Quyana to staff of Ursa Major, many other friends and co-workers at Ursa Major! Quyana to the many friends of Melissa Willis. We are saddened by the passing of Melissa. The donated leave, flowers, food and visits to Melissa's bedside while she was in the hospital brought much joy to her and I and your presence helped lighten our burden. I was grateful to enjoy your company and to hear some wonderful memories from so many of you through the years that she had worked with in the ASD, at Orion, Mt Iliamna, Ursa Minor, and Ursa Major. Your words and actions were not only comfort, but a source of of strength for my family and me in this difficult time. Your presence helped lighten our burden.
I would like to part with a little saying that I found comforting as well, by an unknown author. “Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in Heaven where our love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.”
Thanks again.
- Leroy Willis and family
Quyana to Jan Snoderly at Highland Tech School! Jan is always pleasant and helpful. We are new to Highland this year, and she is always willing to answer our many questions. She also takes great care of the students.
Thank you.
- Dezi and Amy Walker, parents
Quyana to Natalie Foley at Steller Secondary School! Natalie Foley recently participated in an Individual Education Plan meeting for one of her former students. She provided exceptional information and feedback to the entire IEP team, as well as answered detailed questions about math opportunities available at Steller Secondary School and throughout the Anchorage School District. Her contributions were appreciated by all team members.
- Deanna Blazejewski, peer
Quyana to Mr. Troy Hodge at Clark Elementary School! I just wanted to share that while talking to my daughter last night about this event. I was going to come and then offered to send a friend. My daughter’s response to me was that me or my friend weren't needed. She said she would just ask Mr. Troy because he was the one that has made a difference in her life.
So I just wanted to recognize that Mr. Troy is doing a excellent job and I appreciate everything that he has done and is doing with these kids. I am a single parent and it is good to know that she can have a positive male influence in her life.
- Sincerely, Aisha Johnson, parent
Quyana to Patti Voight at Step Center! Patti did an awesome job gathering and preparing materials for the Teacher Assistant Roundtable Conference taking place on Oct. 14. We appreciate your help and enthusiasm!
- Patricia Kuilboer and Vicky Eastman, Secondary Special Education Teacher Consultants
Quyana to Leilea Jones at Art Room, Whaley School! Mrs. Jones has been a dedicated ASD staff member for over 30 faithful years! She continually avails herself of training opportunities and new experiences. She does projects and activities right along with the kids as we work together. Mrs. Jones is fair, kind, fun, generous, and is a tireless classroom worker. She helps me keep student work neat and organized, and anticipates our needs. Thank you, Mr. Jones and family, for sharing Leilea with us all!
- Bev Kirk, teacher
Quyana to Mr. Chris Cassity at Wendler Middle School! My son Cody struggles to stay organized and has difficulties taking tests. Mr. C. has taken the time to help him organize his folders. This is so important in helping Cody keep track of his homework assignments and getting his work completed. Mr. C has also taken time to review with Cody the day before he has a test. Cody's test scores were low for most of his classes and with Mr. C's help Cody has been able to improve. Thank you Mr. C without your help Cody would continue to struggle.
- Starr Marsett, parent
Quyana to Troy Hodge, Gerard Bagsby, Al Grubbs and Dustin Hawes at Clark Middle School! Quyana to these men for making a difference in the lives of Clark Middle School students and families. They hosted Men Make a Difference Day which inspired and encouraged me to be more active and involved in my student's education and activities, and spend more quality time with him. One inspiring part of the event was when one of the men mentioned that as men we are builders. He stated that we build character, resilience, and most of all, we build great men and young women. It is time for me as a man to step up and be instrumental in the lives of my children!
- Clark Middle School parent
Quyana to Laura Staib at Ptarmigan and Eagle River Elementary schools! Laura is the Individual Education Plan clerk for both of our schools and she does an amazing job! Laura works so hard to keep everyone and everything organized. She is so efficient and does so much to get meetings scheduled and help Special Education staff with paperwork. We rarely have to re-schedule meetings because Laura does such a great job of scheduling and reminding everyone of all the upcoming meetings. Laura establishes strong relationships with students, staff, and parents and is such a wonderful resource to everyone! All of us that are so lucky to have the opportunity to work with Laura don't know what we would do without her, thank you Laura for everything you do!
- Ptarmigan and Eagle River Elementary Special Education and Related Service Staff
Quyana to Alison McCarrey at Romig Music Department! Mrs. McCarrey, I would like to thank you for your incredible support of my daughter and music in our schools. Amy has enjoyed playing her violin from day one of your classes last year at Rogers Park and now at Romig. She truly believes she can do it thanks to your encouragement and belief in her.
The Romig fall concert was the best school performance I have attended. Not only did you show parents what students had learned to do musically, but you and the students had fun with the music, playing Halloween pieces and narrating a spooky story. My family thoroughly enjoyed seeing Amy play, but also enjoyed the music itself. That is an accomplishment for a school performance. Thank you for sharing your expertise and love of music with my child.
- Jillian Gates, parent
Quyana to Tasha Bergt and Meaghan Loughlin at Huffman Elementary PE/Health! Thanks so much to Tasha Bergt and Meaghan Loughlin for making Huffman's cross country running program such a huge success! We had over 180 kids join the after- school running team this fall and it wouldn't have been possible without their leadership and enthusiasm. The students and parents at our school are extremely fortunate to have role models like both of these women.
- Kelly Tirpack, parent
Quyana to Karen Phillip at Project Puqigtut! Ms. Phillip presented this program and the opportunity that it presents for Alaska Native students at a brown bag lunch for our ENGAGE Week at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She was informative, engaging, and inspired our students and our Center for Community Engagement and Learning to want to connect with this program and assist students in being successful in school. Thanks to Karen for her wonderful presentation and the discussion that it prompted.
- Judith Owens-Manley, community member
Quyana to Jon Wegner at Begich Middle School! Jon was extremely helpful in setting up technical equipment for an event I coordinated at Begich. I had some last minute equipment changes and Jon stayed after his normal work hours to move the equipment and to ensure that I knew how to operate it – all with a smile on his face and friendly attitude! Thank you for your dedication.
- Heather D. Roach, peer
Quyana to Mariam Dean at West High Counseling! Thank you for getting together teachers to meet my student's concerns. Mariam did so professionally, at a moment’s notice. I truly appreciate the work she does for our students at West! Quyana cak'neq!
- Linda, parent
Quyana to Patrick Moore at Wendler Tech! Many thanks to Patrick who puts a friendly face on technology at Wendler. When my computer went on the fritz, Patrick was there to help me recover my data before the laptop was sent in for repair. He's wonderfully patient with staff - even when we ask the same questions over and over. Wendler is an awesome place to work because of people like him. Thank you!
- Wendler staff member
Quyana to Mireya Parra at Klatt Elementary School! Quyana and a heartfelt "thank you" to Mireya Parra, secretary at Klatt Elementary School. Mireya goes above and beyond her job every day to help others. She is always willing to step in and assist with our many Spanish speaking students and parents to help them understand. There is always a smile on her face and positive words for everyone. Thank you Mireya for all of your kindness and support.
- Linda Lewis, nurse
Quyana to ASD Facilities and Maintenance Departments! On behalf of all Fairview students, staff, and community members I would like to thank the ASD Facilities and Maintenance Departments for the incredibly expeditious and safe removal of the playground equipment burned in the tragic fire at the beginning of the school year. We are already enjoying the replacement equipment and are grateful for the quality work and dedication of all who worked on this project. Anxious set of eyes intently watched the daily progress until the fun could be resumed. The wide smiles and joyful laughter said it all...THANK YOU!
- Patty Daugharty, Assistant Principal, Fairview Elementary
Quyana to Kira Page and Melanie Albertson at Clark Middle School! I wanted to take an opportunity to say thank you to my wonderful team members. Kira and Melanie always have a positive outlook and are willing to lend a helping hand whenever possible. I look forward to coming to work and getting to teach along side them each day!
- Michelle Greer, co-Worker
Quyana to Timothy Johnson at Benson Secondary/SEARCH! Mr. Johnstone has helped me greatly though through all the rough times and my friends as well. He's helped a lot of people from East High to Benson Secondary. I just wanted to thank you greatly Mr.Johnstone, and I thought this would be a nice way of doing it!
- Samantha Carr, student
Quyana to Martina Bex, Joe Libal, Carol Gebauer and Jones Turner at Clark Middle School! All have been incredibly wonderful to work with. I am new to Clark this year and my job requires me to work collaboratively with many teachers. Each of you is so wonderful at what you do! Working with fellow teachers like yourselves makes coming to work all that much more rewarding. I appreciate your willingness to work with me, help me learn, try new ideas, touch base, keep me posted, and do right by students. It is teachers like you who really make differences in the lives of students -- and, maybe some colleagues as well.
- Destiny Hornstein, peer
Quyana to Malisa Johnson at Clark Middle School! Malisa has been so wonderful to work with my first year at Clark. She is a great support to students and staff alike. Thanks Malisa!
- Destiny Hornstein, peer
Quyana to Sabrina Porter at Clark Middle School! Sabrina is the new Special Education Department Head at Clark Middle School this year, and she ROCKS! She makes something that could be potentially crazy seem effortless. She supports her staff, she keeps us informed, helps us get what we need, and has really been a wonderful positive resource for me in my first year at Clark. Her personality of wit and soft humor are added complements to her work ethic and knowledge of the complex world of special education. She trusts staff and supports them in their roles as teachers as well as provides support to students during school and after in the after school program.
- Destiny Hornstein, peer
Quyana to Laketa Pollard at Bartlett High School! Laketa Pollard was the best teacher I ever had at Bartlett and my best math teacher ever. Stuff that seemed so complex was made simple by her. Right before I went into her class in my junior year I had majorly failed the math portion of the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam, but with her help I was able to pass and graduate.
- Deniece McLaughlin, student
Quyana to Laurie Fredrick at English Language Learners Program! Laurie is the ELL Program's organizational queen! Her organizational and leadership skills are phenomenal; she makes complex paperwork seem easy. Moreover, she keeps those of us who are less organizationally savvy, stay on track! Laurie is always willing to help new resource teachers by making them feel welcome and capable.
- David Goodgame, peer
Quyana to Larry Kittoe at Maintenance! Larry did an awesome job dealing with how many times I changed my mind when reconstructing our shelves within the Title I office.
- Jamie Stotts, Title I administrative assistant
Quyana to James “Jimmy” Barclay at Maintenance! Jimmy did an awesome job dealing with how many times I changed my mind when reconstructing our shelves within the Title I office.
- Jamie Stotts, Title I administrative assistant
Quyana to Kaye Austin and Colleen Halsey at Ursa Major Elementary! Kaye and Colleen are amazing! I am a new staff member, and Kaye and Colleen took the time to answer all my questions and point me in the right direction. Your positive attitude and the care you take with each student, family, substitute teacher and staff member can be easily seen. It sets a positive tone for the entire school. Thanks again for all you both do to help Ursa Major run smoothly.
- Kelly Nichois, teacher
Quyana to Mr. John Cleveland at Gruening Middle School! We are so appreciative of the time and effort Mr. Cleveland takes in making the Gruening Middle School bands such a success. He spends extra time in the morning before school encouraging and directing the Jazz Band which is an exciting performance group that lets kids excel outside of the normal classroom time. Our son has become a fine musician thanks to the unparalleled support of this incredible teacher. Quyana!
- Angela Randall, parent
Quyana to Jerome Lewis, Steve Mills, Bryan Otterson, Raymond Taylor, Curtis Parris and Terry Schnese at Painter group! Quyana to the paint crew who painted our multipurpose room a warm yellow, welcoming all staff and students back to school! Thanks for your assistance and patience as we picked colors. You created a warm and welcoming space for lunch, classes, concerts, dramatic productions, community meetings and daily student interactions. You all worked hard to have this space ready for students and staff at the beginning of the year. Thank you!
- Julye Neel, principal
Quyana to Mary Ellison and Lisa Weight at Language Arts! Working with Mary, Lisa and the rest of the Language Arts Curriculum team has been an absolute joy! Mary and Lisa are extremely efficient and their work shows true professionalism. We really appreciated the kindness and excellence they practiced when coordinating and leading training for our Title VII Indian Education staff.
- Josephine Edwards-Vollertsen, staff
Quyana to Jan Snoderly, Ginger Blackmon and Laura Hilger at Highland Tech High! We were newly moved to Alaska. I had done research about Highland Tech and was repeatedly told how amazing the school was. I knew it would be a place where my son would flourish based on my research. When I went to the school to see it in person I was welcomed by Jan and Laura. They listened to me, answered all of my questions, gave me the forms I needed and walked me through the steps required to enroll. The day I brought my son, Jan and Laura got Cyrus right into his testing and I met Ginger who answered even more questions for me going more in-depth into individual learning plans, courses and electives. All and all our family is very blessed to be a part of Highland Tech.
- Heather Zielinski, parent
Quyana to Kendra Besh at Romig Middle School, Counseling Department! Kendra is an exemplary middle school counselor. She made the transition of our seventh-grade daughter smooth and easy, especially during the first month of school. She is always available when students or parents need her assistance. She responds to any questions or concerns right away. Mrs. Besh takes an active part in the student’s education. You can find her in the hallways or a team barbecue greeting the students and parents, encouraging them to see her if they have any concerns. Thank you Mrs. Besh for your patience and professionalism!
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Svetlana Evdokimova (Thompson) and Zoya Thomas, parents
Quyana to Janet Hayes, Crissy Kornprobst, Patti Kaiser and others at Human Resources, Certificated Staffing! For helping to make my transition into the busy hiring season a good one! Thank you for your patience and wealth of knowledge.
- Colette Moring, peer
Quyana to JoAnn Price at Wendler Middle School! I would like to thank JoAnn Price for all of her continued kindness and help in a pinch. When you call, she has answers and she answers with a smile and a statement such as, "call me if you need anything else!" She is solid at what she does and deserves true kudos for the noticed and unnoticed jobs she does day in and day out.
- Robyn Harris, peer
Quyana to Elaine Ivey and Kathy Hester at Sub Dispatch! A big thank you to Elaine and Kathy at sub dispatch for all the hard work they do. They have helped me out so many times!
- Linda Jobe, administrative assistant
Quyana to Arnie Yoder at Maintenance! I would like to recognize, honor and compliment Arnie Yoder as an exceptional employee in the maintenance department of the Anchorage School District for his exceptional carpentry, craftsmanship, customer service and excellence to detail in completing a large project.
For starters, Arnie dropped by Room #109 to consult with me about what I specifically needed for the work order I had recently submitted. He ran options by me, listened carefully, offered expert opinions on what could work in the space I had provided for the needs I had. He then came back and measured twice before cutting! My dad's hobby was carpentry and he always told us as kids to measure twice, cut once, so I was impressed with Arnie's work ethic! The new cubby area Arnie created for Room #109 far exceeded my expectations in quality.
Students entered Room #109 "oohing" and "awing" in delight at their new and improved cubby spaces.
I can't express in words how grateful I am to Arnie for his customer service and excellence in product development. If bonuses, or raises are possible, he deserves both.
Mr. Yoder is a blue ribbon employee. I believe it is imperative that he is honored for his expertise and skills.
- Lisa Zeuli, teacher
