Senior projects giving back to community in different ways

Senior students at Wrangell High School presented their end-of-year projects for parents, faculty and other passersby last week at the school gym.

Twenty-four members of this year's graduating class worked on a variety of assignments to meet their core requirements. School activities director Bill Bradley explained the projects are self-driven, and encourage students to give back to the community as best they can. Projects are at least 25 hours each, which can be difficult to arrange when fitting them in with other priorities.

"With their busy schedule, getting something in like this is difficult, so it makes it that much more valuable," he said. "It's a long process for the kids. They have to start this early."

This year's class covered a good assortment of projects. Bradley mentioned Sam Prysunka's project, for instance, which could potentially save lives.

The student applied for grant funding through the Stikine Sportsmen to acquire a radio repeater, which he assembled and will install upriver before the summer. Prysunka explained the device will improve radio connectivity for the fire department and emergency services from the hot tubs down, and will double as an emergency radio on site.

The repeater will be named after Mike Hay, a supporter of the project who passed away last month. He had

given Prysunka permission to install the device up at his cabin. "I'm sad that he couldn't make it to see the repeater go up, but I'm glad he was able to know it was being dedicated in his honor," Prysunka said.

Prysunka got help understanding and assembling the device from Chief Tim Buness of WVFD, who had also provided guidance on the project.

Bradley explained the senior projects were a good way for students to connect like that with local residents and professionals, getting some first-hand experience in the life of the community as well.

"This is a program that has been engrained in the community a long time, and this is a great program," he said. "Each one of these kids, the majority of them came up with their own ideas. This is a way for kids to show what they can give back to the community."

Sam Armstrong, Dawson Miller and Garrett Miller worked together to fabricate three benches that will be placed at the future Mariners Memorial at Heritage Harbor. The long-lasting seats will be built from a combination of aluminum and synthetics, which the students designed, welded and fitted themselves.

One of the benches will be dedicated to Garrett's father, Ryan Miller, who had been killed in a fishing accident. It will accompany the memorial's planned wall, which remembers other local mariners and fishermen.

"It means a lot to us," Armstrong commented. "We're all fishermen, we're all fabricators, we're all welders, and so this was right up our alley. We like this project a lot because it's something we can come back to in years and show our kids."

For his project, Joe Hommel used the popular sandbox building game Minecraft to teach elementary school students about history. For Hommel, the combination seemed like a perfect fit.

"I know kids these days play a lot of video games. And my cousins talk to me about their games and all the storyline that goes with it, stuff I can't even remember. They retain all of that. So if you're able to teach them with a video game that they want to play and want to learn, it's very interactive and it's very objective, but it's very fun in general," he explained.

The focus was on colonial Jamestown in Virginia, England's first permanent settlement in the New World. Hommel explained he had come up with the idea a year ago, inspired by enduring memories of a poster next to his desk in middle school history filled with Jamestown facts. The setting seemed perfect for his planned curriculum. "Jamestown is a nice, simple world that you can build around," he said.

Though a simple concept, Hommel said he put lots of detail into the project, building a little world he could demonstrate for a younger audience. Students could explore the program on their own devices, and were walked through the settlement's history.

His first attempt at teaching, Hommel recalled it was a difficult process getting the kids' attention at first, but he soon got the knack for it. "As soon as Pocahontas was mentioned the kids got all excited. 'Pocahontas was real?'" they asked.

Exploring this Minecraft settlement, the students also had the opportunity to build some of their own additions. Working in the same virtual environment, Hommel noted the project was also an exercise in teamwork.

"I was very pleased to see in the end, after an hour and a half of doing that, none of the other buildings were destroyed," he said. He tested the group afterward, and they seemed to retain a good amount of the colony's history. "It was pretty cool," he said.

For those who watched Wolves basketball games online this year, they have student Chris Howard to thank. His project entailed setting up cameras and coordinating broadcasts through the school team's season.

"I'm interested in computers, so it was a good project for me," he said.

It was not especially difficult to set up, but Howard said at one point they had to run a telephone wire to the office from the control booth, as well as set up iPad cameras aimed at each basket. It was a little tricky trying to sync up the iPads, he said, as the cameras have a five-second delay. But in the end it was worth it. During Wednesday's presentations Howard said a number of people expressed their appreciation, able to stay connected with local activities using new technology.

"Someone came up to me and said they watched a game down in Seattle," he said.

Tarren Legg-Privett and Dora Voltz worked together on this year's phase of the new greenhouse, being put together for the E.A.T.S. gardening program outside of Evergreen Elementary. The two added to the framing put together by the construction class last year, getting it ready for the eventual addition of paneling.

"We went through and put rafters on," Legg-Privett explained. "Hopefully it'll be operational by next fall."

"Our parents and Drew Larrabee, our shop teacher, helped us out," added Voltz. "Drew came up with the design."

Alex Angerman and Karl Torgramsen also made constructive use of their project. The two teamed up with Parks and Rec to design a mural for the community center outdoor stairwell. They got together with the Summer Rec program and enlisted the artistic skills of younger students, producing colorful salmon for the wall.

"Sixty-two fish altogether," Torgramsen said. Because the work was done by elementary students, he pointed out that as they progress through school they will have that connection with the wall as time passes, knowing they were a part of that design.

"It was offered through the school," he said of the project. "Alex and I thought it was a beautiful thing to give back to the community in this way."

"Summer Rec. is an enrichment program, so as we were having them paint the salmon we were teaching them the parts of the salmon and the roles of the salmon," Angerman added. "It actually turned out to be a really fun and educational project,"

Also busy with paints, Nicholas Cole helped decorate the interior of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Parish, which was recently renovated. He was given the idea from parishioner Anne Morrison, and applied gold trim around the walls' decorative molding. The job takes much attention to detail and is time consuming, but Cole listened to music all the while as he worked through it. Putting in 25 hours so far, he still has a bit more work to do, applying gold around the church's Stations of the Cross.

Hailie Davis helped raise money for Hannah's Place, a Wrangell nonprofit which offers assistance to expectant mothers and families.

"I selected this project because I feel it is very beneficial to the community," Davis explained. The facility hosts a variety of programs and runs a discounted store, and she felt it could use a hand. To that end Davis put together a rummage sale and silent auction, and held a tea party to help promote their business.

She also helped around the place, with housekeeping and other chores. In all she put in 84.5 hours and raised around $1,500.

Projects also supported a number of school and extracurricular sporting programs. Kaylauna Churchill set up a running club for her high school classmates, once the cross-country season ended last fall.

"I chose the running club because cross-country season had ended and I wanted to keep our runners in shape for next year," she explained. The school lacks a springtime track and field program, and the club could potentially spur the right interest to undertake one in future years.

Cary Emmens is currently coaching a tee-ball team for his project, the Falcons. Though he has played baseball for about a dozen years, and helped out with the summer program last year, this is the first time he has ever coached, and while enjoying the experience, he said there were some challenges to overcome.

"They like to play in the dirt a lot, so you've got to keep your eye on them," Emmens said.

Sig Decker was an assistant coach this year for the peewee wrestling team, helping Parks and Rec and coach Jeff

Rooney.

"I did this project because of how much of an impact wrestling has had on me as a person, and the confidence you build, and the independence you get from going out and competing," he explained. "You also get the team building aspect as well," whether training together or through sparring.

Helped by high school teammates, he helped the young wrestlers undergo conditioning, taught them new moves and prepared them for tournament competition. The team participated in one of two planned tourneys this year, against Petersburg.

"We took a lot of medals away from Petersburg," he said. Decker came out of the experience with a better appreciation for how important volunteers are to the program. He added that he learned if you set a high standard for kids, they will step up to meet that.

Alyssa Martin helped Bradley during the Tom Simms Invitational, a wrestling tournament drawing teams from around the region. Martin helped put together welcome signs, convey students, and fill out brackets for the championship.

Josephine Lewis also helped with a big event, assisting Southeast Beasts put on their annual Alaska Day 5K and half-marathon last fall. She helped put together posters and mark out the running route, and assisted with sign in among other things.