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Alaska ICE News
2010-09-02 A Native Lad A Native Lad is a new graphic novel by Sarah Hurst that sheds light on the modern history of Alaska. 2010-08-30 Kids These Days! debuts August 31 at 2pm on KSKA-FM Kids These Days!, a new one-hour radio show will begin airing every Tuesday on KSKA-FM 91.1 and translator stations starting on August 31, 2010 at 2 pm, with a rebroadcast at 7pm. 2010-08-25 School Climate and Connectedness School Climate and Connectedness and Culturally Responsive Continuum. 2010-08-25 Improving Academic Achievement through Improving School Climate A paper given by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) at an American Educational Research Association annual meeting uses Alaska data from SCCS to add to the national literature on the association of climate and connectedness and academic achievement. 2010-08-20 People’s Garden School Pilot Program The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has just announced the availability of $1 million for a people’s Garden School Pilot Program. The purpose is to teach students about agriculture production practices, diet and nutrition, and other positive impacts of school gardens. 2010-08-17 Best Beginnings working to expand Imagination Library Best Beginnings is working to expand Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library throughout Alaska. Almost 10,000 Alaska children already participate in the Imagination Library through 18 local programs serving 48 communities. 2010-08-13 ICE News - August 2010 issue This issue describes ICE's support of youth-led service projects and gives examples of 2010 summer efforts. Pribilof School District uses social/emotional and language skills for a community project, and we pose the question: Why is your community great for youth and how can you contribute to growing and sustaining that environment? 2010-08-10 Community projects make for busy summer in Alaska Starting in 2009, ICE has offered mini-grants to groups and organizations for youth-led local service projects that team youth with adults. So far, over 30 communities have completed 51 projects and ICE has shared more than $25,000. 2010-08-05 Fairbanks student gardeners reap a harvest of education The work-educational program, run by Calypso Farm and Ecology Center, includes six school gardens worked by about 100 student workers between 12 and 18 years old. The students plant, tend, harvest and sell produce. 2010-08-04 Early Childhood Education Welcome to our Early Childhood Education page! Here you will find news, research, and a list of resource links that can provide a foundation of information in the areas of Parenting and Family, Child Development, Family Support, Wellness and Nutrition, and Child Advocacy. 2010-08-03 Family Digital Resource Center Welcome to the Family Digital Resource Center! We believe that the links, materials, and stories you find here will provide valuable information for the entire family. 2010-08-02 Anchorage United for Youth challenges community to improve Anchorage United for Youth, a project of the United Way of Anchorage, is continuing that work this summer by inviting small groups, businesses, churches and any other organization by holding small conversations to answer three questions. 2010-07-29 Lead On! for Peace and Equality in Alaska Lead On! is a two and a half day mini-summit for 13-18 year old inspired leaders. Teens from around the state will be gathering in Anchorage AK Oct 9-11th 2010. 2010-07-26 School Connectedness: Strategies to Increase Protective Factors Students who feel connected to school believe that adults and peers in the school care about their learning as well as about them as individuals. 2010-07-22 ProCreativity Films Debut Six young filmmakers recently debuted their work at Out North Theater in Anchorage, highlighting the stories and perspectives of teen parents. This was the culmination of the ProCreativity spring media workshop at the University of Alaska Anchorage. 2010-07-20 ASCA completes first year of New Visions Grant The initiative focuses on professional development for staff, curriculum writing, leadership training and bringing Alaskan teaching artists to work with students. 2010-07-16 We Can! Enhances Activity, Nutrition for Children Childhood overweight is a serious public health problem. Developed by the National Institutes of Health, We Can! is a national public education program designed to help children 8–13 years old stay healthy. 2010-07-14 School Gardens at Kenny Lake Kenny Lake recently received a Summer Service Project grant from Alaska ICE to expand a gardening project that combines the talents of youths and adults. 2010-07-09 Nanwalek students take stock of their beaches Nanwalek Middle School students participated in a beach project to get a tally on sponges, clams, hermit crabs, urchins and kelp that live in the intertidal region of the Nanwalek coast. 2010-07-06 10 Things to do at home to promote Social Emotional Learning Promoting SEL skills in your children is easier than you may think. Experts at CASEL lay out 10 easy steps to take to create a supportive environment in your home. 2010-06-30 New music offering at Glacier Valley Elementary Glacier Valley Elementary School's Art is Elementary program is as diverse as it is engaging for students, with efforts in digital storytelling, music, visual arts, dance and drama. The latest addition to the art offerings is guitar club. 2010-06-29 Youth-led Summer Service Projects 2010 Summer youth-led service projects for 2010. 2010-06-29 Youth-led Winter Service Projects 2010 Youth-led winter service projects for 2009-2010. 2010-06-25 Copper Center Trail With assistance from Alaska ICE the Copper Center School was able to purchase wind chimes, wind chime kits, birdhouses and bird cutouts for students to decorate a well-used community trail. 2010-06-23 Students excited about flexibility of being sustainable Homer Flex High School teacher Jeff Szarzi and the school’s 32 students started their planting in March, using a $500 specialty foods grant to purchase materials to construct a “hoop” house, soil and seeds. Already, the delicate seedlings of beets, spinach, kale, onions, tomatoes and basil are starting to grow. 2010-06-17 Easter Baskets for Covenant House Youth Youth from the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship banded together to gather items for youth at Covenant House this past Easter. Added support from adults helped to make this effort really special. 2010-06-12 AYEA to hold summer training Alaska Youth for Environmental Action is accepting applications for teens 14-18 in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Region to attend the AYEA Summer Training: "Getting Creative About Real Food." 2010-06-08 Fly-fishing Academy for young people in Bristol Bay area Young people from Bristol Bay (ages 15-22) are invited to explore a career as a fishing guide. Visit the website: www.bbflyfishingacademy.org and apply by June 15. 2010-06-04 Napakiak School improves School Climate through Art All of the students at William Miller Memorial School in Napakiak, Alaska had a hand in creating a school-wide art project. The project served as a way to engage youth and improve the school climate. 2010-06-02 Social-Emotional Learning Social-Emotional Learning page 2010-06-02 Peer Counseling a focus at Sitka Fine Arts Camp The Peer-Counseling Program at Sitka Fine Arts Camp was an opportunity for 19 youth to get involved with community activities, build positive role-model relationships with the adult faculty and Camp coordinators, gain leadership skills, and more. 2010-05-31 Yakutat Community Health Fair The 20 members of the Yakutat High School chapter of the National Honor Society were very enthusiastic to sponsor the Alaska Health Fair held on Saturday, April 10 with the guidance of school advisors, adults in health-related fields and local volunteers. 2010-05-27 Apply for the 2011 Healthy Native Communities Fellowship Are you ready to make a difference in your community? Do you want to learn and practice effective strategies that build strong Native communities? Become a part of the Healthy Native Communities Fellowship! 2010-05-24 Color of Justice 2010 The Color of Justice program brings diverse youth from across the state together for two days of exciting workshops and activities designed to encourage them to consider legal and judicial careers and to introduce them to campus life. 2010-05-21 Youth Leadership Retreat in Tok Through a partnership between Alaska Gateway’s 21st Century Grant, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Rural Alaska Assets Based Mentoring Project a leadership retreat was held for middle and high school students of participating districts. 2010-05-18 Shishmaref Youth Learn Hunting and Survival Skills The goal for this trip was to provide an experience for the youth to travel by snow machine to our local hunting grounds to hunt/butcher and learn basic survival skills from local adult hunters. 2010-05-13 Seward Community Creates Mural Youth and adults in Seward are working together on a community project partnering The Boys and Girls Club of Seward, Seward Elementary School and the Association of Alaska School Boards. 2010-05-10 Community Engagement: An Alaska Initiative that is Working Alaska ICE Evaluation Summary by the American Institutes for Research that covers the years 2005 - 2008. The evaluation assessed impacts and changes in a group of 15 school districts supported by Alaska ICE. 2010-05-07 Engaging Your Community webinar On April 29, 2010 Sally Rue and Bridget Smith of AASB facilitated the last of a series of webinars designed for new school board members. The topic: Working with Your Community. 2010-05-04 Lead On Youth Leadership Summit Join youth from across Alaska and learn how to make a real difference in your community! Lead On! promotes leadership skills, healthy relationships and non -violence. 2010-04-30 ICE Newsletter - May 2010 The May issue of ICE News discusses the bolstering effects of the QS2 initiative on multiple communities throughout Alaska. Also read about a successful youth and elder celebration that took place in Dillingham. 2010-04-26 AmeriCorps Member Innovates, Alaska Community Recycles To mark the one year anniversary of the Serve America Act being signed into law, Serve.gov is going to spotlight the stories of everyday service heroes who are transforming lives and local communities across the country. This is Opik Ahkinga's story, that takes place in Nome, AK. 2010-04-22 Edutopia's Earth Day Challenge: 5 Days to a Greener Classroom Take action this week! Check in to Edutopia.org daily for big and small ideas for your classroom or school. 2010-04-20 Dillingham shines a light on respect A community potluck dinner was held at the Dillingham Senior Center followed by a "Let the Light Shine Safe Home" ceremony. One hundred plus residents attended the potluck, supported in part from a grant from AASB. 2010-04-16 Community Grants Available from Best Beginnings Best Beginnings is taking applications for Imagination Library and Early Childhood Partnerships, two community programs in Alaska that enhance the lives of young children and their families. 2010-04-13 Teachable 'Art' moment for SBA testing Teacher Karen Doyle at Shaw Elementary School took advantage of a teachable moment during SBA testing at her school. She invited her students to do a “self-portrait” with the theme of The SBA’s are Driving Me Crazy! 2010-04-09 Imagination Library Gets Positive Evaluation Drs. Hilary Seitz and Robert Capuozzo of UAA’s College of Education designed and conducted the study to determine the impact of Imagination Library on children and families in Alaska. 2010-04-06 Kids These Days - April 2010 The April issue of KTD features articles from RurAL CAP; Anchorage School District; Rose Urban Rural Exchange; UAF; Akiak, Alaska, and more. 2010-04-02 Native Vision Sports and Life Skills Camp This summer, the NFL Players Association and the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health will hold the 14th annual sports and life-skills camp for American Indian high school students. The camp will take place in Santa Fe, New Mexico June 10-12, 2010. 2010-03-30 Pastor helps teens take flight A rural Alaska pastor, Grant Funk, is on a mission to produce pilots and flight mechanics in a region where jobs are scarce and people fly everywhere. Teens in three remote high schools have the rare opportunity to take flight lessons for class credit. 2010-03-26 Grants expand Imagination Library Twelve Alaska communities will be added to the Imagination Library roster under a second round of grants announced in December by Best Beginnings. The grants are funded by a $150,000 grant to Best Beginnings from the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED). 2010-03-23 Apply for the Sister School Exchange Immerse yourself in another culture in Alaska. Host students from another part of Alaska to build bridges between different ways of life. Explore what it means to be Alaskan. 2010-03-19 ICE Newsletter - March 2010 In this installment, learn more about AASB's Youth Advocacy Institute and how it helps empower Alaska students. You can also read about Spirit of Youth, an organization that truly is youth-driven. 2010-03-12 March - Alaska Arts Education Month Governor Parnell proclaims March Alaska Arts Education Month. 2010-03-09 The Truth About Coal Youth Summit Come to beautiful Hatcher Pass, Alaska to learn the Truth About Coal development in Alaska and how to take action to protect the health of our communities and ecosystems. Apply by March 17th. 2010-03-04 Participate in Global Youth Service and Kids Day Anchorage’s Promise KidsDay, will be held on Saturday April 17th at the Dena’ina Center. Global Youth Service Day is April 23-25. GYSD is held every year during a weekend every April in over 100 countries in every region of the world. Register your youth service project today. 2010-03-01 AAEC Summer Art Institutes This summer the Alaska Arts Education Consortium is offering for educators from all levels: 3 two-week, 4-credit, intensive Institutes in different locations and a unique, two-week workshop for educators as part of the Fairbanks Summer Arts festival. 2010-02-24 Statewide artist TOPs to be held in Anchorage The 2010 TOPs for Artists will be held in Anchorage, AK April 8-9. Learn how the arts can help build healthy youth-adult relationships, and strengthen your community. 2010-02-24 Youth auditions for Perseverance Theatre play Perseverance Theatre is holding auditions for a youth chorus in our upcoming musical production of Hansel and Gretel. Auditions are from 3-5:30pm, February 28 on the mainstage at Perseverance. 2010-02-23 Alaska ICE Partners Alaska ICE Partners over the years (page 2) 2010-02-22 Webinar- SEL: Making a Case in an NCLB World On February 25, Edutopia will host a webinar focused on social emotional learning. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important -- there's no doubt of that. But it takes more than those basic academic skills for students to grow into happy, successful adults. 2010-02-19 New Studies Highlight Needs of Boys in K-12, Higher Education Boys face high rates of a variety of mental health issues, in addition to lagging behind girls in academic performance and college attendance, according to two new papers by University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher Judith Kleinfeld. 2010-02-17 Performance Incentive Program Recognizes 11 Schools The Alaska Public School Performance Incentive Program will pay $305,875 in bonuses to principals, teachers and support staff at 11 schools for students’ academic gains in the 2008-2009 school year. 2010-02-15 100 Best Communities for Young People Is your community one of America’s 100 Best Communities for Young People? If your community is working together to make youth and their success a priority, America’s Promise Alliance and ING want to know! 2010-02-12 Make Art. Not Babies. Art Contest An art contest to promote healthy teen relationships and sexual responsibility, brought to you by the State Dept. of Health and Social Services. 2010-02-12 Village students go to Juneau to lobby for a new school Five teens from the village of Alakanuk showed up at the governor's press availability Tuesday. The governor's office was hot and crowded with TV cameras, newspaper reporters and Web journalists. 2010-02-09 Global Youth Service Day: Alaska Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world. Over 26,000 young people throughout Alaska participated in Global Youth Service Day activities in 2009, earning the honor of being second in the nation for the event. 2010-02-05 Effective Home-School Communication JoBeth Allen of the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia discusses the importance of effective home–school communication, offering highlights and strategies for educators working with diverse families. 2010-02-02 Youth mini-grants from ANDVSA Want to help promote healthy teen relationships and prevent violence in your community? Tell us how you’ll do it, and you can get up to $2,000 to make it all happen! 2010-01-29 Teaching Harmony: AEYC Early Childhood Conference The Association for the Education of Young Children will host Teaching Harmony: Understanding and Fostering Healthy Social and Emotional Development at their March 11-13, 2010 Conference. 2010-01-26 School Climate and Connectedness Statewide Results The SCCS was administered to staff and students in a small number of Alaska school districts in 2005 and to larger numbers in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. This article shares some key findings from the Statewide SCCS Report. 2010-01-22 Creating “brain-considerate” environments for our youth Dr. Kenneth Wesson gave an address to Alaska teachers and administrators at the 2009 Alaska Math & Science Conference, October 15, 2009 in Juneau. His overall message was simple, that emotions are a catalyst to learning and positive, supportive school environments matter. 2010-01-19 Imagination Library Headed to Kuskokwim Villages Babies and young children in 10 villages along the Kuskokwim River will be eligible to receive a free book every month from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, thanks to Best Beginnings and a commitment from the Kuskokwim Education Foundation (KEF). 2010-01-15 Winter Service projects In 2010, Alaska ICE is offering $500 cash awards for qualified youth-led winter service projects to be completed by May 15, 2010. 2010-01-12 AYEA Civics and Conservation Summit Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) is seeking high school applicants for their 2010 Civics & Conservation Summit. AYEA is a youth empowerment program that takes 20 teens to the state capital every year for a five-day leadership training. 2010-01-07 Kids These Days - Dec. 2009 The latest issue of KTD contains articles on creating "brain-considerate environments, parenting for drug-free youth, the June Nelson Memorial Scholarship, statewide school climate results, and positive stories related to youth involvement in their community. 2010-01-04 Nominate a School of Excellence in Arts The Alaska Arts Education Consortium, in partnership with the Kennedy Center for the Arts, is seeking nominations of art rich schools for the Schools of Excellence in Arts Education Award. Parents, teachers, administrators, students, and community members are encouraged to nominate a school for recognition. 2009-12-23 Youth Advocacy Institute in February A unique opportunity for Alaska youth to hone their skills in public speaking, personal persuasion and to meet student leaders from across the state comes in February at the AASB Youth Advocacy Institute. 2009-12-18 Practices for How School Districts Promote Family Engagagement Seeing is Believing: Promising Practices for How School Districts Promote Family Engagement spotlights how six school districts across the country have used innovative strategies to create and sustain family engagement “systems at work.” 2009-12-15 Good Parenting Creates Drug-Free Kids, Conference Experts Say The underlying theme to the daylong conference, and work such as CASA's annual reports on the importance of family dinners, is that just having parents isn't enough to prevent adolescent alcohol and other drug problems. Parents need to consistently interact with their children in order to be effective drug-prevention agents. 2009-12-09 Community Tree at The Canvas The Canvas Community Tree project developed out of the imagination of 8th grade student Anna Thompson, a volunteer assistant teacher in an art class for adults with developmental disabilities. The project was created to engage and excite both youth and adults from the class and the community. 2009-12-02 Local Partnerships Organized With Support From Best Beginnings In an effort to overcome obstacles such as organizing multiple entities and to help communities make more of the resources they have, Best Beginnings is conducting a pilot project in nine Alaska communities. 2009-11-25 UAF Summer Leadership Institute The UAF Summer Leadership Institute is a one-week summer experience designed to develop leadership skills for students finishing grades 9-12. Students are also eligible for college credit. Scholarships available. The deadline to apply is April 10. 2009-11-23 Hunting class teaches basics to Fairbanks youth A hunting-information training program that teaches youth self-confidence and survival skills is in its third year as part of the Effie Kokrine curriculum. 2009-11-19 Art Links and Research Art is essential to positive development of children and youth. 2009-11-16 2010 June Nelson Memorial Scholarship Application The Association of Alaska School Boards is proud to announce its 19th Annual Scholarship Award Competition. This 2009-2010 school year, AASB will award ten graduating seniors each with a $1,000 scholarship to apply toward their post-secondary education. Deadline to apply is March 22, 2010. 2009-11-09 ICE evaluation shows positive community change,outcomes for youth A nationally recognized research firm recently completed a longitudinal evaluation of the effectiveness of Alaska ICE. This 8-page report assesses the impacts and changes of 15 school districts supported by ICE, delving more deeply into three districts and their communities. 2009-11-07 SCCS Statewide Report: 2009 The 2009 School Climate and Connectedness Survey Statewide Report results show improvement in several aspects of climate and connectedness since 2006, including high expectations, school safety, peer climate, caring adults, SEL, and parent and community involvement. 2009-11-05 More than a game in Seward - Part 2 of 2 Youth and adults in Seward worked together to design a project that would be a source of community pride, benefit all Seward residents, and provide opportunities for healthy youth-adult relationships - (continuance). 2009-11-02 More than a game in Seward - Part 1 of 2 Youth and adults in Seward worked together to design a project that would be a source of community pride, benefit all Seward residents, and provide opportunities for healthy youth-adult relationships. 2009-10-30 Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Alaska With the financial support of the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development, Best Beginnings is seeking to expand the Imagination Library in Alaska. This RFP invites communities to apply for financial and technical assistance to launch or sustain Imagination Library in their community. 2009-10-27 Teens give real talk to political figures The Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault's "Lead On! For Peace and Equality" summit featured teenagers from all parts of Alaska intent on discussing problems and finding solutions meant to promote healthy relationships. 2009-10-23 New craze comes to town A new disc-golf course in Seward is providing another local opportunity to bring children, their families, and adults of all ages together in a sport everyone can enjoy. 2009-10-22 Cordova Methane Research Project The educational component of the project would be to develop a structure and a curriculum for a locally relevant energy center, a place where students can develop workforce skills through collaborative efforts. 2009-10-19 ATMI launches online tool to gain more teen voices Teens are now able to submit content, including video, audio, photos and written news or public interest stories through ATMI’s Web site. 2009-10-13 Woodland Park teens reach out to homeless youth Covenant House Alaska, located in Anchorage, is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of youth in crisis, while also providing them with the support to become healthy, self-sufficient, contributing members of the community. Their mission inspired the Woodland Park Boys and Girls Club into action. 2009-10-08 Father Michael Oleksa Keynotes ANB-ANS Convention Rev. Dr. Michael Oleksa gives the Keynote Address at the 97th Annual Convention of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood, October 6, 2009 in Juneau Alaska. The topic of Rev. Oleksa is education and cross-cultural communications. (video - 43 mins) 2009-10-05 Klawock Students Use Comic Life Software for Project At Klawock School, the third- and fourth-grade class is exploring the wonderful educational possibilities that a technology-rich environment has made possible. 2009-10-01 Protect Bristol Bay Photo Contest Why Protect Bristol Bay? Answer this question with your personal photos and enter NunamtaAulukestai (Caretakers of Our Land) 2009 Protect Bristol Bay Photo Contest! 2009-09-28 C-SPAN Seeks Student Video Entries for Contest C-SPAN is calling for entries in the 2010 StudentCam video documentary competition. A total of $50,000 will be awarded in cash prizes, which includes 75 student awards and 11 teacher awards. 2009-09-25 Calling Out to AK The Alaska Teen Media Institute (ATMI) has launched a new feature which will allow the program to share the voices of teens from around Alaska. Teens are now able to submit content, including video, audio, photos and written news or public interest stories through ATMI’s Web site. 2009-09-18 Kids These Days - Sept. 2009 The September issue of Kids These Days contains articles on: Alaska Safe Routes to School, the Alaska Challenger Center, Dances in Toksook Bay, recycling in Eagle River, Early Childhood partnerships, and more. 2009-09-16 Tyonek community project sets tone for school year What started as an idea for a small mural in Tyonek quickly grew to become much more, not only in terms of size and scope, but in the strength and pride of the community. 2009-09-11 NIDA Goes Back to School Looking for free resources and ideas on how to integrate the science behind drug abuse into your classroom activities? You can complement your lesson plan by using the FREE online resources from NIDA. 2009-09-04 Relevant innovation, collaboration in Cordova Students are energy experts and innovators in Cordova, according to Adam Low, science teacher at Cordova Junior/ Senior High School. Low is working with colleagues on a project-based learning program that he helped to develop around energy and energy conservation…the colleagues: his students. 2009-08-29 Youth lead way to stronger communities in Alaska From simple repairs to more complex construction projects, from help for teens to senior citizens, the Youth-Led Summer Service Projects funded in part through Alaska ICE mini-grants saw young Alaskans seize the opportunity to be great leaders. 2009-08-26 Poetry Out Loud! The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation present Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, in partnership with the Alaska State Council on the Arts and Juneau Arts & Humanities Council. 2009-08-21 Youth Development Specialist job opening Anchorage United for Youth is looking for a Youth Development Specialist. Duties include: increasing youth voice and engagement in AUY activities and outreach and capacity building efforts for youth serving agencies. Deadline to apply: Sept. 1, 2009 2009-08-17 Service Projects Engage Alaskan Communities A host of communities - Naukati, Gakona, Seward, Eagle River, Healy, and more around Alaska are engaging local citizens of all ages to work together, learn from and about one another, and have fun in the process. 2009-08-04 Students in UAF Upward Bound Program work together to build umiak Eight students in the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Upward Bound Program recently spent time working with adults to build a 19-foot umiak, a traditional skin boat used by Eskimos to hunt whales and walrus. 2009-07-28 NY Students Manage Emotions for Better Test Scores A new trend in public schools is helping students focus not just on math and science, but also on their feelings. John Tulenko of Learning Matters reports on how social and emotional learning is improving test scores. 2009-07-23 Evaluation of Alaska ICE: Anchorage AASB recently received an external, independent evaluation of Alaska ICE by the American Institutes for Research. The longitudinal evaluation looked at: school and community environments supported by Alaska ICE, adult support in the community, and improved youth outcomes in the areas of SEL, youth risk behaviors, and academic achievement. 2009-07-17 New Positive Youth Development Blog for Youth Workers The blog highlights best practices in youth work, spotlights various programs that are successfully nurturing healthy youth and healthy communities, and is connected to the 40 Developmental Assets. 2009-07-12 Lead-On! Youth Leadership mini-Summit Lead On! is a chance for youth leaders (ages 13-18) and community partners from across Alaska to come together and develop leaderships skills to promote peace and equality in their own communities. 2009-07-08 Elementary Students Gain Skills with Digital Storytelling Offering new and enriching experiences to the students at Glacier Valley Elementary in Juneau is becoming routine for its teachers. This past school year, the Digital Storytelling Club was the latest in a host of engaging programs and was geared toward Glacier Valley’s 4th and 5th graders. 2009-07-01 School Connectedness: A Video Highlight A new CDC study shows the unwavering support of teachers and community members is a primary contributor to students' success in school. Connect for Kids brings us a video that highlights how to create these essential connections and their lasting impact on students. 2009-06-24 Positive Change through Alaska ICE AASB recently received an external, independent evaluation of Alaska ICE. The evaluation covered 2005-2008, and looked at 15 QS2 districts as a group, and delved more deeply into three individual districts and their communities to document changes and impacts. 2009-06-16 2009 Youth-led Summer Service Projects The summer is a time for youth to relax and have fun. For some, it’s also a time to build and hone leadership skills and work collaboratively with adults, all while helping to improve their communities. 2009-06-11 School Connectedness - Increasing Protective Factors Among Youth To help schools enhance the important protective factor School Connectedness, CDC scientists have created a guide that synthesizes available research on school connectedness and outlines strategies for fostering it. 2009-06-05 Grants Available for Early Childhood Partnerships Best Beginnings announces funding for community-based early childhood Partnerships as part of the development of a statewide early childhood system. Deadline to apply: July 2, 2009. 2009-06-02 Whole Child Podcast The ASCD's monthly podcast features educators and policymakers from around the globe who share their insights about sound education policies and practices that ensure that all children are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. 2009-05-29 Spotlight on Nikaitchuat Ilisagviat A unique program in a private school in Kotzebue is celebrating its 10th year of providing an Inupiaq immersion program to about 20 children each year between the ages of 3 and 7. 2009-05-26 Health advisory committee looking for youth members Youth can now help shape how the State of Alaska responds to important teen issues and get paid for it! The Alaska Youth Health Advisory Committee deals with topics like substance abuse, suicide, violence, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and nutrition. 2009-05-20 Inupiaq movies teach lessons, capture oral history Over 70 people attended a screening of homegrown films featuring elder stories in Wainwright that were written, produced and directed by students at the Alak School. 2009-05-15 JDHS senior selected as Google logo design contest finalist Geordey Sherrick, an 18-year-old Juneau-Douglas High School senior, is one of 40 regional finalists in the Doodle 4 Google art contest. Prizes include a scholarship and tech money for his school. 2009-05-13 Native families get a go-between with Anchorage schools The Anchorage School District has created a program in an effort to reach Native students that brings Native families and schools closer together. Megan Holland has written a series of articles for the Anchorage Daily News that discusses the program, its challenges and its hopes. 2009-05-08 Cordova Science Club's Adventure to Kayak Island The 2009 Cordova High School Science Club trip to Kayak Island came together in whirlwind fashion. The fascination and wonder of the island had most definitely captured these students. They were focused, passionate and ready to explore. 2009-05-04 Joel's Place, a worthwhile place for youth The 10-year anniversary of Joel’s Place, a local youth center in Fairbanks, is an accomplishment worthy of celebration for all the people involved and for the community at large. 2009-04-28 Native Insight...Thoughts on Recession, Recovery & Opportunity For thousands of years Native communities have thrived in challenging conditions. What wisdom does your community have to share? How can Natives support and participate in the transitions facing our great nation? This is your chance to help shape America’s successful tomorrow! 2009-04-21 Exploring the link between Fitness and Academic Achievement To examine this complex relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement, researchers from the John W. Gardner Center at Stanford University use the Youth Data Archive (YDA) to follow students over four academic years. 2009-04-16 Crisis and Hope: WKCD Speech Contest 2009 As Graduation Day approaches, What Kids Can Do invites you to raise your voice and let others know what matters most to you, in this moment and in the years ahead. 2009-04-14 P.A.C.E. Trek Alaska set for April 20, 2009 Paul Staso will embark on his 3-week P.A.C.E. Trek journey through Alaska on April 20, 2009. P.A.C.E. stands for Promoting Active Children Everywhere and his web site features a unique, FREE fitness & education challenge to school children worldwide. 2009-04-10 AASB/Alaska ICE supports Spirit of Youth Winners AASB/Alaska ICE sponsored the Faith-based Service Award at the 11th annual Spirit of Youth Awards Banquet in Anchorage on March 21, 2009. Teens from 15 Alaska communities were recognized and celebrated for their contributions. 2009-04-07 June Nelson Memorial Scholarship Winners Announced Congratulations to the recipients of the 2009 June Nelson Memorial Scholarship and thank you to the over 100 high school seniors who applied. 2009-04-07 Petersburg puts youth front and center Recently appointed Petersburg Community Engagement Advocate Peggy Floro has a basic professional goal: healthy communities. She believes that creating a network of individuals, families, and organizations in support of youth can make that happen. 2009-04-06 Family Nights a Success in Tyonek Adults and youth in Tyonek have found an excellent way to share Native culture, learn in new and creative ways, and have a great time together: Family Night. 2009-04-03 Improving School Climate and Connectedness If students feel like they are a valued member of the school, they will do better. If parents and community members feel positive about the school, they will help support the education of our students. There is a lot of research to show that positive school climate and strong connections between the school, students and community helps make schools successful. 2009-03-31 ATMI wins five Alaska Press Club awards The 2008 Alaska Press Club Awards were announced this past weekend and the Alaska Teen Media Institute took home five including, for the first time, Best Ongoing Public Affairs Program for In Other News. 2009-03-24 2009 Spirit of Youth Award Winners This past Saturday, March 21st, over 300 adults and youth from all across the state gathered in Anchorage to recognize and honor the efforts of some of Alaska's youngest leaders. 2009-03-20 Youth-led Summer Service Projects In 2009, Alaska ICE is offering $500 cash awards for qualified youth-led summer service projects to be completed by August 5, 2009. Apply today! 2009-03-17 Global Youth Service grant program Youth Service America is excited to announce a new Global Youth Service Grants program to support youth ages 12-25 in implementing semester-long service-learning projects during summer or fall 2009. Apply today! 2009-03-13 Salmon Creek Head Start and Juneau Pioneers' Home In Juneau, Alaska, preschoolers in the Salmon Creek Head Start program have an invaluable opportunity to be immersed in an intergenerational learning environment. 2009-03-10 Chugach program boasts 98 percent graduation The Chugach School District's Voyage to Excellence program brings rural, primarily Alaska Native students from across the state, to Anchorage for weeks at a time to learn firsthand about big-city life, plan their futures and prepare for the high school graduation qualifying exam. 2009-03-05 Juneau Student Symphony to Premier Alaska Sinfonietta The Juneau Student Symphony and the Alaska Youth Choir will premier the Alaska Sinfonietta by Thomas Reiner at their winter concert series at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on March 14 and 15 and at their community outreach concert at Auke Bay Elementary School. 2009-03-02 Early Learning and Literacy: Parents are the Important Ingredient Children’s brains develop at an astonishing pace from birth to age 6 - before formal school generally begins. Nurturing and brain stimulation during these early years has a profound impact on how children fare in school and later in life. 2009-02-27 Helping Little Kids Succeed - Alaskan Style Alaska ICE is thrilled to announce the publication of Helping LITTLE Kids Succeed – Alaskan Style. 2009-02-26 It's no yarn: Students embrace knitting Last February, Haines School librarian Linda Moyer started an after-school program “Nifty Knitters,” which attracts as many as 30 knitters each week, including students of all ages, parents and seniors. 2009-02-23 AASB keynote speaker Dr. Donna Beegle visits Nenana On January 8, 2009 Dr. Beegle traveled to Nenana and met with 40 teachers and staff. In her presentation, Beegle highlighted the importance of building meaningful relationships, creating a strong support system for students. 2009-02-20 Youth find role in legislative process at YAI Held in conjunction with AASB's Leadership Conference/Fly-In, and geared specifically toward students, the Youth Advocacy Institute was filled with activities and workshops introducing students to the legislative process. 2009-02-18 Andre Layral to head Alaska Assoc. of Secondary School Principals AASB Community Engagement educator and head of Alaska ICE partner Assets for Interior Alaska (AIAY), Andre' Layral has been selected as the new Executive Director for the AASSP. 2009-02-13 Department Offers Tools to Support Teens This press release from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services offers resources to help parents and adults establish open relationships, broach difficult topics and better understand why some teens engage in risky behaviors. 2009-02-10 St. Paul School Newsletter, Ukuda Wa! Student Jena Zacharof, with the help of advisor Michael Stacks, puts the newsletter together and writes a majority of its content. The monthly keeps students and adults updated on news, events, and information from around the district. 2009-02-06 New website shows Arts in Action The arts play an important role in learning, child development, and the improvement of Alaska’s schools. A new website developed by Glacier Valley teacher Lorrie Heagy shares the successes and diversity of their Art is Elementary program and the importance of art in general. 2009-02-02 Wall-to-wall elders The Northwest Arctic Borough School District, in a search for ways to incorporate the culture and its elders into the schools, found that art served as one way of going about it. A large mural - 96 feet by 8 feet - now hangs high in the Noatak gymnasium. 2009-01-29 At 50-year mark, Search Institute still has a heart for kids Search Institute evolved from a Midwestern youth survey organization in the late 1950s to a nationally renowned child and adolescent development agency in the late 1980s and 1990s. Today, Search Institute resources are used by more than 10,000 U.S. schools and youth agencies. 2009-01-26 How to End the Dropout Crisis Research on the causes and consequences of dropping out has led to increased public focus on what's been called the silent epidemic. And with that focus comes the possibility of more action at the local, state, and national levels to implement a mix of reforms that will support all students through high school graduation. 2009-01-16 2009 Artists TOPs in Anchorage Alaska ICE is dedicated to helping local artists, teachers of the arts, and arts organizations to connect with young people, and help them expand and enhance the asset building activities they are already doing in their communities. Join us in Anchorage April 2 and 3, 2009. 2009-01-12 Youths work on their service to society The Conference of Young Alaskans that recently took place featured youth delving into issues that are important to them and issues that are affecting the state and nation. 2009-01-06 Promising youth Philanthropy Program With its budding Juneau youth philanthropy program - called the Youth Action Committee - the Juneau Community Foundation has taken great steps to support local youth programs. 2009-01-02 How School Climate and Student Connectedness can help your school Research shows a positive association between positive school climate, student connectedness, and social and emotional learning with academic achievement. 2008-12-22 Recognize teens in your community through Spirit of Youth If you know of young people doing great things in their community please take a moment to nominate them at www.spiritofyouth.org. 2008-12-15 Udall Scholarship and Internship Opportunity The Morris K. Udall Foundation is offering 2009 Internship and Scholarship Program opportunities 2008-12-10 35th Annual Bilingual Multicultural Education/Equity Conference The theme for this year’s conference is “Language Culture and Learning in the Age of Technology”. In honor of Alaska statehood and diversity we are honoring all heritage languages including English. 2008-12-05 High Scope Youth Development Academy Over 25 people representing almost a dozen youth-serving agencies attended the launch of a six-month learning academy focused on adolescent development and strength-based youth/adult interaction strategies. 2008-12-02 Early Learning Tips Helping a child grow and learn is an important job for every parent. Visit the Best Beginnings website to find out news and information that can help you prepare your child to succeed in school and in life. 2008-11-26 Unalaska's Drive-In to promote Community Engagement The Alaska Kids Are Our Kids (AKAOK) group held their annual Drive-In Movie to promote community engagement on November 16, 2008. In all, 45 pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students and parents participated. 2008-11-24 Marco Torres encourages AASB blog participation AASB's 55th Annual Conference keynote speaker Marco Torres talks about the importance of thought and idea sharing and explains how the AASB blog is a perfect way to reflect on your conference experience and improve it in the future. 2008-11-20 Middle school students create PSA's to reach out to parents Public service announcements are often aimed at teenagers, but a new set of PSA's hitting the Juneau airwaves were actually written by them. 2008-11-17 Q and A with Dr. Donna Beegle on poverty and education AASB's 55th Annual Conference keynote speaker Dr. Donna Beegle discusses poverty in relation to education and social issues with students at the Youth Leadership Institute. 2008-11-14 ATMI covers the Forum of Young Alaskans ATMI reporters visited the Forum of Young Alaskans in October to find out what Alaska's youth are doing for the state's future. Thomas Levine has the story. 2008-11-11 Digital Youth: Call for Submissions The George Lucas Educational Foundation has received a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to produce ten multimedia portraits of youth ages 8-18 who are deeply immersed in digital media of all kinds: blogs, social networks, virtual environments, games, media-making projects, and so on. 2008-11-07 Mini-grant to stamp out tobacco marketing to youth in Alaska The American Lung Associat ion of the Northwest (ALANW) in partnership with the State of Alaska is leading the statewide youth movement against tobacco use with The Alaska Tobacco Advocacy Initiative (AkTAI). 2008-10-30 AASB Annual Conference (Nov. 6-9, 2008) Innovation is at the center of AASB’s 55th Annual Conference, where featured speakers Dr. Donna Beagle and Marco Torres headline a packed list of education leaders offering insight for school board members. 2008-10-24 Get Outdoors Anchorage Working Summit The Summit will identify challenges and actions that can be taken to create a community that values time spent in the outdoors and facilitates outdoor activity for children and families. 2008-10-21 Writing, Technology and Teens Teenagers’ lives are filled with writing. All teens write for school, and 93% of teens say they write for their own pleasure. Parents believe that their children write more as teens than they did at that age. What, if anything, connects the formal writing teens do and the informal e-communication they exchange on digital screens? 2008-10-14 Spirit of Youth is seeking nominations for SOY Awards We all know that young people are doing great things in our communities. Please take a moment to nominate them for an award at www.spiritofyouth.org. 2008-10-09 Team-building at Juneau-Douglas High School At the beginning of this school year, Alaska ICE had the opportunity to work with the incoming freshman class at Juneau-Douglas High School. Students engaged in cooperative exercises while learning a little about their fellow classmates. 2008-10-03 AASB seeks nominations for board, awards As the 55th AASB Annual Conference approaches, school board members are being asked to nominate candidates for the AASB Board of Directors and for the Outstanding School Board and School Board Member of the Year. 2008-09-30 RurAL CAP recruiting for Americorps teams RurAL CAP is now recruiting Members for our 2009-2010 BIRCH and RAVEN AmeriCorps and VISTA Energy Program teams. AmeriCorps Members are recruited locally and work to address your community’s needs. 2008-09-24 The Chugach: A Children's Forest This summer, the Chugach National Forest will be dedicated as a Children’s Forest, a symbolic designation underscored with substantive new programs that will address three pressing needs critical to Alaska’s future. 2008-09-19 Forum of Young Alaskans Young Alaskans, ages 16 through 25, have an opportunity to make their voices heard across the vast expanse of Alaska in the real and virtual world during the Forum of Young Alaskans on Oct. 4, 2008, from 1 to 5 p.m. 2008-09-15 Alaskan high school students invited to compete in poetry contest Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. During January and February, schools and students participate in classroom and school wide and regional contests. 2008-09-09 Promoting Active Children Everywhere - for youth and adults P.A.C.E. has always been about getting kids up off the couch, active and learning. However, adults play a crucial role in influencing and inspiring children toward better fitness. 2008-09-03 Intellectual and Emotional Education Make a Potent Pairing George Lucas joins a panel of national experts moderated by Daniel Goleman that explores the value of social and emotional learning. 2008-08-27 School Connectedness – Creating a Caring Environment This module - from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health's Building Resilient Kids web course - emphasizes creation of a climate of positive school connectedness, which increases the likelihood that students will succeed. 2008-08-22 High/Scope Youth Development Academy The Youth Development Academy is for people who work directly with youth (ages 12-18). It will consist of an initial three-day in-person training session, four follow-up webinars and coaching sessions, with a final in-person wrap-up session on February 11, 2009. 2008-08-19 Groups look to form teen-centered Web site The Fairbanks Youth Development Coalition is combining its efforts with AmeriCorps VISTA and other youth-focused organizations to form a Web site that offers a variety of aids for young people. 2008-08-14 Universities launch effort to debunk Native stereotypes Engaging Controversy, a university program that aims to get students talking about sensitive subjects, will spend the coming school year dispelling myths about Alaska Natives. 2008-08-08 Great Expectations: Helping Children Be Their Best All parents have dreams and expectations for their children to succeed. Expectations help to infuse children with confidence, self-esteem, and other assets. But too much expectation can be counterproductive. The key is balance. 2008-08-04 Arts Events at Central and Circle, Alaska Painting, music, and culture were the focus of community visits to Central and Circle, two destinations on the Yukon Flats Spring Arts Program tour. 2008-07-30 Upward Bound students learn about culture and careers The week-long Upward Bound program helps to prepare mostly Alaska Native Students for higher education with math, science, and cultural components. The program also helps to develop leadership skills while exposing students to a wide variety of educational and career possibilities. 2008-07-25 Community Arts Event in Stevens Village Stevens Village was one of the stops on the Yukon Flats Spring Arts Program. Vicki Salmon and Laverne Alexander worked with students in various arts media. Parents worked with their kids on projects too. Afterward, student art was installed throughout the school. 2008-07-24 2008 Youth Friendly Business Award Winners The Youth Friendly Business recognition program is a partnership between Spirit of Youth and Alaska ICE. Nominate a business in your community for a 2009 YFB award today! 2008-07-21 Community Arts in Beaver, Alaska A student art workshop centered on assets encouraged by the Traditional Athabascan Values established in the Gwich’in culture recently took place in Beaver, AK. The workshop culminated in a community art night that was fun and beneficial for all involved. 2008-07-18 Arctic Village Community Art Night The next morning, while a snowstorm raged ouside, the school gym was transformed into an art studio. For two days basic drawing and painting skills were taught to all grade levels. Friday night was a community art night. Over 40 youth and adults gathered... 2008-07-16 Emotional Intelligence and SEL - Pathways to Success With social and emotional learning (SEL) gaining traction in more schools across the country as an important complement to traditional academics in educating the whole child, it is fast becoming a recognized route to success. 2008-07-15 Community Arts Event in Venetie For several days beginning art lessons were taught to various classes. Venetie is one of the larger village schools. There were barely enough paint shirts to go around as large numbers of students visited and enjoyed experimenting with different media such as acrylic paint, colored pencils, markers, etc. 2008-07-14 Spirit of Youth blog Spirit of Youth, the Alaska Teen Media Institute, and the Anchorage Daily News collaborated to create and pilot a blog this past spring. The blog has become an innovative media outlet that has increased exposure and consumption of youth-created, positive news stories. 2008-07-10 Spiral Notebook at edutopia.org Spiral Notebook is a collection of postings from respected experts in a variety of fields that allow readers to think and offers ways to improve classrooms, schools, and school districts. 2008-07-07 Kid-friendly web browsers for young readers Two kid-friendly web browsers - Red Zebra and ZAC - allow children to explore the internet in a safe environment. 2008-07-07 2008 AYEA Art In Action Training: Telling Our Stories Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) is collaborating with an innovative organization called Art in Action from Oakland, California. Art in Action is similar to AYEA, as it is a youth leadership program. 2008-07-03 A Broader, Bolder Approach to Education A new task force of national policy experts recently launched a campaign that takes a look at how the U.S. approaches education, and suggests new viewpoints to help close the achievement gap. 2008-06-30 Yakutat Health Fair Yakutat’s National Honor Society worked with several state, regional, and local health professionals to put on a fair that drew eighty-one students and ninety-two adults. 2008-06-25 Raising Happy Kids Based at the University of California, Berkeley, the Greater Good Science Center is a wonderful reference for parents interested in raising happy and emotionally literate kids. 2008-06-20 Conference of Young Alaskans 2009 On October 4, 2008, young people from large and small communities across the state will convene to discuss, debate, and delve into the issues that are important to them and are affecting the state today. 2008-06-18 RFP for village-based prevention - early intervention services The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is requesting proposals from rural Alaska communities to provide comprehensive, integrated behavioral health prevention and early intervention services promoting community, family, and individual wellness across Alaska. 2008-06-16 Supporting School Climate in Southeast Island Read about Southeast Island School District Community Engagement Advocate Lynn Bateman's ideas on how to build assets in the youth of your community, and how school climate has improved in SISD. 2008-06-11 Alaska ICE Partner: AEYC-SEA During 2005 and 2006, a partnership was born between Alaska ICE and the Association for the Education of Young Children – Southeast Alaska to embed the assets message into the Early Care and Education training system in Alaska. 2008-06-09 Naturally Alaska Book Festival The second annual Naturally Alaska Book Festival is going to take place June 12-14 in Fairbanks. More than 20 prominent Alaska artists will be on hand to share their creative inspirations and works. Keynote speaker for the event will be artist Ray Troll. 2008-06-06 Glacier Valley students given increased access to the arts Glacier Valley Elementary School's Art is Elementary program continues to expand as their community partnerships grow. Glacier Valley now offers arts opportunities beyond the school day, both before and after school, in the visual arts, music, dance, and drama. 2008-06-05 Spirit of Youth seeks Executive Director Spirit Of Youth (SOY) is seeking an Executive Director to lead it's dynamic statewide nonprofit that recognizes youth and provides opportunities for meaningful youth engagement. Deadline to apply is June 11. 2008-06-05 Active Arts Camp in Haines Nature provided the inspiration and the materials for the children attending the Active Arts Camp in Haines. With a naturalist, they studied the driftwood, shells and stones from their weekly beach walks and then used them to decorate their float for the Southeast State Fair Parade on July 28th. 2008-06-04 Artist TOPS in Anchorage Art teachers and artists came from all over the state to experience the stimulation, creativity and sheer joy that comes from learning how they can engage young people, creating positive relationships, and improve the community climate through the arts. 2008-05-23 Youth Learn from Elders in Nanwalek Summer learning opportunities for the youth of Nanwalek bring youth, adults, and elders together. Activities begin in mid June and funding is provided through our regional corporation, the housing authority, non-profits, and the village council. 2008-05-21 'Bear' ties students, community together Connections within community have become more and more apparent in and vital to Effie Kokrine Charter School’s first student theater production, “The Winter Bear,” set to open next week. 2008-05-15 Creative Arts Mentoring Project in Homer Last fall, Homer Council On the Arts launched the Creative Arts Mentoring Project (CAMP), a new program to facilitate relationships between established artists and teens interested in the arts. 2008-05-13 Parenting ideas to break free from summer boredom With the school year coming to a close, summer vacation is around the bend and MVParents shares ideas for keeping kids (and their brains!) active and engaged during their time away from school. 2008-05-08 ATMI Teen Wins Recognition, Award from Alaska Press Club Alaska Teen Media Institute reporter Erin Britton won a 1st Place 2008 Alaska Press Club Award for Best Reporting in the Health or Science category against some fierce competition, including working, professional journalists from across the state. 2008-05-02 Southeast Island School District Updates Website Lynn Bateman, the Community Engagement Advocate for Southeast Island School District, recently made some additions to the school district’s website by including a section devoted to raising awareness of the developmental assets and community engagement efforts of the district. 2008-04-29 Two boys save children from icy duck pond Two boys were hailed as heroes after rescuing two children that had fallen through an icy pond last Thursday evening in Juneau. 2008-04-25 Taking Shakespeare on the Road As part of the National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare for a New Generation Initiative, Cyrano’s Theatre Company of Anchorage and Edgeware Productions partnered to produce an Alaska Native adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Othello. 2008-04-22 Color of Justice 2008 The Color of Justice program brings diverse youth from across Alaska together for two days of exciting workshops and activities designed to encourage them to consider legal and judicial careers and to introduce them to campus life. 2008-04-17 Craig students show creativity through digital assignment Cheryl Bobo, Technology Director of Craig City Schools, sent AASB examples of student-created magazine covers produced as part of a class assignment. The class has been participating in AASB's Consortium for Digital Learning (CDL) 1 to 1 initiative since 2006. 2008-04-14 Polar Power is seeking more student writers Student poetry, essays, stories, research, podcasts, and digital stories related to global and environmental issues will all be accepted for review and publication on the Alaska State Writing Consortium web site. 2008-04-08 Placing value in helping others Southeast Island School Districts’ Thorne Bay School Wood Shop students have identified a community safety issue and are working creatively to solve it. 2008-04-04 Cantwell student keeps subsistence skills alive BJ Gore, with two Native elders guiding him, learned a traditional skill last week that otherwise might have been lost to future generations. A unique high school internship taught him a bit about his own heritage and earned him recognition from his home community. 2008-03-31 Nenana's Gates Millennium Scholars Program Finalists Announced The Student Support Services Office at the Nenana Student Living Center is proud to announce that the Nenana City School District has four finalists for the 2008 Gates Millennium Scholars Program Award! They are: Heidi Kiunya, Breanna Semaken, Jay Bean, and Arielle Axford. 2008-03-25 Social Emotional Learning Through Cooperation As social, emotional, and academic abilities continue to span a wider spectrum and the pressures of testing and accountability continue to mount, how do teachers ensure that their students are meeting the required standards for the content areas they're covering? 2008-03-18 Sitka Fine Arts Camp wins national award Sitka Fine Arts Camp was nationally recognized as one of 18 recipients of the 2007 Coming Up Taller Awards. Youth and adult representatives of the program received the $10,000 award from First Lady Laura Bush at a White House ceremony in Washington, D.C. 2008-03-17 AASB offers scholarships to 10 graduating seniors The Association of Alaska School Boards is proud to sponsor its 17th Annual June Nelson Memorial Scholarship Award. High-school seniors can apply for a $1,000 scholarship toward thier choice of college, business, or trade school. Deadline to apply: March 31st, 2008. 2008-03-13 Youth Wellness Fair We aim to promote wellness and healthy lifestyles to our youth. The fair is hosted by West Valley High School but is open to all youth (and parents) of the Fairbanks community. 2008-03-12 Lessons of the Square Watermelon Savann Guthrie shares some lessons on changing the way we think and interact with youth and each other to create valuable impacts in the lives of youth. 2008-03-04 Creating a Safe Place The social ills found in public schools -- bullying, school shootings, gang violence -- litter the media. Here's one headline, however, that didn't get much play: "Student Encourages Peer to Hand Over Unloaded Gun in School." 2008-02-29 Arts Projects in Southeast Island School District Our FY’08 Art/Assets Grant has provided our ASC youth and adults with the means to make creative choices and put talents into action. Community members are in our schools sharing their talents with students and valuing youth contributions like never before. 2008-02-26 Maxwell doesn't take sport for granted When Dustin Maxwell entered high school three years ago after becoming a stud wrestler in middle school, the future looked bright for this East High wrestler. But Maxwell chose a different route... 2008-02-22 Glacier Valley Elementary sets sights for Washington D.C It's not every day that 35 kids from an elementary school get to fly to Washington D.C together to perform a play at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Fourth and fifth graders from Glacier Valley Elementary are now entering their second week of rehearsals to prepare for just that. 2008-02-20 The Circle of Drums Brings Us Together Keeping hands OFF the new drumming circle is the hardest thing for young musicians at the Denali Borough School District. 2008-02-19 Community Art Project in Anderson With the solid leadership of Anderson School teacher Sandra Trumbower, a community art project is taking shape – a glass mosaic in the design of the new Alaska quarter. The mosaic will be displayed in the foyer of Anderson School. 2008-02-18 Our Most Valuable Assets Recently, Seward principals invited community leaders to join students in a workshop exploring how to build strong bonds of support for our youth in the community. The sessions focused not only on factors that influence learning, but also on the value of strong partnerships between students and non-parent adults. 2008-02-04 Teacher Scholarships - Summer Teacher Trainings in Denali The Murie Science and Learning Center is awarding scholarships to teachers for accredited trainings and seminars this summer in Denali National Park. Deadline to apply: Feb. 24, 2008. 2008-01-29 Fairbanks Community Meets to Discuss Education Issues 175 adults and youth recently attended a local summit on education in Fairbanks. The catalyst for the forum was the Interior Issues Council-Task Force on Education, launched in May of 2006, to look at issues that affect the Fairbanks community and find ways to address them. 2008-01-24 Teachers step into 21st century with new laptops The school library was a buzz with excitement and trepidation as all the University Park teachers turned on new MacBook laptops and played around with the settings. Similar scenes took place Monday at Arctic Light and Anne Wien elementaries. 2008-01-21 First Alaskans Community Investments Funding Announcement First Alaskans Institute announces the second year of its Community Investments funding initiative. This funding opportunity is targeted to projects that demonstrate long lasting and collaborative efforts among community organizations. Deadline to apply: Feb. 8, 2008. 2008-01-18 DGSD honors Tanya Malyk Delta/Greely School District honors Tanya Malyk for her efforts and achievements as a student of DGSD. 2008-01-14 SAIL Clean-Up Project in Sitka Ten members of the Sitka High School student council dedicated several hours of their Sunday morning to help a local elder. 2008-01-11 2008 Civics and Conservation Summit The Summit (March 9-13) is an innovative training that inspires young people from diverse Alaskan communities to discover their power to influence positive change. Deadline to apply is Feb. 1, 2008. 2008-01-08 Young people can make a difference through volunteering Dillingham Middle/High School student Tiana Petersen believes that volunteering will help the community come together and provide a strong, clean, healthy environment for children, youth, and adults. 2008-01-04 Social-Skills Programs Found to Yield Gains in Academic Subjects A forthcoming research review offers some counterintuitive advice for educators: Take time out of the curriculum to teach students to manage their emotions and to practice empathy, caring, and cooperation—and their academic achievement could improve in the bargain. 2007-12-18 Assets and Community Engagement in Petersburg Savann Guthrie, the Community Engagement Advocate for Petersburg, talks about building positive relationships with youth and engaging the community in helping kids to achieve success, academically and in life. 2007-12-17 Insights and Evidence Search Institute's Insights and Evidence research briefs. 2007-12-17 Ukuda Wa! The St. Paul School Newsletter for Nov/Dec 2007. 2007-12-14 Red Ribbon Week Sharing Letters In October, 2007, AKAOK spread an important message throughout the Unalaska Community, Drugs Are Bad! Participants had the opportunity to share advice, words of wisdom or a learning experience about the dangers of drug use with each other. 2007-12-13 Fairbanks Area Businesses Honored as Being Youth Friendly With greater expectations for student academic achievement and preparing youth for the workforce, Fairbanks area businesses have come to recognize they can do more to promote youth success and offer important workforce preparation skills. 2007-12-11 Peer Mentors Help Young Arts Students One hundred elementary school students unable to contain their excitement might be too daunting for most teenagers. Not for 16 special high school students, however, who served as peer mentors for the Sitka Fine Arts Mini Camp this past summer. 2007-12-07 Kiita Center students celebrate second annual Inuit Day The second annual Inuit Day, celebrated at Kiita Learning Community with storytelling by elders, was held on Nov. 7, 2007. Students and staff had been invited to wear traditional clothing for the day, which began with a gathering to hear stories by elders Kenneth Toovak and Sadie Rexford. 2007-12-03 Staying connected boosts student school performance Having an interest and being connected to your child's education can have a profound impact on their academic achievement and interest in learning. Could you be more connected? 2007-11-28 Ten Tips for Parents that Foster Connections to School Practical suggestions that parents can follow to promote school connectedness for their children. 2007-11-26 Linguist raises voice for preservation of Native tongues Linguist Michael Krauss has devoted his professional life to documenting and preserving Alaska's 20 Native languages. The founder of the Alaska Native Language Center, Krauss continues a decades-long effort to produce an Eyak dictionary, among other projects. 2007-11-21 Mayor, Assembly look at expanding commitment to kids Some of the kids who show up after school at Central Lutheran Church in Fairview are among the poorest in the city. If the children weren't there, parents, teachers and even city lawmakers worry about where they would be and what they would be doing. 2007-11-21 Scavenger Hunt in Unalaska The scavenger hunt is a community-wide event open to all ages. For more information, contact Darcel Williams at 581-2751. 2007-11-19 Conference Presentation Materials In case you missed it, or would like to review some of the many exciting presentations, AASB has uploaded interviews with the two keynote speakers, Dr. Robert Blum on the importance of school climate and connectedness, and David Warlick on 21st Century learning skills. 2007-11-17 Raymond J. Voley named Alaska Teacher of the Year Alaska’s 2008 Teacher of the Year is Raymond J. Voley, who teaches history and technology at Kenny Lake School in the Copper River School District. Voley’s term begins January 1, 2008. 2007-11-13 Bad Behavior Does Not Doom Pupils, Studies Say Educators and psychologists have long feared that children entering school with behavior problems were doomed to fall behind in the upper grades. But two new studies suggest that those fears are exaggerated. 2007-11-07 AYEA in National Spotlight Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) was recently spotlighted by the George Lucas Educational Foundation in a video focusing on their efforts to address climate change and global warming in Alaska. 2007-11-02 Mentoring and Student Engagement The Sitka School Board has been working to strengthen their relationship with students and to increase overall student engagement in governance and decision-making. Long-term, and more recent mentoring efforts with the Student Council have proven successful. 2007-10-30 Youth award nominee helps peers speak up Matt Cook, a Spirit of Youth nominee from Chugiak High School, is spearheading a new program called Raising Student Voice and Participation (RSVP). RSVP encourages students to speak up about, and find solutions to, education issues that affect them most. 2007-10-25 Tightening the web of support for our children At last month’s State School Boards Association Presidents’ Retreat in Anchorage, adults took part in Alaska ICE's 'dreamcatcher activity,' demonstrating how important a support system is for each child to succeed in life. 2007-10-23 School Boards Lead the Way with 1 to 1 Learning In many school districts, the idea of implementing a 1 to 1 learning program begins with a single principal or teacher. But in Alaska, members of school boards came together to launch a statewide 1 to 1 learning initiative. 2007-10-16 Assets, not just economic value, encourage youth Normally, assets indicate an adult’s economic value. To Alaska Kids Are Our Kids, a program created two years ago by concerned Unalaska residents, assets indicate the components in children’s lives that help them grow up to be competent and compassionate individuals. 2007-10-14 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honor young people in middle level and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities. 2007-10-09 Spirit of Youth: Celebrating Alaska’s Amazing Young People We all know youth in our communities that are engaged in community service projects, helping peers and neighbors, and making other tangible contributions to our schools and communities. Nominate a TEEN or a YOUTH FRIENDLY BUSINESS for a Spirit of Youth Award today! 2007-10-02 New School, Old Ways of Knowing Everyone has stories, of course, but the students at Effie Kokrine seem to have life experiences far beyond their years. For many, home is a village in the northern interior—places such as Huslia, Tanana, Galena, and Nulato. The distance between Fairbanks and those villages is more than physical. 2007-09-26 Dillingham Community Project The Dillingham community has been busy this past summer with several community service projects that cooperatively combine youth with adults. One of the projects involved dumpsters, paint, and creativity to produce powerful messages. 2007-09-21 Day of Caring Unites Young Adults and Youth in Fairbanks In a unique partnership as part of the United Way of the Tanana Valley’s annual Day of Caring, collegiate volleyball, basketball and hockey players sponsored an afternoon of activities for ‘Littles’ in the local Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Program. 2007-09-20 Bullied student tickled pink by schoolmates' T-shirt campaign Two Nova Scotia students are being praised across North America for the way they turned the tide against the bullies who picked on a fellow student for wearing pink. 2007-09-18 Asset #3: Other Adult Relationships Of the 40 Developmental Assets, #3 is Other Adult Relationships. Read about Southeast Island School District's Lynn Bateman's ideas on how to build this asset in the youth of your community. 2007-09-18 Asset #5: Caring School Climate Of the 40 Developmental Assets, #5 is Caring School Climate. When students feel safe, connected and engaged in their schools, they are more successful and effective learners. Learn Southeast Island School District Lynn Bateman's take on how you can help build this asset in the youth of your community. 2007-09-18 Coast Guard signs on to volunteer in Juneau's schools The Juneau School District and the Coast Guard have agreed to promote more Coast Guard volunteer participation in Juneau's schools. The partnership will be facilitated by the Big Brothers Big Sisters school program. 2007-09-13 NSBA Presidents' Retreat The 2007 National School Boards Association (NSBA) Presidents’ Retreat was held August 16-18 in Anchorage, Alaska and featured two sessions facilitated by AASB staff. The first was an overview of Alaska ICE and the second focused on the importance of youth voice. 2007-09-10 ASD Online Study Skills Links A great resource of web-links aimed at improving student's learning and studying skills can be found online at the Anchorage School District's website. These links offer ways for students to study smarter. 2007-09-08 Asset #37: Personal Power Of the 40 Developmental Assets, #37 is "Personal Power." Personal Power helps youth feel in control of things that happen to them. Learn Southeast Island School District Lynn Bateman's take on how you can help build this asset in the youth of your community. 2007-09-07 RurAL CAP recruiting Americorps Teams RurAL CAP AmeriCorps Programs offer the perfect opportunity for school districts and community organizations to enhance their service initiatives, build community engagement, and develop positive youth-adult relationships. Apply Today! 2007-09-04 Cultivating a culture of achievement at the NSLC This school year the Nenana Student Living Center (NSLC) is re-focusing on driving its students toward academic achievement as a means of enabling them for secondary and post-secondary educational and occupational development. 2007-08-29 Camp Qunguyaax passes the Aleut flame Recently, the 10th annual Camp Qunguyaax was held in Humpy Cove, teaching Aleut culture to children. The 40 or so campers, in 5th-12th grade, learned traditional ways through story telling, art, dance, food, and more. 2007-08-23 Landmark Study of Young People and Happiness MTV and the Associated Press recently released a study of young people (aged 13 - 24) and happiness. Spending time with family is among the top activities that make respondents most happy. 2007-08-20 The missing piece of a well-rounded education Social-emotional learning is the often neglected missing-piece of a well-rounded education. Numerous studies link emotional well-being to academic success. Could educating the heart be as important as educating the mind? 2007-08-14 Miss WEIO 2007 to represent Natives across Alaska Nicole Colbert embodies as well as embraces the cultural diversity she cherishes. She hopes to inspire Native Alaskan youth around the state to begin embracing their cultural heritage with honor and pride. 2007-08-10 Study touts effectiveness of youth mentor program A national report released last week touted Alaska's largest youth mentoring program as a success in schools. In Juneau, the mentoring program is credited with raising grades and improving attitudes in a district that is working to better both. 2007-08-08 Family Game Night Table games, board games, cards, and more at the Baptist Gym! 2007-08-08 Hometown Circus Join the fun as we perform a live, hometown circus with wild animal trainers, snake charmers, acrobats, clowns, and more! 2007-08-07 Aquatic ecology project hooks teen Ninth-grader Austin Gillespie of Seward expanded upon a natural curiosity of the ocean by taking part in a scientific research internship with the JASON Project. The internship included stops in Wisconsin and Virginia. 2007-08-02 Beyond Heritage Youth and Elder Storytelling Mentorship Storytellers Bob Sam, Brett Dillingham, Gary Waid, and Ishmael Hope, along with respected Tlingit Elder Marie Olson, hosted a Youth and Elder retreat from June 2 – 3, 2007 at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. 2007-08-01 Alaska ICE Partners Partners of Alaska Ice 2007-07-30 Telling Our Stories TELLING OUR STORIES is a public performance by teens participating in the 2007 Summer Institute in Anchorage. The Summer Institute is an exciting training for teens who want to explore the use of art and media to impact environmental issues in Alaska. 2007-07-20 MySpace software for parents MySpace will soon be releasing free software designed to let parents know if their kids have profiles on the site. Code-named "Zephyr," it's parental-notification software, not monitoring software, which makes sense because MySpace says it's designed to promote parent-child communication about social networking. 2007-07-14 Dutch Harbor companies receive statewide recognition At the Thursday, May 17 school board meeting in the Unalaska City High School library, two local businesses received Spirit of Youth Business awards. The award recognizes businesses within communities that are youth friendly. 2007-07-09 Sharing Assets through the Arts As a group of artists, arts educators and arts organizational leaders found out at a Training of Promoters and Storytellers (TOPS) this past April, there’s more than one way to reach out to our youth. Even small actions of support and encouragement can count big. 2007-07-03 Nurturing Children’s Imaginations Developing literacy skills early in a child’s life creates an important foundational basis for their learning in the future. Studies have shown that immersing a child in a literacy environment can be a stronger predictor of literacy and academic achievement than family income. 2007-06-26 Get Your Children Active to Help Them Do Better in School In a study released by the American College of Sports Medicine last fall, a pretty compelling link was made between being physically active and school achievement. Nancy Copping of the Alaska PTA Wellness Team offers suggestions on encouraging your child to get active! 2007-06-22 Community Volunteers Recognized Every year, the Community Center in Unalaska holds a banquet as a way of saying thank you to its volunteers. Over the last year, community members contributed approximately 3,500 hours to the community center. The volunteered hours were valued at about $60,000. 2007-06-18 Nunapitchuk Cultural Week Culture week at Anna Tobeluk Memorial School was a huge success on many levels. We invited elders to teach us how to sew furs, bead, crochet, make fish traps and sleds, and tell Yupik stories. 2007-06-08 Community Mural in Dillingham The community of Dillingham recently came together to create an artful display that not only brightens the city landscape, but also speaks in support of the community’s young people. 2007-06-06 The Power of an Untapped Resource This booklet was created by an Alaskan student for any board that is interested in expand¬ing the representation of their board, “growing their own” board members for tomorrow and/or empowering the youth in their community. 2007-06-01 Alaska city, village kids trade places The eighth-graders from the Inupiat Eskimo village of Buckland are among dozens of Alaska students participating in a federally funded exchange program that pairs remote schools with their big-city counterparts. 2007-05-25 Two Alaska Youth Honored for Volunteerism at National Ceremony Marcus Farquhar, 14, and Angelina Klapperich, 13, both of Palmer, were honored in the nation’s capital for their outstanding volunteer work during the presentation of The 2007 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. 2007-05-17 Spring Carnival There are many things provided through the Galena Interior Learning Academy (GILA) that students and staff can participate in, such as Spring Carnival. The Carnival offers many different types of events. You can just go and watch if you want, or you can join in. 2007-05-17 Room Enough for Opera When we then sang, acted and taught the students of Kotzebue, their attention mirrored the spirit of those young dancers. We shared their joy as we realized “they get this -- they like it!”. Everyone knew exactly why we were here. 2007-05-11 Young Native Writers Essay Contest The Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation's essay contest is exclusively for Native American high school students, with the goal of promoting education and creating new opportunities for youth. 2007-05-08 “Just” hanging out In a world that is fast paced and media filled, people are pushed and pulled in many directions at once. There is a desire to always be programmed and always have something important to be doing right at this moment. I was like this...until a few days ago. 2007-05-04 A Place of Their Own A Place of Our Own (Los Ninos en Su Casa in Spainish) is a daily television series, website, and an extensive outreach program devoted to the unique needs of people who care for children. 2007-04-30 Fairbanks business gets Youth Friendly award At the annual Spirit of Youth Banquet held in Anchorage, College Coffeehouse received the coveted Youth Friendly Business designation, the first to receive this designation in Fairbanks. 2007-04-27 Too Oozhril Zhit Tsyaa Tsal Dhidii Wednesday April 11, 2007. 6pm at the Arctic Village Community Hall a crowd gathered to witness a show prepared by Arctic Village students - The Boy in the Moon - under the direction of Allan Hayton. 2007-04-26 The Importance of Social and Emotional Learning The George Lucas Educational Foundation, a vocal proponent of social and emotional learning, has compiled a list of resources and student-centered activities on emotional intelligence. 2007-04-25 Fairbanks holds Fit for Life Wellness Fair Students and parents filled the commons area of West Valley High School (WVHS) on Wednesday, April 11th attending the “Fit for Life” Wellness Fair as part of a Wellness Grant from the Alaska PTA. 2007-04-18 Coffman Cove business wins Youth Friendly designation Judy Willis, owner of The Riggin’ Shack, has created a friendly, supportive and respectful atmosphere within her store. The Riggin’ Shack, of Coffman Cove, Alaska, is a great and welcoming place for all youth. 2007-04-17 Easter Gifts and School Climate at MEHS This is the time of year that the staff likes best. Relationships have been formed and there is a sense of community between students and between staff. This is the time of year when MEHS really feels like a family. 2007-04-16 Going to School Galena, Alaska is a very nice village. It’s bigger than my village. I am from Aniak, Alaska. 550 people live in Aniak. 600 people live in Galena. 2007-04-12 The Nenana Student Living Center At the Nenana Student Living Center (NSLC) we provide our students not only with a dynamic and supportive place to learn, but also to live. 2007-04-11 Building healthier communities - Tips for involving youth Partnering youth with adults in neighborhood projects is a great way to build stronger, healthier communities. The Innovation Center focuses on ways to increase community-based youth engagement. 2007-04-10 Life @ GILA I like the Galena Interior Learning Academy (GILA) because of the staff, living conditions, and entertainment provided by “the Dorms.” “The Dorms” are my temporary residence and a great place to change, grow, mature, and have fun. 2007-04-09 Strong Man Writer Ishmael Hope and illustrator Dimi Macheras interweave ancient oral history with a contemporary plotline to bring Strong Man into the comic book realm, highlighting traditional cultural values as a foundation for youth achievement and resiliency. 2007-04-09 The past merges with the present in Strong Man comic book Besides the entertainment aspect of the story, Strong Man brings with it a moral message focusing on determination and will to fight against adversity and to succeed. 2007-04-09 Strong Man comic book finds broad fan base Prior to the start of the first book signing at Anchorage's Borders Books, the line to get to the signing table stretched through the store and out the door! 2007-04-05 Unalaska's Asset of the Month for April The heading Positive Identity encompasses assets such as: Personal power, Self-esteem, Sense of purpose, and Positive view of personal future. 2007-04-03 Online world isn't always safe for kids A computer expert lives in my house. She is only 11 years old. Admittedly, I am thrilled that she can help me figure things out when I am stumped by the laptop that seems to sometimes rule my life. Other times, I am terrified. 2007-04-01 2007 Spirit of Youth Award Winners The Spirit of Youth recently held their 9th Annual Awards Banquet recognizing amazing youth and youth-friendly businesses from all across Alaska. Here are the winners for 2007! 2007-03-29 Taking Action at MEHS The Resiliency Grant has funded four positions at Mt. Edgecumbe High School (MEHS) in Sitka over the past several years. The grant will come to an end this school-year and many steps have been taken to ensure that these positions are secure for the future. This month, the students at MEHS sent there voice to legislature. 2007-03-29 A Lesson Learned A couple of weeks ago I had the misfortune of severely injuring my hand in a climbing accident; however, it was a great opportunity to see the heart of two MEHS students and learn a lesson in consideration and compassion from two young ladies here at Mt. Edgecumbe. 2007-03-29 Jammin’ Students For weeks, a few of our boys and two of the female staff members continually asked to be given time in the music room to rehearse. 2007-03-29 Environmental Reminders After returning from the NWACUHO conference in Calgary, I realize that our home here in Wilderness Hall could be doing so much more to benefit the environment. 2007-03-29 Working in the Kitchen at GILA To work in the GILA kitchen means accepting responsibility for the meals of others, respecting the kitchen staff, and caring about those for whom you are cooking. 2007-03-26 Living on the Edge The Nenana Student Living Center has touched the lives of many. Now, under threat of being shut down due to lack of funding, students and staff members find themselves in a tough spot, fighting for an institution worth saving. 2007-03-26 GILA students plan for their future Whether it's attending college or technical school, joining the military, or going into the workforce, the students at GILA are making plans for their future. 2007-03-26 Promoting a Drug-Free St. Patrick's Multiple groups and organizations in Sitka got together to celebrate a family-fun St. Patrick's Day with a comedy event fundraiser. 2007-03-20 Sitka Peer Helpers get Community Engaged Sitka Community Schools has recently received grant funds to use toward projects that promote healthy communities and positive youth-adult relationships. 2007-03-09 Deadline Nears For June Nelson Scholarship Applications Ten high school seniors in the class of 2007 will qualify for $1,000 scholarships from the Association of Alaska School Boards. Applications for the annual June Nelson Memorial Scholarship Program will be accepted through April 3. 2007-03-08 Students' helping hands start with hearts High School students in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District volunteer for a variety of reasons: the experience, to enhance their resumes, and just to help others in need. 2007-03-07 AASB and Alaska ICE get national recognition The Center for Public Education, a national resource featuring news and information about public education, recently generated articles spotlighting AASB and our Alaska ICE and QS2 initiatives. 2007-03-05 Community Connects with Kodiak High School The Center for Public Education, a national resource featuring news and information about public education, recently generated articles spotlighting AASB and our Alaska ICE and QS2 initiatives. This story highlights community efforts in Kodiak. 2007-02-28 Serving the community with equal vote 14-year old Parks and Recreation Commission member, Ally Beischer, offers her unique perspective as the only teenager serving on a city commission that is normally occupied by adults. 2007-02-20 More boys than girls struggling in school, group finds On Tuesday, Feb. 13, William Pollack, a faculty member of the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, spoke to Juneau educators, faculty members and parents about how to fix the problem. 2007-02-20 Eight Pizzas, Fifteen Students: You Do the Math After working with numerous students on their homework, I noticed a pattern: so many of the students were getting stuck in math. Often, they were confused about the same problems over and over. I needed a more efficient way to deal with them... 2007-02-19 Strong Man highlighted in Daily News article The Anchorage Daily News recently composed an article on Strong Man, a new comic book from illustrator Dimi Macheras, and writer Ishmael Hope. This project highlights cultural values as a foundation for strength and resiliency, and took the pair two years to complete. 2007-02-16 AKAOK hosts Souper Mentor event As part of mentor Month at AKAOK, the event call “Souper Mentor” invited students and parents to write letters to a person whom they consider a mentor or who has been a positive role model or an influential person in their lives. 2007-02-15 The Valentine's Tournament in Galena It is the biggest tournament on the Yukon. Many travel to Galena from nearby villages like Nulato, Fort Yukon, Tanana, Aniak, Ruby, and Huslia to play. Everybody put their best effort into this tournament. 2007-02-14 QS2 District Successes Quality Schools/Quality Students (QS2) is a comprehensive school improvement service initiated by AASB in January 2000. Local efforts have ushered in great progress and community cohesiveness around helping our children and youth succeed in rural and urban communities alike. 2007-02-11 Random Acts of Kindness Week: Feb 12 - 16 Being kind is something so easy to do. If we take the steps to keep thoughtfulness and compassion on our minds, and in our actions, think of the positive climates that can be cultivated. 2007-02-08 Boy Scouts bring home Spirit of Youth award Unalaska Boy Scout Troop 561 has made a comeback to headlines with their 14-minute original production that educates kids about the use of methamphetamines. 2007-02-05 Random Acts of Kindness Week Random Acts of Kindness Week is Feb. 12-16. 2007-02-05 Wonderful Winter Vacation Both students and staff at Wilderness Hall were looking forward to Winter Vacation! Winter Break is a perfect time to spend with family and friends. 2007-02-02 Ketchikan's Asset Builder of the Month As a community organization, the Monthly Grind has become a valued source of entertainment for Ketchikan’s families and provides opportunities to build developmental assets in Ketchikan’s youth by including them in its monthly shows at the Saxman Tribal House. 2007-02-02 Deck the Halls We wanted to do something that brought the holidays to the community in an old fashioned way. We brainstormed about Christmas caroling, making ginger bread houses, etc. Then it came to me… Let’s “DECK THE HALLS.” 2007-01-30 The Advocates for Alaska's Youth Network The main page for the Advocates for Alaska's Youth Network. 2007-01-30 Exit exam scores rise for seniors More Anchorage high-schoolers have passed the exit exam this year than in the past, with minority students making notable gains, happy school officials said Monday. 2007-01-24 Tribal Council Member Connects with Local Students Paul Nathaniel recently met with students and a handful of parents to discuss the consequences of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. He hoped to inform, inspire, and challenge the students on this important topic. 2007-01-23 My Christmas Break in Rural Alaska This past Christmas break I took the opportunity with a few other youth workers to visit some of the students from Mt. Edgecumbe High School in their villages… in their homes… where they live. 2007-01-22 Schools take time to better connect with their students Advisory periods allow students and teachers to get together and discuss the things happening at school and in their lives. Long-term goals include: improving school climate, reducing the number of failing grades, and improving school safety. 2007-01-17 Snap-Shots to Mentoring in Unalaska This is a program that will be run by teens to encourage mentoring. It will furthermore allow adults and others in the community the ability to see this art form through a student's eye. 2007-01-16 Souper Mentor in Unalaska Have you often thought about someone who encouraged you, gave you confidence, or just pointed you in the right direction? In honor of national Soup month and Mentor month AKAOK is inviting you to take a moment and think about WHO your mentor was and join us for some soup. 2007-01-16 Snap-Shots in Unalaska In honor of national Soup month and Mentor month AKAOK is inviting you to take a moment and think about WHO your mentor was (or is!) and join other community members for some soup. 2007-01-15 A Winning Combo Sometimes, all a youth needs to create a positive change in their life is someone to look up to and share time with. Athletes for Kids – a youth mentorship program in which high school athletes help elementary school children with disabilities is one such program. 2007-01-15 Dancing Once Again For years, the Chalkyitsik dance group had traveled within Alaska. About six years ago, that all came to a stop. This left the younger kids without any kind of traditional expression. Today Stephanie Herbert and Amanda Wright are volunteering their time to teach the kids how to dance again, upon the request of the kids. 2007-01-12 Connecting with Students by Sharing Cultural Skill As two new students adjust to Stevens Village School, it's nice to know that there are adults like Debra George to welcome them, spend time to talk and listen to them, and ultimately learn from and teach them. That's what community engagement is all about. 2007-01-11 Unalaska's Boy Scouts 561 Show the Spirit of Youth CONGRATS to the Boy Scouts 561 of Unalaska! They were recently named winners of a 2007 Spirit of Youth award for their inspired work in creating an original version of Not Even Once, a short movie detailing the inherent risks involved with drugs and alcohol. 2007-01-10 Asset of the Month Asset of the Month for January 2007 2007-01-10 Petersburg Newsletter December 2006 - January 2007 Petersburg City School Distirct newsletter. 2007-01-09 Replacing books with computers shows promise The theory: Give children constant access to technology and they will read more often, learn better and have fun doing it. Wendler Middle School is one of 48 Alaska schools in 18 school districts trying this techie approach. The project is run by the Association of Alaska School Boards... 2007-01-04 North Slope's MYAC Blazes New Trail in Alaska As part of his campaign, Mayor Edward Itta of the North Slope Borough unfolded his vision to create a Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (MYAC) to include the participation of youth in issues regarding and affecting young people across the North Slope. 2007-01-02 Young students join in the band Glacier Valley Elementary School's Art is Elementary program is creating new opportunities for its students to excel and grow. The latest initiative invoves music in the morning! 2006-12-18 Mission Accomplished When Hands & Feet students met this year to brainstorm community service projects for the year, one of the seniors suggested that the service club reach out to GILA Alumni. 2006-12-18 Senses Indulged Two weeks of workshops and creativity culminated in the elegant Gallery Showing of the Wilderness Hall Visual Arts Festival. Handsomely dressed students and guests enjoyed browsing original art displays by GILA resident artists... 2006-12-18 Christmas Dinner If you were wondering where Santa Claus was on Sunday December 10th, he was at Mt. Edgecumbe High School at the annual Christmas dinner. This event is an annual candle-lit dinner where the students are served by staff. This year Father Christmas came with three of his elves to make the three course dinner even more special. 2006-12-14 3 Businesses Recognized for being Youth Friendly In November, the H20asis Water Park, Kaladis Brothers Coffee and Great Harvest Bread Company were presented the official certificate and decal to place in their window designating them as an official Youth Friendly Business. 2006-12-08 GILA Students Show Love for their Community Living in the dorms is always an effort in patience and understanding and I often find myself searching for the things that make me feel that these students will be ok in life. Thankfully, sometimes I don’t have to search very long. 2006-12-06 Community Night in Chalkyitsik Adults and youth of Chalkyitsik gathered together to focus on helping the children and youth of the community develop and maintain healthy lifestyles. 2006-12-05 Community Night in Arctic Village On November 14, 2006, Allan Hayton of the Association of Alaska School Boards, together with Yukon Flats School District, held a community night in Arctic Village. The Community night focused on connecting with and supporting children as a community. 2006-12-04 Unalaska's Asset of the Month for December Asset of the Month: Constructive Use of Time 2006-11-30 Thanksgiving in Galena For Thanksgiving, GILA students have a chance to go home or stay here in Galena. Some of the students make it home. The students who stay get checked out to have dinner at a nice home in the community. 2006-11-28 Culture Camp is Ketchikan's “Asset Builder” of the month This past October, PATCHWorks recognized Ketchikan Indian Community’s Culture Camp. Over the years Culture Camp has become an important means for young people to experience the outdoors and build the assets of positive identity, constructive use of time, commitment to learning and important social and cultural competencies. 2006-11-28 Giving Voice: A Creative Expressions Group If you like to write poetry, prose, or song lyrics; take photographs; draw, paint, or sculpt, Giving Voice is the Group for YOU! 2006-11-21 AASB Honors Education Leaders in Unalaska and Copper River The Unalaska City School District earned top honors with the Outstanding School Board Award for 2006 by the Association of Alaska School Boards. At the group’s annual conference Nov. 9-12 in Anchorage, Beth Betts, president of the Copper River School Board, took individual honors with the Outstanding School Board Member Award. 2006-11-20 Kodiak Elementary Students Get Wired The Kodiak High School Commons was invaded by about 100 elementary school students on Tuesday to kick off a new school program that puts notebook computers into the hands of students. Kodiak is one of 18 school districts selected to take part in the first year of the AASB Consortium for Digital Learning. 2006-11-17 All the Children are our Children Asset #14 refers to adult role models. It says youth are more likely to grow up healthy when parents and other adults model positive, responsible behavior. 2006-11-15 Ketchikan's Asset Builder of the Month Doug Edwards, the Culinary Arts teacher at Ketchikan High School, has high expectations of all of his students and cares deeply about them. Through his positive interactions with all of the students at Kayhi, he is helping to create a caring school environment. 2006-11-14 Students get hands on pilot program laptops The sixth-graders at North Pole Middle School, like most of the students in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, have to bring pencils, notepads and textbooks to school each day. But the 60 or so sixth-graders at North Pole Middle will now have a slightly more expensive piece of hardware in their backpacks. 2006-11-13 New Youth Center Coming to Juneau Juneau doesn’t exactly have many positive options for young people to get together and hang out. Members of the Juneau Christian Center are working to change that. They are building a modern youth center complete with computer stations, pool tables, homework areas with iPod connections, and even a climbing wall. 2006-11-10 Joel's Place Supports Youth of Fairbanks Each year Alaska ICE, through its Faith Communities project, offers stipends to faith communities statewide for youth-adult community service projects. Joel's Place recently received two stipends for creative, asset-building activities that will enrich the communtiy of Fairbanks. 2006-11-08 Research in Youth Development As positive youth development moves from being primarily a field of practice toward having increased credibility in academic research institutions, how much agreement is there in how it is understood and defined? 2006-11-07 A Pumpkinful Weekend Halloween is busy time of year around the Nenana Student Living Center. The 3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving and Painting contest was just held, producing impressive results. 2006-11-07 Snowball fights, or as I like to put it: Death from Above As the Dean of Students, I often wonder how the students see me and wonder what I can do to lighten the situation, to let them know that I care about them and that I enforce policy to keep them safe. In other words, how do I show the students that I’m human? Luckily, one snowy Saturday such an opportunity came to me. 2006-11-07 I wanna dance, dance, dance my dancies out The Inupiaq dance group is a diverse group of students who meet for the sheer joy of being able to dance and celebrate their heritage. 2006-11-03 Teens and Adults Connect in Ketchikan Picture this: 65 teens and adults of different cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds, sitting around tables eating, and talking about important issues. It was a wonderful event aimed at strengthening the community and supporting the youth of Ketchikan. 2006-11-02 Asset of the Month November is Boundaries and Expectations Month 2006-10-31 No Emotion Left Behind The debate over education reform has tended to divide children's learning along two axes, the emotional and the academic. The important news: The two kinds of learning are intimately connected. 2006-10-27 Welcome Search Institute Conference Attendees! The Association of Alaska School Boards’ Initiative for Community Engagement (Alaska ICE) is proud to take part in the 2006 Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Conference of the Search Institute. 2006-10-27 The Moon's Sister This story, created by students of Saint Paul and Saint George Schools, is the weaving of a traditional Unangan tale with historical and contemporary accounts. 2006-10-21 Harvard Graduate School of Education Recognizes Alaska ICE AASB, through the Alaska Initiative for Community Engagement (ICE), has been working to get adults involved in the everyday lives of schoolchildren. Publication of the book, Helping Kids Succeed – Alaska Style, in 1998 marked the first step... 2006-10-20 Alaska Native Student Vitality 45 Alaska Native community leaders, community members, and advocates were interviewed about their definitions of Alaska Native student success and their ideas about the characteristics of effective schools for Alaska Native students. 2006-10-19 The Power of Caring Weissberg and Durlak’s 2005 study of more than 300 programs shows that academic and social-emotional learning are “intimately connected,” and that SEL programs “significantly improve students’ academic performance.” 2006-10-10 Sitka Students Experience Change of Heart Some Sitka students took part in a daylong retreat encouraging them to take steps to initiate or nurture positive relationships, intercede when someone is saying or doing something mean to another person, and use their personal power to make a difference. 2006-10-10 Wrangell Youth Build Assets in Adults A multi-grade elementary class has adopted the senior citizens of Wrangell to show they care about them. 2006-10-06 Daily Activity: Talk About People You Admire Whether it is a big sister, a firefighter, your dad, or your 9th grade English teacher, the people you admire say a lot about what matters to you, what you value, and who has shaped your life. 2006-10-05 Alaska ICE Research Research behind assets from Search, ICE, etc. 2006-10-05 Alternative school, union launch job-training program Yaakoosge Daakahidi Alternative High School and a local union in Juneau have started a school-to-apprenticeship program they hope will keep students in class and help them find jobs after they graduate. 2006-10-03 An Evening with PAMYUA Students and staff of the Nenana Student Living Center were treated to a charismatic performance by the talented Native musicians of Pamyua, at a concert in Fairbanks. 2006-10-03 Empowerment Month October is Empowerment Month! Young people need to feel valued and valuable. This happens when they feel safe, when they believe that they are liked and respected, and when they make positive contributions to their families and communities! 2006-10-02 Girls Gone Wilderness: Fall Edition There is nothing quite like camping to get you immersed in your surroundings. A brave group of girls participated in our second annual “Girls Gone Wilderness” camping excursion to Denali National Park. 2006-09-29 Growth in PILARS Program Peers Initiative for Leading Attitude through Responsibility and Service (PILARS) is a group of upperclassmen students at Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka, who dedicate themselves to taking a positive role in the lives of others. 2006-09-25 Learning to Tell Stories Maybe you've seen them out there with note pads, microphones and cameras, talking to officials and everyday people. They're kids, and they're asking lots of questions. They want to know why things are the way they are, what needs to change, and what it all means. 2006-09-25 Just the Dudes Sometimes it’s good to get away from it all with a couple of the fellas…that is just what I had the opportunity to do this past weekend. 2006-09-20 DPAC engages Dillingham Community The Dillingham Parent Advisory Committee (DPAC) is a group of child advocates that promotes the healthy development of children, youth, and communities. 2006-09-15 Love and Support Asset message of the Week: Family Support 2006-09-10 Wrangell Sees Fewer Risk Behaviors in its Youth Wrangell's QS2 efforts (2002-2005) followed earlier asset building activities, and were highly community-based, involving many of the community's youth-serving organizations, encouraging interagency coordination that continues today. 2006-09-08 Meth Awareness Night in Unalaska Organizations within the Unalaska community got together with youth and adults to discuss the dangers and realities of Methamphetamines. 2006-09-08 Native Students Deserve Our Support As students return to the classroom this fall, they take another step closer to achieving all the benefits a good education can provide -- better jobs, higher incomes, higher levels of community participation and lower levels of unemployment and poverty. 2006-09-06 Dive-In Movie Welcomes Students to G.I.L.A. The hall staff at Galena Interior Learnng Academy (G.I.L.A.) had a fabulous tropical plan for welcoming students to Galena this year. With great ingenuity and enthusiasm, the staff organized the ultimate in tropical Alaskan parties… a Dive-In movie! 2006-08-29 Living and Learning with the Youth of Alaska Read the stories submitted from Residence Life staff members working in Alaska's residential boarding high schools. These professional staffers do indeed live in the residence halls with the students - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 2006-08-22 Rural districts make academic gains Bering Strait Superintendent John Davis wearies of the idea that making Adequate Yearly Progress means succeeding, and missing it means failure. Despite the deceptive labels, these schools are improving. 2006-08-16 Motivation to Learn As children return to school, many parents are deciding what prize — if any — is appropriate to offer when kids get good grades. Adults who promise money, gifts or privileges say their children study harder when incentives are on the table. The lesson they hope to teach is that rewards require work. 2006-08-08 Read for the Record Join JumpStart and thousands of others and show your support for early learning in a shared reading experience with your young ones. 2006-07-26 Jam Sessions in Delta Junction Alaska ICE and the Delta Greely School District are sponsoring a new activity in Delta Junction called "Jam Sessions," encouraging local musicians of all ages to come together to play, learn from one another, build relationships, and have fun. 2006-07-24 Summer's cool for school Around the city, thousands of students have spent weeks behind desks in traditional classrooms, studying the basics and taking tests. But at KCC, the district's vocational high school, it's is a different story. 2006-07-17 Royal Family Kids' Camp Royal Family Kids' Camp is for children who have been abused or neglected. Most are in foster care or have been recently adopted. Fifty-two children fished for rainbow trout, canoed in the lake, caught minnows, went to chapel, sang Bible songs, and made arts and crafts. 2006-07-15 Drive-in Movie in Wrangell Typically, asset-building is thought of as adults supporting the youth of their community. But in some cases, the positive support and encouragement for youth is carried out by another youth. Such was the case in a project in Wrangell, Alaska. 2006-07-14 UAF Academic Boot Camp 47 students from rural communities throughout Alaska participated in the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Rural Alaska Honors Institute, which ran until July 12. 2006-07-06 Conservation Day at Thorne Bay On May 31st, Thorne Bay students in K - 6th grade spent a day learning about different natural resource conservation education topics and things that go on in their backyard, the Tongass National Forest. 2006-07-05 Cleaning the Pits! This year, as part of Community Cleanup, members of the Delta Youth Court, Kari Miller, Cari Dighton, Sandy Dighton, Katy Dighton, Ruby Bynum, Kelly, Rhandie, and Danny Zollman and Lowen Ewing took large trash bags, and gloves and cleaned the litter and debris surrounding the Gravel Pits to make for cleaner and safer swimming for all. 2006-07-01 QS2 Summer Enrichment This June Alaska ICE and the Delta Greely School District sponsored a 3-week Summer Enrichment program for all Delta Greely kids in grades 1-8. Over 40 kids participated in the program with 4 staff members, 5 teen volunteers, and up to 10 parent volunteers. 2006-06-27 2006 Artists’ TOPS a Success ICE staff Timi Tullis, Suzie Gaffney, and Allan Hayton conducted a successful Artists’ TOPS* training in Anchorage May 9 & 10, 2006. "We had a diverse and creative group of participants who shared many different talents, interests, and experiences." 2006-06-23 Teacher on the Trail The adventure of a lifetime, the highlight of a professional career, an unbelievable journey, a transforming experience. Try as I might, there are no words that can thoroughly or adequately summarize my journey as the 2006 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail for Iditarod XXXIV. 2006-06-20 Palmer student follows Gandhi's advice Kenni Psenak, a student representative on the Mat-Su School Board, is not afraid to speak her mind. Concerned that the 'youth voice' is not often heard and taken into account, Kenni makes the most out of her role as a student leader in the Mat-Su school district. 2006-06-15 PATCHWorks Poster Challenge A few months ago, PATCHWorks issued a friendly Poster Challenge to the students of Ketchikan’s elementary schools. The Challenge was designed not only to educate children about the Developmental Assets, but also to fuel and encourage creativity. 2006-06-12 2006 Juneau Youth Summit AASB/Alaska ICE's Kathy Buss took time out to visit with youth and get the teen perspective on youth-related issues at the Juneau Youth Summit this past April. 2006-06-09 Citizens of Ketchikan gather to TALK On May 17th, 60 people gathered for TALK (Teens and Adults Linking in Ketchikan), an evening of intergenerational visiting and conversation around issues of interest to the youth and adults in Ketchikan. 2006-05-23 Student of the Year chases her teaching dream Four years ago, Priscilla Ballot had a home, a family and a longstanding job at her local school. She didn’t know she soon would dream of accomplishing more. That changed in 2002 when Ballot, 47, an instructional aide at Davis-Ramoth School... 2006-05-22 Alaska ICE Resources Resources of Alaska ICE 2006-05-17 Dillingham's N&N Market Named Youth Friendly N&N Market was selected as a recipient of a Youth Friendly Business Award for 2006. On May 16th at a monthly Dillingham Chamber of Commerce meeting, N&N Market was formally recognized. 2006-05-11 Unalaska Community Golfs for Assets April 1st, 2006 the AKAOK team and the Unalaska City School District put together their first community engagement event. We played miniature Golf for knowledge on assets. 2006-05-10 Kahurangi Maori Dance Theatre The Kahurangi Maori Dance theatre from New Zealand paid Nenana a visit in late April, bringing eight dancers. Their costume was impressive, as well as their repertoire of dance. The gymnasium came to life to the sound of drumbeats and native instruments. 2006-05-08 Something Good About Us All Thought for the day from Dottie Olson: Wouldn’t life be more happy, if we praised the good we see in each other? 2006-05-07 Engaging Community in Kwigillingok Asset building is more than just positive actions and relationship building; it’s an attitude, a way of thinking and behaving. It’s clear that the school staff in Kwigillingok is taking this to heart. 2006-05-02 Easter Giving The preparations for Easter started two weeks before the holiday- however, this year, it was the students getting ready and not the staff. A group of PILARS girls took it upon themselves to make sure the day was a special day for everyone at MEHS. 2006-05-02 Metlakatla Honor Student Wins Youth of the Year Award Metlakatla resident Creighton Boyd has been named the Youth of the Year for Alaska by Boys & Girls Club of America. 2006-05-01 North Slope Borough Launches New Youth Council A program is being set up in the North Slope that involves the creation of a Youth Advisory Council as part of a vision for Inupiat self-determination and empowerment in northern Alaska. Its purpose: to provide a voice for youth in decisions and policy. 2006-04-28 Pathways 2006: Statewide Conference Pathways 2006 marks the 10th biennial statewide conference for families and professionals who care for people with disabilities. As a collaborative effort between agencies and individuals throughout Alaska, Pathways provides a unique forum on disabilities and related issues. 2006-04-26 66th Annual Conference of the National School Boards Association This year's 66th Annual National School Board Association's Conference featured more than 300 clinics, workshops, and seminars designed to educate, inspire, and energize thousands of school leaders from across the country. 2006-04-25 SO-AK School Programs Help Underscore State Education Policy Studies prove that Special Olympics is an ideal partner for meeting the education mandates of state law and policy. Through sports and related programs, the Special Olympics Alaska School Program (SOAK-SP) promotes not only physical fitness but also an understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities. 2006-04-24 Things Don’t Always Go As Planned… About one week ago an adult volunteer from the community of Sitka and I took ten students out to a remote Alaska Forest Service cabin to spend a couple of days. 2006-04-20 Young people offer hope...Goodall says Jane Goodall gave the audience at the Third General Session of NSBA's 66th annual conference a frank assessment of the state of the environment and a reason for hope for a better tomorrow. 2006-04-19 Conarro theatrically serves community If life's a stage, Ryan Conarro has found his part as he balances his love for theater with a sense of community service. 2006-04-18 Mad Hot Classroom At Glacier Valley Elementary School, girls are wearing dresses, boys are clamoring to wear ties and the codes of dance-floor etiquette are trickling into everyday classroom behavior. 2006-04-11 Sharing Our Fears, Making Us Stronger Over the course of my career I have had the opportunity to develop and post many bulletin boards in residence halls. Few however, have been as successful as this most recent one that I posted this past month. The topic: "What is your greatest fear?" 2006-04-10 Asset 10: Safety Asset #10 encourages safety within the home, school and community. Safety is an important empowerment asset. Children and teens who feel safe are more likely to feel secure enough to try new things, and take healthy risks. 2006-04-07 What Part of Mediocre Don’t We Get? Children are our future. Our national well-being is directly proportional to how well children and adolescents grow, learn and thrive...so, how is it going with America’s kids? 2006-04-06 Spirit of Youth Salutes 2006 Award Winners SOY Award Winners 2006 2006-03-31 Learning to Connect Through the Arts Apply now to be a part of our upcoming Training Of Promoters and Storytellers (TOPS) for Artists! This is a NO COST, two-day training to be held in Anchorage May 9-10, 2006 and is open to any artist or arts organization committed to helping Alaskan youth succeed. 2006-03-28 It Starts with Singing On March 17th the girls of Heritage Hall hosted a karaoke contest with food, door prizes, and cash prizes for the winners. When the singing started at 7:30 the only place left for late arrivals was standing room. 2006-03-24 Sitka Youth Respond, Receive Award The Sitka Youth First Responders have meant a great deal to their community. They were chosen to receive the 2006 Spirit of Youth Lifesavers and Prevention Award! 2006-03-22 Native Sons “Play before you go to bed at night, and the first thing when you wake up in the morning,” sage advice from Willie Fields…“the music sinks in better that way.” Willie has mentored young musicians of Fort Yukon for many years. 2006-03-22 Students Cheer on Mushers at Galena Checkpoint Students gathered at the old community hall to greet mushers as they reached the Galena Iditarod Checkpoint, on March 10 and 11. Students stood on the banks of the Yukon in search of the first sign of dog teams. 2006-03-22 Bekah Peterson Shares Her Spirit Bekah Peterson was nominated for a 2006 Spirit of Youth Award in the Service to Community category. Bekah consistently volunteers to help with service projects in and around her community... 2006-03-20 Yupik Dance Group Travels to AWG 2006 This past week the eight members from the Yupik Dance Group at Mt. Edgecumbe High School (M.E.H.S.) traveled to Kenai, Alaska to participate in the 2006 Arctic Winter Games (AWG). 2006-03-17 Bridges This month, both Sitka and Mt. Edgecumbe High track teams are gathering once again to prepare for the upcoming season. 2006-03-17 Peer Helpers On March 12th, Sitka High's Peer Helpers hosted a free lunch time ice cream social... 2006-03-17 Sno-Go Mojo Dacho Alexander volunteers as a mentor at Sno-Go Mojo, a snow machine repair/maintenence shop, with young people ages 9 and up. The students breathe new fire into older, yet reliable snow machines. Dacho explains: "I'm constantly surprised by their creativity." 2006-03-16 Studying Arts Increases Kids Smarts The arts at Main Elementary go beyond construction-paper creations meant to hang on refrigerators. There are workshops on spoken word poetry, powerful visual arts, a gallery showcasing student interpretation of paintings, drama projects, dance... 2006-03-15 Mission Statement for the Unalaska Faith Group Mission Statement of the Unalaska All-Faith Youth Group 2006-03-14 Dedication There are some students here at MEHS who could stand to learn a little bit about perseverance and dedication to a task. There are some who can devote themselves to a whole task and be completely ensconced in it that it manages their lives. Luckily... 2006-03-13 Etiquette Dinner at the NSLC Softly glowing candles and crisp, white linen napkins set the tone for the Etiquette Dinner last Saturday evening. 2006-03-10 GILA Student Shows the Spirit of Youth Dorothy Walker isn’t your normal high school student. She is not afraid to be different or discuss issues that other teens might ignore. After being nominated for a Spirit of Youth Award by dorm counselor Stacey Graham for a project she did on Earth Day... 2006-03-10 Basket-bowling What do you get when you mix basketball with bowling? You get basket-bowling, of course! On February 17, 2006 balls were flying and pins were falling in the gym of Galena Interior Learning Academy (GILA). 2006-03-01 Preserving Heritage and Culture “Why do you feel it is important to preserve your native culture/heritage or the culture/heritage you come from?” Christine Kagak tackles this question in an student essay contest at Mt. Edgecumbe High School. 2006-02-28 Government Up Close 15 students from across the state meet lawmakers to learn how politics work in the Alaska Close Up program. 2006-02-28 OPERA ON THE EDGE, My Visit to Kotzebue ...I realized that I now understood so much more about my state and its people and culture. I knew I’d been changed by this place, and would never be the same. My gratitude for this learning opportunity continues to enlighten everything I do... 2006-02-23 Reading with Homer in Scammon Bay Homer Hunter grew up in Scammon Bay and wanted to do a project that would help the community – so at the age of 48, he joined Ameri-Corp as a VISTA volunteer. 2006-02-22 TOPS In Dutch Harbor In January 2006 we had the pleasure of Shelly Eidsness joining 28 of our local teens and adults to teach the Assets framework & visit with us here in Dutch Harbor/Unalaska. 2006-02-21 Seniors Use Experience to Help Freshmen Adjust in New Program A Washington state partnership developed in late 2003 helps incoming freshman understand the importance of their high school careers -- and what it takes to graduate. 2006-02-21 Empowerment and the Value of Appreciation Everyone wants to feel valued and be valuable, but it’s easy for children and teenagers to feel as if they have little to contribute. In our fast-paced lives, it’s often easier to do things for young people instead of doing things with them. 2006-02-15 Braves Vs. Wolves MEHS is considered a 3A school while Sitka is considered a 4A school. Nonetheless they still compete against each other when at all possible. While competing they are considered rivals But when it comes to competing against other schools... 2006-02-14 Heart of Hart’s As a security specialist, Vera Hart patrols the halls at Dimond High School with the safety and welfare of the youth in mind. Her relationship with the teens however goes well beyond security to the multifaceted roles of mentor, advisor, friend and coach. 2006-02-14 School Spirit at MEHS The Braves have got school spirit. This year staff and students have worked together to make home games loud and Brave proud. 2006-02-14 Knitting is for… I had 4 boys sit around a table with me and learn how to knit; all the while they complained about looking like a girl or being silly. They were brilliant! Their work was better even than any first-timers knitting that I have ever seen... 2006-02-13 A Caring School Climate Promotes Learning Most people like the weather to be warm and sunny and most students like their school climate to be the same. You want a climate that promotes learning. What causes a school to have a warm, positive climate? 2006-02-10 Training of Promoters and Storytellers (TOPS) Want to make a positive difference in the lives of kids and communities? Come to Assets T.O.P.S. the Training Of Promoters and Storytellers for Building Assets in Alaska’s Youth January 26-27, 2004 Captain Cook Hotel – Anchorage 2006-02-06 2005 ICE Progress Report:Communities and Schools Working Together Every year, we at Alaska ICE put out a “Progress Report” that describes who we are, what we do, where we have been, and where we are going. 2005’s report highlights our Quality Schools/Quality Students (QS2) initiative. 2006-02-05 World Stories Read to Kids in Dutch Harbor In a school district where a third of the students speak English as a second language, elementary students have been listening to international children’s stories read aloud by immigrant parents. 2006-02-03 Alaska Junior Theatre The Alaska Junior Theatre engages young students in the Anchorage area with moral stories that the children can connect with. A wide-range of stories is shared and includes topics such as: morality, character, academics, and life. 2006-02-03 Living and Learning This book compiles some of the ideas gathered by staff during their time with students at Galena, Nenana, and Mt. Edgecumbe High Schools, as well as the University of Alaska Southeast and University of Alaska Fairbanks’s Kuskokwim campus. 2006-02-01 Escaping Busy to Just Be Nowadays everyone is busy…jobs to go to, bills to pay, housework to get done, kids to take care of. Even the students here at Mt. Edgecumbe are busy. Recently I had the opportunity to take six students from Mt. Edgecumbe High School out on an afternoon hike... 2006-01-25 Spirit of Youth and SBP: Working Together School Business Partnerships and Spirit of Youth have joined in a collaborative effort to promote positive understanding and relationships between Anchorage youth and the business world. 2006-01-24 Fun Activities for Students at the Dorms Students at GILA have access to a great gym. At the gym, students can play basketball, workout, visit the SUB (Student Union Building), or play racquetball. 2006-01-23 Chef Rand's Parties Once a month Chef Rand holds a party at his house for twenty to thirty students. There Chef Rand cooks fabulous foods like pizza, nachos, and great desserts... 2006-01-23 Chevak Youths Take on Policing Young volunteers are getting ready to patrol the streets of a cash-strapped Western Alaska village. The volunteers, most of them just of out high school, are part of a plan to keep the village of Chevak clean of curfew violators. 2006-01-23 Sports at GILA Whether on a team or just for fun, GILA students enjoy playing a variety of sports. 2006-01-17 T.O.P.S. Training in Kodiak On Dec. 9th and 10th Kodiak School District hosted a T.O.P.S training in which a majority of the villages participated. The training promoted students and adults coming together to create a more positive community . 2006-01-16 Teens are Welcome One day a young customer sat with a friend, not eating. Thinking she might not have money, Vinny Ryan brought her something she'd ordered before and told her not to worry about it. This spontaneous gesture of kindness won the eatery a Spirit of Youth - Youth Friendly Business award. 2006-01-14 Conference of Young Alaskans - Jan 13-16 Young leaders from around Alaska convened in Fairbanks this past weekend to discuss the challenges that face Alaska today and craft their visions for Alaska's future at the Conference of Young Alaskans. 2006-01-13 Mentors Give Students an Edge Grades matter. Finals are critical to success. Those are the lessons freshmen at Francis Howell High School are hearing, but not just from their parents or teachers. A new mentoring program called Viking Edge brings those messages to younger students from... 2005-12-16 Fairbanks: a Family and Kid Friendly Community A large and diverse group of youth and adult community members in Fairbanks came together for a Community Conversation on November 30th to make Fairbanks a more family and kid friendly place to live and work. 2005-12-13 Youth Court Six members of the Sitka Youth Court traveled to the State Youth Court Conference in Fairbanks to learn about Judicial Ethics, MCA Cases, Creative Sentencing and much more. 2005-12-13 Listening to Students Giving students a voice in classroom decisions makes schools less autocratic and more democratic. And democratic schools, researchers say, tend to have fewer discipline problems, more civic involvement, higher student engagement, and higher achievement. 2005-12-13 Postcards to Any Soldier Words can be so very powerful and have in impact on our daily lives. In honor of Veterans Day, I thought that it would be a fantastic idea to have students write to an active service member and give words of encouragement. 2005-12-07 Father Michael Book Signing in Juneau Father Michael Oleksa, a leader in the development of cross-cultural education in Alaska, was recently in Juneau for his book signing at the 23rd Annual Public Market. 2005-11-30 Bringing the Courts Together Peer by Peer The first day of the Ninth Annual Youth Court Conference consisted of introductions of all the different youth courts in attendence and 3 different sessions with different topics, all of which were beneficial to the students involved. 2005-11-30 Elders urge flexibility in education Early on the first morning of the Youth and Elders Conference held in Fairbanks this past October, 90-year old Athabascan elder Dr. Sidney Huntington of Galena offered some progressive advice on the future of schooling. 2005-11-28 Snowball Fights Postponed Before daily temperatures dropped below zero, students and staff occasionally had organized, or not so organized, snowball fights. 2005-11-28 Halloween Fun at GILA Although Halloween isn’t the most celebrated holiday here in Galena, we do participate in the activities that go on. For instance, students and adults at both Galena City School and Galena Interior Learning Academy hosted a fun Halloween carnival that most people attend, from youngsters to adults. 2005-11-28 Mt. Edgecumbe Students Lead and Learn a Valuable Lesson Recently, the L.E.A.D.S. (Leadership, Education, Attitude, Discipline, and Success) program at M.E.H.S. helped make the holidays a little brighter for many local Sitka families in need. 2005-11-28 Youth Mission Statements: Ryan and Brady Mission statements from the youth of Unalaska. 2005-11-28 Youth Mission Statements: Cory, Jesse, Angela and Andrew Youth mission statements from Unalaska. 2005-11-28 Youth Mission Statements: Angela and Andrew Youth mission statements from Unalaska. 2005-11-28 Youth Mission Statements: Trista and Haleigh Youth mission statements from Unalaska 2005-11-28 Youth Mission Statements: Felicia and Jake Youth mission statements from Unalaska. 2005-11-22 Connecting...with Food In some families, dinner is just another meal of the day. In the Mt. Edgecumbe family, even if unspoken, it is a very important bonding time. 2005-11-22 Chips Ahoy! Two pool tables, two decks of cards, a couple of dealers, some sunglasses, and a few silly hats. NSLC students, along with many staff members, recently engaged in a rousing tournament of Texas Hold-Em Poker. 2005-11-22 A Young Hero in Wasilla Brittany Heck, 18, of Wasilla, Alaska, a senior at Palmer High School in Palmer, organized several community drives to sign up Alaska Natives and other minorities for the National Marrow Donor Registry... 2005-11-22 Winter Weather Update It is already November and we’ve made so much progress here at Wilderness Hall dorms. Students have just ended their second quarter and everything seems to be going well. GILA is becoming a better environment everyday. 2005-11-16 Anchorage Earns National Recognition Anchorage earned the honor of being among the top “100 Best Communities for Young People” in a 2005 nationwide survey conducted by America’s Promise. 2005-11-15 Pistols and Pasta Picture it: Sicily, 1963. Giuseppe flees to America after trouble with his brother. 25 years later, he is found murdered. This was the scene laid out before sixteen students from the NSLC who took part in the Murder Mystery Dinner. 2005-11-15 Steeeeeeeeeerike! Students in Nenana took a page from the book of MacGyver and got creative. After all, what would you do if you had 6 pins, 2 Cornish game hens, a milk crate and a really cold day? Hmmm... 2005-11-10 Red Ribbon T-Shirt Competition In support of Red Ribbon week 10 students at Galena Interior Learning Academy (GILA) worked to create a display about their choices to live healthy lifestyles. 2005-11-05 GILA Residents Soak Up the Service GILA students learn that the best leaders are such because they are servants first. What better place to see this modeled than in our own Wilderness Hall management team and our administration. 2005-10-31 Halloween at MEHS Halloween season has come to Mt. Edgecumbe High School and pumpkins and skeletons can be seen everywhere. The most memorable events this Halloween started as an idea in Heritage Hall... 2005-10-30 The NSLC’s In Jeopardy The clue: “This is the most fun you will ever have looking smart.” The question: “What is playing Jeopardy at the NSLC?” America’s favorite game show has recently become a favorite program among the students in Nenana. 2005-10-26 Hiking Mt. Edgecumbe We left the dorms Friday October 14, 2005 heading for Kruzoff Island. We stepped off the boat and onto the island not knowing what we were in for. We slept in a cabin that was along the beach that night. 2005-10-19 The Gold, the Blue, and the Fuzzy It was an unexpected event, but a great one. We brought a group of around twenty students to Fairbanks for a day of shopping and fun. In the evening we had plans at the UAF campus. We were there to see a fight when, suddenly, a hockey game broke out. 2005-10-13 Conference of Young Alaskans To foster awareness and appreciation of our state’s founders among the emerging leaders of Alaska, the University of Alaska will hold a four-day “Conference of Young Alaskans” on the UAF campus January 13-16, 2006. 2005-10-11 Remodeled Wilderness This summer the lobby in Wilderness hall received a facelift. Thanks to many volunteer efforts and donations, the lobby is now sporting the GILA High School colors, a new front desk and a new computer counter. 2005-10-10 GILA Students Serve the Community Community service has always been an important part of education here at GILA. During the month of September, we challenged our students to compete against other teams to complete the most hours of community service. 2005-10-04 Revenge of the Snail Mail In our age of electronics, it really is amazing to me that a few lines of written words can make a student feel connected to home; parents feel so much more a part of their students’ world and when responded to, can make their special students day 100% brighter. 2005-09-30 The Roommate Game Students and staff at the Nenana Student Living Center got together to learn about one another, bond, and have a good time. In the spirit of the Newlywed Game, contestants paired off to see what they knew about their roommates. 2005-09-30 World of Opportunity Life at Mount Edgecumbe High School offers a great variety of opportunities. What kind of opportunities? The opportunities vary from meeting people of different cultures to enhancing your education. 2005-09-29 PILARS Training at MEHS On Sunday there was a training with 30 students participating. The members were all returning juniors or seniors who knew what it is like to be in a new place. Their focus: to involve students in activities and create a supportive atmosphere. 2005-09-27 Artists Reveal Kayhi's Spirit with Mural Two young artists in Ketchikan have been busy creating a mural to grace the halls of the Commons area at Ketchikan High School. Hilary Goucher’s drawing was selected by the student body to represent Kayhi’s spirit and caring school climate. 2005-09-20 Helping Others, Near or Far Although thousands of miles may separate Alaska from the victims of Hurricane Katrina, for students at Galena's Interior Learning Academy, helping others, whether near or far, is natural. 2005-09-19 Rainy... with a Sunny Disposition Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once stated: "Into each life some rain must fall." Leave it to 8 students from Mt. Edgecumbe High School to show us that with a resilient attitude and bright outlook, a little rain can't ruin the fun. 2005-09-14 Building Assets Through Peer Helper Retreat On the first weekend of the school year, students at Galena Interior Learning Academy attended a retreat to consider ways that they can build assets in the lives of their peers. Their mission: to create a community of respect and care. 2005-09-13 Serving the Community A new requirement at Haines High School calls for its students involved in extracurricular activities to log 15 hours of Community Service per activity. 2005-09-07 The Few, The Proud At 11pm they arrived. Their flight had been long and most had been traveling for the entire day. From their eyes glimmered an excitement, a look of readiness and expectance of a fantastic adventure. 2005-09-01 Traditional Values of Alaska Poster Traditional Values of Alaska Poster 2005-08-31 Another Culture/Another World Another Culture/Another World by Father Michael Oleksa 2005-08-30 Students for a Day Several days before their students were to show up for the first day of school, teachers were 'students' at an in-service to kick off the school year. Judging from their energy and creativity, the Pribilof School District is off to a great start this year. 2005-08-24 Keeping Community Focus Chris Aquino, our statewide partner with United Way of Anchorage, receives Franklin H. Williams Award in recognition of his community-focused work from Africa to Alaska. 2005-08-23 7 up in Klawock Citizens of Klawock and visitors from all over Alaska, the Lower 48 and even a few from overseas were on hand for the raising of seven totem poles over a three-day period. 2005-08-18 Public Schools Try to Get More Parents Involved The reason: Children whose parents do everything from simply talking to their kids to showing up for school meetings have better grades, improved attendance and less chance of dropping out, among other things. 2005-07-15 A Simple Twist of the Wrist This story comes from one of the 8 receipients of the AASB June Nelson Memorial Scholarship for 2005. This year's topic: Describe the ways specific Developmental Assets have contributed to your personal growth as a member of your community. 2005-07-14 QS2 Partnerships for a Better Alaska Now entering its 4th year, the joint initiative known as Quality Schools/Quality Students (QS2) continues to refine and improve its services to promote healthy and successful kids, schools and communities throughout Alaska. 2005-07-14 Connecting Curriculum with Culture Connecting Curriculum to Culture and Community was the focus of the Place-based Education Workshop that took place the week of June 27 - July 2 at the University of Alaska Southeast campus in Juneau. 2005-07-06 Ch’eghutsen’ Ch’eghutsen’ is a Koyukon Athabascan word that translates as "Love." The Ch’eghutsen’ Project is a family driven, culturally appropriate and strength based behavioral health service for children, families and communities. 2005-06-23 QS2 Districts' Efforts Benefit Local Communities Four districts that have taken part in the QS2 process are graduating from the partnership this year. These districts are moving toward sustainable actions by improving student learning and instilling assets in their communities. 2005-06-22 Activities and Ideas - Page 1 List of PDF documents full of Activities and Ideas. 2005-06-22 Activities and Ideas - Page 2 Activities and Ideas page 2 2005-06-12 AEYC-SEA Announces First-Annual Child Care Provider of the Year AEYC-SEA realizes that it is people with big hearts and a strong sense of what children need to succeed, like Krissy Smith, who are the driving force toward making a difference in the lives of our youngest, most precious Alaskans. 2005-05-31 Pribilof School District Youth Leadership Workshop Middle and high school students from St. Paul and St. George worked on teams to learn more about themselves, make ethical decisions, and look at leader character traits at the Pribilof School District Youth Leadership Workshop. 2005-05-26 Sheldon Jackson Child Care Center, Sitka, Alaska SItka is building a new child care center designed from the ground up for the care of their children. The Sheldon Jackson Child Care Center will be open for business in August 2005, offering high quality childcare to the families of Sitka. 2005-05-19 Spirit of Youth Salutes 2005 Winners SOY Award Winners 2005 2005-05-17 The Mt Edgecumbe Hike Climbing Mt Edgecumbe is one thing we’ll never forget. We began the trip right after school on Friday, the 22nd of April. The next day started at 6am with warm oatmeal in a bag... 2005-05-16 Role Models at St. George Island Have Some Fun In April, the seven high school students of St. George Island in the Pribilofs spent the day learning more about asset building in their community. It was noted that you are always a role model for someone; it’s important to model the behavior you want to pass on. 2005-05-05 ATMI students go to D.C. and Baltimore! Five Alaska Teen Media Institute students attended the seventh annual National Youth in Radio Training Project conference in Baltimore, Maryland April 15 and 16. 2005-05-03 Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) is a program sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation. This program offers great opportunities for youth to make a difference in their communities. 2005-05-03 Yup'ik Dance Group Visits St. Mary’s On March 3rd twelve members of the Yup’ik dance group traveled to St. Mary’s for the Ayagyuat Yuraat Youth Eskimo dance and conference. Groups from all over the Alaska came... 2005-05-02 Founders Dance Every year at the end of Founder's Week we have an awesome, semi-formal dance. The title of this years dance was “Tropical Paradise.” There were paper palm trees, fish posters on the wall... 2005-05-02 Region V Tournament in Juneau The Region V Tournament in Juneau was AWESOME. The boys and girls basketball teams got first place thanks to the coaches, cheerleaders, rooters, and everyone who has supported the team’s hard work. 2005-05-02 Kayaking Around Sitka Kayaking is one of the most fun and more popular extra-curricular activities here at Mt. Edgecumbe High School. Every weekend there is one group a day with about ten students... 2005-05-01 Edgecatainment Night “Edgecatainment” night was fun and exciting for all the students and administrators of Mt. Edgecumbe High School (MEHS). Some students played different kinds of instruments and songs, the Drama- Debate-Forensics team did skits and plays... 2005-04-30 ATMI Takes Five! The Alaska Teen Media Institute has received five more Alaska Press Club Awards to hang on its humble wall. Their work ranks among the most professional radio journalism in Alaska... 2005-04-29 New Experiences at the Sitka Farm For many, a trip to the zoo to see polar bears, eagles, seals and caribou is a memorable experience. These are animals that we might think are "exotic," and not get to see in the wild. For some of the students at Mt. Edgecumbe High School, however... 2005-04-28 Alaska Gateway Borough School District Here are some of the ways Alaska Gateway Borough School District builds assets and helps kids succeed! 2005-04-26 Father Oleksa's Inspiring Words The Gil Truit Activity Center was packed with interested listeners while Father Michael Oleksa talked about Alaskan Natives and their success throughout history during Founder's Week at Mt. Edgecumbe. 2005-04-23 Cast Out at Galena's PERS What would happen if the show Survivor were combined with Fear Factor? Students at Project Education Residential School in Galena found out first-hand with four days of bizarre and fun activities. The prize for the winner was a ... 2005-04-21 PILARS Late Nights This last Saturday evening the guys in the PILARS group ran a very successful “late- nighter.” 150 students attended. It was an entertaining night with a basketball tournament, an ice cream eating contest, a balloon-shaving contest,... 2005-04-21 Connecting Curriculum to Culture and Community document on Place-based Education 2005-04-16 Sitka is Right on Track At Mt. Edgecumbe, track is in full swing- shot puts are flying, students are hurdling, kids are high jumping, and everyone is running. Springtime is here, days are longer, and it’s good to be outside! 2005-04-16 Earl Polk Inspires Students at Mt. Edgecumbe Students and staff quickly packed the Sub at Mt. Edgecumbe High School, wanting to hear the renown storyteller and Yupik Native, Mr. Earl Polk. 2005-04-12 Founder's Week at Mt. Edgecumbe Founders Week 2005 was once again a huge success at MEHS. Students and Special Guests shared in cultural activities, music, and dance to celebrate Mt. Edgecumbe - established 58 years ago. Two stories... 2005-03-23 Drama Ladies Bring the Theatre to Galena Schools Students at Project Education Residential School in Galena were recently given an amazing opportunity to show off their theatrical talents. 2005-03-17 Creative Journaling with Creative Students Students at Galena's Project Education Residential School have found a new outlet to express themselves: Creative Journaling! 2005-03-16 Spreading Their Culture All the Way to Illinois 15 Mt Edgecumbe students shared with 4th graders from Chicago, some insight and information on the state of Alaska and their lives within it. 2005-03-11 Celebrating One of our Own Becky Judd, one of our partners and a founding member of Alaska ICE, was recently featured in an Anchorage Daily News article talking about an adult who changed her life when she was a teenager. 2005-03-01 Ride-Alongs with Sitka's Finest The Sitka Police Dept. invites MEHS students to ride along on nightly patrols. This program has been going on for the last few years and students really enjoy it... 2005-02-28 Fine Dining in Mentasta Lake A community engagement dinner & presentation event was held on February 25, 2005 at Mentasta Lake's Katie John School. The focus: increased community participation and recognition for volunteering. 2005-02-18 I Saw my Shadow on Groundhog’s Day! This year, students and staff at Mt. Edgecumbe High School decided to celebrate Groundhog's Day (a much-overlooked holiday) with renewed enthusiasm. 2005-02-18 Helping Students Prepare for Exams This Spring semester at Mt. Edgecumbe High School, workshops will be offered to help prepare students for the SAT, ACT and High School Graduation Qualifying Exam. 2005-02-15 Natural Born Leaders Ketchikan has amazing leaders emerging among our young citizens. Several of these Ketchikan students participated in the Jr. High Leadership Conference Saturday, January 29th. 2005-02-09 Keeping Home Where the Heart Is What ever happened to the lost way of writing letters and sending them in the mail? There is something to be said about taking the time to write to someone you care about. 2005-02-09 Putt-Putt at Galena's PERS Sunday night, January 9 2005, PERS students started an impromptu game of putt-putt in the residence hall. 2005-02-09 Building Resolutions Structure-building activity for PERS students in Galena and successful goal-attainment share same approach: teamwork. 2005-02-02 Mt Edgecumbe Students Show Their "Spirit" Recently three student groups at Mt Edgecumbe High School in Sitka were nominated for Spirit of Youth awards, in recognition of the positive contributions they make to their school. 2005-01-31 Community Partnerships Strengthen In Eagle! A variety of partnerships between Eagle's after-school program and community organizations benefit the young people of Eagle, as well as make the community a better place for everyone. 2005-01-31 Fairbanks Celebrates 5th Annual KIDS FEST On January 29th, Fairbanks celebrated its 5th annual KIDS FEST. The festival includes lots of information, products, entertainment, and fun activities for kids and the entire family. 2005-01-30 Eagle Students Interview Community Asset Builders Eagle Community School students are interviewing local asset builders and posting the responses in the local Post Office, as a way to acknolwedge theier efforts and inspire other adults. 2005-01-28 Reading Under the Big Top in Fairbanks Ladd Elementary School in Fairbanks will foster literacy achievement by bringing kids, families and community members together for two fun-filled weeks of creative literacy activities. 2005-01-23 Quality Schools and Quality Students on Kodiak Island The school board, students, school staff and community members of Kodiak Island Borough School District work together to increase student achievement and well-being. 2005-01-12 Fairbanks Takes Action to Grow Better Kids The Fairbanks North Star Borough Early Childhood Development Commission recently sponsored a town forum called “Fairbanks Takes Action to Grow Better Kids.” 2005-01-10 Murals and a “Mom Artist” in Kodiak An after-school project in Kodiak to create Christmas murals was a rssounding success, with parents and kids working together to create mrulas for their school. 2005-01-09 Having Good PARTNERS is Important The PARTNERS (People Accepting, Respecting, Teaching and Never Excluding Responsible Students) Club is a group of 4th-6th grade students in Kodiak who have fun celebrating differences. 2005-01-05 A Special Christmas Play Mentasta Lake's elders, students, school staff, community volunteers and a local Ahtna language teacher worked together to produce and present a Christmas play in the Ahtna language. 2005-01-04 Fairbanks Celebrates National Mentoring Month January is National Mentoring Month, and a group of dedicated youth-serving professionals in the Fairbanks area have activities and promotion planned for the month. 2005-01-03 Student Leadership in Tok Tok school students attended a Leadership Rally last fall, and the skills and insights gained at the rally have continued to serve Tok students throughout the school year. 2004-12-15 Alaska Homilies to Help Kids Succeed Enter here to learn about the new book Alaska Homilies to Help Kids Succeed, a tool that anyone can use to include assets as part of their faith community. 2004-12-13 Thankful for our Community Each Thanksgiving, the community of Galena opens their homes to the students at staff at Galena's Project Education Residential School who are unable to go home for the holiday. 2004-12-11 Creativity Finds a Home Staff and students at Galena's Project Education Residential School (PERS) worked together to create a permanent home for artistic and craft projects in the residence hall. 2004-12-09 Sitka Artisans Market Welcomes MEHS Students MEHS students recently participated in the Sitka Artisans Market by having fun, working the MEHS booth, meeting people and even selling some of their own art! 2004-12-02 Bowling in the Streets The revolutionary new sport of Street Bowling is very popular with the students and staff of Galena's Project Education Residential School. 2004-11-23 On Top of a Volcano A group of intrepid Mt. Edgecumbe students and staff connected with each other as they climbed to the top of the volcano that gave their school its name. 2004-11-22 Inspiration in the Hallways Mount Edgecumbe staff and students recently placed inspirational signs in the hallways of the students' residence halls. 2004-11-20 Life with Livie - Just One of Our Amazing Students at PERS Olivia Agnes is one of "shining stars" at Galena's Project Education Residential School. 2004-11-16 Capture the Flag The students at Galena's Project Education Residential School (PERS) recently engaged in a rousing game of Capture the Flag. 2004-11-05 Friends with Friends Friends with Friends nights, a new activity at Galena's Project Education Residential School (PERS) has been a resounding, if messy success. 2004-11-03 Honoring Some of Ketchikan's Heroes PATCHworks of Ketchikan recently hosted the fourth annual Asset Builder Awards, to honor some of the individuals and organization who build assets in the youth of their community. 2004-11-02 One Impressed Coach in Galena Jeffrey Barry, a resident advisor and volleyball coach at Galena's Project Education Residential School (PERS), writes about how impressed he is with the talent, commitment and spirit of the students in Galena. 2004-11-02 Living Loud and Clear Youth and adults came together to connect, play, and learn at Ketchikan's annual Youth Leadership Institute on Oct 15-17. 2004-10-28 Spirit of Youth: Hannah Taylor Hannah Taylor, a Chugiak High School senior, gives so much to help her community and school be the best places they can be that you'll be amazed (and exhausted) just by reading her story. 2004-10-25 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words The students and staff at Mt Edgecumbe High School (MEHS) are building an impressive photo archive, capturing the people, places and events that make up a year at MEHS. 2004-10-21 A Classy Move from a Classic Car Club The Juneau Dipsticks, a local automotive organization, donates the proceeds from their annual auto show to Juneau's public schools to boost programs that need additional funding. 2004-10-19 Asset Building with Trick-or-Treaters Asset Building for Trick-or-Treaters 2004-10-18 Building Skills at the NSLC Thomas Alexie, a sophmore at Nenana Student Living Center (NSLC), was recently interviewed by Pia Jensen, a member of the Resiliency in Residence Life staff at NSLC about his construction class. 2004-10-15 Peer Tutoring at MEHS The peer tutoring program at Mt Edgecumbe High School has been a resounding success, and a great way for more students not only to learn, but connect with their peers. 2004-10-09 An "Amazing" Trip to Brevig Mission A group of teens and adults from Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Anchorage recently traveled to Brevig Mission, where they left many warm memories, and took some home with them as well. 2004-10-08 Sore Cheeks in the Wilderness On a camping trip, staff and students of Mt Edgecumbe High School learned that sore cheeks can sometimes be a good thing, even in the woods. 2004-10-07 Community Outreach, Tlingit Culture, and “The Scottish Play” Juneau's Perseverance Theatre, as part of their statewide tour of Macbeth, will lead community workshops on the power of the arts to engage communities and help young people succeed. 2004-10-06 A Warm Welcome for Kayhi's Freshmen A new welcoming program for the freshmen of Ketchikan High School has helped these new students feel part of their school community, and created a better school climate at Kayhi. 2004-10-06 PILARS of Mt Edgecumbe High School PILARS is a group of upper-classmen at Mt Edgecumbe High School (MEHS) committed to looking out for other students, modeling good behavior, and planning activities for the students of MEHS. 2004-10-03 Drinking (Coffee) on Friday Nights Harborside, a coffee shop in Kodiak, opens its doors to young people on Friday nights to encourage them to drink coffee instead of something more harmful. 2004-09-27 Rallying around the Guard The students and staff of Kodiak High School recently came together to show their support for one of their teachers, a member of the National Guard who was recently called up to go to Iraq. 2004-09-26 Keeping Home Close to the Heart The students and residence life staff at Mt Edgecumbe High School recently strenghtened the sense of community in their new "home" by sharing with each other the homes they had come from. 2004-09-20 Spirit of Youth: Lending a Hand in Tenakee Springs The community of Tenakee Springs is enhanced, enriched and enlivened by the contributions of its young people 2004-09-20 Spirit of Youth: Fort Yukon's Haley Crain Haley Crain plays an active role in her community's discussions about oil development in ANWR, and is a leader among the young people of Fort Yukon. 2004-09-16 Asset Building from Alaska to Iowa A former staff member of the University of Alaska-Southeast realizes that "Helping Kids Succeed - Alaskan Style" works just as well in Iowa as it does in Juneau. 2004-09-16 There's No SUB-stitute for a Good Place to Get Together The SUB, a new "hangout" at Galena's Project Education Residential School, has been a big hit with staff and students alike 2004-09-16 Getting to Know the Neighbors Due to construction, some of Mt Edgecumbe High School's students are temporarily living in Sitka's Pioneer Home. Recently these students had a welcome luncheon with Pioneer Home residents 2004-09-14 Feeling Crafty in Galena The "crafty" students of Galena's Project Education Residential School are demonstrating their creativity by making scrapbooks, trinket-holders and other art projects 2004-09-08 There's no Bonding Quite Like Tent Bonding The first trip of the year for Mt Edgecumbe's newest staffer went swimmingly, despite (or perhaps because of) the rain that fell on their tent. 2004-09-08 Staff vs. Students (in Softball) On Friday, September 3, the Project Education Residential School in Galena held its annual Staff vs. Students softball game. 2004-09-08 Gold Panning, Rafting and the Miracle of Play Dough Students at Nenana's Student Living Center have engaged in a wide variety of activities over the past two weeks, and look forward to an engaging and exciting year. 2004-09-07 Connecting for Success in Nenana To kick off the school year, students from both Nenana's local high school and statewide boarding school gathered together to talk about how they can succeed during the upcoming year 2004-09-05 Helping Each Other in the Northwest Arctic Borough A new effort in the N.W. Arctic Borough called Ikayuutiyumaruat (Those Who Help Each Other) is working to build healthy communities through the promotion of Inupiaq Values 2004-09-02 Gold, Silver and Bronze at Amazing Grace Lutheran Church Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Anchorage recently held an Intergenerational Olympics, with events like the 10 Meter Nasal Dash, Bite the Bag and the "Dirty Diaper Dig." 2004-08-23 Motivation and Inspiration: The Power of the Arts Alaska ICE recently held a “Community Engagement Through the Arts” workshop at Perseverance Theatre in Juneau to discuss the power of the arts to engage young people. 2004-08-15 Fostering Leadership Skills on Prince of Wales Island Craig's third annual middle school leadership conference will bring youth and adults from Prince of Wales Island schools together for two days of learning, bonding and fun! 2004-07-20 Join the Alaska ICE Team! A list of available positions at Alaska ICE 2004-07-07 New National Survey Reveals Encouraging Trends A new public opinion survey from the Ad Council shows dramatic shifts in how adults around the nation view children, and the responsibility for all adults to help kids succeed 2004-07-06 A New Museum in Wrangell The grand opening of Wrangell's new museum, dedicated to the children of Wrangell, brought the community together for a great night of music and fun 2004-06-08 Saying YES to Student Empowerment The Youth Empowerment Summit (YES), sponsored by Alaska's Department of Education and Early Development and others, is seeking applicants for a three-day youth summit in September 2004-06-07 Ketchikan TOPS A Success! In early June, approximately 15 youth and adults gathered together to attend a Training of Promoters and Storytellers (TOPS) in Ketchikan 2004-05-28 Creating a Safe Haven The Ketchikan Regional Youth Facility brings youth and adults together to create a outdoor recreational area for at-risk youth 2004-05-26 Getting Healthy in the Alaska Gateway School District The annual Tok Health/Science Fair and Imaginarium Science Festival was very successful, with over 350 students from the Alaska Gateway School District in attendance. 2004-05-26 An (Assets) Tree grows at the Tok Health Fair Adults and youth at the Tok Health Fair worked together to grow an "assets tree," which showed the support adults give youth in the community 2004-05-25 All That TALK a Success! Youth and adults from Ketchikan recently gathered together to dicuss the importance of meaningful TALK (Teens and Adults Linking in Ketchikan) 2004-05-24 A Beautiful Bird Festival Day in Tok Adults and young people enjoyed a wonderful day of learning and fun at the Upper Tanana Valley Migratory Bird Festival in Tok 2004-05-15 Visit the Alaska ICE Discussion Board! Alaska ICE is pleased to announce that the Alaska ICE Discussion Board is on-line and open for business. 2004-05-04 Celebrating Asset Building in Kodiak Kodiak's 2nd Annual Youth Assets Festival brought together youth and adults for an evening of food, fun and presentations about Asset Building in Kodiak 2004-04-28 Spirit of Youth Salutes 2004 Winners Winners of the Spirit of Youth annual Awards were recognized at the March 13, 2004 banquet in Anchorage 2004-04-28 Helping Kids Succeed at Tatonduk Outfitters Limited Tatonduk Outfitters Limited, a Fairbanks based airline company, is making copies of the book Helping Kids Succeed - Alaskan Style available to their staff 2004-04-26 ATMI Director Presents Teen Radio Show to Alaska Press Women Alaska Teen Media Institute Director Shana Sheehy was the speaker at February’s Alaska Press Women luncheon. She shared some of ATMI's achievements, including In Other News, a statewide radio program produced entirely by teen reporters. 2004-04-25 From Intuition to Intention Plans for moving from intuitively building assets to intentionally building assets are underway in Eagle 2004-04-23 Developing Young Leaders in Ketchikan KGBSD and PATCHworks recently held a youth leadership institute for junior high students, as a way to develop leadership skills and build assets in their youth 2004-04-23 Little Things Make a Difference Little things like sending notes of congratulations can make a big difference in the lives of kids 2004-04-21 Alaska Teen Media Institute Wins Press Club Awards Anchorage’s Alaska Teen Media Institute (ATMI) has collected a pair of Alaska Press Club awards for radio stories produced by teen reporters. 2004-04-21 YRBS Shows Reduction in Problem Behaviors among Alaska's Youth According to the 2003 YRBS, problem behaviors among Alaska's young people decreased dramatically between 1995 and 2003 2004-04-20 Asset Building Featured at Writer's Retreat Asset Building was featured at a recent writer's retreat attended by students from Mentasta Lake and Dot Lake 2004-04-18 Wrangell Health Fair Features Asset Building Wrangell's recent health fair featured tools and materials related to Asset Building 2004-04-06 Asset Building and Student Achievement New research about assets and student achievement 2004-04-06 Asset Building among Youth of Color Assets research about youth of color 2004-04-06 NEA-Alaska Incorporates Asset Building into Spring Conference NEA-Alaska members were excited and inspired by the assets message at a recent NEA conference 2004-04-02 Alaska ICE Presents at NSBA Conference School board members from around the nation were engaged, educated and inspired by Alaska ICE's sectional on integrating assets into community development 2004-03-24 Kodiak To Hold 2nd Annual Assets Festival Kodiak will hold its 2nd Annual Assets Festival on April 30 from 6 – 9 pm at the Kodiak High School. Come and learn about the people and organizations that help to build assets in Kodiak's children! 2004-03-04 Anchorage Church Embraces Asset Building One organization that is embracing the assets message is Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Anchorage, and on a recent Sunday they made assets the theme of their worship service 2004-03-03 Asset Building at Play n' Learn in Fairbanks Play n' Learn Community Head Start shares Helping Little Kids Succeed - Alaskan Style with their enrolled families, as a way to discuss Asset Building for "Little Kids" 2004-02-26 2003 Year in Review The 2003 year in review for Alaska ICE 2004-02-09 Poems from a Kodiak High School Student A KHS student named Adam wrote these poems at a Training of Promoters and Storytellers (TOPS) in Kodiak. 2004-02-07 KMS Students attend T.O.P.S. 5 students from Kodiak Middle School were selected to spend two days at the recent Training Of Promoters and Storytellers in Kodiak. 2004-02-07 Goal Setting for KHS KHS students set goals to encourage Asset Building in Kodiak. 2004-02-07 Community Services at Main Elementary 5th and 6th graders at Main Elementary may participate in an afterschool basketball program that is directed by Heather Norton. 2004-02-07 Successful TOPS in Kodiak It was wonderful to see everyone wanting to help each other to make Kodiak an even better place! 2004-02-02 Simple Asset Building Ideas These are simple Asset Building ideas collected from Alaskan families. 2004-01-26 Top Ten Tips Teens Want Parents to Know Following a series of asset presentations and discussions, Chugiak’s HIGH SCHOOL POSITIVE VALUES ADVOCATES created this action list for parents to help their children become successful. 2004-01-19 Arts for Youth Week This summer the Wrangell Mountains Center kicked off a new arts program for local homeschool youth. 2004-01-17 Chatham School District QS2 meeting held on December 9th and 10th It is wonderful that each and every person took time out of their busy lives to not only attend, but voice opinions and share ideas. This was the first time this group met. 2003-12-16 Alaska ICE Releases Grading Grown-Ups – Alaskan Style What are the most important behaviors adults can engage in to build relationships with youth? How many adults are actually performing those behaviors? Grading Grown-Ups - Alaskan Style seeks to answer those questions. 2003-11-18 Cultural Resiliency For Alaska Native/Native American children, “cultural resiliency” is more than a category of factors which protect our children, rather it is the basis or center of the strength of the native people. 2003-11-14 Youth Leadership Institute Brings Student Leaders Together The Youth Leadership Institute at the Association of Alaska School Boards’ annual conference was a hit with students and adults this year. 2003-11-07 Sitkans Care Sitkans vote to tax themselves to pay for community auditorium to support Sitka music program. 2003-11-04 Alaska ICE Rocks the Nation Alaska ICE was privileged to share our message with over 1200 people from 44 states and 3 foreign countries at the Search Institute's annual conference on October 25th in San Jose, California. 2003-11-04 PATCHworks of Ketchikan PATCHworks description 2003-11-04 Asset Building - Lois Morgan Style! Lois Morgan, a school board members and advocate for kids from Edna Bay, has written a series of essays about the assets. These will appear as "installments" on this page, with the first installment now available. 2003-10-31 The Alaska ICE Mission The Alaska ICE Mission. 2003-10-30 Heather Vukelic joins the Mount Edgecumbe High School team My name is Heather Vukelic and I’m a new addition to the Mount Edgecumbe High School team. I am the live-in Resiliency Counselor for the Residence Halls. 2003-10-12 Caring School Summit a Success AASB’s Alaska ICE staff gathered with honored educators from around the state to talk about the characteristics of caring teachers, caring classrooms and caring schools, and what impact caring has on developing assets in students. 2003-08-25 Enthusiasm in Ambler The students were enthusiastic (it was hard to leave) and very positive. We were well received and look forward to working with this group in the future. The hospitality of the teaching staff was also terrific! 2003-07-23 Training of Promoters and Storytellers (TOPS) in Barrow 32 adults and teens met for two days in Barrow, on July 22 & 23 to remember the power of assets in the lives of young people. These people represented the villages of Barrow, Atqasuk, Anaktuvuk Pass, Wainwright, Point Hope, Kaktovik, and Point Lay. 2003-06-27 Big Feelings in Small Children Jay (a pseudonym) has a hard time with anger. It wells up in him relentlessly and any little thing can trigger an explosion from him.I have learned with Jay and many other kids, that it’s really important to give them a chance to express themselves and to really listen to them, one on one. They can only hear you when their own feelings are not so intense. We need to take the time, help them find solutions to their problems, and allow them to feel satisfied at working through the bad things that happen. Their feelings are real and we need to honor them.” 2003-06-27 Calling on a Virtue The language of virtues is powerful. Kids know they are at their spiritual best when they can connect their actions with a virtue. Sydney demonstrated this for her grandmother Kay recently. 2003-06-27 A Friendly Store Owner This village store owner didn’t like that little kids seemed scared of him, and decided to do something about it. He figured the best way to change kids’ reaction to him was to talk to them! Now Ken Hughes is one of Teller, Alaska’s most popular grown-up. 2003-06-27 Stockings From necessity, this mom found ways to make Christmas special for her small children, even on a tight budget. The simple gifts became tradition and years later her family tells her how much her efforts still mean. 2003-06-27 The Golden Egg Four-year old Sam demonstrates a strong set of internal assets to his family and friends and strangers at an annual Easter Egg Hunt. His mom suggests some ways he got them. 2003-06-27 Betty’s Snowman Betty's Snowman 2003-06-26 Everybody Needs a Gram Daily visits with a grandmother: it starts out as an obligation but after a while it is just something you do. No matter what age, children gain assets from visiting an Elder. 2003-06-04 Tell Us What's Happening in YOUR Community Click HERE to share an asset building story from your community. 2003-04-23 Eskimo Dancing in Wales These dances have been given back to the youth of Wales, and Eskimo Dancing is a regular event in this quiet village. 2003-04-22 ICE staff works with students in Wales This was a highly cooperative group, and there was so much laughter! 2003-03-02 Eskimo Dancing is Prevention Brevig Mission leader spreads hope through Eskimo dance 2003-03-02 Not so big Big Brother makes big difference Robin Masek’s not your ordinary punked-out teen… or is he? 2003-02-20 ICE staff works with ConocoPhillips Career Quest program This was a preliminary visit for their Career quest, where they take kids from the nearby village of Nuiqsut and have them job-shadow workers at the Alpine Oil Field for two days. 2002-12-15 Goldenview Middle School an Alaska example Staff strengthens developmental assets in pre-teens 2002-12-15 Mountain View Elementary Match-Makers Marvelous Mustangs are paired with adult mentors 2002-12-15 Connecting kids and community Nunaka Valley’s Homework Club partners adults, teens and kids 2002-12-15 Eight new ICE schools in Anchorage, Oh my! Educators and students team up, learn together and plan for the future 2002-11-08 AASB 2002 ANNUAL CONFERENCE EARLY BIRD SESSION AASB 2002 ANNUAL CONFERENCE EARLY BIRD SESSION SPURS MEANINGFUL ADULT-TEEN INTERACTION AND CREATIVE IDEAS 2002-10-13 PATCHWorks: A Powerful Catalyst in Ketchikan A five-year-old community initiative in Ketchikan has inspired many individual and group asset-building efforts. Staff from PATCHWorks shares some highlights and some advice. 2002-09-16 Acting on Intent: Julie Vincek’s Asset Building What makes someone an asset builder? It isn’t one’s job title, knowledge, or even one’s love for kids, although each of these may partly describe an asset builder. What makes us asset builders is how we see and respond to young people. Do we see them in mostly positive ways and do things deliberately to acknowledge them and support them? Then we are asset builders. |
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Contact Information Phone: (907) 586-1083 Fax: (907) 586-2995 Email: |
Alaska Initiative for Community Engagement 1111 West 9th Street, Juneau, AK 99801 |
