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Elizabeth Roundtree is running for one of two three-year seats on the Wrangell school board, and her main focus is creating more opportunities for students through funding. One of her main concerns, like many involved with the schools, is the budget. That, and lunches. Roundtree, who went to school for accounting and is now the office administrator for Wrangell IGA, wants to find solutions to keep the school funded. Declining enrollment has reduced state funding for the schools, creating holes i...
Esther Ashton sees an opportunity to strengthen partnerships between the school district and entities such as the borough and U.S. Forest Service. She is running unopposed for a one-year seat on the school board. Ashton, 45, is the tribal administrator for the Wrangell Cooperative Association and had held the position for five years. She's been with the WCA since 2014. She has also served on multiple parent committees and is the chair for the Indian Education Committee. In the past, she was on...
A nine-course lunch in 1965 left an indelible mark on the memory of a young teacher from Denver. Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8 at the age of 96, but she left an historical legacy that included a meal with Jacquie Dozier. Though it was just an afternoon in the 70-year reign of Britain's monarch, it profoundly affected Dozier and created a memory to last her lifetime. Dozier, now retired and living in Wrangell, began her teaching career at the age of 19. She was born in Michigan, made her...
It's taken a few years of requests and planning, but the community center weight room finally has new equipment, freeing up valuable space and increasing safety. Two metal frames allow users to do pull-ups, triceps dips, landmines, seated rows and many other exercises, helping to create targeted workouts. A survey was conducted to identify the value of each piece of equipment in the weight room before the upgrade was made. Free weights were unanimously chosen as the most used items. However,...
What to do with someone's property when they die can be a complicated task involving beneficiaries, a ton of paperwork and the court system. But it doesn't necessarily have to be. Liz Smith, a Juneau-based lawyer specializing in estate planning, gave a presentation last Wednesday to help clear up the often confusing world of wills, asset protection and long-term health care decisions Twelve people of various ages attended the presentation at Irene Ingle Public Library, listening as Smith gave a...
Issues with lingering supply chain disruptions that started with the COVID-19 pandemic have put hunters and gun enthusiasts in a bind. Though there are signs that ammunition shortages are on the decline, stores in Southeast - and nationwide - are still having trouble getting stocked up, leading shooters to go on the hunt for ammo or to create their own. Last month, Mike White, manager of Sentry Hardware, was still waiting on a $75,000 ammo order he had placed in January. He said incoming stock...
A dream that started eight years ago smoothly sailed into reality in August. Last month, Muddy Water Adventures introduced the newest addition to its fleet: A 38-foot-long catamaran dubbed Island Cat. The new boat is the realization of owner Zach Taylor's nearly decade-long dream. "About eight years ago, I got passed by two of these boats that are smaller than (my new one) in front of town," Taylor said. "I was slogging along in five-foot waves in a jet boat, and they passed me, and the (pilot)...
It only took one week in mid-August to demolish five vessels that were impounded by the harbormaster over the course of 10 years. Typically, the number of impounded vessels to be destroyed and shipped out isn’t so high, but the demolition funds weren’t in the budget and the vessels had to wait, said Harbormaster Steve Miller. Since taking the helm two years ago, Miller has “been adding more and more money into our derelict vessel fund because also that money isn’t used for crushing boats and shipping them out,” he said. “It’s also in case...
Wrangell High School's basketball season is still a couple months away but coaches and players are already sharpening their skills. Last Thursday through Saturday, a coaching representative with Point Guard College worked with players to hone their skills and focus on areas that girls and boys team coaches want to strengthen. Coaches work together to come up with a plan on what those areas might be, and then PCG creates a curriculum to guide the players over the course of three days. The girls...
With 14 players on the roster, this season's high school girls volleyball team is one of the largest that Alyssa Allen has led in the four years she's been head coach. A few key players were lost with this year's graduating class, but she has six returning players to get the squad geared up for the coming months of competition. Allen has a lot of younger players coming from middle school and a few older players who have either never played or haven't played since middle school. Among the...
The Wrangell High School cross country team attended two different competitions last Saturday by sending five runners to Palmer and five to Petersburg. Five boys attended the George Plumley Cross Country Invitational in Palmer, while three boys and two girls went to Petersburg to compete in the Jack Eddy Invitational against runners from Sitka, Ketchikan, Haines, Klawock, Juneau, Craig, Angoon and Petersburg. In Palmer, the Wrangell boys varsity team was Daniel Harrison, Devlyn Campbell, Ethan...
Vibrant laughter and fresh scents emanating from the shop on Lynch Street let visitors know this wasn't just a place for cookie-cutter souvenirs and run-of-the-mill art prints. For five and a half years, Shop Groundswell provided residents and tourists with fresh floral arrangements, locally sourced foods and Southeast artistry. Now, the shop and social hub is closing its doors. Though it will be a loss to many in the community, it is a chance for owner Mya DeLong to finish the chapter on what...
Another chapter closed in the long history of City Market last Saturday. Owner Rolland Benn-Ingles Curtis - or just Benn as most people know him - retired after 58 years of serving the community. Curtis, 73, began working at the store in 1964 when he was almost 15 years old after much discussion with his father, Rolland. Had Curtis not agreed to work at the store, its story could be much different today. "He said, 'If you're not going to work in the store, I might as well get rid of it ... and...
With names like delicious milky, hawks wing, chaga, puffballs and fairy farts, mushrooms found throughout Southeast are diverse in shape, color and edibility. Some can be used as fabric dyes, and some can kill a person if eaten. Over the course of last Friday and Saturday, field mycologist and author Noah Siegel educated resident foragers on which mushrooms are safe and which should be avoided. For about 90 minutes last Friday evening, Siegel, of Royalston, Massachusetts, spoke to a group of...
What started as a sort of fact-finding trip to Petersburg turned into a deeper appreciation for something I've done for decades, and something many take for granted. Every Wednesday, the Sentinel is delivered to mailboxes and stores throughout Wrangell, making its way into the hands of readers. Many more copies are sent out of town and state and even into Canada. But it takes a lot of work to get it there. I've worked in almost every department of the news industry, from proofing pages to...
Perhaps no school staff member has as much contact with parents and the public as do secretaries. And the public and parents have three new secretaries to get to know as the school year starts Thursday. As of last week, all three secretary positions at the elementary, middle and high school were filled after resignations at the end of last school year left the crucial roles open. Kendra McDougall, Jennifer Stewart and Marsha McCay have been hired as the secretaries of Evergreen Elementary, Stiki...
When there's trouble in Wrangell, it doesn't take long for the community to show up and pitch in. Such was the case when vandalism was discovered at the Head Start school on Aug. 12. Staff was shocked at first to find broken equipment, toys and supplies scattered around and graffiti sprayed on support pillars. As soon as the community found out, people began to pitch in. "We don't need the kids growing up and thinking everybody is bad and ruining their things," said Katherine George-Byrd, co-own...
Aly Howell has patiently waited like a student watching the clock for recess. After eight years working on Prince of Wales Island, she has returned to Wrangell to teach. On Thursday, second graders at Evergreen Elementary will be greeted by their new teacher, who is settling in to help shape young minds and raise her family. Her journey to get here was nothing short of adventurous. Howell graduated from college in 2011 with a degree in Christian studies. Her intent was to become a youth pastor....
A change to the school district’s COVID-19 mitigation plan calls for a reduction in testing and an increased focus on students and staff staying “symptom-free.” During the school board meeting Aug. 15, Schools Superintendent Bill Burr detailed what language was removed, what was added and what was kept in the ever-evolving mitigation plan. The district and board review the plan on a regular basis to make necessary changes. The district adopted the test-to-stay protocol last school year, which required students and staff to be tested for COVID...
An eye in the sky is helping Wrangell teens keep an eye on their future. Five students from the Upward Bound and T3 Alliance programs presented the results thus far of their ongoing work to make the community better through technology. Timothy Garcia, Nikolai Bardin-Siekawitch, William Ashton, Killian Booker and Spencer Petticrew at a public presentation Aug. 8 at the Nolan Center shared their experiences working with drones and GPS-enabled cameras to create promotional videos and map out U.S....
Internet, cable television and cell service provider GCI will be closing its Wrangell store on Oct. 28 after “many years,” a company spokesman said. Citing a “significant reduction in foot traffic,” the company decided to close the store on Front Street, but will still have a technician on the island for any necessary service calls. “We do maintain 24 other retail stores throughout the state, including four in Southeast Alaska,” said Josh Edge, media relations specialist with GCI in Anchorage. The nearest store will be in Petersburg....
Julie Williams believes life is a "limited time offer," and that opportunities should be taken where they can. The new school counselor is invested in helping Wrangell's high school and middle school students plan their futures, while helping them understand that sometimes adjustments need to be made for the curveballs life throws their way. Williams holds degrees from Stanford University, Goddard College and the University of Idaho and her focus has been on curriculum and instruction. She grew...
The competitive high school swimming season has only just begun and already the athletes are being challenged. Coach Jamie Roberts so far has four returning swimmers and two new swimmers, but she's wasting no time in making practice tougher and getting her team in winning form. "They're already doing harder practices than where we would start," she said. "(It's) more like interval work where you're pushing yourself against the clock to do repeated distances of swimming. We might do 10 50-meters...
A "hero" walks among us. Junior Mia Wiederspohn has been selected as one of six Alaska teenagers to receive a scholarship through the Summer of Heroes program. The program each year recognizes teens who are making positive impacts in their communities. Wiederspohn was selected because of her efforts to keep the Tlingit language and culture alive through radio broadcasts and podcasts and for her work in the high school BASE (Building a Supportive Environment) program. Wiederspohn, 15, was awarded...
With the first classes just over two weeks away, students are getting ready to return to their education-filled days. Before that can happen, administrative and teaching staff are prepping classrooms, curriculum and registrations to welcome back students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Schools Superintendent Bill Burr said based on the number of kindergartners and graduated seniors from last year, the district is anticipating about 263 children in the student body this year, similar to last year’s number. Online registration will begin M...
