–Ms. Megan Mazurek, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District graduate, Class of 2005, Nikiski Middle-High School, and KTVA 11 News Anchor in Anchorage, Alaska.
Only 150 miles by road, and 20 minutes by plane from where she attended school at Nikiski North Star Elementary and Nikiski Middle-High School, Megan Mazurek is now a familiar face in households bringing us the evening news at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 PM Monday through Friday, on the CBS Affiliate news station in Anchorage. Mazurek is proud to share stories about people making a difference and challenging news coverage. She explains, “Every day is different. It’s filled with new stories, new people and new challenging coverage. I get to meet with new people who are helping make a difference in our community. At the end of every day I have proof of all the hard work our team has put together in a broadcast.”
As a young girl, she was active in dance, which became a building block into her now very public role as a television news anchor with a camera trained on her to broadcast body language and every word she speaks to thousands of viewers. A graduate of University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and minor in Art History, Megan is only a few classes away from completing her Master in Business Administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage. The UAA College of Business and Public Policy provides learners with perspectives and skills needed to assume significant leadership and managerial roles.
“What you may be interested in now will not necessarily be what you make into a career later; however it will teach you valuable lessons in other ways! I was very involved in dance growing up, and though I didn’t go on to teach, I used what I learned about being in front of an audience as a building block to working in front of a camera.”
Megan does not stop at only reporting about people making a difference in our communities, she is involved. When asked what issue or organization grabs her heart of care and concern, she replies,
“I’m actively involved with the Abused Women’s Aid In Crisis Shelter (AWAIC) in Anchorage. It provides a safe place for women, children and sometimes men when they are in a dangerous situation or may not have anywhere else to go. This year I did my first Sleep Out with the Covenant House of Alaska, which offers a safe place and resources for homeless and trafficked youth. I helped to raise $1 million, a record amount for the annual Sleep Out Champion event!”
Jacob Doth, one of her teachers said, “Dance was her life in high school. Her talent matched her determination and you can see that her hard working, never give up attitude is continuing to aid in her blessed life!”
KPBSD celebrates Ms. Mazurek who is proof positive of the KPBSD mission to empower all learners to positively shape their futures.
Do you have a story tip about a KPBSD graduate to profile in our Wednesday Inspiration? Kindly email Pegge Erkeneff at communications@KPBSD.org.
The 2018 Alaska School Counselor of the Year is Ms. Natali Jones, itinerant counselor serving Chapman School Anchor Point Alaska, Homer Flex High School, Nanwalek School, Nikolaevsk School, Port Graham School, and Susan B. English School in Seldovia!
“The communities that I serve are incredibly diverse. Weekly, I work with Alaska Native villages, a Russian Orthodox village, a township, and an alternative school. I fly to work three days a week and drive the other two. As different as these places are they have many things in common: incredible students, dedicated staff, cultural pride, and caring communities. It can be challenging to serve a school one day a week when there is need for a full time counselor at each site, but it is a gift to be able to work where I do, and for that, I am grateful.”
–Natali Jones, KPBSD itinerant counselor, 2018 Alaska School Counselor of the Year
The most moving part of my work is when a student seeks out their own wellness and post-secondary success. Whether it is sharing a safety concern, or their dream to become the first person in their family to graduate it takes bravery to speak your truth. I know I am in the right place when I hold the belief that anything is possible.
“Ms. Jones is an excellent example of how wonderful our counselors are in KPBSD. She works hard to support the whole student and is heavily invested in all of her student’s success. This is a well-deserved award and I’m very proud of Natali and all she does for our students!” –Sean Dusek, KPBSD Superintendent of Schools
I became a school counselor in August 2011. My parents, who spent a great deal of their careers as teachers and passionate about working with youth said they were not surprised by my choice—in fact they had been wondering when it was going to happen. I was a peer counselor in middle school. I later pursued careers in journalism, film, and Human Resources. These all had a common thread: helping people tell their stories and supporting their ambitions. School counseling was a very natural next step.
This honor evokes a great deal of gratitude, first and foremost to the wonderful students and communities I serve. I have learned such an incredible amount about generosity, dedication, and cultural values. Next to each of those that support my role as school counselor including the incredible teams that make up our schools and a web of support for our students. This includes all employees classified and certified. Without each of these people, I would not be able to do my work.
School counselors provide supports with academic, career and social-emotional development. I am most impacted by those who support my role and those in our district that understand the challenges of small schools including equity of resources.
Hands down working with students is the favorite part of my day. As an itinerant, it sometimes looks a little different. It may be online e-mail correspondence, but the best is sitting with a student and supporting their success.
I could not do my work without the support and collaboration of my family, friends, colleagues, students, and communities. Truly wrap around services bolster our youth. Each of my schools has a level of need that could justify a full time school counselor. My hope is that school counselor professionals be viewed as an intricate part of student success and safety. I advocate and wish for a school counselor in each school in our district, state, and nation because together we can create change.
I grew up outside of Eugene, Oregon, in the country and went to Harrisburg High School, then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Spanish (double major) from the University of Oregon. I received Masters of Education in School Counseling from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Ms. Natali’s Counselor Corner: http://believeyoucan.kpbsd.org
“Natali is a tireless advocate for all students, but she also provides a necessary voice for the needs of those attending small schools. She opens doors for our students and helps them find post-secondary fulfillment. Ever the professional, Natali also works to inform the practice of her colleagues and better the profession as a whole.” –Principal Chris Brown, Homer Flex High School
“Natali is a champion for opportunities that benefit the students she serves, and her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Her accolades are well deserved.” –Principal Conrad Woodhead, Chapman School
Unlock Potential. Find Your Password!
It is School Psychology Awareness Week, and the goal is to illuminate how identifying strength and action passwords can direct students to take steps toward positive change.
Passwords such as imagine, encourage, learn, connect, and contribute can push us forward to help students develop critical academic and social-emotional skills. These words can launch conversations about how to help students and staff unlock resources, reach potential, and develop proactive and preventive skills to thrive in school and in life.
Superintendent Sean Dusek said, “I really appreciate the efforts of our school psychologists and their dedication to our students and schools! If you get a chance this week, please help me in thanking our school psychologists for their work!”
The eleven KPBSD school psychologists serve all of our schools in different ways depending on their needs. From teaching health lessons dealing with social and emotional learning, to doing lunch groups, and providing input at the district level, we strive to unlock potential. We contribute to teams of people to support students with disabilities as well as school teams working to intervene early to prevent problems. We provide risk assessments for students struggling, as well as responding when crisis does hit our schools. We have a wide variety of expertise and can always find ways to support our students, teachers, and staff!
Clayton Holland, Director of Pupil Services said, “School psychologists are known for their role with special education evaluations, but our KPBSD School Psychologists do so much more than that. They do a tremendous amount of work to keep our students safe. Our school psychologist were key to the district development and implementation of our suicide and self-injurious behavior assessments. They help lead school responses to a tragedy or crisis that impacts our staff and students, and are leaders in our school-wide efforts with Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and with the implementation of behavior and academic intervention process. The KPBSD school psychologists are leaders in their field and our recognized as such in the state of Alaska. We are proud to have the Alaska School Psychologist of the Year, Dr. Terese Kashi, in our ranks.”
KPSBD Dr. Therese Kashi, Alaska School Psychologist of the Year
October 23, 2018: The new System for School Success Reports accountability system for public schools in the State of Alaska released reports for the 2017-2018 school year. The rating system for schools is a federal requirement of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and the new accountability system replaces the Alaska State Performance Index (ASPI) star rating classification.
Superintendent Sean Dusek explains: “The State of Alaska has rolled out the results of our new school accountability system. The majority of our schools are doing very well and while every school is working hard to improve, we have some schools that will develop plans to address specific areas identified through their designation. I appreciate the efforts of our staff in ensuring high student academic achievement and the attitude of continuous improvement. We look forward to next year’s results as we expect even more student learning growth.”
The new accountability system ranks schools on a 100-point scale, based on student growth and proficiency in state assessments, chronic absenteeism, high school graduation, and student growth in learning English for students identified as English Language Learners (ELL). Based on the 100-point scale, schools receive an index score every year.
The new system does not focus exclusively on a test score, and includes additional indicators for student success. Five indicators are assessed for K-6 grades, and six are assessed for 7-12 grades. Several rules have been established to protect student privacy and to be fair to all schools.
Indicators for all grade levels K-6 are based on a 100-point scale:
Indicators for grade levels 7-12 are based on a 100-point scale:
Meeting these indicators is in alignment with the KPBSD five-year strategic plan.
The indicator index applies to the student body as a whole and to subgroups that have at least five students. The subgroups are: students with disabilities, English language learners, economically disadvantaged students, Alaska Natives and American Indians, Caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics, Mixed Race, and Asian/Pacific Islanders.
Alaska Education Commissioner Dr. Michael Johnson explains, “There are three types of school designations: Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), and Universal Support. The primary purpose of these school designations is to provide information for families, tribes, communities, educators, and policy makers to plan and support an equitable education for each student in Alaska’s public school system.”
In the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, two schools are designated CSI, two schools are designated TSI, one school is pending, and 38 schools receive the Universal Support designation. The 2017-2018 results can be viewed online.
Parents will continue to receive reports on their student’s performance on state English Language Arts and Math assessments. Questions about specific school accountability reports can be asked directly to school principals.
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Creating district and school budgets is a foundation for quality instruction and school culture. How will you be involved?
Budget Development with every KPBSD site council
22 KPBSD school sites, Tuesday, October 30, 6:00 PM
Soldotna, October 22, 2018—The process is rolling forward for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 budget planning, and decisions must be made with the best information available. At 6:00 PM on Tuesday, October 30, 2018, KPBSD school principals will meet with site-councils and the public after a live video-streamed presentation from the district to 22 school sites.
“We are entering a critical time in our district’s financial life,” said Superintendent Sean Dusek. “For several years, KPBSD has been forced to utilize savings to mitigate deep cuts to the classroom. The time for sustainable, adequate funding from the state and borough is upon us. As we begin this year’s process, we are asking all of our stakeholders to be engaged to help prioritize programs and services offered in our district. We have had to make many difficult decisions in the last few years, as our funding has not kept up with costs, such as healthcare. We hope this process will help inform our state and borough leaders of the needs our students and communities have to continue to provide an excellent education. I look forward to beginning this discussion and supporting all stakeholders to participate in the district, borough and state budgeting process.”
WHO
*Site-Councils, together with everyone who is interested—parents, staff, students, business partners, community members, and elected officials—are invited to participate.
Aurora Borealis Charter School – KCHS Library; Chapman School – Homer Middle School; Connections Homeschool – Soldotna High Library; Cooper Landing School – Cooper Landing Library; Fireweed Acacemy – Homer Middle School; Homer Flex – Homer Middle School; Homer High – Homer Middle School; Homer Middle – Homer Middle School; Hope School – Hope School Mrs. T’s room; K-Beach Elementary – K-Beach School; Kachemak-Selo – Voznesenka School; Kaleidoscope School of Arts & Science – Kaleidoscope Library; Kenai Alternative – KCHS Library; Kenai Central High School – KCHS Library; Kenai Middle School – KCHS Library; McNeil Canyon Elementary – Homer Middle School; Moose Pass School – Moose Pass Library; Mt. View Elementary – KCHS Library; Nanwalek School – Nanwalek School, Mr. Beck’s room; Nikiski Middle-High School – Nikiski Middle-High Library; Nikiski North Star Elementary – Nikiski Middle-High Library; Nikolaevsk School – Room 111; Ninilchik School – Ninilchik Library; Paul Banks Elementary – Homer Middle School; Port Graham School – Mr. Way’s room; Razdolna School – Voznesenka School; Redoubt Elementary – Soldotna High Library; River City Academy – Soldotna High Library; Seward Elementary – Seward El PD Room; Seward High School – Seward El PD Room; Seward Middle School – Seward El PD Room; Skyview Middle School – Skyview Library; Soldotna Elementary – Soldotna El Library; Soldotna High – Soldotna High Library; Soldotna Prep – Soldotna High Library; Soldotna Montessori – SMCS room 411; Sterling Elementary – Sterling El Library; Susan B. English – SBE School Commons; Tebughna School – Tebughna School; Tustumena Elementary – Tustumena Library; Voznesenka School – Voznesenka School; and West Homer Elementary – Homer Middle School.
*KCHS is Kenai Central High School
Creating district and school budgets is a foundation for quality instruction and school culture. During this October 30 meeting, an opportunity to learn about reductions which have been considered in the past—some implemented, some not—as well as potential new or additional revenue will be explored. When you attend this meeting, you will learn about district and school level considerations, and potential scenarios going forward, as the budget process begins. Although this is primarily for site councils, everyone is encouraged to participate.*
“Our annual budget is one of the most important things we do each year,” said Dave Jones, assistant superintendent of instructional support. “We want to give our parents, staff, students, and community members a chance to learn about our budget, participate in the process, and offer input. The meeting on October 30 is an important step in the process to develop the FY20 budget. We hope to see a large turnout at all our schools across the district.”
Participant input will be synthesized and presented to the KPBSD school board during future board meetings and work sessions.
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►ALERT: TWO HOUR DELAY START* for these Seward area KPBSD schools on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018 due to weather conditions.
If weather and road conditions warrant a full closure, an announcement will be made by 8:00 AM.
*A two hour delay means that buses run two hours later than normal, school begins two hours later than normal, and staff arrives at school two hours later than normal.
Parents and guardians, if you decide, based on conditions near you to keep your child at home, kindly call your school to let them know. Absences will be excused.