Schools

At Homer High School’s commencement ceremony Monday evening, valedictorians Dylan Faulkner, Katherine Kirsis, Ethan Kizzia, Samuel Reinert and Katie Pitzman brought their classmates to their feet and drew loud cheers and applause for the rap they’d written. Based loosely on a well-known rap song by Jay-Z and Kanye West, the students put their own HHS spin to it.

I grad so hard, I finish everything assigned to me

Colleges want to find me

What’s four long years to a student like me could you please remind me?

‘Mariners on the move’ selected for fourth quarter

Nominations of an outstanding student based on scholarship and citizenship from each Homer High School faculty have chosen the following students as ‘Mariners On the Move.’ Nominees and their families were invited to a May 9 celebration catered by the Homer High School culinary arts class.

Felemon Molodih, nominated by Mark Casseri;

Trevor Flynn, nominated by Esther Webb;

A joint effort led by Lisa Whip, librarian at West Homer Elementary School, has created a program that is helping students set their own goals for reading.

“It takes the guesswork out of choosing books at their ability,” said Whip. “If they read at their ability, they can excel.” 

Student news

Ninilchik students Caleb Daniels and Esther Pherson were among the graduates honored at Bob Jones University’s commencement exercises.

Aranda Koch of Anchor Point graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a bachelor of arts degree in business management. 

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

Pre-Kindergarden Title I Assessments

Kindergarten through college, students are wrapping up their studies and graduating.
The following ceremonies are held at the school unless otherwise noted.

May 17: Fireweed Academy for sixth-grade,
1:30 p.m..

May 17: Chapman School for kindergarten,
2 p.m.

May 19: Flex High School at Land’s End Resort,
5 p.m.

May 20: Chapman School for eighth-grade,
7 p.m.

May 20: McNeil Canyon Elementary School for sixth-grade, 12:30 p.m.

Praise and advice, cheers and applause, balloons and bouquets marked the 2013 commencement ceremony of Kachemak Bay Campus, Kenai Peninsula College-University of Alaska Anchorage, held at Mariner Theatre May 8.

“Welcome to you, our graduating class. I am so very proud of you,” said KBC Campus Director Carol Swartz, also recognizing those students unable to attend.

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

Pre-Kindergarden Title I Assessments

Children who will be four years old by Sept. 1 have an opportunity to attend pre-kindergarten classes at their local area school in the fall. To qualify for the classes, parents and guardians must:

1. Contact their local area school to schedule a Pre-K assessment;

Homer High principal,
family to be honored

There will be a casual gathering for Dr. Allan Gee, principal of Homer High School, and his family in the Homer High School commons from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Monday. This event is open to the public. Come and wish them well as they move on to their next adventure.

Students mark milestones

Area students are wrapping up their studies and graduating. The following ceremonies are held at the school unless otherwise noted.

Students at West Homer Elementary School proved they not only know their 1s, 2s, and 3s, but, more importantly, what to do with those numbers and more. At the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Math Bowl held in Seward on Friday, with 36 teams participating, teams from WHES took first, second and third place, as well as eighth and 12^th. 

Wrapping up the school year, Homer High School’s 15-student drama class is inviting the public to a performance at 355 W. Pioneer Ave., at 7 p.m. May 15.

To be performed are:

•“Chicago ERR” by Linda R. Karcz;

•“Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread” by David Ives;

•“The Road to Ruin” by Richard Dresser;

•“Missed Connections” by Ira Brodsky and Barbara Lhota; and

• “Arabian Nights” by David Ives.

What do Cannes, France, and Chapman School have in common? 

For starters, they both start with “C.” More importantly, however, they attract some talented filmmakers. The 2013 Festival de Cannes is happening May 16-26. Thousands of miles closer to home, Chapman’s Student Film Festival was Tuesday.

Fireweed Academy students Finn Braund, Keagan Elkington, Lars Dickson, Annabelle Fransicone, Brightly Thoning and Ethan Pyatt perform on stage at the Homer Theatre in a recent production of “A Small Part of the World, Folk Songs from Here, There and Everywhere.”

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

May 6: School board meeting, 7-9 p.m., Soldotna. 

Pre-Kindergarden Title I Assessments

Children who will be four years old by Sept. 1 have an opportunity to attend pre-kindergarten classes at their local area school in the fall. To qualifys, parents and guardians must:

1. Contact their local area school to scheule a Pre-K assessment;

With three south peninsula principals retiring or relocating at the end of the 2012-2013 school year, the search is on for replacements. 

Following a second round of interviews, an offer has been made by the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and a verbal agreement given by Homer Middle School principal candidate Kari Dendurent of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley area.

“If all goes well, it goes to the school board for approval at the May 6 meeting,” said Pegge Erkeneff, KPBSD communications specialist.

Kindergarten through college 

students are celebrating accomplishments with the following ceremonies:

May 8: Kachemak Bay Campus, Mariner Theatre, 7 p.m. (see related story, page 10);

May 17: Fireweed Academy, sixth grade, 1:30 p.m.

May 17: Chapman, kindergarten,
2 p.m.

May 19: Flex High, Land’s End Resort, 5 p.m.

May 20: Chapman, eighth grade,
7 p.m.

From GEDs to master’s degrees, 32 students will be honored at the May 8 commencement ceremony of Kachemak Bay Campus, Kenai Peninsula College, University of Alaska Anchorage. Commencement will be held at Mariner Theatre at 7 p.m.

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

April 26: Middle school math meet, Homer Middle School, 9 a.m.-1:10 p.m.

April 30: Middle school borough band-choir, Soldotna Middle School, all day event.

Pre-Kindergarden Title I Assessments

Children who will be four years old by Sept. 1 have an opportunity to attend pre-kindergarten classes at their local area school in the fall. To qualify, parents and guardians must:

1. Contact their local area school to scheule a Pre-K assessment;

The following Homer High School students have been named to the Mariner Gold honor roll for the third quarter for having a 4.0 grade point average:

• Ninth grade: Isabel Beach, Mikylla Blauvelt, Nolan Bunting, Kyle Carroll, Ren Carroll, Wyatt Frank, Hunter Harris, Barae Hirsch, August Kilcher, Megan Kirsis, Marley McGuire, Molly Mitchell, McKinzie Needham, Jordan Raymond, Kennan Reveil, Dawson Roberts, Lindsay Schneider, Aziza Shemet Pitcher, Olivia Turner, Louise Tymrak, Alyssa Vanliere, Aurora Waclawski, Elise Webber, Daniel Wiest, Patricia Kelly Woo.