Quyana to Bobby Jefts at Gruening Middle School! I would like to express myself and speak for other parents who are my great team for the Gruening-Parent teacher Organization(PTO). On behalf of us, we want to extend our gratefulness to Bobby Jefts, principal here at Gruening. He is always there to keep the safety of the students and staff on his top priority and is always available whenever people need him, especially for the PTO. Without him to help run our school, he would be such a missed and valuable asset for the school and the community. He is sincere and highly recognized here in Eagle River. I have two children and they have experienced such warmth and friendliness every time we come in to the school. He always comes to our PTO meetings to help support us for our volunteerism. Gruening loves and values this awesome principal who makes our middle school a great place to learn and grow! Thank you,
- Jeanne Feinstein, parent and PTO President
Quyana to Barbara Reeves at Gruening Middle School! I just want to give a big kudos to Barbara, the Financial and Data Control Clerk here at Gruening. She is a dedicated and hard worker for our school. She has often helped our PTO become better by giving her knowledge to help make our organization run better. I don't know what it would be like if she was not such a valuable person for our school, I do know it would not be the same, that's for sure. Her smiling face and always eager to help us makes our life easier. She is amazing at what she does with this job, it's not easy, Gruening PTO and staff value her. Thanks Barb, for all you do!
- Jeanne Feinstein, parent and PTO president
Quyana to Mike Lanzarone at Begich Middle School! Three years ago my daughter had him for math and he made a huge difference in her opinion of math. She always spoke about him after school and he was there for extra help when she needed it after school. She is now in her second year at Bartlett and he is still there for her with after school help when she needs it. She has already dropped in on him several times this year already. I really appreciate how generous he his with his time when she drops in on him for help. It says a lot about his commitment to his students past and present.
- Helen Coker, parent
Quyana to The Crew at Warehouse! No task is too big and no question is too trivial for anyone at the Warehouse. We appreciate all you do to help our school run efficiently! Despite being overloaded with work, the warehouse crew went out of their way to help us before school started. A special thank-you to Derrick Bell who helped coordinate the workers, the equipment and the vehicles to move furniture and materials in 10 classrooms and three relocatable units at our school. Thank you also to Rosie. She goes out of her way to handle all our needs - big and small! Thanks also to those wonderful guys who loaded four truckloads of surplus furniture and equipment before our open house! We truly appreciate everyone at the Warehouse!
- Bayshore Elementary staff
Quyana to Mr. Talosaga Taafua at Fairview Elementary! He was extremely helpful with a very timid kindergartner at our school, Wonder Park Elementary. I want to thank him and the English Language Learners Program for their quick, professional response. Mr. T's effective assistance was a great example of teamwork and professionalism.
- Sean Murphy, principal
Quyana to The Ruby Team at Mears Middle School! I would like to say thank you to the Ruby team at Mears for taking the time to make sure my son's transition into a large middle school is as successful as it can be. I am very lucky that they are taking the time to read his Individual Education Plan and taking the time to understand him. They are truly stepping up to the challenge of keeping my son on grade level and not dismissing him as another one of those kids with an IEP, but continuing to really further his education. Quyana again for all that you do!
- Elizabeth Hancock, parent
Quyana to Tony Tyskiewicz at Lake Otis Elementary! Mr. Tony Tyskiewicz or better known as "Mr. T.” is a kindergarten teacher at Lake Otis Elementary. Each week he quietly slips into our second grade classroom, sits on the floor with two kids at a time and reads to them, or has them read to him. The kids love him! He was their kindergarten teacher. For Mr. Tyskiewicz to volunteer his time to our class is admirable. We feel blessed and grateful to have his time. We are learning to be the very best readers as a result of his invaluable efforts! Thank you Mr. Tyskiewicz.
- Ms. Linda Rivers, teacher
Quyana to Charity Marshall at Lake Hood Elementary! This busy lunch lady noticed a child with food allergies about to take a bite of a food on the child's allergen list (it was not provided in the lunch room). She intervened in the nick of time and brought the child and the allergen in to the nurses office. All was well. Good job Charity!
- Laurel Andrews, sub nurse and parent
Quyana to Jason Bent at Educational Technology (Special Education Teacher Support)! Thanks to Jason for supporting teachers at Debarr Heights, Bragaw Heights and Turning Point Heights with our software needs. We appreciate Jason’s willingness to help and his patience in finding solutions; no question is too insignificant, no answer is unavailable for him. His positive attitude motivates us and his eagerness gives us confidence in using this technology. Thank you Jason, for always being available to help.
- Teachers at DeBarr Heights, Bragaw Heights, and Turning Point Heights, Sonia Buys, Special Education teacher
Quyana to Staff at Clark Middle School! I have been a custodian for 20 years now in the school district and have been at Clark since it reopened, Since being here the staff has treated me like I am another staff member not just a person who cleans the school, I want to say Thank you very much.
- Paulet Garrett, Clark Middle School peer
Quyana to Melodie Radcliffe at Eagle River High School! Thank you for being an irreplaceable asset. She treats all students, parents, and colleagues with the most compassion and respect, making all who come in contact with her feel valued and important. Melodie helps others understand and appreciate differences through cultivating genuine empathy. She facilitates communication that allows all parties involved to feel safe and heard. This results in positive learning experiences that change people! It's an honor work alongside her.
- Eagle River High School Counseling Department - Sarah Lahn, peer
Quyana to Staci Cox and Sue Johnson at Clark Middle School! On behalf of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Alaska Alumnae Chapter, I would like to recognize Clark Middle School Librarian Staci Cox and Sue Johnson for their grant-writing skills. Their ability to explain the current situation, desired results and the benefits when writing the First Book grant, provided 700 books for students at Clark. Upon receiving the books, they prepared and distributed all of them. What better way to encourage a child, than by providing them with an avenue to expand their minds. Outstanding effort!
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Alaska Alumnae Chapter, community member
Quyana to Sam Brost at Information Technology, Education Center! I've come to know how responsive Sam Brost is when I have a computer need, but during the Labor Day weekend, when I called his cell because he really encouraged me to do so regarding an ASD laptop, he worked on a problem with me for nearly an hour. I made several attempts to let him go, but he insisted on continuing to work on the problem, for nearly an hour. I truly appreciate dedicated employees like Sam Brost.
- Bill Richardson, coworker
Quyana to the Front Office Team at Clark Middle School! On behalf of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Alaska Alumnae Chapter, I would like to recognize the front office team (Chekedia Rias, Chris Lavender, Mameliza Hilario and Anita Powell) at Clark Middle School for their compassion and attention to detail. When you think of incredible customer service, they top the list. Upon entering the school, you are overcome by the kindhearted and welcoming environment. Warm smiles and excellent service are matched with quality assistance. This is truly a school that treats parents, students and visitors like royalty. Thank you!
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Alaska Alumnae Chapter, community member
Quyana to The Galileo Team at Clark Middle School! On behalf of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Alaska Alumnae Chapter, I would like to recognize the Galileo Team (Mr. Art LaRue, Ms. Heather McIntyre, Ms. Jessica Winn and Mrs. Brenda Moore) from Clark Middle School for their use of technology to bridge an unforeseen gap. The Galileo Team used SKYPE to bring a student who has not been able to attend school due to a leg injury into their classroom from home. The teachers are using SKYPE to connect the students in their classroom to his home for instruction. It has allowed the student to bond with his peers as well as with the teachers. I commend these innovative teachers for providing a top quality education to all of their students.
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Alaska Alumnae Chapter, community member
Quyana to Michelle Short at Clark Middle School! On behalf of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Alaska Alumnae Chapter, I would like to recognize Michelle Short for her outstanding efforts. Michelle has been working as a math teacher at Clark since 2009 and department chair since 2010. Her dedication to her students and the math program is top notch. She continually strives to move her students and the math department from good to GREAT! Although she will be moving on, her efforts will continue to be felt throughout Clark. She will be missed!
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Alaska Alumnae Chapter, Community member
Quyana to The staff at Purchasing and Warehouse! I would like to say thank you to all the staff over at Purchasing and at the Warehouse. How fortunate we all are to have such hard working, flexible, dedicated people there. With all the grant deadlines, schools desperate for curriculum, trainings, not to mention the start of the school year, everyone at Warehouse and Purchasing has been so helpful and gotten what seemed to be impossible tasks done on time.
I would list all the names of the people I'm trying to thank but I know I would miss someone and I'm sure there are people who were key in getting things completed that I didn't even know about, so THANK YOU to everyone there in those departments.
- Katy Grant, peer
Quyana to Paulette Garrett (Custodial Lead), Adlai Yambao, Dorothy Davis, Pa Her, Primitivo Caro, Nam Lee, Xeng Yang, and Barbara Johnson at Clark Middle School! I wanted to take a moment and praise some of the wonderful staff that we have working at Clark Middle School. Each of the individual members of the maintenance team have worked tirelessly again this year to keep Clark beautiful. My students have been busily working on a project which involves construction paper and magazine clippings, a project which can leave my classroom looking messy. However, the wonderful staff here have worked to make it look like school has just started. They did the same today before Open House. I am so impressed at the level of dedication of all of the maintenance staff who have worked to help us keep our rooms in order. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to: Custodial Lead: Paulette Garrett, Adlai Yambao, Dorothy Davis, Pa Her, Primitivo Caro, Nam Lee, Xeng Yang, and Barbara Johnson for their outstanding dedication to supporting teachers and students by maintaining a clean and nurturing environment. Their work and dedication is commendable!
- Leandra Wilden, peer
Quyana to Mr. Jason Wall and Mrs. Rachel Wall, at Gruening Middle School! I would just like everyone in the ASD to know what terrific teachers and coaches these two are. They are involved in SO many activities within our school, interacting with our children and showing, what I feel is genuine interest in the well being and development of our kids. They just seem to know how to relate to, motivate and have a great rapport with junior high teenagers -- which is not an easy task at times. I am glad my children have had an opportunity to have these two, and I quote from the teenagers, "cool" teachers in their lives.
- Dana Owens, parent
