fewer or possibly no electives offered next year if the status quo were maintained—except for those that could be included within regular classes, such Art, Music, or the new Lego-Robotics.

There were a great many comments by members of the public about the proposed sixth-grade move. Six parents who spoke out were clearly in favor of the move to the middle school, two spoke in more general terms, one hoping that a more beneficial funding formula could be enacted for helping to staff the smallest district schools, and another thanking the KPBSD administrators for allowing SMS Principal Jason Bickling to continue on as principal of the Moose Pass School next year.

Maya Moriarty, Site Council member, speaks to board of education. Heidi Zemach photo

Maya Moriarty, a site-based council member  who had enjoyed a very “enriched” educational environment growing up, said her daughter had started to cry when she explained what she would lose if they didn’t move the sixth grade up. But she calmed down a little, when her mother told her that KPBSD Superintendent Steve Atwater had given the school an additional half a (FTE) position, Moriarty said.

Prior to the general meeting, the board also held a late-afternoon work session to discuss the process by which the principals and site council had reached their recommendation to approve the move. Another work session also took place on several proposed policy revisions to the site-council boards district-wide. It included a revised proposal initiated by local District 6 school board representative Lynn Hohl to have individual site councils decide whether principals/administrators should be able to vote on their own advisory boards. Earlier, she had proposed that the principals not be allowed to vote, as they do in Seward. The revisions were removed from consideration on the meeting agenda, however, when they felt more discussion was needed.

Seward teacher, union and NEA rep Mark Fraad speaks to board of education. Heidi Zemach photo.

One longtime elementary school PE teacher, Mark Fraad, who is also the Region Three National Education Association representative, gave a speech critical of the way his own community and leadership had handled the decision-making process on the proposed middle school reconfiguration. It echoed some of the issues presented to the site council and board earlier by the one dissenting Seward site-council member Amy Hankins, who was absent from Monday’s meeting. Fraad said the process was flawed, that the decision was fast-tracked, and that the public had received misinformation. He also said that those who had expressed differing views on the decision had felt “threatened, intimidated, publically shunned,” and that friendships had been damaged.  As a solution, he proposed that the board revisit the decision with help of an independent third-party mediator. The most important thing a teacher can teacher their children is to speak out for what they believe in.

Six other speakers who addressed the topic disputed Fraad’s statement, and of that of others who felt that the process had been unfair. Parents on the site-based council, such as Mica Van Buskirk and Moriarty again repeated that the only dissenting vote was by a single site-council member. Van Buskirk called Fraad’s statements “blown out of proportion,” and said she had not personally heard of any threats or intimidation, and that to her knowledge no friendships were lost. Moriarty returned to the podium to second those sentiments, and ended her comments by leaving the board, whose decision it would be, with a reading of the Serenity Prayer.

Seward-based board member Lynn Hohl said she really hoped that the board would look into its funding formula for smaller schools. It’s that formula, that bases staffing of schools on student enrollment numbers, that is perhaps most responsible for the loss of staffing and electives that created the reason for the sixth-grade move proposal.

Several speakers praised the two principal’s accomplishments during the meeting, especially the efforts and good intentions of Jason Bickling, who they said has done an outstanding job with the school during his three years as the Seward Middle School principal.  Earlier, Bickling had given an impressive presentation about the new focus of the middle school and its teachers to make learning more relevant. They had built a successful online learning environment, with blogs for each class, had worked to enhance student’s leadership skills, their teamwork, and moral character, had invited expert speakers to enrich their classroom learning experience, and had tried to get the students out into the community more with field trips and service projects. The new debate club also came forward to demonstrate their speaking skills.

Seward High School Principal Trevan Walker also gave a presentation on his vision for an improved “Hybrid High School.” Currently, data show that at any given time of the school day, only 120-150 of the school’s 178 enrolled students are sitting in front of a teacher. With 16-33 percent of students not in a traditional class, but instead taking online or distance education classes, community college classes, or graduating early, why not do away with the traditional bell schedule and truly embrace the 21^st century, with all its alternative education possibilities, and become a hybrid high school?, Walker said. He proposed merging distance learning with greater opportunities for those students to regularly meet with their online teachers, and creating a college student-union mezzanine on the upper level of the school, where students with laptops can study at booths or tables in a supervised environment while others are working in more traditional classrooms. Increasing numbers of teachers have already begun embracing non-traditional, online forms of teaching and self- learning, embracing the new paradigm shift in education, he said.

On another matter parents Erin Knotek and Julie Lindquist, and Josephine Braun, a high school student, spoke out against revisions by the Kenai Peninsula School Activities Association (KPSAA) regarding borough athletic competitions. These revisions would make attendance at the borough competitions mandatory for all district Track and Field and Cross Country teams. All said they trust their own coaches to decide what is best for their teams, and said that not all coaches felt it best to have their teams compete against teams from schools in larger divisions, which has sometimes proven unfair to the students involved.

Terri Tidwell, head custodian at Skyview High School, also spoke passionately about all of the unrecognized support employees including the custodians, aides, food-service providers and secretaries, who work so hard behind the scenes to keep the borough schools functioning. The district has received the resignations of many dedicated support staff this year, she said, many with two or three decades of work put into their schools, and totaling 400 years of experience, Tidwell said. Among them was Susan St. Amand, with 30 years of food-service for the Seward Schools.

Myla Liljemark, BP 2013 Teacher of Excellence. KPBSD photo credit.

Myla Liljemark, who teaches social studies at Seward Middle School, was among seven Kenai Peninsula Borough teachers honored May 1^st as 2013 BP Teachers of Excellence. The annual BP awards event was held at the Soldotna Senior Center, and Janet Weiss, President of BP in Alaska, presented the awards with Dr. Steve Atwater, KPBSD superintendent. Other teachers honored included Donna Austin, Chapman Elementary School (Anchor Point), Sue Biggs, Redoubt Elementary School (Soldotna), Lyn Maslow, West Homer Elementary School, Renee Merkes, Soldotna High School, Rob Sparks, Skyview High School (Soldotna), and Greg Zorbas, Kenai Central High School.

Rob Sparks, Skyview High School, was named the 2013 Kenai Peninsula BP Teacher of the Year.

“Through promoting self-awareness, student success, and international mindedness, students in Mrs. Liljemark’s class are provided a student-centered learning environment where they are the drivers of their education, KPBSD communications director writes Pegge Erkeneff in a district release. “Lilejemark believes the internationally-minded focus is key to helping students see themes of social studies played out around the world. She often brings in guest speakers from organizations such as the local historical society, National Park Service, or a Native tribe to bring real-life perspective to what’s being studied.”

“I am inspired when my students critically question history, current events, and perspectives of people they encounter in their everyday lives.  It is through these questions that evidence of thought, wonder, and independent thinking are exposed,” Lilejemark said.

Dr. Steve Atwater, superintendent (left), Ms. Liljemark, and Janet Weiss, President of BP in Alaska (right).

“A goal that I have for my class, is to nurture globally competent students. These are students that understand the historic and contemporary relationships between regions, countries, and peoples of the world. These are students that understand and tolerate others within a world where international connections are the norm. Through global competency, I hope students develop an understanding of who they are as an individual, and the role they play within their society and the world.” – Myla Liljemark

“My recent certificate in International Baccalaureate plays an important role in how I scaffold and plan for my class. It really is the backbone to how I structure learning in my classroom.”

“Myla Liljemark is deserving of this recognition,” said Jason Bickling, Seward Middle School Principal. “This last year she was International Baccalaureate Certified for Social Studies. She constantly searches for ways to better engage students into what is going on in the world and to understand their part in it.” “Students enjoy the minds, hands, and eyes-on activities that are a staple in her classroom. She is self-critical and reflective of her lessons and how they can be improved–then implements those changes. She takes risks regularly in her teaching and pushes the envelope in her pursuit of student engagement and learning. On top of social studies, she also teaches health, yearbook, and an enrichment history day course. She is an asset to Seward Middle School and enriches student lives on a daily basis.”

“The annual BP Teacher of Excellence Award is our chance to stop and recognize a few of our district’s excellent teachers,” said Dr. Steve Atwater, superintendent. “I know that each of the seven teachers is an excellent representation of our staff as a whole.”

Members of the Moose Pass 4-H group enjoyed learning about Robotics this past spring.   Students met once a week after school and followed plans to build “robots” out of Legos.  The robots included an alligator, dancing man, spinning birds, an airplane, an owl, a fox and a snake.  Software was used to program the robots to perform basic movements.

On  April 24th  the students held a public presentation at Moose Pass School for parents and interested community members.   They presented the book The Gruffalo.  They built characters from the story out of Legos and programmed them to act out their role in the story.  The program will continue next fall.

Grant money from the Moose Pass Sportsman Club and the Seward Community Foundation was used to purchase four We Do Robotics kits and We Do licensed software.  The Seward Community Foundation is an affiliate of The Alaska Community Foundation, a statewide, non-profit organization that manages charitable funds allowing donors to advance a cause, support an organization or provide flexible support for community needs.  For more information visit www.sewardcf.org.

Bailey Lespron and Nick Zweifel, gladiators, perform their fight scene at the Colosseum.

By Heidi Zemach for SCN

Last night the Seward High School Drama production, ‘A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Colosseum,” a comedy in two acts opened to a full house at Seward High Auditorium. If you missed it, there’s another chance to see it tonight, Wednesday May 8^th at 7:00 p.m., or Thursday, May 9^th, at 5:30 p.m.

Set in ancient Roman times, the play has all the usual hilarity people have come to expect from SHS plays, the jokes, visual comedy, unusual music, romance, dance scenes and fight scenes. It has a cast of 33 enthusiastic young actors and actresses, and all did a beautiful job with their given roles.

Produced by Mark Teckenbrock and Ronn Hemstock and directed by Dan Marshall, the play differs from the rest in that it features the amazing new “Lazy Susan” style revolving stage set, which allows three different scene set changes to occur in mere moments. The photo you see is one of the sets built with steps and a platform that allows a multi-story approach. The iron skeletal set frame was welded in the shop in pieces by Hemstock’s welding students. Then it was brought into the theater and assembled onto a center pin spindle, mounted in the middle of the stage. The idea was Teckenbrock’s, and Hemstock was able to help him make it a reality. The theater design class then created and painted the sets and added backdrops. The revolving set can be easily screwed apart into its main components and stored flat until it needs to be reassembled for the next play or event, which should only take a few hours.

There will be crossing guards at key intersections and snacks at the schools if you participate.  We need volunteers to be cross walk guards.  We will need them from 7:15am to approximately 8:00am.

It is that time of year again.  The PTSA Semiannual High School Garage Sale is May 25th.  The proceeds go to provide scholarships to college bound Seniors from Seward High School.  If you have used items that you would like to donate, you can drop them off at the back of the High School on Friday May 24th from 2pm-5pm.  If you have any questions contact Al McCarty at 362-0204.

By Heidi Zemach for Seward City News

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Board of Education will meet in Seward High School Monday, May 6th at 7:00 p.m., and will also hold a variety of work sessions during the afternoon. The board only meets here once a year, and several items deal with local education concerns and issues, including the status of the proposed move of sixth grade to Seward Middle School.

Seward Middle School. Heidi Zemach file photo.

Over the last six months, the Seward Schools’ three principals and Seward Site Council have been discussing the pros and cons of reconfiguring the Seward Middle School to include 6th grade. The principals held a community meeting and issued a community survey on the subject to gather public input. In March, following the survey, which showed strong support for the proposal by participants compared to other proposals, the Seward Site Council voted to recommend that the Seward Middle School be reconfigured to grades 6-8.

One site council member had abstained however, and another member, Amy Hankins, who felt pressured to vote in favor of the move, later rescinded her vote and sent the board and site-council a detailed letter explaining her concerns and stating that the entire process had been unfair. One of her concerns was that the three principals were active and voting members of the site council, and that she felt it represented a conflict of interest for principals to be advising themselves. Another concern was that some people who took the online survey, including some teachers said privately that they felt that the way the questions were phrased would reveal their identity, so they did not feel free to participate, or to answer them honestly. The dire scenarios described in the public survey were not entirely accurate, either, Hankins said. For example one scenario describing the status quo said that without an additional grade added, the middle school would be able to provide no electives to students next year, although it was later learned that the administration was, in fact planning to offer a new Lego-Robotics elective.

Principal Jason Bickling discusses moving 6th grade to Seward Middle. (Heidi Zemach photo)

Also, despite low student numbers, the district has awarded the middle school an additional half-time position (rather than take one away) in order to enable Principal Jason Bickling to continue acting as principal for the Moose Pass School, and allowing another teacher to teach the classes he would have had to teach with the loss of that position. Seward High School and Middle School Science teacher Carlyn Nichols will move to the middle school half time, and Connections (home school) program half time, and  the high school will replace her position with a new full-time science teacher. The high school had been lending the middle school Nichols’ services part time, said SHS Principal Trevan Walker.

The district will hold a 4:30 p.m. work session Monday to offer the Seward Principals an opportunity to review the process followed leading up to the site council vote, and to provide the board a chance to ask questions, or provide comment. The KPBSD administration is withholding its own recommendation on the proposed middle school reconfiguration until October. This will give the schools more time to plan, and would allow for more public discussion.

There also will be a work session Monday to consider revisions to the site-based council bylaws. One of the proposed revisions, made initially by Seward area schools representative Lynn Hohl was that the principals be non-voting members of the site councils. A survey of all district site councils found them to be split evenly over this revision, however. Hohl then offered new wording leaving it up to the individual councils to determine their own voting status. That change will be presented for final consideration and approval at the May 6 board meeting.

There also will be a public hearing at 6:30 on proposed Kenai Peninsula School Activities Association (KPSAA) revisions to borough competitions that affect local sports activities. They will be considered formally at the June 3 school board meeting. The new language says: Borough tournaments will be held in cross-country running, Nordic skiing and track and field. Borough Tournaments were developed for the benefit of student athletes and the schools involved. Schools with teams in these three sports shall participate in the Borough meets.

During the 7:00 pm regular meeting, both Seward high school and middle school principals will discuss “accountability” at their schools, and there will be a presentation on the new Seward School Yard Habitat program.
The public is invited to attend these meetings, and will have the opportunity to share their opinions.

The Seward High School Drama Class presents:

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Colosseum

Simplcuss, a naive farmer from Gallia Alpina, heads to Rome to follow his dream, to be the first Roman, Stand-Up Comedian. Unfortunately, a severe misunderstanding lands our hero not only in trouble, but in the arena, in a fierce battle to the death with the feared female gladiator Dominatia Violencia.

This performance will show nightly:

Tuesday, May 7         7pm

Wednesday, May 8   7pm

Thursday, May 9        5:30pm

Cost of Admission is $7.00 for an individual and $20.00 per family.

We do not recommend that you bring babies or very small children to the high school productions. Thanks much.