Sorted by date Results 151 - 173 of 173
Thanks to plenty of time spent in libraries and bookstores, both as a customer and staff member, along with my own collection of reading material, I’ve grown very comfortable in the world of books. In the fall of 1996, I had been working for a few years at Borders Books and Music in Kensington, Maryland, and that’s when I got the idea to start a mystery novel discussion group. It did very well, and while several members have since passed on, the group is still going strong, outlasting the bookstore franchise where it started by over a dec...
Wrangell middle and high school students wore hats last week to raise money to buy headwear for medical patients who lose their hair. Students paid a $2 fee upon arriving at school on Wednesday, Nov. 8, and received a hand stamp allowing them to wear a hat for the rest of the day. Principal Jackie Hanson came up with the idea after learning about the Heavenly Hats Foundation, a small nonprofit organization that collects and distributes new hats of all kinds to people of all ages who lose their...
Just as Veterans Day is a longstanding tradition, so is the work of Evergreen Elementary School students to create cards to honor vets on the special day. The students worked in class on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 9-10, making the cards that were given out at Veterans Day events on Saturday, Nov. 11. Evergreen Elementary Principal Ann Hilburn credited third grade teacher Jen Davies as the main motivator behind the cards, providing reminders well ahead of time, and making sure that the cards were...
The Wrangell High School wrestling team traveled to Ketchikan to compete in the Bill Weiss Tournament on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10-11. Including exhibition matches, they came away with 54 wins and 26 losses, with 36 pins. Named after the former Ketchikan Daily News printing press operator and sports writer who devoted much of his time to wrestling events, the tournament featured over 200 wrestlers during both days, according to Wrangell coach Jack Carney. "Some of the 16-man brackets were...
The building housing the community center is in its eighth decade and the center is into its fifth decade — with the Parks and Recreation Department looking to gather up remembrances for a dedication ceremony planned for March. In a letter posted on the Wrangell Parks and Recreation Facebook page, Director Lucy Robinson encouraged everyone to share their photos and personal stories of time spent at the building over the years. “Preserving the community center’s history is not merely a duty; it's a vital act of love for the building itsel...
Not only is Wrangell High School sending two vocalists to the state music festival in Anchorage for the first time in years, but they are brother and sister. It will be a repeat performance later this month for junior Ander Edens, who went to state last year. The vocalist will perform in a mixed choir as a Bass 2. His sister, sophomore Clara Edens, will perform at state for the first time, singing the Alto 2 part. "This is the first year that we're taking two kids to state," music teacher Tasha...
In addition to their children’s Christmas party, the American Legion Auxiliary is also preparing to provide gifts and treats for other groups in the community, starting with the Veterans Cookie Trade a week before Thanksgiving, as well as their Senior Santa program. According to Marilyn Mork, the Veterans Cookie Trade began about five or six years ago. “At one of our meetings, we decided we would do something for our veterans,” she said. “The ladies and other community members offer to bake goodies and then we go deliver them.” Plans are to del...
Half of the dozen Wrangell wrestlers who traveled to Anchorage for a meet last weekend placed in the top six in their respective weight classes. The Wolves competed in a tournament at Mountain City Christian Academy (formerly Anchorage Christian Schools) on Friday, Nov. 3, and Saturday, Nov. 4. According to coach Jack Carney, senior Keegan Hanson won second place in the 152-pound weight class, freshman Jackson Carney at 130 came in third, junior Della Churchill at 120 took fourth place,...
The Turkey Trot returns to Wrangell for its 13th year at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, at the Volunteer Park Nature Trail. Sign-ups begin at 8:45 a.m. at the covered basketball court behind Evergreen Elementary School. Sponsored by Parks and Recreation, the 5-kilometer (3.1 miles) race course is a three-times loop of the Nature Trail. Participants can choose to either run or walk. Though there isn’t an entry fee, a donation of $10 is suggested. Recreation Coordinator Devyn Johnson expects a turnout similar to last year. “We usually get...
Jackie Hanson, high school and middle school principal, is attempting to make improvements in student attendance before it becomes an issue this school year. According to the most recent Alaska Department of Education’s Report Card to the Public, school attendance in the Wrangell School District has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, remaining at 86.72% for the 2021-2022 school year, almost 9% below its attendance rate of 95.54% during the 2019-2020 school year. “Given the transitions associated in how educational services were del...
The newly created Wrangell Athletic Club is ready to start fundraising to cover student travel expenses for state competition. The group will focus on the state swim meet later this month, followed by the volleyball and wrestling championships in December. The group held its third organizing meeting on Oct. 25, looking to start fundraising efforts in time for the competitions. The school board is scheduled to meet Nov. 16 to consider an administration recommendation to draw from reserve funds to cover a $44,000 deficit for state event travel ex...
The Wrangell Wolves wrestled at Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka this past weekend, with a round robin on Friday, Oct. 27, and a scramble on Saturday, Oct. 28, earning 67 wins, 24 losses, and 55 pins, according to wrestling coach Jack Carney. Carney said most of the brackets were unfinished. As a result, many who would have placed including a few who likely would have come in first, simply ran out of time. “They didn’t come close to finishing the brackets, because they were big, huge brackets,” he said. Of the brackets that were finis...
"Why would you want to move to a small town in Alaska?" That was the question put to me by the Sentinel's publisher, Larry Persily, when I applied for the position of editor. My answer? I was looking for an adventure. Before coming here, I had never been near the state of Alaska. I did live in Fargo, North Dakota, from 2004 to 2006, which is a lot colder. But it's a dry cold; I heard that phrase a lot while I was there - that and "uff da". I was born in Richmond, Virginia, and spent my...
Wrangell wrestlers excelled on the mat at the Southeast Showdown at Thunder Mountain High School in Juneau. "We went 34 wins, 15 losses and 30 pins," said coach Jack Carney. "Four of the losses were to our own teammates." Competing on Friday, Oct. 20, and Saturday, Oct. 21, five of the 11 wrestlers who made the trip took the top spot in their weight brackets, going undefeated at the Showdown. Winning first place were senior Keegan Hanson at 152, junior Della Churchill at 120, sophomore...
The school district plans to install three air quality sensors to monitor temperature, humidity, noise, carbon dioxide, pollution — and even vape smoke. The district can use the data it collects from the monitors in its request for state funding to repair and improve parts of the decades-old school buildings, including new windows, insulation, roofing, heating and ventilation systems. The district received the sensors at no cost with a year of free monitoring under a program with the Alaska Department of Education and the sensors’ man...
People in need are invited to take part in The Salvation Army’s assistance programs this holiday season, said Capt. Chase Green. They are offering food boxes for Thanksgiving and Christmas based on family size, as well as a Christmas toy-giving plan for children called the Angel Tree Program. “Thanksgiving (assistance) is food-based, and they can sign up right now,” he said. “We really want to encourage people to sign up.” According to Green, the application process is simple and confidential. Identification, such as driver’s licenses, S...
The Salvation Army has reduced the days of operation at its community food pantry because of a reduction in the flow of donated goods and funding. It is also allowing clients to choose their own food items, rather than picking up pre-selected boxes. "When you come in, you get to do the physical shopping for your food,” the church wrote in a Facebook post. “It makes it a little more personal … feeling less like a handout,” said Lt. Isabella “Belle” Green. The pantry, which had been open every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is now open the secon...
The Wrangell Wolves high school wrestling team competed at a meet at Craig this past weekend, winning 61 of their 87 matches. “We competed against pretty much everybody in the region, except Sitka,” said wrestling coach Jack Carney. With a round-robin on Friday, Oct. 13, and a scramble on Saturday, Oct. 14, five wrestlers took first place in their weight brackets. Undefeated were senior Keegan Hanson at 152, sophomore Boomchain Loucks at 119, and freshman Hailey Cook at 107. Junior Della Churchill at 120 and sophomore Katelynn Gillen at 165...
New voices are sought in addition to returning singers as the community chorale begins rehearsals for the 2023 Christmas concert on Monday, Oct. 16, in the high school music room. “I never know until we have our first rehearsal,” chorale director Bonnie Demerjian said of how many people to expect at the first rehearsal. “We have a group of people that have been with the (chorale) well over 20 years, and then every year we get new people, so it’s always a surprise.” While the chorale is always looking for new participants, Demerjian said she...
The American Legion’s Christmas party for children, now in its 13th year, came from a suggestion by Marilyn Mork’s daughter, Jenny, after they had attended a Christmas party for kids in town. “They had a party which was like, hot dogs and hot cocoa or something like that,” Mork said. “Santa was there, and they all got to see Santa, and got a candy cane, and an orange or apple or something. And that was it.” Afterward, Mork remembered her daughter’s suggestion. “Jenny said, ‘Wouldn’t be awesome if we could … give them a gift?’” While the par...
As high school wrestling coach Jack Carney prepares for the season, many of his wrestlers are wrapping up competing in another sport. "Most of my kids are on cross-country (running). They're looking to win a state title," he said, predicting wins for Wrangell in regional and state cross-country competitions. The first wrestling tournament is only a week after the cross-country season ends on Saturday, Oct. 7. The coach said participating in multiple sports helps his wrestlers in the long run....
As the holiday season approaches and online shopping continues to rise, Wrangell's delivery service faces challenges getting its job done in a timely fashion as it contends with missing address information. Chris and Dixie Booker, who own C&D Deliveries, play detective, using Facebook and other resources to lead them to the right location. "We have a bit of investigative work to do ourselves," Chris Booker said. "Our company is in charge of figuring out those kinds of situations. It gets to be...
Parks and Recreation is inviting people during the month of September to participate in something new — a BioBlitz community event — to create an online snapshot of the variety of pollinator wildlife that can be found in Wrangell. It’s part of Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz, a five-year-old nationwide campaign hosted by the National Recreation and Park Association that asks people to take photos of pollinators and upload them to the website or iNaturalist app. According to information on NRPA’s Parks for Pollinators website, the goal is to r...