Sorted by date Results 651 - 675 of 801
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. January 20, 1916: Owing to the fact that matters seem to progressing rather slowly in regard to the Dry Strait survey, Mr. F. Matheson, who has the matter in charge, recently wrote to Delegate Wickersham regarding the affair and received an answer which states, “On December 8th I wrote to the Secretary of War asking about the report of the Engineer on the matter of Dry Strait improvement and on the 14th he wrote me saying that he had not yet received it from the District Engineer’s Office.” An en...
The community’s coalition for health and wellness organizations is looking for a new image. The Healthy Wrangell Coalition has announced a sort of logo contest, through which it hopes to make its activities more recognizable to the community at large. “We’ve kind of been operating under the radar for a while,” explained Kris Reed, with HWC. “Folks don’t really know who we are and what we do, and that we’re available for things like letters of support for grants.” Member organizations include Alaska Island Community Services, Wrangell Medica...
The workshop at Wrangell High School is humming, hammering and making all sorts of noise as students in the various fabrications classes work on a number of projects. Under the Wolf Fabrication umbrella, students of industrial technologies teacher Drew Larrabee have been learning to use a widening array of tools on and off campus. The humming comes from the new tech room, which Larrabee and the school's technology department set up inside the high school's old computer lab. The dust from the...
The year 2015 was largely a good one for Wrangell, with the appearance of several new businesses, large infrastructural developments undertaken by businesses, the formal opening of the Tribe's cultural center, and a balanced financial outlook for the city despite tumultuous budget negotiations in Juneau. The state deficit will remain the largest issue moving ahead into 2016, as will continued mining developments in Canada along shared waters. January On Jan. 12 and 14 the first of three sets of...
While Wrangell's high school basketballers have been on the court for nearly a month, the teams' season officially begins Jan. 8 at their homecoming tournament. Both the boys and girls squads have already been participating in some preseason tournaments, the latest being the girls' alumni matchup on Dec. 23. The Lady Wolves starting lineup faced off against the "Old Timers" – a collection of former players and coaches in town for the holidays. "These are considered fundraisers actually, for t...
At its last meeting of the year on Dec. 17, the Wrangell Public School Board decided its members could continue with their coffee talks after all. After conferring with the school district’s attorney, board president Susan Eagle determined its informal coffee sessions were permissible under current policies. Board members were informed they were allowed to hold public discussions held outside of regularly-scheduled meetings. At previous meetings this year, various members of staff and the general public have expressed their impatience with t...
Holding the first of its planned informal sessions with the public last Saturday morning, members of the Wrangell Public School Board learned it might also have to be the last. Resident and former school superintendent Woody Wilson stopped in to let the board know what it was doing seemed to be violating its own policies. Citing Board Policy 7320, he pointed out that minutes were not being taken and that the public had not been given due notice of a meeting. Under the parameters set out in BP-7320 and in BP-7012 regarding communication with the...
With the advent of December, Wrangell's streets and storefronts have begun taking on a more festive appearance ahead of the Christmas season. The tree which serves as the centerpiece of the community's Midnight Madness celebration tomorrow evening was cut down, moved and re-raised at the Elks Club by Wrangell Municipal Light and Power on Monday. Despite gusts of up to 31 miles per hour, the work crew managed to trim and place the 54-foot Sitka spruce, which was harvested from federal forest at t...
An interpreter with the United States Forest Service has received an award recognizing her work in the Wrangell Ranger District. Corree Delabrue was last month presented the Hakala Award, an agency award which recognizes sustained excellence in interpretive and conservation education for Alaska. She is the 24th winner of the prize, named after Bob Hakala, the first regional interpreter of the USFS Alaska Region. USFS Tongass interpretation program manager Faith Duncan explained award winners...
Building on an idea fielded during last month’s meeting, on Monday members of the Wrangell Public School Board decided they will begin participating in “coffee meetings” held with the public. Scheduled for a half hour before their regular business, the sessions would give parents, teachers and other community members the opportunity to discuss educational issues, trends and problems with the board in an informal atmosphere. While no actions would be taken as a result of these sessions, they would open up discourse in ways currently unava...
Accustomed to their students scoring highly on standardized tests, Wrangell parents may be unsure what to make of results for the new Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP) exam, due for release before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. First administered in schools across the state earlier this spring, AMP was selected by the Legislature in 2012 to replace its previous Standards Based Assessments test. The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (EED) reports around 72,300 students took part in last year’s examination. The AMP is a...
Students are getting a technological edge in the Wrangell Public School District, as emphasis is placed on enhancing or else expanding the use of technology in the classroom. To meet the district's information technology (IT) needs, this year two new full-time positions have been established. Cyni Waddington has been hired as the technology coordinator, and Matt Gore began as the school's technology director. Together they improve technical support for the district, fixing issues in-house and...
At its Monday evening meeting, Wrangell’s Public School Board approved an amended strategic plan for the next three years. The meeting was the first held since the Oct. 6 elections, where board members Tammy Groshong and Aleisha Mollen were reelected to their seats. Pam McCloskey was also picked by voters to serve an unexpired one-year term, though she was unable to attend Monday. The board elected Susan Eagle to continue as its president, Howell as vice-president, and Groshong as board s...
To the Editor: I am not an active member of the Wrangell Landless, having stepped away in the year 1996. On August 1, 2015, I formally submitted my Letter of Resignation as an Officer of Wrangell Landless, as apparently I was incorrectly listed as such in 1996. Carol Snoddy To the Editor: It has been a great autumn in Wrangell. The change in the leaves represents a movement from summer into fall and an associated extracurricular activity movement out of cross-country season into wrestling and basketball. This also represents an example of seaso...
Polls will open for Wrangell’s regular municipal elections this Tuesday. Candidates have filed for all available seats, with several positions in contest. Among those open to the polls this year are two three-year seats on the City and Borough Assembly. Incumbents David Powell and Becky Rooney have both filed to run again, and Christie Jamieson last week announced her intention to run as a write-in candidate. Jamieson had previously served as Wrangell’s City Clerk from 1997 to 2012. Rooney has been on the Assembly since her election to an une...
Tamara Groshong, running for re-election to one of two open seats on the School Board Occupation: New account representative, First Bank Why would you like to run for the Board? "I believe that education impacts the lives of our students. Children are the future and we need to see that they have the best possible chance to be successful in carrying out their dreams and making an impact in the world. I have volunteered my time with various local youth organizations and would like to continue...
Summer vacation for students and faculty ended on Aug. 27, and it was back to the old grind for the Wrangell School Board as well, which had its first monthly meeting of the new year on Sept. 9. Board members reviewed the new district crisis plan, which was drawn up and adopted by the school’s safety committee last month. The plan outlines responses for a host of emergency situations, ranging from fires, hazardous material spills and allergic reactions to bioterrorism and hostile intrusions. Additional input for the plan came from emergency p...
Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation Department has wound down its summer programming, and its advisory board began looking ahead to off-season maintenance and future projects at its Sept. 2 meeting. Department head Kate Thomas reported 22 extra staffers were hired this summer to administer courses and programs including a pilot program for the adult swim club, the annual Summer Recreation Program, new yoga and fitness courses, and two sessions of the Learn-to-Swim program. Following a lengthy closure of the pool for repairs, Thomas reported a...
Dear Parents and Students of the Wrangell Public Schools, Welcome back to a new school year in the Wrangell Public School District! It seems as though our summer has flown by, but what a gorgeous one it has been. Over the summer we have hired several new faces within the Wrangell Public Schools. Kendall Benson is our principal at Stikine Middle School and Wrangell High School. Mr. Benson brings many years of experience as a former principal in the state of Utah. There will also be a new secretary at Wrangell High School, Megan Talburt. Ms....
Wrangell's teachers, parents and students are schools are gearing up for a new year, with registration currently ongoing. While some programs have already started up, classes will begin on Aug 27. A number of changes will greet students when they walk through those doors, some more noticeable than others. Mondays will be a bit shorter for starters, at least for students. School will let out at 2 p.m. once a week to allow teachers time to develop "professional learning communities," which are...
Various members of the Wrangell community were invited to the high school library Monday afternoon to meet with technical preparation program staff for the University of Alaska Southeast. Earlier in the summer the program’s regional coordinator, Kim Szczatko, set up a permanent office at Wrangell High School, which will expand its scope in Wrangell and other island communities. Presenting with her was the associate dean for UAS Career Education Programs, Pete Traxler. The tech prep program is a partnership program between UAS and local s...
Following recommendations made to the Wrangell Public School Board in April, the school district administration is pursuing a review of its current crisis response plans. Superintendent Patrick Mayer, administrative assistant Kim Powell, and maintenance director Fred Angerman met with emergency services personnel at the Fire Hall last Thursday for the second of several planning sessions. “We’re just collecting some baseline information,” Mayer said, something to build from at future meetings. By the end of the summer he hopes to have a comprehe...
Next year’s lunch program was the hottest item on the menu for Wrangell School Board’s final meeting before the summer on Monday. Previously at its May meeting the board voted to withdraw from its contract with NANA Management Services, which had supplied food and cafeteria services for the district last year. On Monday members elected to withdraw from the National School Lunch Program as well, releasing the district from its requirements to pursue its own supplemental lunch program. The plan put forward by school superintendent Patrick May...
The next steps have been taken on an agreement between the University of Alaska Southeast and Wrangell Public School District, with the establishment of an office for the university's technical preparation program. The tech prep program is offered for college credit through the university, and courses are taught by approved instructors using UAS syllabi. Enrolled students earn high school credits needed for graduation as well, and school superintendent Patrick Mayer explained the program will...
The Wrangell School Board elected to offer Kendall Benson the position as the new secondary schools principal during its May 19 meeting. He will replace outgoing principal Colter Barnes who served one year in the position. Barnes will be headed to Southeast Island School District to serve as an itinerant principal and greenhouse manager. Benson begins August 1 and brings with him three decades of education experience. His most recent post was as principal of Cedar Middle School in Cedar City,...
