Quyana to Corey Aist at Polaris K–12! We would like to send our big thanks and much appreciation to Corey Aist for being a wonderful and superb teacher to our son. Witnessing Corey, he instills a love of learning, good discipline and reasonable expectations from all of his students. His creative teaching and resourcefulness responds to the learning styles of students that also warrants dynamism and being knowledgeable in technology that he is. Thanks Corey, you made a huge impact and good influence in our son's life!
– Joel and Maria Del Rosario, parents
Quyana to Linson Thompson at Ocean View Elementary! Each year Mr. Thompson puts in long hours working with students to prepare for the First Lego League robotics competition at Ocean View Elementary. His commitment to the kids and his willingness to put forth his own time to help students prepare for the competition is greatly appreciated. His mentoring in robotics opened up a whole new field of interest for my own daughter. Thanks Mr. Thompson!
– Julie Shewman, parent
Quyana to Ms. Danielle Clay at Eagle River High School! It is clear that Ms. Clay is deeply committed to her students and to assisting them in succeeding. She has worked with both of my children and her compassion and consideration are absolutely amazing. She took time out of her weekend to notify me of my son's exit exam scores. She took the time to forward a really fun great wacko picture to me. I know her workload is huge, but she doesn't let that stop her from connecting with me as if my child is the only one on her caseload. As a parent and an employee in Early Childhood Education, I appreciate being treated in such a caring manner.
– Annette Bell, parent
Quyana to the Canis Major Team (Theresa Wolcott, Mary Frances Karnos, Natalie DaSantos and Leslie Moore) at Goldenview Middle School! I want to recognize the Canis Major team for integrating on–demand writing throughout their core classes. Each content area teacher participated in MY Access training and has been engaging their students in a content specific on–demand writing task once each month. They rotate so that each week their students practice on–demand writing in one of their core classes. Thanks to Theresa Wolcott for leading the project and what a wonderful example of teams integrating writing across the curriculum!
– Stacy Miller, teacher
Quyana to Danny Sihabouth at Accounting! Danny always takes the time to help me with any grant accounting problems that I have. He is always quick to respond and follows up right away. You are much appreciated.
– Pat Anderson, peer
Quyana to Mr. Thomas (substitute) at Begich! Thank you Mr. Thomas for substituting when our teacher (Ms. Graham) was away. It was a lot of fun to have you as a substitute. You made learning fun.
– Erik, student
Quyana to Michael Perkins and staff at Mears Middle School! I want to thank Michael Perkins, principal of Mears, for the wonderful job he is doing. I also thank the wonderful staff at Mears, Jeanne Smith, Jennifer Buck and Marie Fried. The people at Mears go beyond the call of duty. I am an 80 year old grandma who has a grandson now attending Mears and two others who also went to Mears. They never once complained about the school, any teachers, or staff. Thank you Jeanne for being such a caring nurse. Bless all of you.
– Marie Valdez, grandmother
Quyana to Helen Coker at Chester Valley Elementary! I’m sending a huge thank you out to Helen Coker, of Chester Valley Elementary. Helen is always helpful and kind, and willing to go the extra mile to help kids, staff, community, and even our wildlife! Shortly before our dismissal on Wednesday, an injured hawk was found under a tree on school grounds. We worried that the bird and our students would be panicked by each other when school let out. While we were very busy worrying, Helen called to find out how to get the bird safely picked up. While we were still busy worrying, Helen discovered that the bird would have to be placed in a box and hand delivered to a bird rescue facility. While we continued to worry about how to do that, Helen put on gloves, found a box, put the bird gently in the box, finished working, and calmly took the bird to the facility. Helen, thank you for the many, many, many things you do for us – so many more than we even know!
– Alta Collins, teacher–librarian
Quyana to Laura Briant at Goldenview! I've always believed that when someone is doing an outstanding job it should be acknowledged. Many educators don't get enough recognition. They work extremely hard and no one knows how good they really are at teaching. One of those educators is Laura Briant. I work with Laura four days a week in her math class.
Ms. Briant is an excellent communicator. She sets and maintains expectations for student behavior and achievement. Her interactions with students are conducted not only with professional skill, but also with compassion and caring. Her students are engaged and it is apparent that lessons are well prepared. Students in her class feel secure and enjoy learning.
It has been a pleasure working with Ms. Briant throughout the school year. I know she will continue to work hard and do what's best for her students.
– Kristin Hassel, colleague
Quyana to Annette Valdez at Abbott Loop Elementary! Mrs. Valdez has sparked incredible enthusiasm for our son this year in history and geography. Her passion for these important subjects inspires all of her students. She is a wonderful teacher who is preparing our children for the future by teaching organization and responsibility. My son says he likes that she is a strict but also a fun teacher!
– Fran Bever, parent
Quyana to Dave Avery at Goldenview! He is a great teacher who has a great sense of humor and makes the hardest concepts easy to understand. He is very easy to work with and I get all my questions answered immediately. He is one of my favorite teachers of all time!
– Dakota Jones, student
Quyana to Josh Mcgloghlon at Zangle IT! Although Josh is a newer member of the Zangle team, he is proving himself to be one of the best! During a recent training, Josh was extremely competent and knowledgeable about the information. He was a delightful trainer, making sure the content was both relevant to our level and infusing a little humor. He was able to answer all our questions with ease and walk us through finding solutions on our own. I really appreciate having Josh join the Zangle team!
– Michelle Keller, counselor
Quyana to Peggy Fisher at Accounting–Grants! I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Peggy. She always goes the extra mile to help me with any grant accounting questions that I might have. She is always pleasant and makes sure my questions are resolved right away. She has made my job much easier. Thank you.
– Pat Anderson, peer
Quyana to Gayle Boyer, ELL teaher at Begich Middle School! Team Nirvana students and teachers appreciate Gayle Boyer.
Ms. Boyer, an exemplary Finn, joined our team as an English Language Learning teacher. Her students enjoy her patience, knowledge and evenhanded guidance. Her colleagues admire her modesty, wisdom and work ethic. She enjoys what she does, and the Begich community is stronger because of it.
– Mr. Bajczyk, Mrs. O'Neil, Mrs. Datri, Mr. Kluever, teachers: Team Nirvana
Quyana to Marie Combs at Accounting department! The 21st Century Community Learning Center conference is in Juneau this year. We have 39 people attending. Marie worked closely with Lavern Miller the department administrative assistant to get the paperwork done. She expedited the paperwork enabling us to get airline tickets at the cheapest rate. In addition, as pricing started to raise, she contacted the travel agency and obtained a group rate, saving the grant money. She had a calm demeanor, was patient and was very kind during a very stressful time for the department staff. We never would have gotten through the process without her expertise and problem solving. Thank you Marie!
– Susan Williams, 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Quyana to Terry Gaines at Fairview Elementary School! I would like to recognize Mrs. Terry Gaines for her years of dedicated service at Fairview Elementary school. My children were students and now my grandchildren are students at Fairview, and Mrs. Gaines has been at the front line providing excellent parent service, providing information and finding the correct person(s) to contact, alleviating the frustration of getting the runaround.
I personally have heard Fairview staff praise Mrs. Gaines for being a "wealth of information" and "the person who knows".
A lot of teachers and principals have come and gone over the years, but Mrs. Gaines has been the constant that helps staff and parents get their footing when coming to Fairview school for the first time.
Thank you for your service.
Sincerely,
Cora D. Weaver, Parent of students 1982– 1993 and Grandparent of a student 2010.
– Cora Weaver, grandparent
Quyana to Antara Brewer at Dimond High School! Thanks to Mrs. Brewer for helping with Battle of the Books! She has made a difference in our practice! We’re now ready for the district competition
– Ashton Mallory, student
Quyana to Shawna Sweeney at Information Technology! Shawna's technical expertise is only surpassed by her unwavering professionalism. I consider her part of the staff here at Kasuun Elementary and have enjoyed working with her to help improve and upgrade our school’s technology. She consistently gives more than we expect or ask of her. Thank you Shawna!
– Doug Weimann, building tech contact, teacher
Quyana to Lindsey Harpole and her staff at Williwaw Elementary School! I am sending this heartfelt appreciation and thanks for all the hard work, encouragement and creativity of Miss Lindsey Harpole and her staff – KC, Yelena and James in helping not only my son but all the other students in her class to enjoy learning academics. Under her guidance and the persistence of her staff, my son has progressed a lot in his goals and continues to enjoy learning. Thank you for all that you do!
– Maria Del Rosario, parent
Quyana to ASD Counselors! In recognition of the dedication, caring and talent of all of our Anchorage School District counselors in honor of American School Counseling Week: February 7–11, 2011. Thank you for all you do to serve our learning communities!
– Allison Wilson, peer
