Anchorage School District

• Quyana to Paul Denyer and Kraig Sorenson at Maintenance! A special Quyana to Paul Denyer and Kraig Sorenson for their work in painting our music room and stage at Baxter Elementary! Paul and Kraig were amazing, incredibly helpful and kind! Not only did these two individuals take the time to come and meet with me before they started the job, they took careful time in preparing and planning an appropriate date to come and finish the work. In addition, I had requested a color to be added to the walls, and they were excited to help make this happen! They took such care and thought in moving anything in the classroom, and even left kind notes for me to find in the morning. Their work was so incredible; I had teachers coming in to the space each day to see the progress they had made.    I cannot express how grateful I am for their time in finding a color, making the color, making special trips to get more of the color, painting 3 coats, cutting in around wall decals, adding corner covers, caulking around signs and furniture mounted to the walls, painting tiny spaces, covering furniture and electronics, and repairing holes and marks in the walls. Their work was impeccable, thorough, professional, and always done with big smiles on their faces. Thank you Paul and Kraig for bringing some color back in to the music program at our school!

  - Angela Mazur, Music Teacher

• Quyana to Chemene Breiner at West High School! A fabulous person to be the face of West High! She calms those of us who are not calm, figures out what we need, helps us figure out how to get what we need, is invariably pleasant, and knows the name of your kid!  Wow! 

  - Wendy Weber, Parent

• Quyana to Ken Taylor at the ASD Lock Shop! Immense kudos go out to ASD lock shop employee, Mr. Ken Taylor, for an exceptional job well done at Clark Middle School!   Mr. Taylor was tasked with repairing musical instrument lockers that were in terrible shape! These lockers have needed to be repaired for quite a long time. We were having instruments stolen, misplaced, and/or messed with due to the fact that so many of the lockers were broken or were easily accessed by students and by other people in the hallways.   Mr. Taylor came in, and in the course of 3 days, he was able to repair every locker that needed repair, and he was able to order parts for the ones that still needed repair. He went above and beyond what could be "just a repair," to making the locks where they were the safest they could be for our extremely expensive instruments. The students and/or others who may try to access or defeat the locks will no longer be able to do those things, thanks to Mr. Taylor's extremely efficient repair of the locks.   Mr. Taylor's work is to be commended, and he should be recognized for a job well done for the entire music department of Clark Middle School!

  - Lynette Harple, Long-term Music Substitute

• Quyana to Ginger Moser at Human Resources! In Ginger's 16 years with Anchorage School District she has been in Human Resources for the past nine years. During my 10+ years with ASD, Ginger has consistently been a model of professional efficiency. She is always cheerful, courteous, kind, and knows exactly how to answer every question or solve any puzzle. Ginger has been a perfect resource for every situation I have brought to her. Thank you for recognizing such helpful employees! 

  - Bev Kirk, SAVE High School Teacher

• Quyana to Mary Riordan at AVAIL! I would like to really thank Mary Riordan from AVAIL for going above and beyond. She was instrumental in getting a city parking  spot changed back to a loading zone (like it was at the beginning of the school year). AVAIL is located downtown and it is street parking for daily deliveries. Without the loading zone status, parking was limited to meter parking or the garage. Mary's actions allowed myself and the ASD warehouse to stay timely in deliveries and overall productivity.

  - Ralph Hollis, ASD Warehouse Courier

• Quyana to Tess Nott at Lake Otis Elementary! Through three superintendents, three principals, and countless Board members, Ms. Nott has provided consistent, supportive, and data-driven academic leadership to the Lake Otis Community. Quyana Ms. Nott.

  - Jan Wright, Community member

• Quyana to Lorenzo Ramos at Rogers Park Elementary! Mr. Lorenzo is one amazing BPO! From his kind conversations with students, to his diligent maintenance of our school - he is always on top of safety concerns, willing to lend a hand, and share a smile. Thank you!

  - Kaiya Kaltenborn, 2nd grade teacher

• Quyana to Lorenzo Ramos at Rogers Park Elementary! Mr. Lorenzo is a positive force is our learning community. Not only is he amazing at his job as BPO, but he works with such a positive attitude. He is professional and respectful in his interactions with both staff and students, and has earned the students' respect and admiration.  Despite having a difficult job, where much work is caused by carelessness, he is always calm in a storm and positive in his interactions. He is an important part of the learning community, and he truly makes learning possible in his own important way.

  - Karen Grey-Levine, Teacher Librarian

• Quyana to Lorenzo Ramos at Rogers Park Elementary! I appreciate Mr. Lorenzo so much. He is so helpful and such a friendly face around the school. Thank you, Mr. Lorenzo for your presence and your hard work!

  - Annie Belts, 6th grade teacher

• Quyana to Matthew Williams at Bartlett High School Special Education! Matt has gone above and beyond in meeting the challenges of my youth for the last three years. He continues to support her with a positive outlook and pushes her to be successful and graduate on-time. 

  - Shannon Bigham, Parent

• Quyana to Tommie Wallette at Winterberry Charter School! Ms. Tommy Wallette embodies what every educator should strive to be (kind, innovative, and encouraging). My kids absolutely love her! She makes them feel welcome and demonstrates genuine care. She is a wonderful math T.A. who assists my kids and other students who struggle, while showing love and success. I truly believe she is a gift, and appreciate all of her assistance and care for my twins who struggle in math. Thank you!

  - Shanna Mall, Parent

• Quyana to the hockey coaching staff at Bartlett High School! After reading the ADN article on your team, thank you for teaching your hockey players so many important skills: perseverance, loyalty, team work, and commitment. You have helped raise strong young men, and you have created a team with a heart!

  - Diane H., parent, community member, and staff

• Quyana to the office staff at Williwaw Elementary! The Williwaw office came to our rescue when our Emp Center at the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School went down and we needed a key to get to the actual machine. Their customer service both on the phone and in person was amazing! Thank you so much for helping ANCCS and being so nice about the entire situation! It really helped us!! Thank you, Thank you! Quyanapak!

  - Elizabeth Hancock, Colleague

• Quyana to Trena Rose at Bayshore Elementary! Ms. Rose goes above and beyond to attend to the needs of each of her students. I am grateful for the dedication and energy she has committed to my son, and her whole class. 

  - Caroline Storm, Parent

• Quyana to Bryan Bearss at Abbott Loop Elementary! I would like to thank Bryan for all his help the last few weeks in my classroom. Bryan is always willing to help and make time for whatever need there is in the classroom or with particular students; he is a great resource and is very professional in giving advice and suggestions. He is always courteous and very approachable. Thank you so much, Bryan, for everything you do at Abbott Loop Elementary!

  - Kerstin Lamberson Olson, Teacher

• Quyana to Bryan Bearss at Abbott Loop Elementary! Mr. Bearss has been an irreplaceable part of the Abbott Loop Staff. He has brought his endless effort to help teachers and students and the Abbott Loop community, as well as make time to run the Iditarod. More times than I can count, Mr. Bearss has jumped in at a moment's notice to help out a teacher, including myself, whose sub didn't show up, or someone who needs a little help with a lesson. Abbott Loop is fortunate to have Mr. Bearss, thank you.

  - Katharine Thomas, Teacher

• Quyana to Allison Susel and Kathy Clawson at Assessment and Evaluation! A HUGE thank you to Allison Susel and Kathy Clawson for all of their hard work on organizing the AMP implementation and delivering timely training regarding universal tools accommodations to all of the elementary site-based specialists and secondary math and language arts department chairs. This enormous feat included back-to-back presentations in multiple locations across Anchorage. We really appreciate all that you do for ASD!

  - Stacy Miller, Christine Dennis and Kaci Stephens, Colleagues

• Quyana to the Secondary teachers at Polaris K-12! The Secondary Teachers at Polaris K-12 are deserving of praise for their constant focus on striving toward excellence in the teaching profession. We would like to recognize these teachers for being intentional about planning and providing high-quality educational opportunity for all students. Our son is enthusiastic about lifelong learning and feels welcome, involved and supported in this wonderful community! Learning activities are designed to capitalize on variety, multi-disciplinary use of skills, real-life connections, responsibility, transfer of previous learning and challenge leading to mastery of new skills. These fine educators model a commitment to lifelong learning and personal excellence for students and parents alike. In reaching for the stars, you are touching the future. Thank you for sharing the best of yourselves and caring so deeply about the important job you do! 

  - Jesus & Colleen Castaneda, parents

• Quyana to Maria Skala, Amy Utley and Leola Rutherford at South Anchorage High School! On behalf of the South High Debate, Drama and Forensic Team, thank you for all the time, energy and dedication you have put forth this season for our amazing team. Your  support and advocacy for this activity has had a direct impact on our ability to achieve success this season.

  - Kari Jahnsen, student

• Quyana to students Jaiden Tabios-Susue, Hannah Greene, and Principal Darrell Berntsen at College Gate Elementary! A sincere thank you for the wonderful tour that these students and Principal Berntsen organized for Visit Our Schools Month. I was thoroughly impressed by all of the amazing things happening at College Gate, and how knowledgeable and articulate the student ambassadors were who independently guided me on the tour. I am glad I had the opportunity to visit such a remarkable school, and grateful for the warm reception of both the staff and students.

  - Lauren Shutt, ASD staff member

• Quyana to Dayna Durr at ACE/ACT! Quyana to Dayna Durr for her support of the students at the ACE/ACT Program. As a teacher, it is wonderful to know that our Assistant Principal is going above and beyond to help students in crisis and to turn any situation into a positive learning experience.

  - Jen Rehm, teacher

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