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. Talburt has worked for Alaska Crossing for several years and has a great deal of experience working with the public.
In terms of other new hires we have hired Matt Nore as a Title I Specialist to be based at Evergreen Elementary and Jenna Clark, who will fill a grant funded counselor position also at the elementary. We are very excited to have both of them as part of our district team.
We have also hired Matt Gore as the Director of Technology and he has hit the ground running! Technology has always been, and will continue to be, a huge emphasis within the Wrangell Public Schools. The infusion of technology within our district has been supported by our local school board for many years, so a big thanks to them. We are also in the process of hiring a technology coordinator who will have a significant impact on the promotion and implementation of Educational Technology within our district. In fact, our first day of professional development, on Monday, August 24, Mr. Gore and an expert from ERRC, Ryan Stanley, provided extensive training on “Gmail and all things Google.”
Another major change resulted in the placement of the Regional Tech Prep Coordinator, Kim Szczatko, at Wrangell High School. This is a huge win for Wrangell and the enhancement of this partnership will likely pay additional future dividends for both Wrangell’s students and the overall community.
This past year we accomplished many tasks, including the creation of a new strategic plan, a rewrite of our district crisis plan, and the adoption of new math materials. We will continue the process of developing a new teacher evaluation tool and implementing the Alaska Education Standards.
In an effort to keep you informed, I will mention at the onset of the school year that education funding will be a significant topic during the upcoming legislative session. Our legislators worked well into June this year before Governor Walker signed a final budget. With a deadline in state oil revenues, we will need to watch the unfolding of this scenario very closely.
By the time you read this article, our students will have walked through the doors for the first day of school. I would like to thank all of our teachers for the powerful impact they have on our students and to commend you, as parents, for supporting our teachers through the instillment of strong values within your children.
Sincerely,
Patrick Mayer, Superintendent
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