Trio of educators new to WHS

A pair of new educators, and a face familiar to students and parents in the borough are the newest teachers to take the reins of three classrooms at Wrangell High School.

Drew Larrabee, Jack Carney, and Anne Luetkemeyer are the newest additions to the staff at the high school, with Larrabee and Carney as new hires, and Luetkemeyer transferring from Stikine Middle School.

Larrabee has taken over the shop class previously taught by Dave Brown, who retired at the end of the 2011 school year, while Carney is teaching life skills classes to include gun safety, water safety, wilderness first aid, a math class and a high school Physical Education class. Luetkemeyer has taken over as the art instructor after the retirement of Kirk Garbisch.

Luetkemeyer was previously a secondary generalist for the district.

Monty Buness, the principal of both Wrangell High School and Stikine Middle School said he is thrilled to see the new teachers and their acclimation to the community.

“I think anytime you get new teachers you get a new batch of good ideas, with a fresh outlook on everything,” Buness said. “It’s pretty exciting for them to join the teachers we have. Plus, they’re a good fit because they like to fish and hunt and do things outdoors.

According to Buness, Larrabee is bringing a special twist to the shop program.

“He is spending a lot of time on the construction trades, so he’ll be teaching trade work and bring back the power technologies to the class,” Buness added.

Larrabee, who is originally from the Midwest, said he is happy to be in Wrangell after spending time in western Alaska.

“I’m truly looking forward to a new adventure in a new school,” Larrabee said. “I taught in Bering Strait for two years and in Bristol Bay for the past five years.”

Carney has a connection to Southeast beyond teaching at WHS, having graduated from Sitka’s Mt. Edgecumbe High School. He previously taught at Chenega Bay.

“It’s been great coming here and it’s a lot like the place we lived before, just with 2000 more people, and the kids are great here. They’re well behaved and interested. It’s been an upgrade over the last place we were.”