The school board voted unanimously Aug. 17 to approve the contract of Clemence Hwayire as the district’s new special education teacher. He is the second special education teacher hired over the summer, filling the final faculty vacancy for the new school year that started Tuesday.

Hwayire brings 24 years of teaching experience to Wrangell, including a decade focused entirely on special education. He began his career in Zimbabwe, teaching fifth through seventh grades for 18 years in public and private schools. He later taught in Botswana for four years before moving to Fairbanks in 2024 to teach for two years.

Though he applied to schools across several states when leaving Botswana, he felt drawn to Alaska. Adjusting to the subarctic weather, however, proved to be an initial challenge.

“It gets cold in Fairbanks — very cold,” he said.

Wrangell’s milder climate appealed to him, but he was also encouraged by the district’s reputation and vision for the future. While educational systems differ from country to country, he noted that the overarching mission of education remains unchanged.

“Special education is different than standard teaching,” Hwayire said. “With special education, you are more focused on the individual needs of the student, and you aren’t focused on managing a classroom.”

He added that he values the strong partnerships required in his role, working alongside general education teachers, administrators and parents.

“It’s truly a collaborative effort,” he said. “It really takes teamwork.”

He said he looks forward to settling in and contributing to the classroom and the broader community.

“I have been impressed with what I have seen with the administration and the faculty so far,” he said. “I think this is a good environment with good communication. And I want to be a part of this community. I think this will be a great place to grow professionally and personally.”

Hwayire’s hiring comes after a string of departures left the district needing to replace roughly 20% of its faculty for the 2026-2027 school year: special education teachers Mikki Angerman and Ryan Howe resigned; elementary teacher Michelle Clark took an extended leave of absence; and kindergarten teacher Madison Blackburn’s contract was not renewed.

“When you say it like that it sounds pretty rough,” Schools Superintendent Joshua Garrett said in an Aug. 18 interview. “But the reality is that four teachers comprise approximately 20% of our faculty. Wrangell has been blessed with relatively low teacher turnover in recent years, especially for Alaska.”

Drawing on his own international background, Garrett noted that staffing schools in Alaska presents fewer hurdles than hiring abroad. He worked for two decades running international schools overseas.

“Alaska is certainly easier to recruit for than, say, Kazakhstan. I am used to 30% to 40% turnover in international schools,” Garrett said. “Ultimately, Wrangell is easy to recruit for.”