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Remembering Ronald Hemenway: Wasilla High graduate among those lost in the Pentagon on Sept. 11

On Sept. 11, 2001, Hemenway, a 1982 graduate of Wasilla High School, was one of 125 people who were killed inside the Pentagon when hijackers flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the building.

The following story, honoring the life and service of Wasilla High School graduate Electronics Technician 1st Class Ronald Hemenway, originally appeared in a 2021 Frontiersman special section commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. I wrote this story during my time as the Frontiersman managing editor. Hemenway’s parents, Robert and Shirley Hemenway, have both died since the story was published. We reprint it today, courtesy of the Mat-Su Sentinel and Frontiersman archive, to honor Hemenway’s life and service and his family’s loss.

Ronald Hemenway’s military career started later in life. He joined the U.S. Navy at age 30. But Hemenway found his calling and success as an electronics technician and earned a position in the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Hemenway, a 1982 graduate of Wasilla High School, was one of 125 people who were killed inside the Pentagon when hijackers flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the building.

Bob Hemenway, Ronald’s father, was home that day. Hemenway’s mother, Shirley, stopped at a friend’s house on her way to work. That’s when she first learned about the terrorist attacks on both the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

“I saw the Pentagon got hit. I didn’t know what happened,” Shirley said.

Shirley didn’t make it to work that day. Instead, the Hemenways frantically made phone calls, trying to find any news about their son.

Hemenway was also one of five victims who were never found.

“Everyone else was getting remains. We never got any remains,” Bob said. “The general said it was 3,000 degrees where Ron was. They never even found his dog tags.”

Bob, who served in the U.S. Air Force, said his son didn’t show much interest in the military earlier in his life. And then Hemenway had news for his parents.

“He came home one day and said to his mother, I’m going into the Navy,” Bob said. “He told his mother he was going to find a job with a future.”

And that was a surprise.

“Out of the blue,” Shirley said. “But most things about Ronald were out of the blue.”

Bob said Ronald traveled his own path in life.

“He marched to the beat of his own drummer,” Bob said.

Hemenway was born in Cordova in 1964. The Hemenway family moved to Tok a year later, spent seven years in Fairbanks and lived in Wasilla for another 15 years before relocating to the Lower 48. Bob and Shirley now live in Kansas.

Hemenway attended UAF and studied chemistry and photography before moving south with his family.

“He always liked to learn,” Shirley said.

Shirley said Ronald would spend time reading encyclopedias.

“If he said it, don’t argue with him. He probably just read it,” Shirley said.

After joining the Navy, Hemenway attended electronics school and graduated after 11 months as a Distinguished Military Graduate. Hemenway chose an assignment with the USS LaSalle and was stationed in Gaeta, Italy.

While stationed in Italy, he met and married Marinella in 1997 when he was 33. The couple had two children, Stefan and Desiree.

“He really loved his kids. He was a hands-on dad,” Bob said.

Bob and Shirley were back in Wasilla 10 years ago for the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. They were in the Valley for a ceremony that dedicated the Battlefield Cross Memorial in Hemenway’s memory. The memorial stands near the entrance at Wasilla High, Hemenway’s alma mater.

“We’re really happy about that,” Hemenway said of the memorial.

Bob Hemenway said they had hoped to return this year for the 20th anniversary but were unable to because of health reasons.

Kamilla Diamond grew up with Ronald Hemenway and his siblings and was their neighbor. Diamond was with the Hemenway family during the dedication on the 10th anniversary in 2011.

“Ever since they put the Battlefield Cross at Wasilla High School I go there and put flowers there on Sept. 11 and Memorial Day. I try to do it on his birthday,” Diamond said. “Every time I end up leaving ugly crying.”

The Hemenways have a tribute to their son, with pictures on a wall in their house. Bob said their oldest son bought a 25-foot flagpole for their yard.

“We’re incredibly proud of him,” Bob said.

Courtesy of Cade Wolf/Mat-Su Sentinel

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Farm to table: Unique opportunity helps Pioneer Peak students learn where their food comes from

Clovers club members walked groups of students through the entire farm to freezer process, explaining exactly what it takes to prepare a farm-raised turkey for a spot in the freezer or the next turkey dinner. And it was hands-on. Students participated in stages of the process, such as plucking the feathers and cleaning the bird.

Some Pioneer Peak Elementary students might have a different appreciation for their meal when they sit down to their turkey dinner on Thanksgiving this year. If they didn’t understand where the turkey on the plate came from, they do now.

Thanks to the school’s partnership with the Colony Clovers, a local 4-H chapter, groups of fifth graders were treated to a unique experience Friday.

Processing turkeys.

“What a cool experience we can give to our fifth-grade students at Pioneer Peak. It’s kind of our thing. We want to give kids unique experiences, and this is one of them,” Pioneer Peak Elementary principal Josie Schubert said. “What a neat opportunity that we have, partnering with 4-H to bring this kind of thing to our kiddos.”

This is the second year Pioneer Peak has had the event for its fifth graders. Schubert said the reception was great last year, and the school wanted to do it again. Participation was not required, and parents were asked to sign permission slips.

The idea came after a former Pioneer Peak student, Jackson Kincaid, brought a turkey he was raising to show his classmates last year. Jackson’s mom, Ashley, is a club leader in the Clovers program. A teacher told Ashley that they wished kids knew where their food comes from.

“I jokingly said, maybe we should do a butcher day at the school?” Kincaid said. “And she goes, could we?”

Kincaid talked to Schubert and the fifth-grade teachers, and everyone liked the idea, she said. Kincaid called upon another Clovers club leader, Lois Repnow, and additional parents to help during the event. Repnow said she typically butchers all of her turkeys at home. Kincaid asked Repnow about butchering the turkeys during an event for the students.

Before students ventured out to the field next to the school Friday, the 4-H club had tents and tables set up, and stations for the different parts of the process. All equipment used Friday was brought to the school by the club. The turkeys processed Friday were what is called “backup turkeys.”

“We raise a lot of backup turkeys. In 4-H if you auction an animal, you have a backup animal in case something happens to your main animal,” Repnow said. “Turkeys are a cheap backup.”

About 25 total turkeys were butchered and processed Friday, and everything was done on site. The turkeys were brought to the school alive. It has to be done that way, Kincaid said. The students are not involved with the first two steps of butchering the turkey. That is done by a 4-H leader. Once the blood is drained, the turkey is placed in a scalder. The hot water helps loosen the feathers. The next step, plucking the feathers, is where the hands-on experience starts for the students.

“We pluck everything and then they move from there onto one of the tables to do all of the gutting, making sure it’s trimmed well,” Kincaid said.

Kincaid speaks to the students beforehand, explaining how members of 4-H raise these turkeys for auction or to be butchered.

“We talk to kids about this is a respectful process. You don’t come out, make fun of the process. You have to be respectful about the bird that you’re harvesting and make sure you’re doing it as an educational purpose,” she said.

Kincaid said understanding the process of how meat and poultry get to the grocery store or dinner table is important.

“They don’t just show up in the meat counter like that,” Kincaid said. “It doesn’t happen. You actually have to go through the process of raising an animal and butchering and everything.”

The Kincaids have been raising turkeys for only two years. Jackson Kincaid, who is now a sixth-grader at Palmer Junior Middle School, was at a 4-H event three years ago and told his mom he wanted to be involved.

“When my mom one day said, do you want to do 4-H, I was jumping up and down. I was excited,” Jackson said.

Ashley and Jackson settled on something smaller, rather than a large animal. In the last two years, Jackson has had nine turkeys. Jackson said he does get attached to the birds.

“Your first year of doing turkeys, it isn't hard at all. But your second year, it gets kind of harder, because you know the animals way better. And you know what's going to happen,” Jackson said.

But it’s also part of understanding where food comes from, he said.

Shannon Criss was at the event Friday with her son, Jackson Criss.

“I think this is great,” Criss said of the event. “It shows the kids where their food comes from. Even me, I've never actually butchered a turkey before that hasn't come from a store, so it's beautiful. I've seen the whole process. It's a very large process,” Criss said.

Criss said it’s an important lesson.

“There’s a disconnect where food comes from. It doesn't just show up at the store. There's a very long process, so I think it's really important for the kids to see exactly how much work goes into it,” Criss said.

Criss said she appreciates these types of experiences that the school and district can provide for students like her son.

“I think it's really cool that they get the opportunity to do these types of things. I never got this opportunity when I was a kid,” Criss said.

Jeremiah Bartz is the community relations coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Redington student earns first place at Educators Rising National Conference

Liam Mozalevskiy was one of five Redington students to attend and about a dozen to place from the Mat-Su Borough School District in the conference that included thousands of aspiring educators from across the country.

Liam Mozalevskiy loves giving presentations.

As a student at Dena'ina Elementary, Liam would share the morning announcements on the school’s loudspeaker and serve as the emcee during assemblies. Now at Redington Jr./Sr. High School, Liam is a member of the school’s Educators Rising program. During the summer break, Liam turned his love to present into an opportunity to shine on a national stage. Liam finished first in his division during the Educators Rising National Conference at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, in late June.

Liam was one of five Redington students to attend and about a dozen to place from the Mat-Su Borough School District in the conference that included thousands of aspiring educators from across the country.

Liam led all MSBSD students at the conference with his first-place finish.

“I didn’t realize how big it truly was,” Liam said recently. “Now that I’ve had some time to think about it, I realized it’s a great accomplishment.”

Liam, competing as a seventh-grader, placed first in creative lecture. He created a slideshow and TED (technology, entertainment and design) talk. The topic was how the American education system could accommodate more students. Liam worked on the project throughout the year, and attended the Educators Rising State Conference at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in March, where he earned his trip to the national conference.

“The neat part is you get to connect with people,” Liam said. “And we get to create speeches.”

Christel Mozalevskiy doubles as Redington’s Educators Rising advisor and Liam's mom.

“It was incredible,” Christel said. “It was really cool to watch him build his (presentation). For someone who gets anxious at times, he was so chill and relaxed. A lot of pride. Really cool experience. I’ve been doing this for so many years, it’s been with kids I love and adore, but never my own child.”

Ahna Morphis, Maya Stewart, Daisy Cardoso and Valintina Polushkin also represented Redington at the national conference. Morphis placed third in public speaking, Stewart was sixth in creative lecture and Polushkin served as the outgoing state president and state delegate.

Christel has been a part of the Educators Rising program at Redington since its start at the school. She is an art teacher, education pathway instructor and Educators Rising advisor. In the past, the program was part of Future Teachers of America. This version of the program is part of career and technology education, and the CTE education pathway. It’s geared for students potentially pursuing a career in education, but that is not a requirement. The MSBSD includes schools that offer it as an official class, an afterschool club or both. Redington and Mat-Su Career and Technical High School currently offer Educators Rising as a class. Redington, Career Tech, Colony and Palmer have chapters that are afterschool clubs.

Students in the program compete in one of about 30 different categories, according to educatorsrising.org. Examples include children’s literature, public speaking, lesson planning and creative lecture, Liam’s division. The competitions are at the state and local level. The University of Alaska hosts the state competition each year through its partnership with Educators Rising Alaska and rotates the host venue between the Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau campuses. The 2027 state meet is in Juneau.

“If a student sticks with me ninth through 12th, they have the opportunity to see and kind of feel the experience of all three universities in Alaska during high school,” Christel said.

Alaska students earn the opportunity to qualify for the national conference at the state meet. Christel said Redington students have had the chance to travel to nationals since the beginning of the school’s program, with students visiting places such as Dallas, Texas, Orlando, Florida, and Washington D.C.

And there is more than just the competition, Christel said.

“Although the competition is the main focus, they participate in breakout sessions led by other students. It's all about student empowerment. We always have the national teacher of the year present at the national conference and our state conference always has the Alaska state teacher of the year. And so that's really amazing too. Students can kind of see what a career in education would look like, but also hear from some incredible professionals,” Christel said.

Participation in Educators Rising is growing rapidly, Christel said.

Liam and his classmates were among 10 MSBSD students to place in the top 10 during the national conference in June. Colony High’s Lucia Jackson (fifth, lesson planning and delivery STEM) and Matthew Anderson (seventh, lesson planning and delivery humanities); Palmer High’s Audrey Jordan (third, reactive lecture), Birgitta Barkwood (sixth, Pre-K children’s literature) and William Cannon (sixth, K-3 children’s literature); and Career Tech’s Rosalind Barron (ninth, lesson planning and delivery arts) and Ryvre Commini (10th, lesson planning and delivery CTE) also placed in the top 10.

Career Tech’s Ava Thompson earned the blue ribbon in interactive bulletin board, and Tech’s Elizabeth Cameron and Emelia Pennington received the red ribbon in interactive bulletin board.

Jeremiah Bartz is the community relations coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Senior at Mat-Su school named after his family will compete in the historic race his great-grandfather helped create

Isaac is a senior at Redington Jr./Sr. High, a school that opened 11 years ago in the Knik area known for its rich history of mushing and sled dog racing and is the great-grandson of Joe Redington Sr., the “Father of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.”

Normally, students do not have the chance to attend a school named after their family or compete in a world-renowned event founded by their great-grandfather.

Isaac Redington gets to do both.

In March of 2027, Isaac will compete in Iditarod, the historic race his great-grandfather helped create, while attending the high school named after his family.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Isaac said during his lunch period on a recent school day.

Isaac sat in a common area only a few dozen yards from a giant mural on a wall of the school with paintings of mushers and sled dogs. It's a glimpse of his family’s heritage for all of his teachers and classmates to see. Isaac said it means a lot to his family that the school is named Redington. In May he’ll be a Redington who graduates from Redington. His older sister Ellen Redington graduated from the school in 2023.

But he has something else to accomplish between now and graduation day. In March, Isaac will be an 18-year-old rookie in the Iditarod. As the 2026-27 school year started, the Redington staff made sure that Isaac would have a course schedule that would allow him to continue to satisfy his academic needs and goals while meeting the demands of training for the 1,100-mile sled dog race from Willow to Nome. Redington principal Matt Swalling said it is important to the staff to help Isaac remain as a successful student at his traditional school while he has the opportunity to pursue his dream of competing in the Iditarod. Isaac said it means a lot that the school staff is there to help him balance academics and training.

“They were really understanding. I feel like they’d be more understanding than any other school,” Isaac said. “Mr. Swalling is a real active guy. Every time I go out on a training run, I always see him on his fat tire bike. He always cheers me on when I’m out there training.”

Isaac has a four-period schedule, which allows him to leave at 1 p.m. to train his team. But it’s also not any easy course load. His classes included advanced placement calculus, advanced placement biology and health occupations.

“I really like math and science,” Isaac said. “I find those most interesting.”

Isaac plans to attend UAF next year and study civil engineering.

Mushing will always be part of his life and wants to compete in the Iditarod as many times as he can, he said, but also wants to make sure he also has a career that provides financial stability.

Mushing has already been part of his entire life.
“I’ve been on the back of a sled for as long as I can remember,” Isaac said. “I’ve always been running one- or two-dog teams for as long as I can remember. Then I slowly bumped up.”

It was in about the fourth or fifth grade that he got more serious and started to work with 10-dog teams. He started competing in the seventh grade in the Willow Jr. 100 and finished seventh. Since, Isaac has been part of the Junior Iditarod four times, the Goose Bay 150, Copper Basin 300 and Knik 200.

Now it’s time for the Iditarod. Isaac officially signed up for the 2027 race during the Iditarod Trail Committee's annual volunteer picnic during the summer and now represents his family’s fourth generation in the race.

“It’s always been a dream of mine,” he said. “As long as I can remember I always wanted to run. I think in fifth or sixth grade I found out I can run in my senior year. I’ve been committed since then to try to work out everything so I can run this year.”

Isaac’s dad, Ray Redington Jr., competed in the Iditarod 17 times. Ray Jr. has six top-10 finishes and placed a career-high fourth in 2018. His grandfather Raymie Redington was in the Iditarod a dozen times and finished his first race in 1974. The mushing family tree also includes his uncles, Ryan and Robert. Ryan has 19 Iditarod races in his career so far and he won the Last Great Race in 2023. Robert has been in the race four times.

Isaac will also be competing in the Iditarod as a rookie with his own team, not another team from the family kennel.

“I’ve raised them all since they were pups. I harness-broke them,” Isaac said.

It’s important that he has his own team, he said.

“My dad will help me feed and water the dogs, but all of the training I do by myself,” Isaac said. “My dad, my uncles, none of my family run my team. I run my team. I find that is the best way so that the dogs really build the trust with me.”

Of all his dogs, Isaac will narrow the group down to a team of 16 for the Iditarod.

“I get to know each dog. They’re unique in their own way,” he said.

Isaac said his dad will help feed and water his dogs in the morning so he can get to school. After school, he grabs a snack and then goes to work with his dogs.

The short training runs start in September. They slowly work their way to longer distances, starting with a mile or two. By November or December, Isaac said they will do 50- or 60-mile training runs. Then they will mix in layovers on longer training runs, go for 25 miles and then spread straw out so the dogs can rest about four hours, mimicking a race schedule. Training could last eight hours after school, he said.

Between his dad, grandfather and uncles, there has been plenty of wisdom shared.

“I got a lot of advice already but probably will get a lot more this upcoming winter,” he said.

But the stories are part of his family’s heritage. The legacy is important, he said, as he represents the fourth generation of Redingtons on the trial.

“I want to keep the tradition alive for as long as I can and hopefully pass it down for generations to come,” Isaac said.

Jeremiah Bartz is the community relations coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Labor of love: Big Lake Elementary librarian named MSBSD Employee of the Month

Chris Stegall, a longtime local educator was treated to a surprise courtesy of Mat-Su Borough School District Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani and Big Lake Elementary Principal Chrissy Lovelace.

Chris Stegall sat in a chair in the corner of the Big Lake Elementary library Friday morning, book in hand, reading to about a dozen youngsters with bright eyes and attuned ears. It’s one of the first opportunities Stegall, the Big Lake Elementary librarian, has had to take a moment during the new school year to read to these students. Stegall and her students have spent most of their time together during the first few weeks of school learning about everything new in the Big Lake Elementary Library, including a vast collection of books the school received from Larson Elementary following the 2025-26 school year.

After Stegall flipped the final page of the book, the longtime local educator was treated to a surprise courtesy of Mat-Su Borough School District Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani and Big Lake Elementary Principal Chrissy Lovelace.

Stegall was named the Mat-Su Borough School District Employee of the Month. She was presented with gifts and kind words. The pair praised Stegall for her longtime effort and commitment to her students and school libraries, and her most recent work beyond the call of duty. Stegall spent her entire summer revamping the school’s library with the new collection.

“Every day. And some of them were long,” Stegall said.

For Stegall, it was a labor of love.

“We were so fortunate to be offered the Larson library,” Stegall said. “That was a library I had a great hand in curating.”

Stegall came to Big Lake Elementary from Larson prior to the 2025-26 school year.

“I was super familiar with all of the things that were there, and they gave us the shelves and everything,” she said.

Stegall said Levi Fischer played a huge role helping to re-assemble the shelves.

“We worked together to get it in all of the right places so the collection would fit, because we still had books from Big Lake to add to it,” she said.

Stegall said the rest of the summer was spent putting about 16,000 books on shelves. She also reflected on the history of what the school did have in the library in the past.

“I knew what we were letting go at Big Lake. This was a very, very old collection. It really was an archive. This is a very new collection. It supports curriculum and it supports kids’ current interests. I felt like this could really support the whole school. It was really fun to put together.”

Stegall started her tenure with the district as a second-grade teacher at Finger Lake Elementary in 2006. She was later moved to the library.

“I loved it. I knew that it was my forever home,” Stegall said of a school library.

During her career in the Mat-Su, Stegall has overseen the elementary libraries at Finger Lake, Knik, Larson and now Big Lake.

“I love it,” she said of the school. “This is a neat place. It’s a great community. Hopefully this is my last home.”

There is so much she appreciates about her job, she said.

“The best part of my job is that I get to work with absolutely everyone. I work with the adults. I work with the children. I get to help everybody,” she said. “That’s one of my favorite parts. But connecting kids with the books is the best.”

Lovelace said she is excited to help recognize Stegall.

“She is most deserving of the award. She is more than a school librarian. She is a champion of literacy,” Lovelace said.

Lovelace said Stegall was a tremendous addition to the school and its community.

“She transformed and renovated our entire library and made it a place that is engaging for all kids to love reading and learn about all the exciting things in the world. She brings in STEM and activities and just engages kids and excites them about learning, about books, about writing, about authors. She brings it all in,” Lovelace said. “She does an amazing job with all of our kids and the staff and across the district as well. Chris Stegall is the primo of all librarians. We love having her at Big Lake Elementary.”

Stegall is also involved in various major projects, including Camp Read Alot, and is the chair of Battle of the Books in the district.

Jeremiah Bartz is the community relations coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Despite winless record in 2025, the Wasilla football program graduated four players who are now competing at the college level

Zorn Allen, Kamoori Moore, Adam Corneliussen and Conner Zundel are now on college teams after finishing their careers with the Warriors and graduating as part of the class of 2026.

The 2025 prep football season was rough for the Wasilla Warriors. Wasilla finished 0-8 on the season. While there was not an official varsity win on the season record, the Wasilla coaching staff can claim victory.

Four members of their senior class graduated to the next level and are now playing college football.

Zorn Allen, Kamoori Moore, Adam Corneliussen and Conner Zundel are now on college teams after finishing their careers with the Warriors and graduating as part of the class of 2026.

“All four of those guys just had a love for the game,” Wasilla head coach Matt Jaronik said. “They came in not having a ton of football experience and just fell in love with the process. Every day coming to practice is what they enjoyed. Games are awesome. But every single day is what they mentioned and what they just really liked. They wanted to keep going with it.”

Allen is now at Minnesota State Moorehead, an NCAA Division II program, and is playing outside linebacker for the Dragons.

“He’s been getting reps. He’s one of the most positive kids. Last year he was our glue guy, the guy who connects everything and makes it all work,” Jaronik said.

Zundel and Corneliussen will continue as teammates, this time at St. John’s University, an NCAA Division III program, in Collegeville, Minnesota. Zundel is currently on defense at safety.

“I think he’s got a good chance. He’s just got a nose for the football,” Jaronik said. “Anytime a safety has a nose for the football, he’s going to have an opportunity to get on the field early. Maybe some special teams.”

Corneliussen is playing receiver at the college level. Jaronik said he’s lining up in the slot position.

“It might take some time there with the collegiate speed and learning all the route running and everything. But I think he has a good shot to play,” Jaronik said.

Moore is at Rockford University, an NCAA Division III school in Rockford, Illinois. The freshman checked in at 6-foot-5 and 360 pounds. He is playing offensive tackle.

“(The Rockford head coach) is very excited about him,” Jaronik said.

Moore has a lot of potential, Jaronik said, and could see significant playing time. A key could be the chance to focus on one side of the ball. Moore spent his first three seasons of high school football in Georgia before moving to Wasilla ahead of his senior year. After playing just offensive tackle his entire career, the Wasilla coaching staff needed Moore on both the offense and defensive lines in 2025.

“Playing on both sides of the ball was new to him,” Jaronik said. “It took some adjusting, but he started to figure it out by the end of the year.”

The winless season in 2025 was frustrating. But seeing four of his seniors continue to play after high school is rewarding, Jaronik said.

“It makes me feel good about what we are doing day-to-day in our program, what our assistants are doing, how they are engaging with our players,” Jaronik said.

Wasilla assistant coach Danny O’Neill is the program’s recruiting coordinator. O’Neill played college and professional indoor football.

“He has a lot of connections,” Jaronik said.

Jeremiah Bartz is the community relations coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Redington enjoying ‘great success’ with grant-funded afterschool program

The afterschool programs through the grant have been in place as schools such as Burchell High School and Valley Pathways School. Now Redington is on the list of schools that can offer quarter-long classes that are worth a semester of credit.

Afterschool programs funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Grant are nothing new in the Mat-Su Borough School District, but they were to Redington Jr./Sr. High School last year and quickly became a popular option for Redington students to take more courses and earn additional credits.

With the new school year here, Redington principal Matt Swalling is excited to see the program grow.

The afterschool programs through the grant have been in place at schools such as Burchell High School and Valley Pathways School. Now Redington is on the list of schools that can offer quarter-long classes that are worth a semester of credit. Swalling said 126 students took the afterschool classes last year, and the vast majority completed the courses and earned credit.

“We’ve had really great success,” Swalling said.

The afterschool course list last year included drumline, painting, personal finance, ceramics, plant science, astronomy, weight lifting, personal fitness, educational travel and culinary chemistry. Swalling called them “high-engagement” courses. There were three offered per quarter, plus a tutoring or study hall session. The grant also includes funds for a free meal for each student after school. Students attend the afterschool classes four days each week from the end of the regular school day until 4:30 p.m.

Redington is currently offering a small ensemble music course, construction trades and geology class, plus study hall and tutoring, during the first quarter of the school year.

“We have purposely chosen high-engagement classes that kids might not otherwise be able to get in,” Swalling said.

Staff also pick classes they believe will draw more students to the afterschool program.

“Kids are going to be a little more motivated in the high-engagement classes. More motivated and more willing to do something extra," Swalling said.

Course selection can also motivate the teachers to want to continue their day after the final bell rings.

“For teachers, it’s also a motivator,” he said.

There are teachers who have been passionate about a particular subject, but they have not had the chance to teach it, the principal said.

Swalling said Redington science teacher Kelly Schnittker is teaching the geology course this quarter and has plans to provide her students with hands-on learning. There is potential for a field trip to a local sand and gravel company so students can see the types of aggregates that are worked with, and to Hatcher Pass to look at natural rock.

“They’re trying to make it more exciting,” Swalling said.

Currently, Redington is looking at offering criminal justice, computer building and cinema of the arts classes during the second quarter; welding, 3D art and a greenhouse class in the third quarter; and 2D art and culinary science in the fourth quarter. Swalling said he does anticipate more classes added to the list.

Students must attend Redington to enroll in the courses. They are open to middle and high school students, but only high school students earn credit.

Anna Chebukina is the local director for the 21st Century grant.

“We were very excited to see how the kids responded,” Chebukina said of the Redington students.

The grant is federally funded through the Department of Early Education.

“Basically we offer students a space to explore new things,” Chebukina said.

Burchell has been connected to the grant program longer than any other school in the district. Programs funded by the grant have also been offered at schools such as Iditarod Elementary and Wasilla Middle School in the past. But currently the focus is Burchell, Pathways and Redington. With this strategy, Chebukina said the grant can provide more opportunities for high school students to gain additional skills before they graduate.

“We've been offering a lot of (career and technology education) classes, so things that will get you a foot in the door to a trade school or a certificate of some kind,” Chebukina said.

Jeremiah Bartz is the community relations coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

ABLE: District program gives students the ability to catch up and earn credits at a progressed rate

Burchell is among MSBSD schools that use ABLE, a credit recovery program that gives students the opportunity to catch up and earn credits at a more rapid rate.

There are students who fall behind in their coursework. It’s a simple reality. Some find themselves so far behind in their total credits that the idea of walking across the stage to receive their high school diploma on graduation day becomes more of an illusion rather than reality.

But the Mat-Su Borough School District has a program that gives students the ability to work their way back.

It’s the Academy of Blended Learning Education (ABLE).

“We’ve had juniors come in with zero credits,” Burchell High School teacher Lisa Boswell said, and they were able to catch up on the credits and graduate their senior year.

Burchell is among MSBSD schools that use ABLE, a credit recovery program that gives students the opportunity to catch up and earn credits at a progressed rate. At Burchell, Boswell is one of three teachers who oversee the ABLE program. Boswell, Simon Nashold and Deborah Magoon work with students daily to get them back on track to graduate. Boswell, Nashold and Magoon are more than just teachers. They’re mentors who help guide their students and navigate them to their diploma.

Burchell created a large learning space for students in the program. Cubicles line the walls and the teachers have their own islands of workspace in the middle of the room. This is where students spend their school day.

“The thing that’s really cool is they are with us the whole day,” Boswell said. “You really get to know the kids. Trust is built. Once you build that with a student, they tend to perform much better. Most of our kids have had really bad experiences in the traditional school, because it’s not for everyone. That’s why we have an alternative setting. I tell them, it’s not that it’s a bad school. It just didn’t work for you. It works for the majority. It did not work for you.”

Magoon said the environment they’ve created in ABLE is simply a better fit for certain students.

“We have some high anxiety kids who are really smart. They just can’t do it in a class of 40,” Magoon said. “When they come in and figure out they can ask any question without anybody saying anything, they loosen up. They thrive. The need to feel safe. They need to feel accepted.”

Burchell’s ABLE program currently includes 81 total students at any point of the school year. Each mentor has a caseload of 27 students. The process starts with an online application. The school counselor meets with each student and their parent or guardian to make sure the program is an appropriate fit for the student. ABLE mentors help students take ownership of their own path to graduation, coaching them on things they can do to be successful while providing them with a judgement-free space they can feel safe.

It’s a more hands-on approach as mentors make sure their students get back on track to graduate and stay on track.

“We’ve spent a lot of time and effort into creating a culture that is productive and calm and respectful where students feel welcome and they're able to get in here and do what they need to graduate,” Nashold said.

The curriculum is specifically designed for the ABLE program, Nashold said, curated by teachers with the idea of allowing students to gain the knowledge and skills needed to earn the required credits and a rapid rate.

“It’s really narrowed down to the essentials,” Nashold said. “While or classes are designed to meet district and state standards, all the fluff has been cut out.”

Nashold said, with the program, students can power through classes quickly.

“In some cases, if they come in and work hard, they’re motivated and they work really hard, they can get a lot of credits,” Nashold said.

The average class length is about two weeks, Nashold said.

ABLE is for juniors and seniors who are well off pace to graduate.

“If they’re a credit or two behind, they might get them caught up,” Nashold said of the traditional high schools. “But if they are more than that a junior, they start referring them to us.”

But that does not always happen.

“We’ve gotten kids that should have been referred to us as juniors. We get them as seniors and they are way behind,” Nashold said.

Boswell said they also try to find ways to recognize the students’ success. When a student is three classes away from finishing, they get a star on their desk and it’s celebrated. She said that also helps inspire other students.

“They get excited,” she said.

Burchell also has bulletin boards in the hallway with the ABLE All-Stars. When a student gets their star, they get their their photo on the billboard. Last year, they started with one bulletin board and had to make two more.

One of the most common questions, Boswell said, is what happens when they get caught up. Students ask if they have to leave.

“We tell them no, this is now your school. If they want they can stay, or they can go back to their (boundary) school. The vast majority stay.”

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Mat-Su Career and Technical High School student climbs Denali

Ian Naylor, a Mat-Su Career and Technical High School senior, reached the summit June 17 at 7:10 p.m., part of a group of six climbers and two guides with the Alaska Mountaineering School.

A big part of the first days back to school are all of the “what did you do during your summer break” stories. Ian Naylor’s is pretty hard to top.

Naylor climbed Denali.

The Mat-Su Career and Technical High School senior reached the summit June 17 at 7:10 p.m., part of a group of six climbers and two guides with the Alaska Mountaineering School. Naylor said he tends to not get too emotional, but after about a year of preparation and more than two weeks conquering North America’s highest mountain peak, an exception was made that evening.

“I do remember shedding a few tears. It was a beautiful day and just an amazing feeling to be up that high and see the view,” Naylor said after sharing his story with the Mat-Su Borough School District School Board during a meeting Aug. 19. “I thought back to all of the months of preparation and thinking about the trip, and just hoping I would even get a window to summit. All of that just sort of hit me in the final few steps up to the summit.”

Naylor is now part of a special club, climbers who can say they successfully tackled Denali. And to make the story even better, Naylor is only 17.

Months later, Naylor said his accomplishment is still sinking in.

“I find myself looking back at photos a lot,” he said.

Naylor said the final days on the mountain were intense. Not only was the group on the verge of reaching the summit, one of the climbers suffered frostbite on their hands late in the trip. Naylor was asked to help the injured climber get down the mountain safely after they reached the summit.

“We had a very long, like 36-hour push down the mountain to get the injured climber on our team to medical attention,” Naylor said. “There was not a lot of time to really process what had happened. I was really tired. Flying to Talkeetna and then driving home, it sort of just hit me that I really achieved my goal.”

Naylor has grown up in the outdoors. His family has loved outdoor activities throughout his life, he said. He competes in Mount Marathon every summer, and spends a lot of time on local trails and mountains.

Naylor has a close friend from Anchorage who was also part of the group that reached Denali’s summit that day. The pair have been involved in alpine skiing for a long time, and often go hiking and climbing together. Last year, Naylor and his friend completed a 12-day mountaineering course in the Alaska Range to further their skills and help better understand the more technical aspects of climbing the taller mountains.

“It was really on that course talking to the instructors who knew so much about mountaineering and other mountains that we (got) the idea that we wanted to climb Denali before we turned 18. And then we just took it from there,” Naylor said.

That mountaineering course was in June of 2025, which gave Naylor about a year to prepare. Naylor attends Mat-Su Career Tech, but he’s also an athlete at his boundary school, Palmer High. He’s a member of the boys basketball, cross-country running and track and field teams. That helps with his stamina, he said. He also works out five or six times a week to help with his strength for climbing. During the winter, Naylor said he included more Denali-specific activities such as ice climbing and working with climbing ropes. He would hike Lazy Mountain with 70 pounds in his backpack.

“Any time I would go do one of those activities, I had Denali in the back of my mind,” he said.

Naylor said he had about 120 pounds of gear on the first day of the trip and packed that to the first camp. On any given day after that, Naylor would have between 50 and 70 pounds to carry. There was a long checklist of gear. Personal gear included boots, base and warmer layers of clothing, and all of his technical gear such as an ice axe, crampons, harness and carabiners. There was also the team gear, such as tents and cooking supplies, which was split up among the group to spread the weight around.

Setting up camp took time. Climbers dig out platforms for the tents so they are level. The tents used on the mountain are not anchored by stakes like the average campground tent. Naylor said there are little parachutes climbers fill with snow and then bury to help hold the tent in place during harsh weather.

There were two climbers per tent until the crew reached the 17,000-foot camp, where they had three climbers in a tent.

Naylor said he would average six or seven hours of sleep each night.

“The sleep schedule was interesting because I am normally someone who stays up very late. I’m a night owl. Getting up at 4 or 5 in the morning on the lower glacier, I would normally try to be in bed at 8. Sleeping was difficult because as any Alaskan would know it’s light the entire summer. Sleeping in a tent with the sun can be challenging. But normally I was so tired from the day I would lay down and fall asleep,” Naylor said.

Meals were mainly rice-based or pasta.
“We didn’t eat a lot of freeze-dried meals, which I am very thankful for,” he said.

Between meals, he would snack on meat and cheese or Snickers bars. Naylor said he was consuming 4,000 to 5,000 per day, as much as he could eat. He also lost 10 pounds during the trip.

All of their water came from boiling snow. The climbers had a large bag they would fill with snow, and would boil it on their camp stoves. He tried to make sure he was drinking about six liters of water a day.

Naylor said his group averaged three or four miles per day in distance with about 3,000 feet of elevation gain each day.

“Climbing, carrying all of that weight in an environment like that was very new to me,” he said. “I had never been at that much elevation before. Dealing with having to move that slow and be calculated and taking rest breaks was very new to me. All of the local climbs and hikes I do, I always went very light and fast with gear.”

The group spent about 18 days on the mountain. After coming down from the summit, the group spent a night at high camp. From there, the group made their way down the mountain in about 36 hours.

The climb is not just physically taxing, but also mentally challenging, he said.
“Sometimes when the visibility was bad, I would just have to put trust in my team members and trust in my guides,” Naylor said.

On the lower mountain, Naylor said it could be as warm as 40 to 45 degrees during the height of the day and -10 at night. On the upper side, it would get to about 10 or 15 degrees and as cold as -25.

“It takes a toll on your body that you really don’t notice at the start,” Naylor said of the temperature swings. “It’s really hot during the day, and you are moving and sweating and losing a lot of electrolytes. Then when it’s cold at night, your body is working extra to keep you warm. You need to really prioritize eating plenty and drinking plenty of water to combat that.”

The weather, overall, was decent during his trip, he said.

“As far as I’ve heard from what other climbers have told me, I think we got pretty lucky with the weather,” Naylor said.

The group had two bad weather days at 11,000 feet, and stayed in their tents at the camp. There were two other bad days of weather at their camp at 14,000 feet.

“I remember waking up and the tent walls were really getting blown in by the harsh winds,” Naylor said. “Everything was covered in snow when I walked out of the tent.”

Naylor is already thinking about his next expedition. He would like to climb Mount Marcus Baker, the tallest mountain in the Chugach Range. He’s also looking at mountains in the Lower 48 for trips he can do with friends and without a guide, including Mount Rainier in Washington. There are also bucket list trips like Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.

Naylor is enrolled in the business pathway at Mat-Su Career Tech. He has also taken courses in the fitness and building pathways. Naylor is planning on attending college next year. Montana State University and the University of Utah are his top choices. He’s not sure what he will study. But he does know, wherever he goes, there must be mountains nearby.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Nervous excitement: The first day of kindergarten in the Mat-Su Borough School District

Maddisen Lukin was one of hundreds of parents across the Mat-Su Borough School District bringing their child to their first day of kindergarten as she walked her daughter Sophia through the doors of Tanaina Elementary Thursday morning.

The first day of kindergarten. Who is more nervous? The parent or the student?

It depends on who you ask.

“It’s hard. She’s my baby,” Lukin said after she helped Sophia settle into her new classroom. “She’s excited. I think I’m more hurt than she is. She’s excited to be right there now.”

Lukin said this milestone came, “faster than I thought.”

Lukin does share excitement, she said.

“I’m excited to hear about her first day. I’m excited to see my daughter flourish in her class,” Lukin said.

Jodi McAllister and Austin Lowell brought their twin daughters, Cicada and Soriyah, to Tanaina for their first day.

“So far, so good,” McAllister said. “We’ll see how the day goes, but we’re nervous for us and them.”

Both said they’re adapting to life as parents of school-aged children now, but it takes time to get used to.

“We know they’ll love it. They’ll make friends,” McAllister said.

Tanaina principal Cherrie Cyr said there also can be nerves among the staff.

“I get nervous because I want it to be perfect for our kindergartners, and our teachers, and our parents,” Cyr said. “I want it to be positive.”

There are some tears, but Cyr said the key is to continue to be positive.

Her advice to parents bringing their children to school for the first time?

“Trust the teachers in the classroom because we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have their best interests,” Cyr said. “It might be a little bit hard. But once the kids are here, they typically jump right in.”

Cyr said there are about 50 students registered for kindergarten at her school. The kids are split into classrooms led by teachers Melissa Griffin and Macha Thoene.

Griffin is starting her 12th year at Tanaina and 10th as a kindergarten teacher.

“It’s always exciting,” Griffin said of the first day. “I love seeing the joy on the kids. It’s an adventure for them. It’s an adventure getting to know the new kids.”

The first few days are all about acclimating and exciting the students, Griffin said.

“It’s a lot of getting to know each other, getting to know us, learning what school is like,” Griffin said. “For a lot of kids this is their first taste of school. It’s kind of scary for us too. They’re babies. We don’t want to scare them off. We want them to be excited to come back the next day.”

Thoene is starting her second year as a kindergarten teacher at Tanaina, after teaching eight years in Idaho. She’s now teaching at the same elementary school her husband attended as a child. Thoene tries to reassure the parents of her students.

“They’re going to be okay,” she said. “They’re coming into a safe environment here and the kids are going to have a good time. No need to worry about them.”

Tanaina also has a Pre-K classroom. Heather Trouy brought her 3-year-old son Silas for his first day.

“He went in and had a good time and didn’t even know we left,” Trouy said.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Capturing history: Palmer High student creates a documentary telling the story of the Northern Knights FRC robotics team

Fickes filmed, directed, edited, produced and released “3,100 Miles to Victory,” a movie that follows the Northern Knights during their historic journey from Alaska to Minnesota to compete in the First Robotics Competition regional championship last spring. The program is hosting a special showing of the film Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Colony High School theatre.

Carter Fickes has no problem staying busy.

The Palmer High School junior is an International Baccalaureate student, a member of the Northern Knights FRC robotics team and has his own photography business.

Now he can add documentary filmmaker to the list.

Fickes is the business manager for the Northern Knights, a robotics team based at Colony High School. He maintains the team’s website and social media, and pursues sponsorships and grants to help fund the team’s efforts. He said it’s the program and his teammates that sparked the idea for a potential film.

“Our robotics team, our story was really my inspiration,” he said. “I do a lot of media. My job on our team is to (tell) our story. I thought I might as well portray it in a movie-like fashion to actually tell the story so that the common person watching it would kind of get the whole idea and the scope of the actual mission to do this.”

The Northern Knights were a rookie team from Alaska participating in a massive competition. Members of the team packed an 85-pound robot they built themselves into a wooden crate and brought it to Minnesota.

Armed with his Canon Rebel T3i 600D, Fickes started capturing footage as his team prepared for the trip and continued throughout the journey.

“I knew going into the trip I was going to put something together, What that was, was still up in the air,” Fickes said.

Fickes has made short videos before. This could have been 10 or 20 minutes, he said. But the end result is a 1 hour, 3 minute documentary.

“I knew what I wanted to do was capture the footage, capture the story, whether we won or not,” Fickes said. “We’re the only team from Alaska. I want to tell our story to inspire younger kids in other levels of robotics.”

Fickes said, regardless of how the Northern Knights did in the competition, there was a story to be told.

“I knew going into it, we were the underdogs,” Fickes said. “Our mindset going to Minnesota was to try our best, meet other teams and make relationships so that whether we win or not, we can have connections.”

The Northern Knights exceeded any expectation they could have dreamed of. The Knights became the first FRC (First Robotics Competition) team from the 49th state to win a regional championship. Robots were built by teams to gather and shoot foam balls at targets on the event stage. Teams used offensive and defensive strategies and formed alliances with other programs, as they worked through the qualifying and later rounds.

And “3,100 Miles to Victory,” takes viewers on the entire ride.

“You see all the struggles, all the problems we had to go through to get there,” Fickes said.

Fickes did all of the work on the documentary himself. He has no formal training and is completely self-taught.

“Watching YouTube videos and just learning on the fly,” he said.

In total, Fickes estimates he shot between 150 and 200 hours of footage. He has more than 65 gigabytes of film footage. That doesn’t count music and sound effects.

Most of the gear he used is his own, including his camera, lenses and microphones. He was able to borrow lighting and sound equipment from Colony High’s multimedia department for the staged interviews in the film.

He used CapCut Pro to edit and put together his film. That process took months. He started organizing and editing footage the day he started shooting. After that, a lot of his free time was devoted to working on the film. He even downloaded a version so he could work offline during a family trip to Valdez over the summer.

“I was doing it piece-by-piece, chunk-by-chunk,” he said.

Late in the process he showed rough cuts to family members to get some feedback.

Fickes finished his final cut about a month ago, but continued to make minor tweaks until the night before the film was live online. The movie has been on YouTube for about two weeks, and had more than 600 views as of Aug. 19.

Fickes will have a chance to see his film alongside his teammates and an audience of guests on Saturday.

He said he wants to continue making films. He’s just not sure when he will be ready for his next project. Fickes said he has plenty of footage from his team's trip to worlds in Houston in late April. The Northern Knights earned that opportunity by winning regionals.

Fickes stays very active in still photography. He has his own business — CF Photography. His aunt got him interested and his grandparents bought him his own camera three years ago. Since then, he’s branched out in several areas and has photographed weddings, events, senior portraits and high school athletics.

As an IB student at PHS, Fickes is taking courses such as history, philosophy and chemistry. He said he also loves literature, creative writing and foreign languages. He is semi-fluent in Spanish and can also speak some French.

Fickes said he hopes photography is a big part of his future and is considering career fields like marketing or journalism.

Fickes got into robotics while he was a middle school student at Academy Charter School. Prior to his freshman year at PHS, Fickes was invited to check out the robotics program at Colony High. He wanted to be involved and joined the club. The team is not made up of strictly Colony High students. There is Fickes and another student from Mat-Su Career and Technical High School. CHS is the team’s home base. Fickes said he does not necessarily work much with the robot itself. Team members have their primary roles, whether it be building the robot, writing the code or operating the robot.

“I work with other aspects that contribute to the robot,” he said. “My job is to make people interested.”

That’s where the work with the website and social media, and pursuing sponsorships and grants comes into play. For more about the team, see sites.google.com/view/northernknightsrobotics/home.

Watch the film at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMRQGN1-FwU&t=872s.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Mentorship: The foundation of Valley Pathways

Those staff advisors are mentors. Each student is paired with a mentor from their first day walking the school’s hallways to the chance to walk across the stage and receive their diploma on graduation day.

Those unfamiliar with Valley Pathways can learn a lot about the Palmer-area alternative school by watching its commencement celebration. During each ceremony every May, staff advisors take a few moments to say a few words and recognize every single student graduating as part of that Pathways class.

And those graduation speeches written or unscripted off-the-cuff represent the relationship, accomplishments and basis for Pathways’ structure and culture.

“It is the foundational piece for our program. The mentorship. We build everything around the mentorship,” Pathways principal William Reeder said.

Reeder has nearly 15 years invested at Pathways, two years as principal and another dozen as a teacher.

“I’ve lived that life (as a mentor), and it’s the most rewarding thing,” Reeder said. “To see the kids start in one place and end in another place, and as the administrator being able to keep that culture alive is super rewarding. You go to a graduation for Pathways and you can see how rewarding it is for the teachers.”

The reward is not the staff members’ own personal gain. It’s the growth and success of the student, he said. That journey starts as soon as the student and family make Pathways their choice for education. As soon as the student is registered, the process starts with an interview.

“Every single student comes and meets with us before they ever come to school. We find out what they're like, what their challenges are, what their strengths are. But then also what type of adults make them feel safe, trusted and loved,” Reeder said.

Pairing the right mentor with each student is a process the Pathways staff takes seriously.

“I ask them to describe your favorite teacher in all your years of school,” Reeder said. “I try to find somebody to match them that is similar in personality, someone they can build a connection with.”

Reeder said they look at a variety of factors. Is the student more comfortable with a male or female advisor? Someone a bit boisterous or a little more laid back?

Once a match is made, that mentorship begins as the student enters their journey at Valley Pathways.

“We make sure from Day 1, the first person they meet in the school is their mentor and becomes the go-to person here at the school,” Reeder said.

And that mentor does not change.

“That person is their mentor as long as they’re at Valley Pathways,” Reeder said. “They’re classes will change, but they’ll always have a mentor that stays the same.”

Reeder said each student meets with their mentor for at least 40 minutes each school day. The school’s master schedule is built around the time shared by mentors and students.

“The structure of our school is built around that relationship,” Reeder said.

Pathways is also a credit recovery school.

“Probably the number one reason why kids come to our school is because they've fallen behind on credits and they're needing some type of credit recovery or credit acceleration,” Reeder said.

That’s a valuable resource for those who are behind, but Reeder said it’s not the only reason students and families choose Pathways.

“But we also have kids who have come here who are just trying to start over, they need a second chance because they've had behavioral issues in other schools, they kept getting into trouble at other schools, and a lot of times that's just because they're a little fish in a huge pond, so we bring them into a smaller pond to give them that more individual supervision and connection,” Reeder said. “Then we have some kids that are high anxiety kids that don't perform well in a class of 45 kids. I can get that classroom size down to around 20.”

Pathways students work on credit recovery through the Academy of Blended Learning Education (ABLE) program. It is the same program that is also offered by Burchell High School in Wasilla. It’s an opportunity for students to earn credits at an accelerated rate to stay on track for graduation.

In this program, if a student can demonstrate a skill in an essential standard, the student does not have to complete additional lessons designed to teach that skill. If the student meets that standard, the student moves on to the next essential skill. Coursework in this program is stripped down to allow the student to focus on essential knowledge and skills. The lessons were curated by Pathways and Burchell staff.

“As a result, if the kid comes in and they work hard, they come in every day and stay focused, they can achieve credits at about twice the rate as a student would be able to achieve otherwise,” Reeder said.

Reeder said this helps make it possible for a student to complete a four-year program in three years of time.

Valley Pathways’ regular classroom schedule is also quarter-based, not semester based like the traditional brick and mortar schools.

“Kids are able to achieve 8.5 credits a year, which means it's already an accelerated model to where if they came in as a sophomore with no credits, they could take regular classes and if they passed all their classes they would be able to graduate on time,” Reeder said.

For more on Valley Pathways, see vps.matsuk12.us.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su School District.

Donuts and pictures: Mat-Su father, daughter continue longtime first day of school tradition

It’s a tradition that’s spanned more than two decades, since Thompson’s first, first day of school as a kindergarten student at Pioneer Peak Elementary. Thompson is 29 now, and is in her seventh year of teaching in the Mat-Su Borough School District. But to Beaulieu, Thompson will never be too old for donuts and a picture on the first day of school.

There are some traditions you never grow too old for.

About an hour before students were set to arrive for the first day of school at Knik Elementary, Dean Beaulieu met his daughter Kayla Thompson near the front entrance with donuts. Beaulieu snapped a photo of Thompson in front of the school, just like any proud dad would on the first day of school.

“She’s my sweetie,” Beaulieu said.

Each year, as she started a new school year at Pioneer Peak, Colony Middle and Colony High, Thompson would get her donut and Beaulieu would get his photo. Beaulieu still has all the photos somewhere, he said. Beaulieu continued when Thompson started her teaching career at Meadow Lakes Elementary seven years ago.

“I think I just laughed when he said I’ll be at school tomorrow on my first day of teaching,” Thompson said.

This is Thompson’s first year of teaching at Knik.

“A true first day. I have a lot to learn,” said Thompson, who teaches fourth grade.

And every year, it’s the same flavor of donut.

“I get the sprinkled donut,” Thompson said. “Always sprinkles.”

It’s a tradition Beaulieu continues to cherish.

“I love it. She’s my only kid in Alaska now,” said Beaulieu, who also has a son in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The tradition may not end with Thompson, who made Beaulieu a grandfather when her son was born not too long ago. Beaulieu is looking forward to more first-day donuts and pictures in the future with his daughter and grandchild.

“It’ll be easy. I can get two in one,” Beaulieu said.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

iTech: The ‘OG’ of online learning

The average Mat-Su Borough School District student now has access to a variety of education options to help meet their academic goals. There are traditional, correspondence, online and hybrid models, and the academic options continue to evolve. But there is a particular program that has stood the test of time. iTech.

But there is a particular program that has stood the test of time.

iTech.

“It’s kind of the OG,” Mat-Su Borough School District Director of Innovative Learning Ali Larijani said. “It’s the original online or hybrid learning model that existed in the district."

Larijani said the online learning program predates the pandemic — which flipped traditional education upside down — and is about 15 years old. It started with grant funding. The grant helped redesign some physical spaces in schools and gave schools access to improved technology with computers and software.

“A flexible learning space at the core-area high schools, with a flexible feel where students would come and go and engage with their online learning courses,” Larijani said of those spaces, dubbed cybercenters, during the early stage of the program.

There was also support from a mentor or staff member at the school, he said.

Fast forward to today, Larijani said iTech has evolved into a great way for students to have academic flexibility while remaining at their traditional brick and mortar school. Program staff members also help create another opportunity for not only students on track to graduate, but also those interested in accelerating their path or in need of recovering credits.

Students now have access to courses offered throughout the district, thanks to the iTech program’s robust online catalog.

For example, if a Palmer High School student wants to enroll in a particular course that is not on the PHS master schedule, but it part of the iTech course list, the student can take that route.

“Here’s another way for (the student) to do that and still stay connected to (their) school and get access to more courses,” Larijani said.

There’s also the additional flexibility it creates for students. Larijani used the example of students who also maintain jobs. Rather than physically attending a class, for example during the final period of the school day, the student can enroll in an online class, free up that time in the afternoon to help maintain a job. Online courses allow students the option to work on that course on evenings or weekends, if needed.

“There's lots of different scenarios that pop up for students to take online courses,” Larijani said.

Larijani said there are certain courses that may not be ideal for online learning, such a science course that is heavy with hands-on lab work. The experience is better suited for the classroom, he said. But the catalog is extensive, and many of iTech’s courses are approved by the NCAA, College Board, and meet eligibility for the Alaska Performance Scholarship.

There is no formal application process, but Larijani said his department uses an online readiness assessment tool.

“It’s just a conversation piece, basically a quiz,” he said.

Larijani said each student receives a readiness score, which helps members of his team gauge whether the student is a good fit for online learning. They can also help determine a realistic volume of online courses.

“We do set up some guardrails,” Larijani said.

It helps educate not only the students, but also parents and counselors, he said.

There is not a specific number of online classes staff expects all students to hit. Students and their situations are different, Larijani said. Staff members tailor specific game plans for each student. For some, it’s just one online course at a time. Others show the ability and time management skills to tackle multiple online classes. Pace also varies. If a student enrolls in an online course in August and is finished by Halloween, that student can immediately enroll in another course.

“That additional flexibility to allow a kid to maybe double up on the number of credits that they're earning,” Larijani said.

The iTech program has six staff members in its own department, along with Larijani. There are four teachers — with their own areas of emphasis — a counselor and administrative assistant. The members of this staff work with the students enrolled in online learning and their boundary school. There are also staff members at the individual schools who work as mentors in the program.

Course programs are free, and students interested are urged to start the process by speaking with their current school counselor.

Larijani did stress that iTech and online correspondence learning, or homeschooling, are not the same thing. If a student is planning to take a full or nearly full course load strictly online, Larijani said his office would steer that student somewhere more appropriate, such as Mat-Su Central.

“That's not really what we do. We're really trying to help kids maintain connected to their community school, their boundary school,” Larijani said.

For more, see matsuk12.us/programs/itech-online-learning.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Thousands of MSBSD students, staff celebrate the first day of the 2026-27 school year

Goose Bay Elementary principal Ayla Wade stood in front of her school Thursday morning with two rows of staff members behind her to greet parents and students as they made their way inside the building for the first time officially this year. Thousands of students and staff members across the Mat-Su Borough School District celebrated the first day of the 2026-2027 school year.

Thousands of students and staff members across the Mat-Su Borough School District celebrated the first day of the 2026-2027 school year.

“It is going wonderful,” Wade said after most of the first- and second-graders arrived for the school day. “Just tons of positive energy. Full building, full parking lots, full classrooms. Lots of families coming back, lots of new families. But if I had to use a couple words, I'd just say positive energy.”

Goose Bay hosted its open house on Wednesday night.

“I think it just brings some comfort and ease and excitement rather than all the anxious, unknown feelings,” Wade said. “Having that open house and getting to come in and greet all our families and then have that first day, you get to start creating that class family. And that's really special. There are all these little pockets of class families within our building, and then one big, beautiful school family. So that's special.”

Goose Bay’s theme this year is kindness.

“It is something we are launching as a staff and in our classrooms. We know that kindness matters every single day and our goal is to see the ripple effect and impact kindness can have not only in our school community, but in our wider community areas,” Wade said.

Wade is in her ninth year as the Goose Bay principal after spending five years teaching in the building.

“Different years come with different challenges. But I think it just feels great. I always get excited to come back. We have built a really wonderful school community here at Goose Bay,” Wade said.

Daniel Morse was one of the new parents greeted by Wade and her staff. His son Ezra started the first grade on Thursday. It was the first, first day of school for the Morse family.

“It’s big,” Morse said. “He was homeschooled last year. So this is even bigger.”

Morse said while there are some nerves, he said it’s good for his son to start this new chapter.

“I think about what he’s going to do when he’s not around or how he’s going to interact with students and staff, but he’s in good hands,” Morse said.

Morse said Ezra has been looking forward to his first day.

“He’s been ecstatic,” Morse said. “He could not wait. He woke up super early. He was making sure we got out the door on time.”

Next door at Knik Elementary, staff had a long runner taped to the pavement with graphics of train tracks stretched from the curb to the front door. An arch of balloons was displayed in the doorway. Knik Elementary principal Denise Gober dressed in a train conductor’s outfit. Her school’s theme is “all aboard” as Knik Elementary was set to welcome nearly 400 students for the school year.

Amber Miller has three students at the neighboring elementary schools. Her two oldest are in the third and fifth grades at Knik. Her youngest is starting the first grade at Goose Bay.

“They’re pretty excited. The younger one more than the older ones,” Miller said of the first day of school.

Miller’s older boys started at Goose Bay and are now enjoying their time at Knik. After dropping her older boys off at Knik, Miller and her youngest took the short walk over to Goose Bay to see his new school.

“I know he is going to have an awesome time. Goose Bay is an excellent school and we love all of the staff and administrators down there,” Miller said.

Jennifer Haldeman brought her two kids, Hailey Haldeman and Easton Grube, both fifth graders, for the first day of school.

“I love Knik,” Haldeman said of the school.

It’s Hailey’s first day at Knik. She had been enrolled at Midnight Sun Charter School. Hailey was a bit nervous, but said she’s excited to meet her teachers.

Easton started at Knik in the third grade.

“It’s a really good school. Really good teachers,” Easton said.

Earlier Thursday morning, Matt Swalling stood in the commons area at Redington Jr./Sr. High School as students began to flood the area. It’s Swalling’s 26th first day as a MSBSD teacher or administrator. But it’s his first, first day as the school’s principal.

“It’s actually really exciting,” Swalling said. “I’ve been the assistant principal here, but it’s different when it’s you. I didn’t sleep a whole lot last night thinking about all of the boxes to check and make sure we are totally ready. But I think we’re ready.”

Swalling said every year is a little bit different.

“The scenarios are always changing. You know what you have for teachers, what you have for programs. It's always a little different, and then you never know who you're getting for kids. You get a lot of returning kids, but there's always these new kids you've never met, and that's fun.”

Redington is one of only two traditional brick and mortar schools in the district that house both middle school and high school, along with Susitna Valley in the Talkeetna area.

“We have our kids for seven years. So by the time they're a senior, they're like family,” Swalling said.

Redington sophomore Kaydence Seymore was working in the school’s coffee shop before classes started Thursday morning. It’s her second year making coffees and Italian sodas for students and staff.

“I like seeing everybody’s face and getting to know everybody that walks past,” she said.

Seymore said she stays pretty busy at the coffee stand, serving about 20 drinks per day. Coffees are the main choice for the high school kids, while the middle school students lean toward the Italian sodas.

Seymore said she enjoys her time at Redington.

“Everybody’s very welcoming. It’s fun to be here and all of the teachers are really sweet,” Seymore said.

Jeremiah Gosh is a junior at Redington this year. He started at the school in sixth grade. He was a homeschool student during the seventh and eighth grades, and returned to the Redington hallways as a freshman.

“I’m pretty excited for this year,” he said.

Gosh plays football for Redington. The Huskies start their season Friday hosting their archrival, Houston at 7 p.m. at Redington.

“I’m ready to go,” said Gosh, who plays right tackle.

Junior Zeric Martel also plays football for the Huskies. He is a center on offensive and defensive tackle on the other side of the ball.

“It’s a great way to start the season, especially if we win because they’re the rival team,” Martel said.

Redington has its first football game. Other sports such as girls flag football, cross-country running and volleyball are also underway. When it comes to the classroom, Swalling said it’s best for everyone to hit the ground running.

“We really try to get them right into classes. In fact, I encouraged our teachers to get right to teaching on the first day and do engaging lessons that are fun, so everybody's going home, talking about how great school was on the first day,” Swalling said. “That's the special thing that we're trying to do. Otherwise getting right into the routine, getting them settled, make sure that everybody feels comfortable, safe, knows where their classes are, and is ready for the next day.”

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Annual event helps about 800 kids start the new school year with a brand-new pair of shoes

After partnering with Thrive Mat-Su, Northgate’s shoe drive is now part of a major event that serves hundreds of families throughout the Mat-Su.

About 10 years ago, members of a local church found a new way to help the community and local youth. They created a back to school shoe drive. It started as a legacy mission at Northgate Alaska Church, gathering donations in the sanctuary.

After partnering with Thrive Mat-Su, Northgate’s shoe drive is now part of a major event that serves hundreds of families throughout the Mat-Su.

“The congregation got together and wanted to do something for the community," said Tynissha Cromer, strategic benevolence director for iAMSOMEBODY and Northgate Alaska.

iAMSOMEBODY, a local outreach program and branch of the Northgate church, partnered with Thrive, a program of United Way of Mat-Su dedicated to improving community wellness, three years ago. Now each summer during the weeks ahead of a new school year, local organizations host what has turned into a major event.

It’s the ThriveFest and shoe giveaway.

“Together we’ve grown from meeting a basic need to creating a community-wide event focused on connection, resources and belonging,” Cromer said.

This year, the groups served more than 330 families, and about 800 local children received a brand-new pair of shoes during the event, Aug. 1 at the Menard Center in Wasilla.

There are two parts to ThriveFest. The Menard indoor turf field is home to a carnival-like atmosphere for the afternoon with numerous booths set up by a variety of Thrive’s partners, including the Mat-Su Borough School District. There was a photobooth, bounce house and other games to add to the atmosphere of family fun.

Families there for the shoe giveaway were led to the Menard upper track. Dozens of volunteers helped families cycle through a streamlined process. Clusters of chairs were set up on both sides of a collection of rows of boxes of shoes, in some cases stacked three or four feet high. Volunteers brought each child options to try on, helping to find the best fit and style.

“We don't just get shoes. We look for the ones that are on trend, but that are also going to benefit the child. So they're really good shoes that they're gonna have for years to come,” Cromer said.

Mat-Su students in grades kindergarten through 12th are eligible. Pre-registration is required, Cromer said, so the group knows about how many children they will be serving during the giveaway each year. Cromer said the Mat-Su Health Foundation awarded a grant to help purchase the shoes. The Mat-Su Sea Hawkers — the local booster club for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks — donated 300 pairs.

Partners of ThriveFest included the Mat-Su Heath Foundation, Menard Sports Center, United Way of Mat-Su, Mat-Su Borough School District, LINKS, Mascot Arts, Behavior Matters ABA Services, Young Life, Thrive Youth Events, Mat-Su YMCA, Denali Family Services, REACH 907, Guidepost Pediatrics, Healthy Futures and Palmer hockey. Sponsors included U-Haul, Bridgepoint Law, Residential Mortgage, Valley Excavation, Wee Care A Lot Child Care, Hi Res Graphics, Shadow Mountain Locksmith and Patriot BBQ.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su School District.

Local students showcase their livestock, skills during annual Blue Jacket Jackpot

About 40 FFA members participated in the third annual Palmer FFA Blue Jacket Jackpot, showcasing cows, pigs, sheep and goats.

Some might think you have to be born and raised on a farm to be a member of the Future Farmers of America and compete in a livestock show. That’s not the case at all. Just ask Layne Ockerman.

The Palmer High School junior moved with his family from Tuscan, Arizona, to the Valley before high school. His family didn’t own livestock. But after moving to the Mat-Su, Ockerman and his younger sister Izzy Burt found their way into this new world. Last week, Ockerman was one of about 40 FFA members who participated in the third annual Palmer FFA Blue Jacket Jackpot, showcasing cows, pigs, sheep and goats at Palmer High School.

“We kind of jumped into this through various connections,” Ockerman said of raising, caring for and showing livestock. “We’re the first to do it. No one else in our family did. It’s been great. In less than a span of a year, we’ve really expanded the people that we know and our ties to people. We went from having really minimal livestock or some birds. Now we own four cows and two yaks.”

Their family also has chickens and turkeys.

During the Blue Jacket Jackpot July 31, Ockerman was working with Meridia, a nearly 1-year-old Jersey cow.

“She's calm. She definitely has some character. I definitely love that about all these animals. They're not mindless or anything like that. They have character. They know what they're doing. They know who they are,” Ockerman said.

The Palmer FFA Alumni and Supporters, a group founded about four years ago, hosted the event.

“One of the first things they wanted to do was this jackpot,” Palmer High agriculture teacher Corrine Henderson said.

There are a lot of students involved in FFA and 4H in the area who raise animals and participate in livestock events at the Alaska State Fair. But the Palmer FFA Alumni and Supporters wanted to provide another venue for local students to hone their skills while working with the animals.

“There's not a ton of opportunities in Alaska in general to show your animals and kind of feel that sense of competition and practice those skills. This is a really great opportunity for them to get that practice leading up to the (Alaska State Fair),” Henderson said.

Blue Jacket Jackpot participants competed in both market and showmanship, and the showmanship was split into novice and advanced levels. In market, judges are looking for the best animals. In showmanship, the focus is on the students.

“One show judges the animal and one is judging the students’ skills,” Henderson said.

The event also featured renowned livestock clinicians and judges Jared Fast and Justin Fast, who hail from Newkirk, Oklahoma. The Fast brothers judged the market and showmanship competitions during the Jackpot and were also part of a week-long clinic for local students in FFA.

“That was so much fun,” Palmer High senior Isabella Pratt said. “They spend an entire week teaching us in-depth, all about how to show livestock, how to train, all about nutrition. We don't really have very many options like that up here in Alaska. So we bring them up every year just to give all of us the chance to learn and better ourselves.”

Pratt joined FFA as a freshman and has been a part of 4H since about the second grade.

“When I got to high school, it just kind of felt like a natural transition for me,” Pratt said.

Pratt entered a sheep, a goat and cow into the jackpot.

“Sheep is my favorite, easily, but I decided since this is my last one or second to last one doing this (jackpot), I wanted to try all different animals,” Pratt said.

Tylynn Sturdivant is entering her freshman year at Palmer High and has been involved in FFA for the last four years.

“I've shown livestock my whole life, and so I feel like it really pushed me to be involved in FFA and maybe learn more skills along the way,” she said.

Sturdivant raises sheep, cows and goats.

“I just feel like being involved makes you a better person in many different ways,” Sturdivant said. “It shows you life skills that, I feel like, not any other things or sports can teach you.”

Layla Buzzard is a 2025 graduate of Palmer High School and remains active in FFA. Membership allows participants to stay until they are 21. Buzzard joined as a freshman at PHS. She has been showing animals for about 14 years, but prior to moving with her family to Palmer, Buzzard lived in an area in North Central Washington where FFA was not available.

“As soon as we moved up here, I knew that this was something I wanted to be involved in,” she said. “I had seen all of the incredible opportunities that FFA presents for your future, all the leadership opportunities and opportunities they present for growing yourself. I knew that immediately, that was something that I wanted to be a part of and help inspire the youth and agriculture,” Buzzard said.

Buzzard has two pigs. She brought Maggie, a Hampshire Cross, to the jackpot. She’s had about 11 pigs since she started showing animals at about the age of 8.

“Every year is different. Every year I learn something new. Every year, there's a new trick of the trade that gets brought up, and it's such an interesting industry to be a part of,” Buzzard said.

Buzzard was able to attend the day of the clinic focused on pigs.

“It’s a lot of fun. I learn so much every time I attend,” she said. “They will teach fitting and showing with each and every animal. They'll do a school session where they teach feeding and feed additives, and genetics, and looking at animals and being able to teach us how to pick specific animals, even when they're babies, so we can see the potential in them as they grow up. It's truly incredible.”

Henderson said 41 students participated, with an age range of 8 to 19 years old, and more than 75 different animals were on display. Each winner during the event was awarded a custom belt buckle, which was sponsored by members of the community, Henderson said.

Blue Jacket Jackpot award winners

Market:

Goat: Morgan Steadbeck, sponsored by Northland Pioneer Grange #1

Lamb: Isabella Pratt (Palmer FFA), sponsored by Reimers Micro Farm

Swine: Ka’ena Reynolds (Palmer Middle FFA), sponsored by Palmer FFA Alumni and Supporters

Young beef: Clara Pester, sponsored by Ockerman Hobby Farm

Large beef: Tarin Thomas, sponsored by Northland Pioneer Grange #1

Novice Showmanship:

Goat: Morgan Steadbeck, sponsored by Chosen Creation

Lamb: Jude Tompkins, sponsored by Knik Veterinary Service

Swine: Adalynn Brown, sponsored by Buzzard Nest Farm

Beef: Adalynn Brown, sponsored by Knik River Ranch

Advanced Showmanship:

Goat: Tylynn Sturdivant (Palmer FFA), sponsored by Pleasant Valley Farm

Sheep: Isabelle Burt (Palmer FFA), sponsored by Pratt Family Farm

Swine: Rayna Reynolds (Palmer FFA), sponsored by Frozen Oak Farm

Beef: Isabella Pratt (Palmer FFA), sponsored by Alaska Farm Supply

Palmer FFA hosts annual auction

The Palmer FFA also hosted its third annual auction on Aug. 1

Henderson said the auction helps build career experience through Supervised Agriculture Experience. Career experience is one of three parts of a well-rounded program in agriculture education, Henderson said. Learning in the classroom and leadership through FFA are the other two aspects. It’s a chance for students to work on entrepreneurial agriculture endeavors, she said.

In the supervised program, students are expected to maintain records of assets, finances and activity as they work on their projects.

“(This) helps them build essential record-keeping skills,” Henderson said.

The money made during the auction goes straight back to the students. But they have to meet certain requirements, such as showing their thank you cards and record books.

“We’re trying to help build some of those skills that go with entrepreneurship beyond just making a project and selling it,” Henderson said. “Students are getting hands-on career experience with some supervision.”

This year, 26 students participated and produced a total of 52 projects, which ranged from planter boxes and refurbished tailgates made into benches to homemade goods such as bread and jam baskets and honey. There was also an 8-foot by 8-foot shed auctioned off. There were an additional 28 items donated by members of the community.

“This year we had more projects, higher-value projects, stronger buyer participation and more dollars invested directly into the students more than any other year,” Henderson said.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

United Way of Mat-Su hosts annual Stuff the Bus event

It’s a tradition that spans nearly two decades, starting as a simple school supplies drive and evolving into a festival-like atmosphere to help celebrate the back to school season.

The stuff has outgrown the bus.

The United Way of Mat-Su hosted the annual Stuff the Bus event July 29 at Amazing Grace Academy in Palmer.

It’s a tradition that spans nearly two decades, starting as a simple school supplies drive and evolving into a festival-like atmosphere to help celebrate the back to school season.

“It started as a true stuff the bus,” United Way of Mat-Su Development and Outreach Director Michele Harmeling said. “We had a bus. We would park it at the downtown Palmer pavilion, and folks were welcome to donate supplies. That would also be where we distributed supplies from.”

School supplies are still at the heart of the event. But there are now more than a dozen nonprofits and agencies offering services and resources for local families.

“It just grew and grew,” Harmeling said.

Harmeling has helped organize the event since she joined United Way of Mat-Su nearly nine years ago. This is the third year Amazing Grace Academy has hosted the event.

“They’re amazing hosts. Their gym here has that first day of school feel,” Harmeling said.

Amazing Grace also donates the space for the day.

“We’re very thankful for that,” she said.

Harmeling said they expected between 425 and 450 kids to receive school supplies as the first batch of students made their way into the gym with their families. Participating students had to be preregistered, and Mat-Su Borough School District public school and charter school students in grades kindergarten through 12th were eligible to participate. Proof of enrollment was required, and school supplies lists for each grade level of each school were on hand. Once signed in, students and families made their way to the far side of the gym. Students were able to pick out their own brand new backpack, and volunteers helped to make sure each gathered all of the school supplies they needed.

Kirsten Armstrong, of Big Lake, attended the event for the first time after seeing it advertised on Facebook.

“I have five kids in school, so it helps families like mine a lot to have all of the school supplies we need,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong children — ages 5, 9, 10, 12 and 15 — span the elementary, middle and high school.

“But to also have the resources maybe we didn’t know about is great. It’s a great program,” Armstrong said.

Once families gathered their school supplies, they could venture throughout the gym to visit the variety of resource booths. Kids Kupboard was also there serving a complimentary lunch to families.

“This is probably our favorite event of the year,” Harmeling said. “It’s connecting with families, letting them know about United Way of Mat-Su, letting the know about our partners.”

LINKS Mat-Su Parent Resource Center, Thrive, Youth 360, Alaska Family Services, Mat-Su Health Services and Denali Family Services were among those represented.

“We’re just making sure that these families understand that all of these agencies and the whole community is there for them,” Harmeling said.

The Palmer Fire Department brought a fire truck and were offering safety tips. The Palmer Lions Club offered free vision screenings. Style Starts Here Hair Academy offered free hair cuts.

“We’re just super thankful to everyone who is here,” Harmeling said.

This is the fifth year that Dawn Fabanich has brought her Style Starts Here Hair Academy Students to the event.

“The event itself is the reason we come back every year, and the people we meet,” Fabanich said.

The academy is an apprenticeship program that gives aspiring barbers and hairdressers on the job training. Last year, Fabanich and her students provided 140 free hair cuts, and about 160 the year before.

“We have enjoyed it immensely to give back to the community,” Fabanich said.

It’s great experience as well.

“This is the busiest they are going to be while they are in hair school,” Fabanich said.

Overall, the response of the kids, she said.

“The smiles in their faces make it so worthwhile,” Fabanich said. “You cannot beat that when you show them the mirror and you see their fresh hair cut. You know they love it when they smile at themselves in the mirror.”

Cheryl Phillips, a registered nurse at Mat-Su Health Services, represented her agency during the event.

“I think it’s a great turnout. It’s wonderful for kids and families,” Phillips said.

Phillips said her nonprofit agency was on hand to offer information about their resources and back to school vaccines.

“We’re really trying to promote kids being up to date on vaccines,” Phillips said.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su School District.

Mat-Su Career Tech senior and Colony Knights flag football standout selected to participate in national athletics competition

Ella Richardson, a Mat-Su Career and Technical High School student and Colony Knights flag football standout, has been selected to compete in the Patriot Games, a national athletics competition for high school athletes slated for Aug. 9-11 in Geneva, Ohio.

People are warned not to click on an unknown link in a text message. If Ella Richardson had followed that advice, the incoming senior would have missed out on an opportunity. But Richardson did not. She clicked on the link and is now bound for potentially the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Mat-Su Career and Technical High School student and Colony Knights flag football standout has been selected to compete in the Patriot Games, a national athletics competition for high school athletes slated for Aug. 9-11 in Geneva, Ohio.

She is one of two Alaska athletes selected and will join a group of girls and boys from throughout the United States to battle for the grand prize. One high school girl and one high school boy, the winners of the competition will each earn a $125,000 scholarship. It’s all part of Freedom 250, a movement honoring 250 years of history in this country.

“I got a text message saying, 250-year celebration, $125,000 scholarship. I was not really sure, but I clicked on it to see if it was legit,” Richardson said Wednesday afternoon at Colony High School’s Pride Field, a few hours before her first Knights flag football practice of the 2026 season.

Richardson submitted her application, which included a two-minute video, and a few days later she was notified that she had advanced to the second round. Last week, Richardson was selected to represent Alaska and compete.

“Incredibly (excited),” she said. “I’ve been running on adrenaline.”

Richardson said she didn’t know about the Patriot Games, but the chance to compete for a scholarship of that magnitude captured her attention.

“That’s a huge prize,” Richardson said. “That can pay for all of my college.”

Richardson plans to play women’s flag football at the college level next year and study physical therapy.

“If I could win that scholarship, I could just continue my life without having something else to worry about,” Richardson said.

Freedom 250 bills the Patriot Games as a, “national athletic competition celebrating the character, determination and excellence that define the American spirit.” The games will be streamed on the ESPN app and a primetime special will air on ESPN and ABC on Aug. 13. The event features a variety of athletic challenges designated to test strength, endurance, agility, teamwork and perseverance, according to freedom250.org.

Richardson said she’s received some itinerary information. In addition to athletic testing — sort of like a college or professional sports combine — there will be military-style obstacle courses, an All-American sports circuit, and games like dodgeball, kickball

“It seems like such a cool experience,” Richardson said. “I’m so excited. It will be so much fun.”

Athletics has been a big part of Richardson’s life. She’s bounced around between sports like basketball, soccer, swimming, hockey and flag football. As a high schooler, Richardson has focused on flag football, hockey and soccer. Richardson is entering her fourth season of prep flag football. She played for the Colony girls soccer team as a freshman and a sophomore, and is planning to return to the pitch as a senior. Richardson has also played comp hockey for the Alaska All-Stars Tier II team, and was part of a squad that advanced to the national youth tournament.

Flag football, a rapidly growing sport throughout the country that is relatively new at the high school level in the Mat-Su, has emerged as her primary sport. Richardson has also developed into one of the top players in not just the Valley, but the state. Richardson, a slot receiver on offense and cornerback on defense, was named first-team all-conference and first-team all-state as a junior.

Courtesy of Bruce Eggleston/matsusports.net

Richardson said sports have not only helped her physically, but also socially.

“It definitely pushed me to be a lot more outgoing,” she said. “I was very, very shy when I was younger. My mom had to bribe me with a Barbie in order to get me to actually go out to my team and play soccer with them.”

And now Richardson is a captain on the Knights flag football team.

“I found out that I love helping people,” Richardson said. “I love explaining the sport to them and being a good example.”

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Excellerate Learning Academy: Personalized learning meets academic excellence at Colony High School

Colony students now have three different avenues that can lead them to their academic goals while remaining within the walls of CHS. There is traditional in-person, which includes well-known favorites such as advanced placement, career and technical education, fine arts, world language and JROTC. There is also iTech, and now Accelerate ASU.

The Mat-Su Borough School District is one of choice, offering students and families flexibility along with the variety of academic opportunities. Through programs such as online and homeschool, students and parents have the chance to create an academic game plan unique to their individual short and long term goals.

But there are also students eager to maintain a more traditional high school experience who also may benefit from additional flexibility. Colony High School Principal Kristy Johnston hopes to provide her students with the best of both worlds.

Welcome, the Excellerate Learning Academy.

Johnston said Colony students now have three different avenues that can lead them to their academic goals while remaining within the walls of CHS. There is traditional in-person, which includes well-known favorites such as advanced placement, career and technical education, fine arts, world language and JROTC. There is also iTech, and now Accelerate ASU.

“We’re figuring out options for our students who want to stay at Colony High School,” Johnston said.

Students can also combine those pathways to meet their own academic needs.

Colony High School has partnered with Arizona State University and Accelerate ASU, a dual-enrollment program that allows high school students the chance to enroll in college courses and earn college credit without leaving their home building.

Other programs designed to allow district students the opportunity to earn college credit have long been in place and successful. But the Excellerate Learning Academy and Accelerate ASU can help provide students with all of the opportunities right at CHS.

The iTech online learning program offers a vast collection of courses that students can take online while continuing to attend their primary school. Accelerate ASU is currently open to only juniors and seniors, but iTech is available to students in all four grade levels.

Johnston used an example of a CHS senior during the 2025-2026 school year. This student needed to enroll in three specific classes during the second semester, but those fell during first, third and sixth periods. That left two gaps during the second and fifth periods. But the student, a child of a single mother, also needed to work. The pieces of a puzzle that is a class schedule did not fit. Ultimately after 3 ½ years at Colony High, the student needed to transfer to homeschool to create the schedule that fit her needs and give her the opportunity to work full time.

“She was devastated. She was a die-hard Colony kid,” Johnston said.

With the iTech or Excellerate ASU program, or a combination of both, Johnston said she feels like she could have kept that student at Colony High.

And that’s just one example.

How Accelerate ASU works

Accelerate ASU has two course formats that will be offered to juniors and seniors. There is the on-demand format, which includes fully online courses with no set dates or class times. There are also session-based courses with eight- and 16-week schedules. These are structured with deadlines and a more traditional format.

There is no formal application process, and dual-enrollment students have access to a full catalog of first-and second-year Arizona State courses.

Colony students enrolled in ASU courses will work directly with Arizona State professors and all of the grading is done by college staff. Colony guidance counselors will record the grade for the high school transcript, and school staff will also be available for technical support.

Johnston said Colony will use its library for the Accelerate ASU program.

“It’s going to look very much like a college setting,” Johnston said.

Students enrolled in iTech courses can also use the library.

The cost

Johnston said the school district will cover the costs — tuition and materials — for the Accelerate ASU program. Currently there is a budget for 50 total courses. Students can enroll in just one ASU course, or multiple. If demand exceeds the current cap, Johnston said the Colony administration will work with district staff to find additional funding.

The future

The hope is the program becomes a staple for the school and continued opportunity for Colony students.

“I am super excited,” Johnston said.

Johnston said she is eager to see both the initial and long term demand for the Excellerate ASU program. School staff polled a small group of incoming seniors, and the enthusiasm is building, she said.

For more information, see https://accelerate.asu.edu/.

Overall, with the Excellerate Learning Academy, Colony administrators see CHS as a place where personalized learning meets academic excellence, preparing every Knight for college, career and life.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

MSBSD CTE programs help prepare students with real-world experience

But for those who don’t know, what exactly is CTE? The strategy is simple. Provide opportunity in career-based education. It’s hands-on, detailed and tailored to prepare students for college and the workforce.

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District has invested heavily in its Career and Technical Education programs. It’s a rapidly growing trend in secondary education, particularly in the Mat-Su.

But for those who don’t know, what exactly is CTE?

The strategy is simple. Provide opportunity in career-based education. It’s hands-on, detailed and tailored to prepare students for college and the workforce.

But before we get into more about the programs, let’s answer a few questions.

Are students limited to what’s offered by their primary school they are zoned for?

No.

“All courses can be taken by anyone in the district,” MSBSD Director of Career and Technical Education Tyler Gilligan said.

Mat-Su Career and Technical High School is structured around CTE and the programs in its pathways. A common misunderstanding, Gilligan said, is students who are not selected in the lottery system to attend Mat-Su Career Tech do not have access to Career and Tech programs.

That is also not true.

Students who do not get into Mat-Su Career Tech as a full-time student in the school can enroll in courses at the school if space is available.

Can students enroll in CTE classes in schools other than their primary school?

Yes.

District-wide CTE courses are offered and available for students throughout the Mat-Su.

“Regardless of where they go to school, they're not limited to CTE options at that school. The CTE options across our district are open to all of our students,” Gilligan said.

Gilligan used Wasilla High School’s fire science program as an example. It’s a two-year course that gives local students a head start in a career as a structural firefighter, and it’s unique to WHS.

“You don’t have to go to Wasilla High to take that class,” Gilligan said.

Students can simply request to enroll if space is available.

Is CTE limited to specific trades?

No.

“The reality is career and technical education encompasses everything because if you're going to have a career, then it falls under that umbrella, right?” Gilligan said. “If you want to become a doctor, we have pre-nursing programs . So we can't get you to a point where you need a doctorate, but what we can do is get you the groundwork to enter into a pre-med field.”

Gilligan said a common misconception is CTE courses prepare students for the trades, and not college. The courses do both, and in many cases the paths intersect.

Construction is a good example. CTE construction classes provide the groundwork for the skill set, but there is also the added potential for post-secondary education in careers such as construction management.

Real world application

As the district built and continues to grow its CTE programs, officials looked at the big picture.

“We try to be responsive to the local, state and national workforce development,” Gilligan said. “We look at local first. Does our industry have a demand in these fields locally? And then at the state level and then nationally.”

District officials look at employment trends and demand.

There are currently more than 200 CTE courses offered across the district divided among eight different pathways: building, business and information technology, fitness and sports medicine, health, human services, natural resources, tourism and culinary, and transportation. Each pathway includes a variety of programs. For example, bookkeeping, accounting, website design, computer networking and computer science fall underneath the business and information technology umbrella.

“We hit across eight different pathways, which touch workforce sectors across our state and then we try to tie our students to getting a job later on or being successful in some way. Whether that's going to be their career or that's going to be their part-time gig while they're going to college or whatever. Those are kind of our big goals,” Gilligan said.

Developing basic skills

CTE also helps students develop basic skills to apply to everyday life. This can be as simple as vehicle or home repair. Everyone will eventually have a car or a home, Gilligan said, and utilizing the knowledge and skills gained through CTE classes will benefit students in the long term.

Future success

CTE concentrators graduate high school at a higher rate compared to their non-CTE concentrator peers. It’s about 97 percent, Gilligan said. The average sits in the 80 percent range. Students in CTE programs have the opportunity to earn industry certifications and college credit. There is also the financial savings for a student and their family as students earn those credits and certifications while in high school.

For more

For more information, see cte.matsuk12.us.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Mat-Su Middle College: The experience of a college education as a high school student

The Mat-Su Borough School District features several options for students interested in enrolling in college courses and earning college credit while still in high school. But one school offers the actual experience of attending a college course as a high school student.

Mat-Su Middle College School.

MSMCS is a partnership between the school district, University of Alaska and Mat-Su College. The middle college school is located on the Mat-Su College campus and gives students the opportunity to attend college classes in person alongside college students, and be taught by college professors. Students receive a UAA transcript and the credits completed transfer. The program is generally for juniors and seniors, but sophomores are also eligible with adjusted testing requirements.

It’s a head start for the college-bound students, who can acclimate to life as a college student a year, or years, before going to college full time.

“I think that’s the most important thing we do,” Mat-Su Middle College principal Greg Giauque said of helping with the transition. “They are college classes. The pacing is accelerated, and students learn how to be successful in college classes.”

Students are required to have a four-day-per-week schedule, and maintain at least two college courses and two high school classes to be full-time in the program. That is the minimum, Giauque said, but some students might take 18 college credits. Giauque said school staff does push in-person learning first, but there is additional opportunity for online classes.

“We want to get to know the students and know that the students can be successful in college classes,” he said.

The MSMC staff is small, but they are all there to support the students as much as needed. Giauque said his English teacher routinely sits down to review college papers with students. The math teacher helps tutor students at course levels that range from intermediate algebra to advanced calculus.

The greatest variant is the schedule for each student. It’s not a traditional high school day with a bell schedule. Some students are heavy with classes in the mornings, Giauque said, while others are loaded with classes in the afternoon. MSMC is aligned with UAA’s Monday and Wednesday, and Tuesday and Thursday class schedule.

“It’s individualized, essentially focused on college,” Giauque said.

All of the costs for tuition, books and fees are covered, Giauque said, and transportation is available. Students can also course share, and enroll in classes at other district schools. Foreign language, music and career and technology classes are common examples, Giauque said. MSMC students can also participate in extracurricular activities and athletics with other district programs.

There is an application process, and students have to test as college-ready.

“It’s pretty common for our students when they test, they don't necessarily score college rating the first time. And that's okay,” Giauque said. “That's part of the process as well, learning that perseverance.”

Giauque said he encourages those students to try again.

Applications are accepted through the first week of August to allow time for testing.

For more information, see msm.matsuk12.us.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

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