Homer High-Lights

The Gift of Failure: Why Letting Your Child Struggle is Essential

As parents, teachers, aides, and administrators, we all share the same goals: to support our children in becoming successful, well-prepared for their future, and able to enjoy their time in school. However, achieving these goals requires a delicate balance between making school enjoyable and providing the necessary challenges that create real learning.

One crucial element of education is ensuring that students are challenged. When a child isn’t being challenged, they’re not learning—and boredom quickly follows. On the other hand, if the challenges are too great, children may become overwhelmed, shut down, and stop trying altogether. The key is to find the sweet spot: that “just right” frustration level where students are pushed to grow but not discouraged to the point of giving up.

And yes, part of this process may include failure.

I know what you’re thinking: “Failure? How could that possibly be beneficial? Has Mr. W lost his mind?” But hear me out. I didn’t invent this idea. Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure, makes a compelling case that struggling—and even failing—is an essential part of learning. When we step in too quickly to help our children, solving their problems before they’ve even had a chance to recognize them, we inadvertently rob them of valuable learning opportunities.

Struggle is where growth happens. It teaches resilience, problem-solving, and perseverance. These are skills that can’t be fully developed if children are shielded from every challenge or setback. Lahey’s book emphasizes that failure is not the end but rather a critical step toward mastery. The lessons learned from failure often stick with children far longer than those gained from effortless success.

This might require a shift in perspective for many of us. It’s natural to want to protect our children from hardship, to step in and smooth the path ahead. But in doing so, we deny them the chance to build confidence in their own abilities. When children overcome challenges on their own, they develop a sense of competence and self-reliance that will serve them well in school, in their future careers, and in life.

So, what can parents do to support this process?

1. Embrace the Struggle: Resist the urge to jump in and fix everything. Give your child space to try, fail, and try again.

2. Encourage Problem-Solving: Instead of providing solutions, ask guiding questions: “What do you think you could try next?” or “What might work differently next time?”

3. Model a Growth Mindset: Share your own experiences with failure and how you learned from them. Let your child see that mistakes are a natural part of growth.

4. Focus on Effort, Not Outcomes: Praise the process, not just the result. Celebrate the hard work and perseverance your child demonstrates, regardless of whether they succeed on the first try.

Remember, it’s okay to let your child struggle—and yes, even fail—sometimes. These experiences are not setbacks but opportunities for growth. By allowing our children to face challenges and learn from their failures, we’re giving them a gift: the tools they need to become independent, resilient, and capable learners. And that’s a lesson that will serve them for a lifetime.

Douglas Waclawski

Principal

907-235-4600

dwaclawski@kpbsd.org

Dear KPBSD Families, Staff, and Students,

The purpose of this email is to address recent news about a data breach impacting PowerSchool users nationwide.

First and foremost, I am relieved to inform you that KPBSD’s PowerSchool systems are not impacted.

Key details:

• What Happened: The KPBSD student records system vendor, PowerSchool Group LLC, recently notified districts across the nation of a data breach where an unauthorized threat actor accessed and exported student and teacher data through a compromised support account used and managed by PowerSchool.
• KPBSD Response: On January 7, 2025, KPBSD received notification from PowerSchool that our systems were not affected. The KPBSD Information Services department immediately opened an independent investigation which also concluded that no unauthorized access to our PowerSchool platform had occurred.

The KPBSD will continue to monitor the situation closely and will review PowerSchool’s final incident report when it becomes available. Data security remains a top priority, and the KPBSD Information Services team continues to review lessons learned, both internally, and from PowerSchool, or other sources, to further improve our continually evolving security practices.

If you have any questions, please contact Eric Soderquist, KPBSD Director of Information Services at esoderquist@kpbsd.org.

Thank you,

Eric Soderquist
Director, Information Services
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

• Feb. 4 - Site Council meeting - HHS Library 4:10 pm
• Feb. 5 - HHS & SOHI Jazz Concert - HHS Theater - 6:00 pm
• Feb. 6 - Winter Carnival Basketball Tournament - Gym - 3:00 to 9:00 pm
• Feb. 7 - Early Release - Student Leave at 2:20 pm
• Feb. 7 - Region III XCS Championships - Ohlson Mountain - TBD
• Feb. 7 - Winter Carnival Basketball Tournament - Gym - 3:00 to 9:00 pm
• Feb. 8 - Region III XCS Championships - Ohlson Mountain - 10 am to TBD
• Feb. 8 - Winter Carnival Basketball Tournament - Gym - 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Feb. 8 - Winter Ball Dance - Commons - 9:00 11:00 pm
• Feb. 10 - Grade Check
• Feb. 10 - C-Team Basketball vs Kenai - 4:00 & 5:30 pm
• Feb. 11 - KPBSD Budget Meeting - Library - 6:00 pm
• Feb. 13 - Parent Teacher Conferences (No School)
• Feb. 14 - Parent Teacher Conferences (No School)
• Feb 18 - C-Team Basketball vs Nikiski - Gym - 4:00 & 5:30 pm
• Feb. 19 - Random Acts of DDF - Theater - 7:00 pm
• Feb. 20 - Basketball vs Grace Christian - Gym - 3:00, 4:00, 6:00 & 7:30 pm
• Feb. 21 - Basketball vs Kenai - Gym - 3:00, 4:00, 6:00 & 7:30 pm
• Feb 25 - Basketball vs Nikiski - Gym - 3:00, 4:00, 6:00 & 7:30 pm
• Feb. 28 - Basketball vs Redington - Gym - 3:00, 4:00, 6:00 & 7:30 pm

In recent years, our town has had way more summer jobs than have been able to be filled. Meanwhile, Homer High serves hundreds of highly capable teens who would benefit greatly from the financial, experiential, and real-world learning opportunities that a job provides.

So HHS, Homer Marine Trades, and the Chamber of Commerce are collaborating to put on a job fair in the Commons on Friday, March 28th. We’ll have a modified bell schedule to allow 6th period classes to visit local employers and to facilitate the hiring process. The Homer Job Center will be visiting Advisory classes in the weeks leading up to the event to help prepare students on how to best present their applications and themselves at the event.

Schedule

Thursday, February 13, 2025

• 9:00 – 11:00 am
• 12:00 – 3:00 pm
• 5:00 – 8:00 pm

Friday, February 14, 2025

• 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Thursday Night PTC Event:

• 5:00 – 8:00 pm
• Chili Cook Off
• View Student Work
• Choir and Band
• All teachers will be in the commons

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, February 13 all day and Friday February 14th in the morning. All teachers will be in the commons Thursday evening from 5:00 -8:00 pm. All parents are welcome to walk in and talk to the teacher of your choice, taste and vote for the best chili in Homer or listen to our band and choir. We hope to see you at our Evening PTC Event.

For parents who want more privacy, you can sign up for conference online with the signup.com site. Go to https://signup.com/go/HomerHSPTC and chose the teachers and times you would like to meet. If you are having problems with scheduling times to meet with teachers, call the office at 235-4600 and a secretary will help you.

We want to thank Dave, Bill and Susie for their great discussion about Artificial Intelligence with students/staff of Homer High. We really appreciated their wisdom and experience, and for taking the time to share it with us

It is fabulous to have community members visit our school/students, and bridge the gap between school and life “after school”. Not only was the discussion on AI interesting and relevant, but all three of you have jobs in the community that students likely did not know exist, and your attention to employability skills, following ones passion, and to keep “creating” was greatly appreciated.

We had 50 people in attendance!

Thank you again.

Homer High School is excited the bring back Skills USA. This is the State Wide competition where students can show off their CTE (Career & Technical Education) skills. We are forming our Skills USA team now. If a student is interested in or wants to compete in any of the competitions listed above, contact, Vicki Lowe at school or vlowe@kpbsd.org.

As you know, December 13, 2024, was a school closure day for our Southern Peninsula Schools. The make-up day for this closure has been scheduled for Monday, February 17, 2025 (President’s Day).

The schools impacted include:

• Chapman School
• Fireweed Academy Charter School
• Homer Flex
• Homer High School
• Homer Middle School
• K-Selo School
• McNeil Canyon Elementary School
• Nikolaevsk School
• Ninilchik School
• Paul Banks Elementary School
• Razdolna School
• Voznesenka School
• West Homer Elementary School

Congratulations to Jayden Stanish on earning the Homer Elks Club Resilience award. You have come a long way and we are proud of you.

Senior Service Opportunities

Every HHS student needs 40 documented hours of service to a local non-profit in order to graduate, at least 20 of which need to be earned as a junior or senior. Here are some upcoming events that need volunteers. Contact Coach Raymond at jraymond@kpbsd.k12.ak.us with questions.

Paul Banks Elementary Winter Carnival – Saturday, Feb. 8th
Shifts Available:

• 1:00 – 2:30 PM
• 2:30 – 4:00 PM
• 🎯 What You'll Do: Help kids play games like Ring Toss, Plinko, Basketball, etc.

This is a great opportunity to gain community service hours, have fun, and be part of an awesome fundraising event for Paul Banks Elementary.

How to Sign Up:

Sign up for any available slot on our SignUpGenius link (teacher names are listed, but students can sign up anywhere). 👉 Sign up here!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A094FAEAB2FA3FE3-54635457-paul/156341972#/

Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival

Social Media Content Creation for Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival

Estimated Time: 3+ Hours

The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival doesn't have much of a presence on social media, and we are looking to change that. If you like creating infographics or finding the best photos for Instagram, we could use your help. The festival doesn't even exist on Tiktok! Lots of room for creative freedom here - this is great for any students interested in graphic design or marketing. Volunteering would include one initial meeting with event coordinator, who will set you up with the Canva brand packet and information you need to start creating, and then you're on your own. Create as many or as few posts as you like. Hours are flexible!

Image Sorting for Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges

Estimated Time: 2+ Hours

We've got a database of pictures of Alaska's beautiful wildlife refuges, but only some of them are good enough to post on social media. Look through the database, find your favorites, and find a fun fact to act as a caption. We're looking to bulk schedule these posts, and hours are flexible. Volunteering would include one initial meeting with event coordinator, who will set you up with the database and provide information about which websites are most appropriate to get accurate information about the refuges.

Email kachemakshorebird@gmail.com for more info and/or to sign up.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The Student Council is seeking volunteers and chaperones to assist with school events and dances. Our upcoming Winter Formal is scheduled for February 8th, and we would greatly appreciate your support.

If you’re interested in helping out, please contact us at LDykstra@kpbsd.k12.ak.us.

Thank you for your support!

HHS School Counselors

Sue Rennolds – Class of 2026 srennolds@kpbsd.k12.ak.us ~ (907) 235-4691

Paul Story – Classes of ’25, ’27, and ‘28 pstory@kpbsd.k12.ak.us ~ (907) 235-4685

HHS Peer Tutoring and Live Homework Help

Members of Homer High’s National Honor Society are available to tutor any interested HHS student. Just submit this two question Google Form to get linked up with a friendly and helpful peer.

This free (and underutilized!) resource is available to Alaskans M-F 8am-2am, and Sat/Sun 12pm-2am. https://lam.alaska.gov/sled/homework . You’d be amazed at the individualized help you can access in any high school subject. Give it a try!

Scholarships EXCLUSIVE to HHS (and therefore not posted to KPBSD Scholarship Database)

Hilcorp is offering a $10,000 scholarship to graduate of the HHS Class of 2025!

• Flyer with application info – due Feb. 14th

LFI is offering grants of $1,000-$5,000 to 2025 HHS/Flex graduates to cover cost of attendance at KPC or AVTEC!

• Letter of invitation to apply
• Application – due Apr. 1st

Other local and state-wide Scholarships

The KPBSD Scholarship Database continues adding new awards and contests each week. Here are just a few of the recent additions (There are 35 OTHER scholarships posted, including some for any grade 9-12, and more to come.). Remember to sort by “Expiring first” to prioritize your application preparations.

Seniors (new since last newsletter)

Alaska Community Foundation – determine eligibility for up to 60 awards with one application; due March 15th

• Awards for seniors with GPAs of 3.5 and UNDER:
• Darlene Sheldon Memorial - $1,000 due April 10th
• Robert Turkington Memorial - $750 due April 10th
• American Legion Auxiliary #16 - $500(2) due April 10th

Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI) – free college credits and summer experience

RAHI is a long-standing (since 1983), free, six week pre-college summer program for rural (Homer counts as rural.) and Alaska Native 11th and 12th graders. Students earn an average of nine college credits and learn how to thrive academically by experiencing life on campus, building self-confidence, and developing a statewide community to carry with them through their lives. See flyer and these stats for more info, and go to https://www.uaf.edu/rahi/ to apply by the March 1st deadline.

Shop your Mariners Sideline Store

THE PURPOSE of the Homer High School Mariner Booster Club, Inc. is to provide support for all organized sports/activities at HHS. We strive to achieve this goal through Fundraising, Event Planning, and Volunteerism.

Want to learn more or get involved? Join us for our monthly meeting on the 2nd Monday of every month (except December)! 6:30p in B109.

Follow us on social media:

Booster Club Facebook Page Booster Club Instagram

At Homer High, we like to reward students for doing the right thing, showing good character or just going the extra mile. Here are a few of the students who have earned a "Mariner Way" positive referral in the last month.

This photo was taken at the UAA Women's basketball game against Western Washington on January 18, 2025. Two HHS students were there—one attending with her basketball team after their game against Grace Christian, and the other who just happened to show up. The game was a great time for everyone who attended!

Here is a great opportunity for overseas travel for HHS students. Please come to the meeting on Feb. 4th for more information and to answer any questions you may have

Seniors

Spencer Dye

Jody Goodrich

Malliss Im

Channing Lowney

Jaela Marchbanks

Beatrix McDonough

Gracie Miotke

Mischa Slaughter

Preston Stanislaw

Kya Stokes

Amanda Toci

Angelynn Webb

Henry Wedvik

Juniors

Claira Booz

Johannes Bynagle

Clyde Clemens

Marina Co

McKenzie Hansen

Kayla Kalafut

Hannah Klima

Logan Matysczak

Keagan Niebuhr

Lukas Renner

Sophomores

Fiona Ahern

Swift Blackstock

Gracey Bradshaw

Tristyn Bridges

Madilyn Gibbins

Tilea Lockwood

Berend Pearson

Myles Robinson

Freshmen

Jessie Adcox

Etta Bynagle

Daniel Christ

Isabella Clarke

Stella Condon

Carter Davis

Catherine Davis

Allison Early

Casey (Alex) Eberle

Aili Jensen

Myra Kalafut

Mayzie Kee

Abigail Ostrom

Paul Person

Austin Pitzman

Charlie Rustand

Pearl Sethi

Cecily Shavelson

Samuel Smith

Emily Stafford

Aubrey Stephens

Amakah Stineff

Dayten Van Ostrand

Robert Wilson

Seniors

Kylee Akee

Jamen Anderson

McKenna Black

Ainsley Boss-Harmon

Reace Brothers

Cassidy Carroll

Andrea Duncan

Rocco Flora

Jake Hawkins

Natalie Keintz

Tiya Martushev

Paul Minke

Matthew O’Malley

Lance Parkinson

Einar Pederson

Andrew Rhoden

Jaydan Stanish

Rainey Sundheim

Brightly Thoning

Rebecca Rudy

Luke Vargas

Juniors

Zayne Adams

Ellen Barrett

Rockwell Bates

Abigail Bobo

Emma Early

Natalie Farren

Joseph Felice

Ella Gustafson

Cassidy Hardyman

Thea James

Donovan Milstead

Sara Nollar

Ryder Rhodes

Thomas Spitler

Brennan Steen

Tung Tran

Sophomores

Griffyn Berg

Cohen Boyd

Margo Curtis

Maya Diaz

Madisen Donyes

Madilyn Illg

Brayden McClenning

Beau Miller

Lars Peterson

Reid Rauch

Charlotte Richardson

Asa Shafer

Britta Velsko

Kia Weisser

Kaylynn Wilson

Liam Young

Freshmen

Jaxon Adams

Theren Banes

Yousef El Daly

Hunter Gauthier

Ilsa Golden

Lilliana Harris

Arianna Imlay-Appel

Leya Johnson

Alexandrea Jones

Ames Kincaid

Kingston Longpre

Christabelle Minke

Faith Overson

Charles Robinette

Laif Rothenberger

Foxwell Strobel

Ila Sylce

Email: dwaclawski@kpbsd.org
Website: http://homerhighschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/
Location: 600 E Fairview Ave, Homer, AK, USA
Phone: 907-235-4600
Facebook: www.facebook.com/homerhs