Did You Know? from Principal Sherry Hingley - There is A LOT going on!

• Devin Chissus is the Susan B. English Geography winner.
• Spelling Bee is Tuesday, February 2nd at 2:00 p.m.
• 5th and 6th graders are learning some basic cooking skills.
• K-4th graders are taking weekly swimming lessons.

7th and 8th graders are starting a special shop class called project adventure.
The classes will be covering:

• carpentry
• kayaking
• Red Mountain studies
• Cold water survival
• Physical fitness

Junior High and High School students are taking classes in Rosetta Stone.

• German – talk with Matthew
• Japanese – talk with Amanda
• Spanish – talk with Sarah G. or Courtney or Kathleen
• Italian – talk with Lily
• French – talk with Chelsea or Katrina

Susan B. English School is planning a Work Force Academy the last 2 weeks of school. Schools that will be participating in all or part of the academy include: Port Graham, Nanwalek, Tyonek.

The K-4th grades are still waiting for their beetles to lay eggs. They are also growing cultures that they have gathered.

RECENT NEWS FROM SUSAN B. ENGLISH

The following articles were featured in the Gazette in January 2010

Submitted Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 3:00pm Start Clippin' To Earn Dollars For Susan B. English by Jenny Chissus
There are many ways that our school works with the students, parents and community to raise funds for sports, equipment and extra-curricular activities. One of the ways is through the Boxtops For Education program. If you click on either of these banners, it will direct you to the web page to sign up/register for a chance to win BONUS amounts of box tops for our school - which in turn will mean cash for our programs and activities at Susan B. English. We appreciate all the support and help that the community gives our students. We are thankful for opportunities like this where we can garner extra help from things we are doing already and be able to benefit from folks far from Seldovia - grandparents, aunts, cousins, friends and summer Seldovians who want to do something to support our kids. Thank you in advance for clipping and saving your boxtops! Please send them in at any time to the school at the following address: Susan B English School, PO Box 171, Seldovia, Alaska 99663 Here are two special boxtop programs that would give our school a real boost!

Submitted Thursday, January 21, 2010 - 11:57pm Recap Of The Three Day Basketball Tournament by Kathleen Gruber - Senior student reporter
Thursday 14th was the first day of the first basketball tournament Susan B. English has hosted in three years. There were eight teams competing in the tournament, so for a few days our school's population doubled! The boys teams were Nikolaevsk, Lumen Christi, Whittier, and Nanwalek, who Seldovia’s lone high school boy, Matthew Gain plays for. The girls teams included Nikolaevsk, Lumen Christi, Homer JV, and of course the Seldovia Sea Otters. All the boys teams were pretty evenly matched; most the games were within ten points. The girls teams all brought a lot of hustle to the court, but the Seldovia Sea Otters dominated the score board, never letting a team reach above fourteen points. The Otters took home a trophy in ever category. Sarah Geagel won MVP, Courtney Collier won the three-point competition, and Chelsea Suydam won the free-throw competition. The Homer JV took home the second place trophy. First place for the boys went to Lumen Christi, while Nikolaevsk took second place home. Nick Swain from Whittier won both the three-point competition and MVP. Justin Lipscomb won the free-throw competition. It was a fun three days and I personally hope it can happen again next year!
Scoreboard Thursday: Boys- Nanwalek 33 vs. Nikolaevsk 55, Lumen 41 vs. Whittier 47 Girls- Lumen 29 vs. Homer JV 39, Nikolaevsk 13 vs. Seldovia 41 Friday: Boys- Nikolaevsk 52 vs. Lumen 59, Whittier 54 vs. Nanwalek 47 Girls- Lumen 14 vs. Nikolaevsk 17, Homer JV 14 vs. Seldovia 41 Saturday: Boys- Nikolaevsk 60 vs. Whittier 48, Lumen 50 vs. Nanwalek 40 Girls- Nikolaevsk vs. 27 Homer JV 32, Lumen 10 vs. Seldovia 41

Submitted Thursday, January 21, 2010 - 11:29pm Thanks to YOU - The Basketball Tournament Was A Success! by Sandy Geagel

MANY THANKS to all of you for helping out at the tournament!!! For not having a tournament in three years; TOGETHER we pulled it off. I learned a lot about what goes on from a Coach’s perspective. Everyone was great at stepping in when there was a need. There were a LOT of you that put in long hours every day of the tournament. WOW, I really appreciate all of you. I heard many compliments on “Seldovia hospitality” from the visiting teams. The hospitality room was a hit and the desserts provided for the teams were appreciated by all! The girls topped off the tournament by taking FIRST PLACE! I will be sending pictures to the district to put on their web site pictures of the awards ceremony. If any of you out there have game photos, please send them our way. Ronene had a lot of younger student volunteers in the concession stand and Mr. O’Leary did a great job keeping the floor swept between games. Lisa O’Leary, Marcella Suydam, and Oz Hatch prepared the scrumptious meals served throughout the tournament. Can’t leave out our breakfast cooks Laurel, Sunni and Rod Hilts, Monte and Sherry Hingley, Robyn Zinszer. Margie McCord kept popping up in the kitchen at just the right time to help keep things rolling smoothly in the kitchen. Laurel was called in at the last minute to be our announcer; along with all the other things she was doing to help out. I could go on and on and still miss out on people who volunteered their time and donated goodies or snacks. I don’t want to miss anyone out there, if you know of someone I did miss be sure and tell them we appreciated their help!

Submitted Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 8:23pm National Geographic Bee Has A New SBE Champion by Jenny Chissus - photos by Sandy Geagel

Every year, all the students in 4th to 8th Grades participate in the National Geographic Bee. This is a national competition to encourage the youth to study and learn more about the world around them. The questions range from simple multiple choice questions like: Which state has a climate suitable for growing citrus fruits—California or Maine? to the more difficult questions like: To visit the ruins of Persepolis, an ancient ceremonial capital of Persia, you would have to travel to what present-day country? where the answer has to be given from memory. (The answers to those questions - in case you were wondering, were California and Iran!!)

This year, on Wednesday the 13th, it came down to the two finalists, Devin Chissus and Nathan Suydam (pictured below) who are both 7th grade students at SBE. They were equally surprised and amused by their position in the event. Being Devin's mom, I know he hadn't expected to be competing for the top award. Nathan and Devin are great friends and I believe they enjoyed the predicament of being in competition with each other for a title and recognition they didn't expect to receive. There were a few rounds with final questions where neither competitor knew the correct response. Finally, Devin answered a question correctly and was pronounced the Geography Bee winner. Both boys were awarded a free movie and soft drink certificate for the Main Street Market, and Devin received an official National Geographic Bee medal to recognize his achievement. On Friday morning Devin took the official qualifying test - and we will have to wait until sometime in March to see if he qualified for the state level of the competition. Only the top 100 students in Alaska will compete in Anchorage sometime in March or April for the state title. The state winner will be invited to compete in May for the national title at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington DC where there will be $10,000, $15,000 and $25,000 in scholarship monies awarded to the top three students! Good luck Devin!

Submitted Friday, January 15, 2010 News From Susan B. English School Adaptation of "Twas The Night Before Christmas" - written & read by Lily Kroll at the Christmas Performance and acted out by the students of Susan B. English.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the school, Every teacher was teaching while all the kids drooled. The textbooks were put on the shelf with care, In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there. The students were nestled all snug in their desks, While visions of warm beaches danced in their heads. And Mr. G in his classroom, and the kids at their desks, Had just settled down for a long history test. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, They sprang from their desks to see what was the matter. Away to the window they flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below. When what to their wondering eyes should appear, But Santa leading a gang of elves and... is that a four wheeler? With a little old driver, so lively and quick, They knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted and called them by name! Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen On Comet, On Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall, Now dash away, dash away, dash away all! As dry leaves that fall before the wild hurricane fly, When they met with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the school-top the coursers they flew, With the four wheeler full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too. And then, in a twinkling, they heard on the roof, The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As they drew in their heads, and were turning around, Down the air vent St Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack. His eyes how they twinkled! His dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow. The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke in encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly! He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And they laughed when they saw him, in spite of themselves. A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave them to know they had nothing to dread. He spoke not a word, but worked with joy, And filled all the shelves not with books but with toys. And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the air vent he rose! He sprang to his four wheeler, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But they heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Check out more photos under "That's Elementary"

Submitted Friday, January 15, 2010 That's Elementary! by the students of Mrs. Bornheimer's Elementary Class

School news and thoughts from the perspective of Mrs. Bornheimer's Kindergarten through fourth grade class. We hope to see all kinds of blossoming talent from these kids! Stand by, your child, grandchild, niece or nephew might be the next Walter Cronkite, JK Rowling or Ansel Adams! The Sleepover at the School By Ariana Waterbury - 4th Grade The K-4 class had a gingerbread sleepover at the school on December 4, 2009. The week before the sleepover during the school day we rolled the dough, and then we cut it into house pieces. Then we baked them. On Friday night at 5:00 we came back to school. First we went to the lunchroom and used icing to glue the walls of our houses together. Then we went to the gym while our dinner cooked. We had pizza. Our choices were pineapple or mushroom or cheese. After pizza we glued the roofs on. Next we had root beer floats and orange floats. Then we played outside with flashlights. After that we came inside. We watched a movie called Swiss Family Robinson. Then we went to bed. It was late. The next day when we woke up we went to the computer lab. We went to the lunchroom to eat breakfast once everyone was awake. Breakfast was cereal, juice, milk, bagels, and bananas. After breakfast we put out all the candy and started decorating. At 11:00 we packed our stuff and went home. The houses turned out great. The Christmas Program By Zac Stanish - 2nd Grade My class did the Nutcracker. The rats came out of the stage. We had a huge cardboard clock. We had to practice a lot. My parts were a party guest, a rat, and a Chinese tea dancer. The Chinese tea dance included a lot of cartwheels. We had Chinese tea dancers, coffee dancers, and candy cane dancers. We had flower dancers too. We also did The Night Before Christmas. We were snow bears; well that’s what Mrs. Zinszer called them. I think they should have been called polar bears.

The following articles were featured in the Gazette on December 10, 2009

SBE high-schoolers fund raise “fiesta-style...”
Friday, December 18!

Tired right before Christmas? Give yourself a break and support the group of students committed to traveling to our nation's capitol in the first week of May 2010. On December 18, the Close Up group (and their families) will host a Mexican extravaganza with all the trimmings including the following: tamales, chips/salsa, Spanish rice, beans, sopapillas and lemonade. For fun, a pinata will be pounded to the beat of Mexican music with games for all.

To date the Close Up group has raised over $3,000 dollars but will need an additional $6,000 to meet our fund raising goal . Recently, a “garage sale” was held at the space beside the post office where $500 was garnered for the SBE Booster Club and over $200 was added to the coffers for the Washington DC trip!

Reasonably priced fare at $10 per plate and $35 for the family, everyone can enjoy a meal together that they didn't prepare (yea!) during this hectic holiday season and support our kids at the same time; what a deal!

Successful Bake Sale for Close Up Kids

All aboard for the “goody train...”

Fresh and hot baked sweets were the order of the day at last Saturday's bake sale solely devoted to the successful fund raising efforts for our high school students Washington DC trip in May. Like the last bake sale, this event was equally popular with a total raised of:$624! That makes the total so far over $900 (since Nov. 1) just for Close Up!

Ongoing Bake Sale and "Gently Used" Items available at the "Flube"!

Watch for future bake sales to be held at Seldovia Fuel & Lube (the “Flube”) where a small space will [also] be devoted for select, gently used items with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the Washington DC trip. This will be an “ongoing” sale running through the spring or until sufficient funds have been procured for Close Up.

Happy Holidays Seldovia, and thanks for your continued support!

News From Susan B. English School

CONGRATULATIONS LADIES !!! The girls have held the FIRST PLACE TITLE for the SECOND YEAR at Borealis Region II Tournament. Their first game at STATE will be held at 3:45 at Dimond High School against Skagway. If you are in Anchorage and want to watch; please join us!!

Coach Dillon says, “The team had their ups and downs during the season but were able to pull out a #1 seed going into Regions. The Sea Otters played their best in the tournament and came out Region Champions. We're excited heading up to State to see what the next level of play will bring.”

Matthew Gain is going to STATE in Wrestling!! He is a senior this year wrestling at 160#. Matthew has been to STATE every year of his high school career. WAY TO GO MATTHEW!! Coach Blodgett and team mate Cameren Blodgett will be leaving for Anchorage on Thursday. The STATE Wrestling Tournament will be held at Bartlett High School.

Type To Learn

By Benjamin Botero
1st Grade

The class does Type To Learn. I type very well. I was on level seventeen. I typed every day. There is a red bar on the right side of the computer. It shows how much more you need to do. Now I am finished. I did all twenty-one levels. I can type very fast.

The following articles were featured in the Gazette on November 14, 2009

SBE Sports Update
by Chelsea Suydam

Last weekend, the junior high basketball teams and the high school volleyball girls traveled across the bay to give the Sea Otters a good name. The junior high basketball players went over to Homer and played Homer Middle School's JV team. Both the guys' and girls' team landed their first victory, and, according to Nathan Suydam and Rosalia Purpura on Homer JV, "they were easy." The twelve boys on the team must have felt exhilarated after winning their first game, having played two strenuous teams – Cook Inlet Academy (twice) and Aurora Borealis – in the past few weekends. It was also the girls' first win, and, having only 6 players for away games (5 being the minimum), their hard work was greatly rewarded.

The junior high teams got to play this Tuesday, too: Nikolaevsk made it over on the ferry to fit in some afternoon games. The girls played first, but against Nikolaevsk's strong and height-advantaged line-up they unfortunately lost. On the other hand the boys were able to win by a few baskets, as the teams were more evenly matched in ability.

In high school sports, last Friday, November 6th, the high school volleyball girls drove up the highway to attend CIA's Invitational tournament. Their first game was against Lumen Christi, a team they'd struggled with earlier in the year, and, to their disappointment, they lost in two sets (matches were two out of three). Treating that game as a warm up and something to only move forward from, the team was ready to play CIA an hour later, and they beat them with gusto.

The next day, with two seniors taking SAT's early in the morning till 11:00 and 1:30, the JV team had to step it up and play Wasilla Lake without the seniors. Although one senior did make it back just in time, Coach Ila let her JV team start and play most of the game on their own – of which they did extremely well, beating their opponent in just two sets. Next up was Ninilchik (for the fourth time this season), but by this time the Otters knew what to do and did it – taking Ninilchik with the energy and power they knew they had. Finally, they were in the championship game against Tok, and did all the warming up they could (and energizing out on the playground!) to be sure they were ready. This game, which was three out of five, did take an extended fourth set– but the victory was on the Otters' side, and they placed first at the tournament!

Let's hope these victories will give the teams a boost for their games to come: Good luck to the junior high boys and girls at Ninilchik this weekend and Regions next weekend! The volleyball team will also be having their annual Dad's Game on Saturday at 7:30, so feel free to come and cheer on the dads and girls and have some pizza.

SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 21st!

Saturday, November 21st there will be a Christmas Bazaar in the Multi-Purpose room, with crafts and products to assist you with your Christmas shopping - right here in Seldovia!

At 4:00 p.m. we will hold the Annual Community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the gardens in front of the clinic! Please come and join us in welcoming in the Holiday season!

The Booster Club is having a HUGE garage sale in the retail space beside the Post Office, where you may come to "Make an offer" on all kinds of useable items, from TVs, Coffee Pots, Coats and Toys!

Please know that you may also drop off donated items at that location between 11:00am and Noon to help the Booster Club with their fundraising efforts! The sale begins at Noon and will be open until 4:00pm! Thank you Dianne Gruber and Tamara Blodgett for coordinating this event and to Dick and Sammie Reason for donating the space for the sale!

There will also be Pumpkin Pies and other baked goods available for purchase at the sale to raise funds for the Close Up trip - so please stop by and purchase your Saturday night dessert! You are also welcome to donate baked goods to the cause!

At 2:00 p.m Santa has agreed to make an early stop in Seldovia! He will be at the Main Street Market until 3:00 p.m! Please stop by in your Christmas outfits where we will take FREE photos of the kids with Santa! We are also happy to offer to email parents the photos, so they can use it for Christmas! (Thank you to Darlene Crawford for offering that generous gift!)

SBE Digital Photography Class

Tim Winter's Digital Photography Class wanted to share a few photos that have been taken recently by the students at SBE. Enjoy! Amanda, Devon, and Victoria were the models and photographers for these unique shots and use of color!

Italian

By David Botero
3rd Grade

My class has been doing Italian for a month now. It is hard to remember the words. We learned colors and some other words. It is fun to do Italian. I like to do Italian. It is kind of like Spanish, but not really. Some colors like red, blue, and green are almost the same as Spanish. We learned words like boy, girl, computer, shirt, pants, and desk and a lot more. The Italian word for computer is kind of like English. In Italian a boy is un bambino and a girl is una bambina. They speak Italian in Italy.

The following articles were featured in the Gazette on October 29, 2009

Annual Halloween Carnival Friday Night!

Parade and Halloween Trick or Treat bags!
7pm to 9pm in the Ottertorium

Lots of good FOOD…..pizza, fresh pumpkin pie, caramel apples, popcorn, fudge, snow cones and more good things to eat at the concession stand!!

GAMES, GAMES, GAMES…….
Sponsored by the following groups:

BOOSTER CLUB: Paddle Wheel, Lollipop Pull, Concessions

LIFEGUARD: Trick or Treat

CLOSE UP: Fish Pond

SENIORS: Cake Walk, Balloon Darts

SOPHOMORES: Mini Free Throw, Free Throws
(split the pot)

FRESHMAN: Pin the Wart on the Witch’s Nose,
Ping Pong Toss

7-8th GRADE: Duck Pond

Join us for a fun filled evening and a chance to visit with friends and enjoy dressing up and seeing all the kids in costume!

News From Susan B. English School
by Kathleen Gruber

Volleyball Pulls Together With Focus

The Susan B. English volleyball girls have played two tournaments so far this season and are gearing up to play Ninilchik this Friday in their only home court game. The first tournament the girls competed in (hosted by Ninilchik) went very well. They were able to beat three of the five teams. Their next tournament that took place in Anchorage did not go as smoothly.

Ila Dillon, the coach of the S.B.E. volleyball team, says that the main contributor to their not so great performance in Anchorage was ‘lack of focus, and very little working together’. Ila also says that as long as they talk they do well. From what she saw in the Ninilchik tournament she knows they have it in them.

With a team of mainly freshman and sophomores this adjusting period, personally, doesn’t surprise me. Any new blood is going to take time to start circulating well with the rest of the team. From what I witnessed looking in on their scrimmages against the community, the team can come back from a loss as long as they pull together and bring in the focus and unity they’ve already proven they are capable of. It looks like they’ve got a lot of talent and desire to win and I doubt they’ll disappoint this Friday.

Join us for the Game
Friday the 30th at 5:00pm
before the Halloween Carnival!

SBE Digital Photography Class

Tim Winter's Digital Photography Class wanted to share a few photos that have been taken recently by the students at SBE. Enjoy! Devon, Amanda and Axcenia were the models for these! Watch out - you may be next!

The Catapult Contest

By Skyler Bond
2nd Grade

Cody, Sage, and Cheyenne entered a contest to build a catapult. Their first step was to figure out what design. They built their tiny models. Cody said they should build a trebuchet. Sage thought they should build a regular catapult. Then they went to Cody’s house to build the trebuchet. When they tested it, it did not work. Then they went to Sage’s house to build a catapult. It worked. Then they named their team The Shooting Stars.

Next they had to get ready for the contest. For the contest they had to shoot a tennis ball into a gray school trash can. The trash can could be anywhere from one meter to eleven meters from the catapult. They had to adjust the catapult. They kept testing and writing down the adjustments.

The contest was on October 10th but it was too windy to fly to Homer. They had to miss the contest.

They had fun building their catapult. They want to enter the next contest.

The NIEA Convention in Milwaukee
by Chelsea Suydam

Last week, through our school district's Title VII Indian Education program, I was able to attend the National Indian Education Association Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Along with three other students from the Kenai Peninsula School District and two chaperones, one being SBE's own teacher Mr. Giroux. The convention offered a wealth of information, with each day having a General Assembly, two hour-and-a-half workshops, and an event in the evenings. In the three days I was there, the evening events were a culture night, a Pow Wow at the Potawotami Casino, and an awards banquet. Speakers, educators, and administrators were at the convention from all reaches of the country, including recruiters from Yale, Harvard, and many other colleges; managers of certain Native American scholarships; people coming to present their research on the effects of different types of education; and those just there to share their heritage.

In my three days there, I was able to gain a bit of inspiration and insight by attending four workshops, listening to well-known speakers, and attending Culture Night and the Pow Wow. Two of the workshops – Preparing Students for Selective College Admission and the Gates Millennium Scholars – were particularly educational. One of the General Assemblies had a lecturer from Harvard Graduate School who talked about an alternative way to teach Native Americans. At Culture Night, we were able to learn how to make a dream catcher, and there was also some traditional dancing going on. We also saw traditional drumming, dancing, and ceremonial dress at the Pow Wow, which was filled with people's sense of pride for their heritage.

Overall, the trip was a nice change of pace from the repetitive motions of daily life, and this educational experience consisted of more than just the convention – we also got to see part of Milwaukee, walking among the old, historic buildings, visiting the university of Marquette, and seeing an Andy Warhol exhibit at the Milwaukee Fine Arts Museum. I encourage those interested in the convention to check out NIEA's website at www.niea.org. Next year, it will be held in San Diego!

The following articles were featured in the Gazette on October 15, 2009

News From Susan B. English School
by Chelsea Suydam

October Booster Club Meeting

On Tuesday, October 6th, the Booster Club had its monthly meeting. The meeting started off with the financial report, and we saw that we have a balance of $16,725. Mrs. Hingley reported that $3,000 of that was from selling Seldovia Sea Otter sweatshirts and t-shirts down at Herring Bay Mercantile.

Next, Vivian Rojas explained how students are raising money for Close-Up by selling raffle tickets, holding bake sales, and hosting dinners. Given that the tuition for the program and airfare to Washington D.C. is plentiful, she, on behalf of all the Close-Up participants, requested for travel fare from Seldovia to Homer and back (either by plane or boat) and gas money for the roundtrip from Homer to Anchorage. The Booster Club graciously agreed to comply with her request.

In this meeting, an election was supposed to be held, but, given the small number present and the uncertainty of who should and wants to hold the position of president, the election was waived until the next meeting. Lisa O’Leary will continue as president until this election has been made. Dianne Gruber did say she would like to be the vice president, and Lisa O’Leary mentioned up taking the secretary position. Sandy Geagel has always been the treasurer, with Ronene Gain handling the money and making sure it gets to her safely.

The following item on the agenda was the discussion of the Booster Club’s annual auction dinner, including who would be in charge of the menu and what date it will be held on. Followed by applause and sighs of relief, it was announced that Pumi Kashevarof has accepted to cook and prepare the menu. Though a finalized date was not determined, it was decided the dinner will be on a Saturday in April.

Ronene Gain explained that Student Council has decided to continue managing concessions at sports events and to maintain the pop machines. Marcella Suydam, Sherry Hingley, and Ronene have agreed to make pizzas so that pizza can be sold by the slice during games.

New fund raisers were discussed next. The first, referred to as “green recycle,” proposes submitting anything digital one might have, e.g. cell phones, digital cameras, mp3 players, etc., to an organization that will recycle these while also giving back money. Byron McCord volunteered his time to help in executing this project. Another fundraising idea was to have a garage sale, as some items have been donated to the Booster Club from Sue Jackson. During the garage sale, pumpkin pies may also be sold. Dianne Gruber is working on trying to get this garage sale held on Main Street, either in the space near the post office or some other facility. More items will most likely be solicited.

The final note of the evening was that Ronene is still collecting Box Tops for Education, which help bring money to our school – so if you have any box tops, please bring them in!

Those were the main points of the meeting, and it looks like we’re following a good path in raising money for our school’s extracurricular activities. Booster Club meetings are always on the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 P.M., so if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas, feel free to come and share your voice at these meetings.

That's Elementary!

School news and thoughts from the perspective of Mrs. Bornheimer's Kindergarten through fourth grade class. We hope to see all kinds of blossoming talent from these kids! Stand by, your child, grandchild, niece or nephew might be the next Walter Cronkite, JK Rowling or Ansel Adams!

Life Cycles and Food Chains

By Axcenia Waterbury
4th Grade

This year we are learning about living things, life cycles, and food chains. One food chain is plankton, krill, penguin, seal, and then a whale. Some different life cycles are a butterfly, chicken, frog, and plants.

We are also learning about mealworms for science. We experiment to see how they react to different things. They didn’t like air being blown on them. They moved away. We also tried water, and they moved away. One time we tried to see if they could smell things. It seemed some could smell and some couldn’t. It is very fun. Everybody likes it.

One time our teacher let us watch a video called Classification of Living Things. I was really interested in it. So was everybody else. There are five different kingdoms. Cats are in the animal kingdom. Science is cool!

Everything I Like

By Ashante Wright
1st Grade

I like to hang upside down on the monkey bars. I like ice cream because it melts in my mouth. I like Bruiser because he is cute. I like mealworms, but they are hard, and they eat Bran Flakes. I have one friend, and we play a lot. Alliah is the best friend I ever had. I like her. She is nice. My favorite colors are pink and hot pink. I can count to one hundred, but it takes a long time. My favorite animal is a cat. I like all of the colors in the rainbow. I like doing math. It is fun. I like roses because they are red. I can’t wait until December because my birthday is two days after Christmas. After school I like to go swimming, and I sometimes go to the gym. I like to go to Homer and Anchorage. I like to make banana bread. I like my new shoes.

The following articles were featured in the Gazette on September 24, 2009

News From Susan B. English School
by Chelsea Suydam

Open House reveals what's going on at SBE

Last week, on Wednesday, September 16th, Susan B. English hosted Open House, in which students' parents could go up to the school and learn about what is going on in their student's lives. SBE's principal Mrs. Hingley gave a Power Point presentation, going over various subjects that included school goals, yearly progress, the onset of a new era, and information on the H1N1 flu virus.

First of all, she explained that Susan B. English met AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) last year, with 91% of the students proficient or above in Language Arts, 86% in Math, and a 100% graduation rate. Compare these percentages to the minimum required by the state: 77% in Language Arts, 66% in Math, and a 56% graduation rate.

Mrs. Hingley also elucidated on the goals of the school board, district, and Seldovia's school, all of which SBE is doing well in trying to fulfill. The school board goals consisted of all students being prepared to pursue the educational and/or vocational pathway of their own choice; increased parent, student, and community engagement; improved communication; and an increase in student graduation rates. Some district goals included an increase in the level of collaboration among teachers, principals, and classified staff, along with improved student learning opportunities through the use of technology. Finally, our own school goals were to increase the percentage of students who are proficient and advanced, and to ensure students are prepared with the skills needed for the 21st century.

When the "21st century" is envisioned, one may picture using cell phones, computers, and other modern technology very extensively and efficiently. But in her presentation, Mrs. Hingley referred to the 21st century as something above and beyond this, calling it a new era titled "The Conceptual Age." Whereas the 18th century was the Agricultural Age, the 19th century the Industrial Age, and the 20th century the Information Age, the 21st century is now about creators and empathizers, people who are more collaborative, mobile, and productive. According to a graph from Apple Computers, it has been found that the demand for various skills has changed, and instead of needing "routine cognitive" and "routine manual" skills, we are now in greater need of "complex communications" and "expert thinking." The school goals reflect this need for cooperation, teamwork, and creativity, and should prepare students for this conceptual age.

To better understand why teamwork is so important, parents then took Multiple Intelligence tests to see the intelligences they were strong in, such as visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, and body-kinesthetic. These tests showed people their strengths, and how some people are stronger in some skills than others. When a group of people is put together, with each person having his unique strengths, it is my guess that great things can be accomplished.

After taking these tests, parents visited three different classrooms, according to what classes their students are involved in. This allowed them to get acquainted with their children's teachers and what their children are learning.

All in all, Open House seemed to be a successful evening, enlightening us of what our school is doing to make sure that the youth of Seldovia can enter this world with the skills needed to accomplish and succeed.

That's Elementary!

School news and thoughts from the perspective of Mrs. Bornheimer's Kindergarten through fourth grade class. We hope to see all kinds of blossoming talent from these kids! Stand by, your child, grandchild, niece or nephew might be the next Walter Cronkite, JK Rowling or Ansel Adams!

The Mealworm's Life
By Alliah Wheeler
2nd Grade

The K-4 class is working with mealworms. Mealworms are brownish with an exoskeleton. They have six legs and two antennas, and they have a tiny claw on each leg. Their eyes are on the side of their head. The mealworms eat bran. They drink apple juice.

When they’re done being a mealworm they turn into a pupa. The pupas are white. They don’t move much. Then they turn into an adult beetle. Then they lay their eggs. The eggs are so small you can’t even see them.

Never release a mealworm in Seldovia. They will take over because they are an invasive species. There are many mealworms in the Philippines. My mom said that when they are stepped on they make a crackling noise.

People's Pets
By Cody Bond
4th Grade

When I was little I had lots of pets, and I wanted to see what pets other people have. I asked all the people in the K-4 class what pets they have and what they like about their pets.

David and Ben said they have four fish and one crab. David likes watching the fish and playing with his crab, and Ben likes his crab crawling on his hand.

Axcenia has one lizard, two fish, two dogs, and two birds. She said she bought them because they’re fun.

Sage and Zac said they have four roosters, two dogs, one cat, one chick, and fourteen hens. They like petting them.

Ariana and Ashante’ said they have two dogs and one rabbit. They said they like their dogs because they pet them.

Skyler and Trevor have two dogs and some fish. They like feeding and playing with them.

Frankie said he has two dogs and four cats. He likes that one of his dogs is fluffy, and he likes petting his cats.

Alliah has no pets.

I have two dogs and one cat. I like that the dogs always guard me from bears, and I like petting my cat.

Washington DC Close Up 2010
by Vivian Rojas, Washington DC Coordinator

Eight students from Susan B. English School are eager to attend a course in governmental studies offered by the Close Up Foundation in Washington D.C. Close Up is built on the belief that textbooks and lectures alone are not enough to help students understand the democratic process and make it work. Students need a "close up" experience in government. Close Up’s national experiential government studies programs strengthen participants’ knowledge of how the political process works, increase their awareness of major national and international issues, and motivate them to become actively involved in the world around them.

All individuals deserve the opportunity to be informed citizens of our democracy. Each year, more than 25,000 students, teachers, and other adults take part in Close Up’s programs in Washington, D.C. Since the inception of its Washington-based programs in 1971, the Close Up Foundation has welcomed nearly 650,000 students, educators, and other adults to the nation’s capital.

The Close Up Program Will:

* Motivate our students to become an active participant in our democracy,
* Strengthen their knowledge of how government works and
* Increase their awareness of major national and international issues.

Close Up Washington brings civic lessons to life by taking students behind the scenes and allowing them to witness their government in action. Students' days are packed from morning to night with activities including study visits to Washington landmarks, seminars with national leaders, peer- to- peer learning workshops, seminars with policy experts, and meeting their legislators on Capitol Hill. In addition, students spend a night on the town at the theater or touring the monuments after dark. They will attend a formal banquet and dance, and are given a day of scheduled independent time for exploring the city. You can find out more about the close-up at their web site: www.closeup.org.

The students will be traveling May 1-8, 2010. They will start their program May 2, Sunday night and wrap up their week on Thursday. The group will be fundraising to have an extra 2 days in the DC area after their Close up experience if possible.

The funding raising efforts this summer started with a beautiful stain glass created and donated by Marcella Suydam. This amazing stain glass piece can be admired and tickets may be purchased at the Tide Pool Restaurant.

Stained Glass Panel Raffle tickets can also be purchased from any Washington DC student (Cameren Blodgett, Amanda Gain, Courtney Collier, Matthew Gain, Kathleen Gruber, Katrina Hecks, Chelsea Suydam or Mariah Turner) or call the school 234-7616 and leave a message for Ms. Rojas, Close up coordinator. Raffle tickets are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00. The drawing will be at the Halloween Carnival in October. A date has not been set yet.

The students have also had several bake sales and we have many fundraising plans in the making.

Every student is willing to work to pay for part of their costs, but many of the students and their parents cannot afford to pay the entire cost of the trip. This includes the tuition for the program, travel from Seldovia to Anchorage and flights from Anchorage to Washington DC.

Your tax deductible donation will be a big help in making this trip possible for the students. You will be helping to shape their lives in a positive way. You may make your tax deductible donation payable to “Susan B. English School” for the 2009 Close Up trip and send it to:

Susan B. English School
Attn: Vivian Rojas
PO Box 171
Seldovia, AK 99663

We are also looking for anyone who may be able to donate “companion fares” on Alaska Airlines to the group. Please contact Vivian through the school (907) 234-7616 if you have any questions or can donate in any way.

Thank you for your consideration and support, we will keep you posted on our fundraising activities.

The following articles were featured in the Gazette on September 10, 2009

Introducing The Gazette's New Student Reporters, Kathleen Gruber & Chelsea Suydam

I am so excited to announce the two new reporters from Susan B. English who will be assisting The Gazette this year with school and other local news! Both Chelsea and Kathleen are Seniors at SBE, and are working to develop their writing skills and gain some fabulous volunteer hours!

Both of these ladies are exceptionally hard-working and dedicated to their education and are excited about participating with the Gazette. Please congratulate them on their new position, and encourage them in their public endeavor to show Seldovia from the student's perspective! Our kids are our future - and I'm so pleased to have both of these young ladies willing to volunteer their time and energy in such a public way for the community's benefit! Way to go - awesome community spirit!

I offered out a few questions to both the gals about working for the paper and going to school here in Seldovia, and here are their responses!

Introducing Kathleen!

1. I wanted to be a reporter for the Gazette because I wanted to have some experience in journalism before I go to school for my writing degree.
2. I really hope to focus on writing about the high school sports this year. That way, on out of town games everyone will have easy access to how things turned out.
3. I just hope for my last year to be as fun and full as I can make it. I want everyone to have a great time and be able to remember this year as one of their best in high school.
4. I would love for people to come up to me and inform me on what they'd like to hear about. Sometimes I'm at a loss for what to write so if you know something awesome that will be going on and want the details, I'd love to help in getting the information out there.
5. I'm hoping to go to the lower 48 after school. Maybe for college or maybe just to see what's out there. I love Alaska but the rest of the world looks awful tempting right now.
6. The low part of going to S.B.E is the constant worry as you see the school shrinking more and more that things like sports and electives will disappear. The high of going to S.B.E is that it forces you to get out of your shell. You've got to play sport or your friends won't have a team, you have to take classes, like art or shop, or it won't be offered again, you have step up and do more than you thought you would or even really like because if you don't it won't get done. It makes people try things they wouldn't normally and in the end you might find something new to love.

And here's Chelsea!

1) I would like to portray to the community in a clear, interesting way how SBE and the people there are doing throughout the year, giving a good picture on what goes on up here and what the students, teachers, or community may think about it.
2) I hope to cover a broad spectrum of school-related events and ideas, especially other people's perspectives and opinions on these things.
3) My hopes are to learn as much as I can, as this will be my last chance for free education, to support my school in various ways, and to also enjoy what I'm learning and savor the last days I have here.
4) The school and community can assist in writing with the paper by giving any ideas they might have on good articles or telling me what events they'd like to hear about. Also, not being afraid to speak their minds in case we ever come around with any questions...
5) I'm not sure on where I want to go yet, but I do know I'd like to attend a college out of state and am thinking about studying fields in the maths and sciences, possibly learning something like biomedical engineering. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
6) I would say the high has been the one-on-one help I get from my teachers; I could never have learned so much without the care they give to each student's education. The low might be the limited amount of classes and extracurricular opportunities due to the very small student population.

The Sheep Theory by Kathleen Gruber

Everyday teens are bombarded with vast quantities of information that tell us everything from what to wear to how we should talk and think. The thing is just because we’re told to do something doesn’t mean we’re going to. It’s always irked me when people get on the news and blame the media and celebrities for the failings in the underage population. It seems like every other week there’s some news anchor talking about the negative effects of all the drugs, violence, and sex on television and in magazines.

Here’s the hard truth.

By blaming everyone else, these concerned adults are saying that teens are so easily bent that we can’t judge right and wrong. Just because I love Britney Spears doesn’t mean I’m going to stop purchasing essential clothing items. I may watch Juno but I’m not going to engage in promiscuous behavior. And just because Project Runway and magazines glorify super skinny sticks doesn’t mean I’m going to develop an eating disorder.

Essentially if people are concerned about the youth they should be talking to them. Make sure teens know the facts then step back. We’re not sheep; we can do more than follow the street signs.

That's Elementary!

School news and thoughts from the perspective of Mrs. Bornheimer's Kindergarten through fourth grade class. We hope to see all kinds of blossoming talent from these kids! Stand by, your child, grandchild, niece or nephew might be the next Walter Cronkite, JK Rowling or Ansel Adams!

What's Different
By Sage Stanish
4th Grade

School started on August 24, 2009. I was wondering what people thought was different this year than last year. So I went around and asked K-12 students plus teachers the same question. I asked almost the whole school, but I only wrote down some so here’s what they said.

Frankie: I’m learning new things. I’m in a new classroom. There are no private areas.

Ben: Harder work and it’s fun being in first grade.

David: Learning new things and harder work.

Axcenia: A lot of stuff is moved in the classroom.

Hans: You can use pens, and I have a new teacher.

Dylan: You can make paper airplanes, and you learn faster.

Nathan: We can wear hats and use iPods.

Levi: A new class and there’s not much friends.

Xandria: Different classes and harder work.

Serena: I’m doing Rosetta Stone, and I’m in high school.

Mariah: Math for first period and a lot less kids.

Chelsea: More teachers and less students

I bet their answers are changed by now and will keep changing throughout the year.

News From Susan B. English School by Chelsea Suydam

Not too much is happening at Susan B. English, as it is only the third week of school, but things are cropping up.

Though not technically a “school event,” there was a unique concert on Saturday that consisted of the “world’s best mandolin player,” a guitarist from Scotland, and a blues couple from Tennessee. I attended with the vague notion that I’d be hearing some acoustic guitar, but was in for a pleasant surprise. These concerts bring a little slice of outside culture to Seldovia, and are great if you want to expand your horizons a bit; I know I ended up enjoying some music I would have never listened to on my own. It is great that these concerts can be held at our school, too, so thank you SBE and Arts Council!

Now, some school news: on Tuesday, we held our Student Council Presidential Election. Who were the candidates, or should I say, candidate? We had only one candidate and his running mate (the vice president) interested in taking on this position, and these were Matthew Gain and Kathleen Gruber.

Matthew gave a very short and sweet speech to make public that he was running and to explain why we should vote for him. The high school and junior high did have the option to write in a different person for both the presidential and vice presidential positions if they could think of more likely candidates. The results were in on Wednesday morning, and, as expected, Matthew and Kathleen won by a landslide.

So what exactly is the significance of the Student Council, and why would anyone bother to hold the presidential or vice presidential position? Kathleen and Matthew shed some light on this subject, explaining the advantages of the council and the reason it needs a governing head. The Student Council is in charge of all the fun stuff – pep rallies, Spirit Week, and holiday activities (Easter egg hunts, Valentine’s Day games, etc.). It is also in charge of the snack cart, which raises money for the Booster Club. In addition, the Student Council can help relay students’ needs and opinions to the principal or teachers in a more formal way that ensures students are heard and that action will hopefully be taken.

The president and vice president of the council schedule, organize, and oversee weekly meetings where representatives from each grade in high school meet and a junior high representative meet and discuss their ideas and opinions. They are the ones that make sure the fun stuff happens, and that it doesn’t happen in a chaotic – or boring – way. New to the Student Council, Kathleen hopes to make this a fun year, getting everybody involved and keeping up our school spirit. Ronene Gain also does a superb job in overseeing the council to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Susan B. English is fortunate to have members of the student body that wish to make school more than just something that needs to be endured, with each day to end as soon as possible. Having the Student Council adds some “pep” where it’s needed, keeping up a few SBE traditions and adding new ones in the process.

(Note: Don’t forget the tradition of Mrs. Bornheimer’s class cooking banana bread, which occurred on Wednesday– not much is more pleasing than smelling the aroma of the baking bread wafting from the Home-Ec. Room while walking through the commons!)