Quyana to Bobbi Jo Erb at Mirror Lake Middle School! I would like to thank my dedicated teacher Mrs. Erb! (Rounds of applause!) She is my Algebra 1 teacher and probably one of the greatest teachers in the entire school. As you all know, she just got $25,000.00 richer due to her Milken award. I would just like to thank her once more! - Alex Culbert, student
Quyana to Michael Jones at South Anchorage High School! This teacher not only teaches history, he teaches life skills. I have had the privilege of being taught by Mr. Jones for my sophomore year. He showed us what it would be like in high school and encouraged all of us to attend a post secondary school; regardless of our financial or academic situation. - Austin McDaniel, student
Quyana to Cristine Garbe and the language interpreter staff at English Language Learners Department! I would like to commend the efforts of Christine Garbe and the entire language interpreter staff for their tremendous support of ASD students and families. Christine continues to provide Government Hill with timely, effective and supportive interpreter services. Her passion and vigilance allows our educators to make stronger connections with families and assists our efforts in involving all parents in the education of their children. Ms. Garbe has helped us increase attendance at our open house and parent-teacher conferences. We appreciate her support and look forward to continuing our partnership in the future! - Brian Singleton, principal
Quyana to Amy Laufer, Tanya Beck, Twila Babos, Brenda Councell and Claire Gentry at Standards Based Assessment and Recording Pilot Teachers! I get to work with these amazing ASD kindergarten teachers! All these exceptional women are long-term pilot teachers for Standards Based Assessment and Reporting (SBAR) teaching at Kasuun, Ursa Major, Mt. Spurr and Bayshore Elementary Schools. They are pioneers and innovators who have shown me what it is like to be a part of a real professional learning community. They have inspired me to be a better educator and math support teacher through their commitment to their jobs, students and their students' families. Thank you ladies! - Ann Ibele, elementary math support teacher
Quyana to Anita Stevens at Chinook Elementary! Mrs. Anita Stevens, the newest member of our Chinook team, is also our thoughtful principal. Mrs. Stevens has entered our halls with gusto, smiles and a can-do attitude. Being the new member of any school community can be challenging enough and add to that being the principal of the largest Title One School in Anchorage, could be a daunting task for anyone. Mrs. Stevens is positive, an attentive listener and truly demonstrates sincere care for our students, parents and staff. Change can be hard for a school community. Mrs. Stevens has demonstrated her commitment to our school by her long hours, open door and cheerful way of being with others. I want to say, “quyana” for her willingness to help us along the path of positive change. - Cheryl Childers, colleague
Quyana to Trailside Community at Trailside PTA! Trailside parents and staff are the best! They continually show their support for the school. We held our second Family Fun Night this year with our annual fall festival. Teachers and staff put their heart into helping the outstanding PTA and parent volunteers make the night awesome. Bright Nygard led the effort with her tireless work. Parents were welcomed at the door by our supportive principal Patrick Freeman and our devoted administrative assistant Sandy McKinney. Laurie Northey, Jody Smith and Susan Skrocki managed all of the amazing volunteers. Jennifer Linnell headed the incredibly successful first silent auction with the assistance of awesome parents including Denise Kenna, Rebecca Melson and Katie Shaw. Sophie Bethke and “Helpers” provided the wonderful decorations capturing the essence of Anchorage’s incredible Autumn. And Trailside students and Service High School students made the event possible and successful. Trailside Community is truly blessed with such an amazing community. On behalf of our teachers; Thank you Trailside! - Valerie Johnson, teacher
Quyana to Service High School Student Volunteers! A giant thank you to all of the Service High School student volunteers who worked the Trailside Fall Festival Family Fun Night! The success is a direct result of the wonderful help that these students provided. Thank you! You guys rock! - Valerie Johnson, teacher
Quyana to Amy Sweeney, Sandi Pendergrast, Terri Brister at Bayshore! These teachers, and the students in their classes, have welcomed students from my self-contained autism room into their classrooms for inclusion activities. The educational and social benefits this offers my students is greatly appreciated. These educators are working hard to build a strong and inclusive community within our school. Thanks for all you do! - Julie Johnson, peer
Quyana to Ashley Smith at Clark Middle School- 21st Century Program! Ashley has worked extremely hard this year to get Clark's 21st Century program up and running. She is constantly checking up on the students, creating individualized reports on student progress, planning fun activities and encouraging staff to do their best. I would like to congratulate her on doing a fantastic job in this challenging leadership role! - Maggie Engelhardt, teacher
Quyana to Sarah Petersen at EdTech! Thanks to Sarah Petersen from Ed Tech for making our new teacher computer deployment get started so quickly and easily. Sarah came in and worked all by herself to get our 30 computers imaged, inventoried and she put accounts on each of them. She knew that she had jury duty looming and wanted to get our computers ready. Thank you Sarah!! - Ginny Wright and Kathy Scott, Russian, Jack Elementary
