Quyana to Mrs. Joy Morton at East High! We are thankful for Mrs. Joy Morton at East High School. Her never ending encouragement & endurance are beyond measure. She has made such a huge difference in our son's life. Without Mrs. Morton, our son would not be in the senior class. We are so grateful for her dedication & persistence. Thank you Mrs. Morton, what a remarkable & outstanding teacher you are!!!! -Joanne Luther, parent
Quyana to Gabrielle Willis at Music Department! Gabrielle Willis is an incredibly motivating and encouraging orchestra teacher. I joined her concert orchestra class at West High School after four years in the Steller orchestra, and I was amazed at the level of proficiency she expects and creates in her students. She has been an absolute joy to learn from, and while I will be sad to leave her at the end of this year I plan to make the most of the six months I have left with her! -Tonei Glavinic
, student
Quyana to Lisa Horstmann at Dimond High School! Lisa Horstmann is an awesome professional with excellent front office skills and people skills. She always greets people in the community with lots of enthusiasm and a brillant smile! She always goes out of the way to make us feel welcome when coming to Dimond High and is very diligent when answering inquiries in person and on the telephone. -Cindy Barker, parent
Quyana to Sonny Traxinger at King Career Center! I would like to thank Mr. Sonny Traxinger for all the Security work that he does at KCC. If there was a "Security Officer" award for the state of Alaska, I would nominate him. I have worked with Sonny for almost 10 years and in that time, he has placed his life on the line to protect students, teachers and administators. Sonny always has a smile on his face and love in his heart for all of us at KCC. His willingness to work with my students and many others is greatly appreciated. -Dan Sparkman, teacher
Quyana to Angela Blue at Teacher at Creekside Park Elementary School! Ms. Blue your dedication to your students is remarkable. You go above and beyond for them. You are there after school to have work prepared for your students. I just wanted to let you know that I think you are great! -Vivian Donovan , previous school secretary
Quyana to Michael Pinkney, Safety & Security Specialist at Hanshew Middle School! Mr. Michael Pinkney is to be commended for his undying efforts to make a difference in each student's life. Mr. Pinkney has worked, nearly a decade, as a Safety and Security Specialist in several ASD middle schools (Clark, Gruening, Hanshew). Currently, Mr. Pinkney provides security for 7th graders at Hanshew Middle School. Additionally, Mr. Pinkney attends classes at UAA as he is studying to become a counselor. Our students are fortunate to have an enthusiastic, dedicated, professional educator to serve as an outstanding role model at our wonderful Hanshew Middle School. -Peggy R. Huscusson, Assistant Principal
Quyana to Mrs. Shettu at Fairview Elementary! Mrs. Shettu has extraordinary patience with the students she teaches. She is strict and consistent and loves to recognize their accomplishments. She is educated in the programs she teaches and the kids are making huge gains. She has much responsibility and is dedicated to her students and position as a special education teacher assistant. Fairview and the students are lucky to have her. -Kay Schuster, supervisor
Quyana to Officers Jared McKay and Eric Pratt, SROs at Polaris K-12 (based at Service H.S.)! These two outstanding officers are incredible role models for students of all ages and can truly be deemed two of “ASD's Finest!” Whenever they come to our school, they engage in positive, proactive contacts with students, young and old, helping them develop a concept of law enforcement officers as helpful, trustworthy, and even critical resources in our community. Polaris K-12 School recently conducted three internet safety assemblies, one for each level - elementary, middle and high school. Officers McKay and Pratt seamlessly modified each presentation to target issues and concepts important for each developmental level. Audiences were captivated, and the impact on students was astounding and no doubt, long lasting! Follow up discussions in family groups, advisories, and at home indicated students were profoundly enlightened by the information and personal experiences shared by the SROs, and students planned to alter the way they use the internet in order to make themselves safe. -Michelle Johansen, Assistant Principal
Quyana to Gene Beaulieu at Fire Lake Elementary! The Migrant Education Program would like to send a really big, heartfelt thank you to Mr. Gene Beaulieu of Fire Lake Elementary School. This is the first time we have held a family reading activity at Fire Lake and Mr. Gene was extremely helpful, kind and accommodating while we were there. He really helped make the experience of working in a new location pleasurable and successful. From answering our questions to finding a sign letting families know that the sidewalk was icy because we spilled something, Mr. Gene definitely went above and beyond what we expected and we would like him to know he was very much appreciated. -Pat Doughty, Migrant Education Compliance and Recruitment
Quyana to the Maintenance Department! High winds over the weekend caused a tree to fall and take part of Huffman's fence with it. Before we could even call it in, the guys were here clearing it and repairing the fence! Thanks so much for attending to that situation so quickly! -Kris Bjornson, Principal
Quyana to Terri Brister, Jan Brandt, Carol Jerue, Yadira Ramos, Edna Resari, Geoff Glover, Susan Heyroth, Pete Cusano, David Voisine, Grace Mruk, Brenda Wimett, Valerie Borkowski, Gwen Angasan, Lynn Talovich, Mary Ellison, Sandi Berlin, Denielle Baldwin, and Linda Wichman at Willow Crest! This group of wonderful teachers were the heart of our November Family Literacy Night. They each planned and carried out a wonderful literacy station for familes and students to enjoy. The night was a huge success with over 300 people attending. Each one of them played a huge role and should be really proud of the success of the evening! Our schools wouldn't be as wonderfully successful as they are if it weren't for people like these teachers and staff that put in that extra time consistently for our students! -Julie Bryant, Title 1 Literacy Support
Quyana to Marie Russell at Aquarian Charter! Marie Russell is really making a difference for the kids at Aquarian Charter School....AND our community! Her Kindergarten/1st grade class made neck warmers to give to the folks at the Brother Francis Shelter. What BIG hearts those kids have!!. Thank you Ms. Marie for teaching our kids about making a difference in our community! -Sara Peebles, parent
Quyana to Barb Crandall at Nunaka Valley! I have a son in Mrs. Crandall's 2/3 combo class. Mrs. Crandall takes the time to teach two different curriculum's to a group of students who are at many different levels academically. My son is being pushed to excel and not just float through the school year. I see other students in her classroom being taught at their level, and being urged to get to the next level. She is a great example of how a teacher can make a combo class work, and work very well. Thank you Mrs. Crandall for being an amazing teacher! -Katherine Jones, parent
Quyana to West High Jazz Band at West High! Willow Crest Elementary would like to extend a big thank you to the students of the West High Jazz Band. These talented musicians did an excellent job entertaining our students with their performance here at Willow Crest. These young people were superb role models for our students. We look forward to future performances. -Lori Cheek, Assistant Principal
Quyana to Romig Middle School Band at Romig Middle School! The students and staff of Willow Crest Elementary would like to thank the Romig Middle School Band for their fine performance yesterday. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the talents of their older peers. We so appreciate the opportunity for our students to see such positive role models. Keep up the good work Romig. -Lori Cheek, Assistant Principal
Quyana to Tom Searcy, Dustin Blevin, and Don Knue at ASD Warehouse Department! Starting a school is never easy but Tom Searcy, Dustin Belvin and Don Knue from the ASD Warehouse helped us get off the ground by working with us hand in hand. They never grew tired of helping us check on particular shipment arrivals, searching the storage, tagging furniture items, or delivering supplies and furniture to our temporary facility. And our staff has been pest for sure when we needed to get things done. The entire Warehouse staff has been wonderfully cooperative and helpful and that for sure made our life so much easier. Thank you so much, Tom, Dustin, and Don for coming through and working with us! Rilke Schule is much obliged. -Antje Carlson, Rilke Schule APC Secretary
Quyana to Marie Fried at Mears Middle School! Marie Fried is an excellent teacher and a very caring person. She is an amazing leader of her team of teachers and students at Mears Middle School. I so appreciate her way of inspiring my daughter and me about how to learn a difficult subject (algebra). She hosts an after school homework club and always goes the extra mile to make sure that her students are grasping the lesson. Her email contact is wonderful, and she will even create extra pages of explanations that we can download and print out at home. Thanks, Marie, for challenging my daughter to reach for her potential and for supporting her all along the way! -Lisa Siegel, parent
Quyana to Jake Fry and Lee Graves at Maintenance and the Glass Shop! Thank you for the beautiful, first-ever, permanent display case for Willow Crest. It is well built, attractive, and deeply appreciated! Thank you! -Diane Hoffbauer, Principal
