March

Quyana to Martina Bex at Clark Middle School! Gracias, merci, danke, arigato, etc. to Martina Bex for a wonderful job of organizing this year's Multilingual Marvels competition. Even with a record number of students participating Martina made the day go smoothly for everyone. She is a shining star and deserves a thank-you in every language!

- Deb Abshier, peer

Quyana to Pier Hale at Title 1! What a shock it was that I lost my friend Pier Hale! I have since left the district and moved out of state but have never forgotten Pier's friendship and love. When I first started with the Child In Transition Program she was my "angel" -- always there to help me out and to learn the "ropes" of the Title 1 Program. This is a big loss for the Anchorage School District and all her co-workers and friends who knew how precious of a person she was! We will miss you deeply Pier and love you lots! Barb Pledger

- Barb Pledger, former ASD employee

Quyana to Dale Evern at Dimond High School! Mr. Evern was a chaperone with me on a trip abroad. He did an amazing job taking care of the group, he was very hands- on, and he went way above of what was expected of him to provide a good environment on the trip for the whole group. Mr. Evern has an excellent rapport with the students and it made this trip an outstanding event for all of us. It is a great pleasure to work with such an outstanding person.

- Aline Hopkins, teacher

Quyana to Angela Armstrong, Languarge Arts at Chugiak High School! A huge thank you to Angela Armstrong, an excellent educator at Chugiak High School. My children have been lucky to call her their teacher for four years in a row. It is evident that Ms. Armstrong loves teaching because my children have enjoyed her classes so much. She has constantly encouraged and pushed them to grow and offered to give them support when they were having trouble. ASD is lucky to have such a fabulous teacher!

- Molli Elton, parent

Quyana to Robin Hopper at Homestead Elementary! I would like to thank Mrs. Hopper for everything she has done for the students at Homestead. She has taught all of my children and because of her love for kids and music, my children have a love for music that I never could have given them. She helps them in all areas of academic achievement and I truly feel blessed to have her as a teacher and role model for my children. Thank you again Mrs. Hopper and know that you are truly loved by your Homestead family.

- Venessa Brazfield, parent

Quyana to Mrs. Suzanne Brown at Gruening Middle School! Thank you Mrs. Brown. for your dedication to making Gruening Middle School a safe and friendly learning environment. I appreciate everything that you do for my school. We think you are a great vice principal.

- Jessica Mooty, student

Quyana to School Resource Officer John Goetz! You helped our middle school students understand rumors, fantasy, eye witness accounts and genuine evidence, and have fun with it.

- Karen Orfitelli, teacher

Quyana to Jim Nauman at Whaley School! Jim, You pulled the entire Irish Tragedy together. Students should have a good understanding of the writing trait of Idea thanks to your courage and sense of humor.

- Karen Orfitelli, teacher

Quyana to staff and students at Bear Valley Elementary, Dimond High and Wendler Middle Schools! Many thanks to the staff members for their support, good wishes and prayers for Michael. He is recovering well from his accident with the moose on March 14 and we see improvement every day. Your get well wishes and offers of food and help have kept Michael's family going through a very tough time.

- The family of Michael Barnes - Kathie Yoder, parent and peer

Quyana to Travis Burnett and Arnie Yoder at the ASD carpenter shop! Travis and Arnie did a fabulous job building a huge storage cabinet in the Romig Middle School choir room to store our beautiful new choir dresses and tuxedos. The guys did the work, did not like it, took it down, did it over and then returned with a beautiful black cabinet that we will enjoy for many years to come. Thanks, guys, for your commitment to excellence in your work and for all of the time and effort that you put in to this project. The collective Romig choirs truly appreciate your efforts!

- Lynette Harple, choir teacher Romig Middle School

Quyana to Jim Smith at Clark Middle School! On behalf of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Alaska Alumnae Chapter, I would like to recognize Jim Smith for his cooperative spirit. He has started a lunch group for sixth grade boys. The main goal of the group is to help the students with social skills such as being considerate, honest and responsible. His efforts are providing the students with the opportunity to work on their skills in a safe environment. The lunch group is directly impacting the students by helping them be more prepared for middle school academic expectations.

- Yvonne Charles, community member

Quyana to Jones Turner at Clark Middle School! On behalf of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Alaska Alumnae Chapter, I would like to recognize Jones Turner for his innovative ideas. He is constantly looking for ways to help his students. He has started a lunch group for sixth grade boys. The main goal of the group is to help the students with social skills such as being considerate, honest and responsible. His efforts are directly impacting the students' readiness for academic rigors of middle school, as well as improving their social skills. His willingness to give of his time is directly improving the lives of the students, today and in the future.

- Yvonne Charles, community member

Quyana to Magan Wiggs at Clark Middle School! On behalf of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Alaska Alumnae Chapter, I would like to recognize Magan Wiggs for her ability to combine her skills as a Speech and Language Service Provider with her awareness that her students require a more structured environment to practice their new skills with their peers. She started a lunch group specifically for students she serves, combined with others students who require more social skills practice. Her efforts are improving students' self esteem by allowing them to become more confident with their skills. She is preparing the students for the dynamic social setting of middle school and consequently helping them feel more successful in life.

- Yvonne Charles, community member

Quyana to Daphne Bradshaw at Chinook Elementary! Thank you for the amazing job you do with your fifth grade students! You are such a great teacher, the kids love you and you are impacting their lives in such a positive way! Thank you for investing in our kids!

- Vanessa Makihele, parent

Quyana to Stacey Schubert at Chinook Elementary! Quyana to Mrs. Schubert and the awesome and creative way she teaches her third-graders math! I've had the privilege to help out with her class store where the kids use Monopoly game money to make purchases. The kids work hard to earn their bucks and are learning how to manage it! Thank you!

- Vanessa Makihele, parent

Quyana to Holly Archey, preschool teacher assistant at Ursa Major Elementary! Thank you Holly for taking on the long-term sub position in special education preschool. We are so appreciative that you have been willing to jump right in and learn the routines, the students, and become another "right hand." Keep up the awesome work, the preschool children and teachers are glad you are here.

- Ms. Parks and Mrs. Harmon, preschool teachers

Quyana to Tom Grenier at Bartlett High School! Tom is an excellent teacher and cross country skiing coach!

- Jeffrey Nicholas Van-Rooyen, Jr., student

Quyana to Wendy Zorea at Gladys Wood Elementary! Mrs. Zorea is a wonderful colleague to work with. She is the hardest working individual I have met. Wendy is always the first to volunteer in our community, or sign up for a committee, or extra job in our school. She works hard in her profession and is always available for extra training or being apart of improving our curriculum. Wendy has been very helpful to the social studies department for the Anchorage School District by helping out whenever possible by teaching/training others with new curriculum or technology. Her passion for social studies is unbelievable. With her passion for learning she has made me a better teacher by challenging me to go above and beyond my potential in the social studies field. We do Congressional hearings every year in fifth grade because of Wendy's knowledge, passion, and expertise. I am very grateful to have a colleague like Wendy in my building. She makes Gladys Wood Elementary shine. 

- Michelle Nelson, peer

Quyana to Cherie Biddle, teaching assistant at Nunaka Valley Elementary, Special Education Dept! Cherie goes above and beyond the call of duty each and every day as a teacher assistant working with the intermediate students with special needs, at Nunaka. It is my privilege to be able to work with her and see the contagious smile and positive attitude she shares with the students and staff daily! Thank you for everything you do, Cherie. I could not do my job without you!

- Vivianne Huber, Special Education Resource Teacher

Quyana to Ora Amos at Begich Middle School! I would like to thank Ora Amos for always having a great attitude, sharing her smiles and ALWAYS going out of her way to help me. Recently Ora knew that I was trying to accomplish more than I could handle alone and she immediately jumped in and made my job not only easier, but possible. Thank you, Ora! It is a pleasure to work with you for the benefit of our students.

- Sylvia Biondich, colleague

Quyana to Eric Tanner at Maintenance! Eric Tanner listened to the needs for organizing the storage space at Clark Middle School. He helped define areas and shelving for maintenance items, archives and uniforms. The work was done efficiently and ready for Fall use. Thank you for you ideas, solutions and work that help us be organized and have our students look sharp.

- Anne Olson, assistant principal

Quyana to middle school cross country ski coaches at ASD! Hundreds of kids benefitted from their time, passion and dedication. Thank you all for keeping our kids active and introducing the lifelong healthy activity of skiing. The YRBS (Youth Risk Behavior Survey) states that 79 percent of our high schoolers are NOT getting the recommended hour of rigorous activity a day. These middle school coaches are making sure our young skiers don't fit into that statistic! Our son is looking forward to next year, and the next and the next!

- Sara Peebles, parent

Quyana to Mr. Michael Graham and East High School staff! My daughter is a senior enrolled in Alaska Pacific University’s Early Honors Program and attending classes on campus, yet she is also taking Japanese IV at East High School. Mrs. Grove was her teacher at Chugiak for the previous three years, and because my daughter loves Mrs. Grove and enjoys her class, she adjusted her APU schedule to ensure she would have Mrs. Grove for all four years of Japanese and we were thrilled to find out we could dual enroll my daughter at East. 

What really amazed me, is although this is my daughter's first time attending a class at East, the staff has been exceptionally warm, welcoming and helpful. Mr. Graham obviously is an outstanding principal because he sets the tone for his staff and they are following his lead. Although Mr. Graham is the principal and has a very busy schedule, whenever I had a question or needed his help, he personally, promptly and graciously responded to me. Consequently, his staff treats me in the same exceptional manner.

Being at East has been a great experience for my daughter. The essay she wrote for college admission contrasted the Japanese language class at East to the one at Chugiak and attested to how the diversity at East has been a wonderful experience for her. Further, Mrs. Grove wrote an absolutely fantastic letter of recommendation on her behalf and I believe that helped contribute to my daughter being interviewed by Yale and Columbia. Thank you, East, for treating us like family, although we've only been there a short while!

 - Barbara Ringland, parent

Quyana to David Hagen at the ASD Music Department! I'd like to applaud David Hagen for the cool tunes he's written for use in the sixth grade beginning band program. David has composed an incredible Festival Music Booklet, and has enriched the lives of thousands of kids as they will always remember tunes such as Beluga Blues.

- Rick Zelinsky, peer

Quyana to Marilyn Pillifant at Chinook Elementary! It has been a pleasure to work with Marilyn Pillifant for the past five years. As a sixth grade band teacher, I have her students three days a week and I am always amazed at her dedication, high expectations and love for her kids before and after my class. She often goes many extra miles by helping me sort out issues such as why a student may not have an instrument or other supplies, and greatly assists my goal to help Chinook have the best band possible. It is wonderful to work with her and observe her dedication to the Chinook community (her 22 years teaching all at Chinook). Anchorage, especially the Chinook community, is fortunate to have you. Thank you for being an inspiration for excellence, Marilyn!

- Rick Zelinsky, peer

Quyana to Gladys Wood Elementary! I want to thank the staff and parent teacher organization at Gladys Wood Elementary for providing its family's with a wonderful Social and Emotional Learning night. The story and activities were awesome! I feel that it really brought us together as a community and school. I continue to be amazed, and am thankful to be apart of such a wonderful team! Our bucket is full!

- Wendy K., parent

Quyana to Karen Simmons at Huffman Elementary! I want to recognize Mrs. Simmons for the guidance and inspiration that she has given my son this school year. He has had a huge break through this year and she is a key player in this milestone. Thank you for being the wonderful teacher that you are!

- Gretchen Kenney, parent

Quyana to Brian Cuddeback at Birchwood Elementary! I would like to sincerely thank Brian Cuddeback for helping the Clark Wrestling Team this year. Brian volunteered his time to help the kids at every practice and every meet. The kids really enjoyed his wrestling expertise and respected him for his devotion to the team. Thanks Coach Cuddeback.

- Adam Johnson, social studies teacher

Quyana to Kari Page at Clark Middle School! On behalf of the members of the Alaska Alumnae Chapter, I would like to thank Kira Page for showcasing her students’ work. She shares everything they complete (currently poetry) with the school. She also provides support and guidance to her student teachers. This is paramount for those young teachers to be. Thank you Ms. Page!

- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc Alaska Alumnae Chapter, community member

Quyana to Jennifer Burleson at Bayshore Elementary! Mrs. Burleson went above and beyond to run with our family in the Frostbite Footrace. My daughter, Katy, is in her class. Katy wanted to dress up like her favorite band, KISS, and her brother could not help do it. At the last minute, Mrs. Burleson stepped in to be the fourth member of the band. With her help, the KISS group earned 2nd place in the costume contest for the Frostbite Footrace! Yay Mrs. Burleson and the Torgersons!

- Angela Torgerson, parent

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