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Though not all children had enrolled before the scheduled start of school on Thursday, Aug. 24, due to migrant status or other reasons, district staff reported an increase of two students over their enrollment estimates from last November, which will help with a very small increase in state funding. A couple more students could add maybe $20,000 or so in state money to the overall $5 million school district operating budget. The budget for the 2023-2024 school year is based on 263 students, however, after the updated enrollment estimate, that n...
Ever wanted to learn how to hem a pair of jeans? Fix a bike? Patch a tire? Drain the fluids from an old car so that it’s ready for disposal? The Wrangell Cooperative Association’s upcoming fix-it clinic will help the community learn to maintain and repair household items, promoting sustainability and reducing waste. The event will be held at the covered basketball court on Monday, Aug. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. Marilyn Mork will be available to share her sewing and mending expertise, particularly hemming and attaching loose buttons. She pla...
Attracting people to run for public office in Wrangell can be as difficult as finding a snow shovel to borrow in a winter storm — they are all busy. Nonetheless, they are essential. Quality candidates for borough assembly, school board and port commission are invaluable for the community. The elected bodies control spending in excess of $20 million a year in taxpayer, state and federal money. The members make decisions that affect the life of more than 2,000 residents and the life span of public buildings. It’s a lot of work and a lot of res...
The whistle trills. "50 freestyle! Take your mark!" The athlete gets into position on the platform. The horn sounds. "Go! Let's go!" SPLASH! With the reopening of the community swimming pool, the high school swim team was able to jump into practice and get their feet - and the rest of their bodies - wet for the upcoming competition. As the swimmers finished up their practice sprints on Aug. 17, with coach Jamie Roberts monitoring their form, they began to cool down. "It's especially important th...
James "Jim" Wellington Abbott passed away at age 83 on Aug. 15 in Wrangell. A celebration of life will be held at the Harbor Light Assembly of God Church at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, with a reception to follow from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Elks Lodge. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, to Arnoldine E. and Emmett W. Abbott. He and his parents resided in Greenfield, Iowa, where Jim attended elementary school and graduated from high school. After graduation, Jim attended the University of Oklahoma...
Gary Albert Stevens, 53, passed away in June in his Las Vegas home of natural causes. His memorial service will be at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, at Chief Shakes House on Shakes Island in Wrangell, followed by a reception and potluck at the American Legion Hall. He was born to Gary James and Susan Georgina Stevens on March 28, 1970, in Wrangell. He was Tlingit and Haida of the Naanyaa.iee clan. His Tlingit names were Gush Tlein, Ts'eil and "Eagle Looking Out on the Ocean." He was the first gran...
Charles William Kangas passed away on May 30, in Anchorage after a short illness. He was born in Wrangell to Charles Edward and Sanra K. Kangas on Oct. 25, 1963. He graduated from Wrangell High School in 1981. Charles worked in various commercial fishing jobs with his father and at the Wrangell sawmill. Later, he worked at Ketchikan Pulp Mill. In Anchorage he worked as a sales representative for Spenard Builders Supply for more than 20 years. "Ever since he was a young man, he enjoyed...
It's beginning to look a lot like fitness at the Parks and Recreation Department. For the past several months, department staff and work crews have been laboring to finish projects, add more amenities and make the community healthier. One of the recently completed projects was a major fix to the swimming pool, which reopened on Aug. 7. The pool had been closed since last November to repair a leak and to upgrade the ventilation system. "We haven't had any major water loss, which means the repair...
When was the last time you had an excuse to let loose and dance or “cut a rug” like cool people said 100 years ago. On Saturday, Aug. 19, from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, the adult prom will give partygoers the chance to live it up and help a community-based nonprofit at the same time. “It’s going to be your high school prom but better,” said event organizer Devyn Johnson. “It’s a retro disco, so you can choose any past decade you’d like to dress up as.” Proceeds from the prom will benefit Wrangell Burial Assistance, an organization John...
In an age of cash-strapped school budgets, teachers and support staff have found themselves getting creative in order to give students all the tools needed to succeed in their education. A teacher at Stikine Middle School had such success with an extracurricular class last year that she began fundraising to continue the program this year, reaching her goal in a short amount of time. Sixth grade teacher Laura Davies worked with Juneau-based Seth Bader and the See Stories program last spring. The...
Jackie Hanson has been an educator for 19 years. For all that time, she has operated under the philosophy of helping people reach their aspirations, regardless of how different they might be. The new Wrangell High School and Stikine Middle School principal is already in the office, ready to meet teachers, staff and, most importantly, the students. Originally from Lewistown, Montana, Hanson began her teaching career in Noorvik, in the Northwest Arctic Borough School District. She and her...
It's hard to miss: Groups of people whizzing down the streets of Wrangell on what looks like a cross between a bicycle and an old-school moped, sometimes down the middle of the street or dangerously close to pedestrians on the sidewalks. Increased use of electric bicycles, or e-bikes for short, has some questioning how the law applies to the machines, specifically where they can and can't be ridden. Wrangell municipal code states, "No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within the...
Ron Castle, 89, passed away at home on June 30 in Lewiston, Idaho, after battling cancer. He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on June 18, 1934, and was the eldest of four siblings (Marcia, Connie and Gerald). While growing up Ron spent much of his spare time off the farm, going fishing, hunting and playing basketball and baseball. He went on to play baseball for four years for Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, "and enjoyed sharing his knowledge and love of the game with...
Newly cleaned flooring, new paint and new faces will be among the changes students see as they return to school on Aug. 24. However, there will be plenty going on that students don’t really notice. School district staff are working hard to prepare for the coming educational year, whether it be in updating their certifications, preparing the classrooms or focusing on all the little details to ensure a successful year for kids. Online registration will begin Aug. 11 on the school district website, while in-person registration will be held Aug. 1...
This year’s Wrangell High School cross country team has some big running shoes to fill. Last year, the boys team placed first at regionals and first at state, which was a first-ever accomplishment for the team. Some of those runners are returning and head coach Mason Villarma has big hopes for the athletes. “I think the men will definitely look to repeat a state championship,” he said in an interview on Friday, July 21. “I think the women — Southeast looks really weak — so I think they can win a regional championship. Anything can happen at s...
At the upcoming municipal election on Oct. 3, the community will head to the polls to share its vision for Wrangell’s future. But before that can happen, engaged community members need to declare their intention to run for elected office. Starting on Tuesday, Aug. 1, eligible candidates will be able to submit their candidacy for one of four available seats. Two three-year seats on the borough assembly will be on the ballot: Anne Morrison and Ryan Howe’s terms end this fall. These elected volunteer positions help guide the direction that the...
Former Wrangell resident Clint Owen Miller, 87, died April 27 in Sitka. He was born on Nov. 16, 1935, in Hutton Valley, Missouri, to Stanton Miller and Eva (Williams) Miller. His family lived in Missouri and moved to the shipyards near Portland during World War II, then to logging camps in Idaho after the war, finally settling in Wrangell. Clint grew up in Wrangell, attending school and graduating from high school. As a freshman, he played center for the team that beat West Anchorage for the...
A medical student is visiting the Wrangell Medical Center for a month this summer to learn more about rural medicine and prepare herself for a future as a physician in Alaska. Christine Richter, who recently finished her first year at the University of Washington School of Medicine, arrived in town July 22 and will stay until Aug. 19. "I was so happy when I saw I got placed here (in Wrangell)," she said. Though she was born and raised in Anchorage, she hasn't had the opportunity to explore much...
Alaska’s smaller school districts, including Wrangell, are concerned about how they can implement a major state education overhaul with limited resources. The Legislature passed the Alaska Reads Act last year, intended to improve student literacy. The 45-page bill adds wide-ranging requirements for school districts, including that they develop intensive programs for younger students struggling to read. The new law went into effect July 1. The Alaska Department of Education has spent months working on outreach efforts and providing online t...
Only a third of Alaska children meet the state’s goals to be ready for kindergarten. But the state’s share of funding for Head Start, a mostly federally funded child care and health program that promotes school readiness specifically for low-income families, is less than it was a decade ago. This year, the Legislature appropriated a $5 million increase so that Head Start programs could match federal contributions, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed most of it, slashing the increase to $1.5 million. “Gov. Dunleavy’s veto of much of the Legisla...
HELP WANTED Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the following positions: - Secondary School Secretary: This is a full-time, 10-month position with benefits working in the middle and high school. Salary placement is Column D on the Classified Salary Schedule. Responsibilities include performing office functions at a public school and serving as secretary to the school administration, students and staff. The anticipated start date is August 7, 2023. - Temporary Secondary School Secretary: This is a temporary position working in...
After years of planning, the borough has awarded a contract for the initial phase of development at the Alder Top Village (Keishangita.’aan) residential subdivision at the former Wrangell Institute property. At its special meeting July 6, the borough assembly unanimously approved an almost $1 million contract with Ketchikan Ready-Mix & Quarry. The company will spend the summer clearing space for about 20 new lots at the site and performing preliminary road work. The contract’s completion date is Oct. 30. At Borough Manager Jeff Good’s recom...
The Fourth of July celebration literally heated up over the four days of festivities as the Tongass Toughman Triathlon kicked things off with a cold, gray and rainy swim on July 1 and the street dance closed it out on July 4 when the temperature topped out at 72 degrees. From endurance contests and games of skill to a dog show and fireworks and everything in between, the various events packed the streets of downtown with locals, visiting family and friends and tourists. Despite concerns over...
It was a month of learning, exploring, brainstorming and playing in the wilds of Alaska that left one Wrangell youth with a lot to think about. Andrei Bardin-Siekawitch was the only teen from Southeast to join other students from across the state on the latest Upward Bound and Teaching Through Technology Alliance (T3) trip, giving him an opportunity to make new friends and start plotting a course for his future endeavors. From May 31 through June 30, Bardin-Siekawitch, 13, traveled to the...
July 12, 1923 The presidential party arrived in Wrangell early Monday morning on the transport Henderson, under a convoy of two torpedo boats. The moment the distinguished visitor stepped onto Grant’s float they were greeted by the reception committee headed by Acting Mayor George H. Barnes. Without any delay, the party marched to the courthouse, where, standing at the foot of the steps, President Warren G. Harding was officially welcomed by the Rev. Robert Joseph Diven. After expressing his pleasure at being in Alaska, and in Wrangell, the pre...