Throughout the last several weeks, we have really emphasized student ownership, battling adversity, and taking advantage of opportunities. The students who continue to be here on a regular basis are really making an effort to work towards these principles. As we get closer to the end of the school year and the much anticipated finish line for many of our students, it is important they continue to develop these skills as they prepare for life after KALT. It is our mission to not only help students achieve their goal of attaining a high school diploma, but also, ensuring that our students leave the building with skills and a mindset that will be transferrable to success in postsecondary life.

In the upcoming weeks, students will have a chance to relax a bit before we continue towards that finish line. We all get a much needed week off for Spring Break (March 12-16). When we return, it is full steam ahead as students look to finish the fifth rotation strong as we move into April and the home stretch of the 2023-24 school year.

#GoWolves #UnleashThePack

We are extremely proud of the following students for the presentation they gave to the KPBSD school board at the February meeting - Levin Hendrickson, Sonia Montague, Kayley Rogers, Zach Welch, and Kaleb Fidai. Their willingness to share their stories was awe-inspiring!

Congratulations to the following students and their academic achievements during our 4th rotation!

Honor Roll (3.0 GPA or higher)

• Adelynn DeHoyos, Aaliyah Hunter, Bella Stauss, Brayden Truesdell, Eli Semeraro, Joseph Desmidt, Jaxson Nunley, Layla Allain, Malcolm Leach, Noah Larisch, and Samantha Boots

4.0 GPA

• Eli Semeraro, Layla Allain, and Malcolm Leach

Perfect Attendance

• Bella Stauss, Cynthia Constantine, Eli Semeraro, and Malcolm Leach

We had a blast on our field trip to the Anchorage Museum at the end of the February. A huge shoutout goes to Anna Widman for organizing this amazing experience for 16 of our students! It was an awesome day filled with Alaskan art, native culture, state history, and scientific exploration.

KALT had a blast ice skating at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex! This was part of our Alaska Adventure Program funded by the AASC grant. With this program, we are seeking to promote a healthy Alaska lifestyle and expose students to various activities that they can take part in around our community.

Malcolm Leach is the Kenai Alternative High School student of the month for February. Malcolm has been a consistent force since coming to KALT in August. He routinely is on the honor roll and has maintained a 4.0 GPA the last two rotations. He also makes an effort to always be here - earning perfect attendance awards for 3 of our 4 rotations thus far. We look forward to seeing Malcolm continue on his journey and earning his diploma. Congratulations Malcolm!

Dakari Robinson is a senior at Kenai Alternative High School who is in the home stretch of his high school career and nearing graduation. He took a moment to reflect on his time at Kenai Alternative and share his experience with others.

Q. How was your experience at Kenai Alternative?

Dakari: Amazing. They really do help out a lot.

Q. What advice would you give to incoming students?

Dakari: Stay up on your work. Follow directions and maintain a good work ethic.

Q. What are your future goals?

Dakari: Hopefully become an engineer.

Q. Do you have any parting words for your classmates and/or teachers?

Dakari: It has been a great run! I will see you all soon. Thank you all for the help!

We are proud of Dakari for all that he has accomplished and look forward to seeing him take the next step in his journey!

We continue to meet with our graduating students to discuss their future plans and discuss action steps that students can take as they prepare for whatever is coming next in their lives. If you would like to discuss transition plans, please feel free to reach out to Shawn using the contact information below.

Scholarships for Kenai Alternative Students - March is the deadline for many scholarships available for technical training or college education. I am highlighting a few of these scholarships below.

• The Mae Ciechanski Scholarship - LaDawn Druce reached out about this scholarship to encourage our students to apply. They really would like to give it to a student pursuing a vocational training opportunity. The Deadline is March 22.

• The Kenai Historcial Society Betty Idelman Memorial Scholarship - Virginia Walters reached out to me about this scholarship to encourage our students to apply. She said, “While we carefully consider every application we receive, our mission is to offer opportunities to students who may choose to go into the trades or industry rather than the academic path. We hope you will draw this scholarship to the attention of students who may think they have no chance at a scholarship because of their choice of career.” The deadline is April 30.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - Students interested in any form of post secondary education, including career technical education programs like AVTEC, should complete a FAFSA. If you need help with completing the FAFSA, the Kenaitze College and Career Readiness Center on 130 North Willow Street is hosting a FAFSA Night on March 5 from 5:30-7:30pm. Dinner is provided and RSVP is encouraged (Shannon Dodge - 907-335-7229). If you cannot make this event, Shawn or Dani can also help with this process, so be sure to reach out to let them know that you need some support to get started.

Maintenance Fellows Program - Students who are graduating might consider a career pathway opportunity with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In this program you would work alongside conservation professionals to gain technical expertise in maintaining property assets and habitat management. Click this link for more information and the application.

Additional Information for career development can be found on our counseling office website. If you have any questions about postsecondary planning, do not hesitate to reach out to me via email (sbultsma@kpbsd.k12.ak.us) or phone (907-335-2863).

Recently the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) released the 2022-2023 Report Cards to the Public for each school district and school in Alaska. These Report Cards present information about performance for the 2022-2023 school year. During this second administration of The Alaska System of Academic Readiness (AK STAR) assessment, students in grades 3-9 were assessed in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8, and 10 took the Alaska Science Assessment.

Portions of the Report Card pertaining to Accountability will be delayed until May 2024 as DEED is working to revise the cut scores that determine what achievement levels students will receive. Once the new cut scores are accepted, the calculations will be completed.

To view a 2022-2023 School or District Report Card to the Public, go to https://education.alaska.gov/compass/report-card. Once there, you will be able to select which School or District Report Card to the Public you wish to view. This user-friendly website aims to provide families with clear, common information about all public schools and districts in our State. These Report Cards to the public contain data and information about academics, school environment, teacher quality, and more. If you are unable to access the Report Card to the Public online, please contact your student’s school.

We know that the Report Card to the Public is just one of many ways you will engage with us at Kenai Alternative High School. We look forward to sharing our school’s successes with you and working together to make our school better every day. In particular, we are proud that at Kenai Alternative the report card to the public shows that our graduation rate has improved dramatically in the past year.

We hope you will closely follow your student’s academic progress and work with his or her teacher(s) to help ensure academic success. Working together as a team, we can improve not only how well our students are performing individually, but how our school and district are performing as a whole. There is nothing more important to administrators and teachers at Kenai Alternative than ensuring that students are ready for the next step in their academic career. We look forward to partnering with you.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our School or District Report Card to the Public, please don’t hesitate to contact the school at (907) 335-2860.

The Kenai Alternative staff spent valuable collaborative time with both students and parents/guardians who came in for conferences. This was an excellent opportunity to both celebrate student achievements and discuss challenges and possible solutions for individual students. We appreciate everyone who took the time to come in and meet with us. We look forward to continuing to work with your students and helping them reach their academic and personal goals.

Kenai Alternative offers students the ability to learn in a more individualized environment that focuses on the development of skills and knowledge that will be essential to life after school. Our staff is dedicated to the social emotional well-being of all our students and provides support beyond the traditional classroom walls.

Email: kmcfall@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
Website: https://kpbsd.org/schools/kenai-alt/
Location: Kenai Alternative High School, Frontage Road, Kenai, AK, USA
Phone: (907) 335-2870
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KenaiAlternativeHighSchool
Twitter: @kenaialt