 Sentiments of gratitude for the Eagle
River Wal-Mart poured in from all corners
of Chugiak High School, and even inspired
one teacher to quote Goethe: “Knowing is
not enough; we must apply. Willing is not
enough; we must do.” Kathleen Vik, Family
and Consumer Science teacher, cited that
quote because she says Eagle River’s Wal-
Mart is a business that DOES!
The partnership between the Eagle
River Wal-Mart and Chugiak High School
was formed in May 2004. Since then,
Wal-Mart has helped with scholarships,
supplies, service projects, leadership programs,
and more.
Bringing real world experiences to
the classroom is one of the most exciting
aspects of this partnership. Wal-Mart
managers regularly make presentations
to students in Chugiak’s JA Leadership
Success Skills class. For nearly 10 weeks
each semester, topics such as building
rapport, effective communication, and
teamwork have been discussed. The culminating
project is a mock interview day,
when employees from Wal-Mart and members
of the Eagle River Rotary Club review
student resumes and conduct mock job
interviews. This activity was recently highlighted
in Eagle River’s local newspaper,
the Alaska Star.
Donations from Wal-Mart help many
departments throughout Chugiak High
School. The school nurse receives generous
monthly contributions to help eliminate
gaps in her budget. Wal-Mart gave the
Russian language class funds for voice
recorders when the ASD World Language
Department’s budget was cut. In 2007,
Chugiak students conducted a clothing
drive for homeless children in Djibouti,
Africa. Wal-Mart initially agreed to pay
$150 to ship the articles, but the shipping
costs greatly increased when over 700
items were collected. Wal-Mart quickly
donated another $200 to cover the additional
shipping costs, resulting in aid for
hundreds of children. Wal-Mart has also
provided student scholarships to send
Chugiak students to Close-Up, a leadership
training program in Washington, DC. |
 |
Wal-Mart makes a special effort to
honor educators in our community with its
annual Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club Teacher of
the Year award. This year Chugiak German
teacher Kristi Senden won the award. She
was recognized at both a faculty meeting
and in the Alaska Star, and was given
a $100 gift card for personal use and a
$1000 award for school use.
Thanks to Wal-Mart, the public knows
a little more about the great things happening
at Chugiak. Senior Project displays
are posted in the Eagle River store, which
lets the entire town see how the students
at Chugiak give back to their community.
Richard Volk, Chugiak principal, says,
“This cross-reference kindles a connection
between community members and the
school to strengthen our bond and foster
support of the school.”
Chugiak students, staff, and parents
appreciate the time, effort, and support
that Eagle River Wal-Mart gives the school
on a regular basis. Luckily for them, Wal-
Mart is a business that is more than willing!
Eagle River Wal-Mart store manager Austin Zimiga (l) and department manager Dana Cantu (center) present Chugiak German teacher Kristi Senden (r) with the 2007 “Teacher of the Year” award |
 |
|
