Best Practices, Volume IX, 2007

Anchorage Construction Academy and Anchorage School District

2007 Star Award Honoree

Table of contents

Anchorage School District Superintendent:Carol Comeau, 742-4312 Contact: Rhonda Gardner, Asst. Superintendent of Instruction, 742-4321
The Anchorage Construction Academy/Anchorage School District (ASD) partnership has been in place since late in the 2005-2006 school year. At that time, the Anchorage School District, in partnership with Alaska General Contractors, Alaska Works, the Anchorage and Alaska State Homebuilding Association, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, received a $1 million grant for the Anchorage Construction Academy at the Martin Luther King Jr. Career Center (KCC). The collaboration at KCC maximizes the use of the King Career Center by having a third shift after the regular school day, and then allowing evening and weekend classes for the Construction Trades classes sponsored by the Alaska Works Partnership for under-employed adults. The ASD has also been able to add construction classes at the King Career Center, Chugiak, Dimond, Bartlett, Eagle River, East, Service, South, and West high schools during the 2006-2007 school year. The ASD expects over 750 students to complete construction trades classes in the 2006-2007 school year. These construction classes are standards-based. The partnership would not be possible without the financial support from the various trade and union organizations as well as former Governor Murkowski and the Alaska Legislature. We are hopeful that Governor Palin and the new Legislature will continue the financial support at a higher level statewide to allow us to strengthen and expand this partnership. We believe this partnership is a model for future partnerships in careers.		A special thanks to the following Anchorage businesses and their representatives, along with Anchorage School District employees for making the Anchorage Construction Academy possible. This partnership exemplifies that it is not about programs for our schools – it's about empowering the learners in our midst. Dick Cattanach, Associated General Contractors of Alaska Mike Andrews, Alaska Works Partnership Inc. Margie Germain-Antrim and Brad Gillespie, AK Dept of Labor & Workforce Development Vicki Portwood, Anchorage and Alaska Home Builders Association Molly Merritte-Duran, Cook Inlet Tribal Council Guy Okada, Mike Henry, Rick Rios – Anchorage School District Lowell Kent’s East High construction students, Steve Lyons, grade 12, Andreis Prost, grade 9, Chris Stubb, grade 11, and Karl Koeneman, grade 9, put together a shed.

NEXT: Big Brothers Big Sisters and Wonder Park and North Star Elementary Schools »

Please note: The information on this page is from the 2007 edition of Best Practices. The people, programs and contact information included were current at the time of publication, but may have since changed.