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The Wrangell Public School Board of Education is moving forward on a pair of long-term issues – with one involving Evergreen Elementary and Wrangell High School facility upgrades – and another involving the nutritional needs of the district’s students. The board voted Monday, May 13 to initiate a request for proposals to paint the elementary school façade and a portion of the front of the high school. “Painting the elementary school has been on the list of to do items for awhile now and will...
With the advent of digital technology, a number of Wrangell’s public and governmental agencies are going “paperless” in an effort to streamline operations, save costs and improve efficiency. One of the main users of digital records technology in town is the Wrangell Medical Center – though the Wrangell Public Schools District can now be counted among such users of this next-generation standard for meetings. According to superintendent Rich Rhodes, a paperless, web-based system known as BoardDo...
The Borough Assembly held a public hearing regarding the draft form of the 2013-14 Fiscal Year budget for the city on Tuesday, May 14 at City Hall, taking testimony from two citizens. Cyni Waddington, the manager of the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce spoke first in support of the budget, adding that her organization relies on funding from the city to survive. “Speaking on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, in regard to the amount that is provided to us, we absolutely need that money,” Wad...
After a the recent and successful 2013 Wrangell Chamber of Commerce awards dinner and auction, the group’s Board of Directors is seeing a change in lineup. Cori Robinson, a 13-year member of the Chamber, has stepped into her new position as board president after the resignation of past president John Taylor. In addition to Taylor, longtime member Janell Privett and Wrangell School District superintendent Rich Rhodes also resigned their positions with the board recently. Robinson said she w...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. May 1, 1913: The ultimate disposition of the deserted barracks at Sitka and the question of caring for the aged pioneers and prospectors was combined this past week by the consent of the Secretary of the Interior and Navy to the use of the barracks as a home for the aged. The Territorial Legislature immediately created a commission for the supervision of the home and the Governor was made head of the commission. April 29, 1938: Frank S. Barnes, Wrangell Republican candidate for the legislature in...
Welcome to this week of Peggy’s Corner of the House. Several Ketchikan and Wrangell constituents stopped through my office this past week and I appreciate the time that you all take to give me your insight. As you have most likely seen in the news, the Legislature has many bills being heard in committee that pertain to education in Alaska. The bill that I introduced (HB 21) for a 4 day pilot program is currently in the Finance committee. 4-day school weeks have been around for many years in other states and have a proven track record of i...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. April 3, 1913: For some time past, a local motorboat fan and member of the Wrangell Motor Boat Club has been corresponding with speed boat designers with the intention of having a hull built for a 24 horse power motor which he now has and a letter received from a Seattle designer which was shown in the Sentinel this week states that 30 miles per hour is quite possible with the combination of hull, motor and wheel in view. While one of this class is well enough for an exhibition it takes two to make...
After a civic presentation on “Lemonade Day 2012” by Wrangell teen Helen Decker, three attempts to pass a motion that would have set up an “energy committee” to study future divestiture plans from the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, the decision to form such a committee was halted after disagreement over membership was raised. Assembly member James Stough modified the original motion, saying he wanted to see membership in the committee include citizens or officials from Petersburg and Ketchik...
March 20, 1913: The Convention of delegates from 16 subordinate camps of the Arctic Brotherhood met at Douglas, Alaska on March 14 and voted almost unanimously for the resolution declaring Great Camp offices vacant and the convention to the Grand Camp. The resolution which follows was adopted at the morning and at the evening session Major J.F.A. Strong of Juneau was elected Grand Arctic Chief; J.M. Tanner of Skagway, Past Grand Arctic Chief; and C.A. Hopp of Douglas, Vice Grand Arctic Chief. Resolved, by the Arctic Brotherhood that; First all...
As a school administrator I have had a great career, and am one of those people who can say they have truly enjoyed their career field. Although, at times it becomes difficult, it hasn’t been a job, but a passion, and I still look forward to trying to make a difference in the educational setting every day. The current budget down turn and diminishing opinion of public education has been disappointing. I believe the public school is the only place other than the church that says you all come. It is our responsibility to continue to meet the n...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. February 27, 1913: Tuesday next, the 4th of March, will be an historic day for Alaska as well as the Democratic Party, for in addition to the inauguration in Washington of the first Democratic President in 16 years, the very first Alaskan legislature will convene formally at Juneau, the capital of the newly formed territory farthest north. For more than a week, the newly elected and many of them uninitiated solons have been arriving by boats from the outlying district. The trails are many and...
Longtime Evergreen Elementary Principal Therese Ashton submitted a letter of resignation to the Wrangell Public School Board on Monday, Feb. 18, opening the way for a change in leadership at the school for the first time in more than a decade. Ashton’s tenure as principal and head teacher at Evergreen will end at the completion of this school year – and she is set to take on the position of superintendent at the Tanana City School District near Fairbanks. She will take the place of current super...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. February 6, 1913: Mme. Sarah Bernhardt, the famous actress, has recently expressed her wish to tour Alaska and has the Portland manager of the Orpheum circuit to make inquiries for her regarding the trip. Mme. Bernhardt has played in every other part of the globe and wishes to appear here. The probable appearances in Southeast Alaska will be in Ketchikan and Juneau and many local people have expressed an interest on making a trip to one of those towns for an opportunity to hear the famous actress. F...
With the 2012 school shootings in Connecticut and California still fresh in our collective memory, a proposal from an Anchorage lawmaker would allow for teachers or other permanent school employees to carry concealed weapons on campus “for defensive use” in the State of Alaska. House Bill 55, from Republican Rep. Bob Lynn, would allow public districts and private schools to adopt written policies spelling out the circumstances under which firearms could be possessed and used. The proposal, which...
A new mayor, renovations to the Shakes Island Tribal House and Marine Service Center, and the ongoing Wrangell Medical Center debate – all of these stories were newsmakers in 2012. Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest stories in Wrangell over the past year. JANUARY A late night blaze destroyed a trailer and sent a woman to Wrangell Medical Center with severe burns on Dec. 22. The fire, which began at 10:30 p.m. in a small pull-behind trailer near the top of the park, severely inj...
In the latter part of 1977, Keith Appleman began his career with the U.S. Forest Service and worked his way through a tenure that saw him rise to the top of his field as Recreation, Lands, Wilderness and Minerals staff officer for the Wrangell Ranger District – experiencing a life as a shepherd and caretaker of the forests we call our home and playground in Southeast Alaska. Appleman, who will turn 59 this month, retired from the Forest Service on Dec. 28. On New Year’s Eve he was joined by a si...
Negotiations between teachers in the Wrangell Public School District topped the agenda this week as the school board met for their final meeting of 2012 – and saw the board and teacher’s union exchange letters proposing the topics of bargaining to take place early next year. During a public work session before the regular meeting, union representative Michele Galla presented the membership’s letter requesting that a reasonable cost of living increase to the base salary be added over the next three years, a cost/benefit analysis of marri...
Dec. 19, 1912: P.M. Smith, commonly known as “Doc” Smith, who since his coming to Wrangell about 11 years ago, had lived a hermit-like life, was found dead in his cabin yesterday afternoon having died as he had lived - alone. Deputy Marshal Schnabel, who was down to the Cemetery Bay on an official errand yesterday afternoon, passed the house of “Doc” Smith and seeing no tracks in the snow which had fallen Tuesday evening entered the house and found the owner lying dead as he had fallen from a chair. Smith was in Wrangell Sunday and seemed...
The Wrangell Cooperative Association, with a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, has acquired funds to develop environmental programs for Wrangell. And now they want to know what community members think is important to the pristine environment of our region. According to WCA’s Renee Claggett, the Native association has set areas of focus based on information gathered from an initial environmental survey and a questionnaire is being distributed with the intent of discovering what Wrangellites do and know when it comes to saving t...
The Wrangell Public School District Board of Directors held their second to last regular meeting of the year on Nov. 19 at Stikine Elementary School – and held a public hearing where the results of the district report cards were discussed. The report cards, which are issued annually for each of the three public schools in the district and the Alaska Virtual Academy, showed an 88.5 percent graduation rate with a 92.7 percent average attendance for the 2011-12 school year. The State of Alaska requires 85 percent return as a target for each of t...
With the coming basketball season for the Lady Wolves quickly approaching, the baton for MiKayla Stokes’ senior project is now ready to be passed – if enough interest among parents and students can be garnered in the weeks and months to come. Her project, a swim club that teaches the basic strokes of swimming and diving, has about 20 members who have taken part over the past few months. Stokes was upbeat during a meeting with parents and participants last week at Wrangell High School. “This is about the continuation of the swim club, and it so...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. Nov. 7, 1912: Several patriotic Wrangell votes, some taxpayers and businessmen, deprived this election of suffrage, because they are residents on the waterfront on their launches, boarded the gas boat Mabel Tuesday and bucked the current of the Wrangell Narrows to reach the voting place at Scow Bay, some 35 miles from Wrangell and literally “swore in “ their vote by giving their pedigree and previous conditions of servitude. Charles Darwell and T. Anderson operated the Mabel on the trip. J. Mot...
Sentinel writer Matt Olsen, the Democratic candidate for the District 33 seat in the Alaska House of Representatives was in Wrangell last weekend for a last minute campaign stop to meet with voters. Olsen made an appearance at the Stikine Inn where he greeted citizens and spoke about his plans should he be elected to the seat. “One of the main things Southeast Alaska is missing is the utilization of its resources,” he said. “If you look at timber, it’s one of the big ones that we’re not reall...
Wrangell High School senior MiKayla Stokes wants her fellow students to get in shape and become healthier – via the school’s new swim club. The club, which was Stokes’ brainchild and her senior project, currently has about 20 members who are learning the basics of swimming and diving. “Right now, I teach them the basic strokes of swimming and we have worked on diving a little bit, as well as turning at the ends of the pool,” Stokes said. “We’ve also been doing relay races during our practices...
The Wrangell School Board met in open session on Tuesday, Sept. 18 to take a number of reports regarding the on-going operations in the district and to approve a series of grants and employment contracts. The meeting began, however, with a workshop dedicated to a board self-assessment. District Superintendent Rich Rhodes explained the purpose of the assessment during a break in the discussion. “I think it’s a self-reflection on what we’ve been doing and whether we have been doing it well,” Rhodes said. “We want to look at continual improveme...
