Homer High student makes Poetry Out Loud finals
Homer High School student Mariah McGuire is one of the top-12 Alaska Poetry Out Loud Finalists, the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council announced last week. The competition, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. On March 7t, judges for the Alaska State Poetry Out Loud Competition will review the poetry recitations of 12 Alaska State Finalists from 10 Alaska schools. On March 8 at 7 p.m. — in partnership with KTOO — the Alaska State Poetry Out Loud Competition will be webcast on ktoo.org and broadcast on KTOO 360T. At the Alaska State finals, contestants will submit poetry recitations of works they memorized from an anthology of more than 1,100 classic and contemporary poems.
The winner of the Poetry Out Loud Alaska state finals will receive $200, and the winner’s representing school or organization will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up will receive $100, with $200 for their representing school or organization to purchase poetry materials. The student named Alaska State Poetry Out Loud champion will compete with 54 other state/jurisdictional champions in the Poetry Out Loud national semifinals through a video competition streamed at arts.gov on Sunday, May 1.
School District Risk Levels
The southern, central and eastern regions of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District all remain in the high-risk zone in terms of community spread of COVID-19.
Regions of the peninsula are put into low, moderate, substantial or high-risk categories based on the number of new cases of COVID-19 identified over a seven-day period. This model is based on rates of cases per 100,000 of population.
All students are currently able to attend on-site education five days a week in district schools. Any closures will be on a school, classroom or cohort level.
As of Wednesday, the southern peninsula (from Ninilchik south) remains in the high-risk category with 44 new cases in the last seven days. The southern peninsula is in low risk if it has had zero to nine new cases in the last 14 days, is in moderate risk if there have been 10 to 49 new cases in the last 14 days, is in substantial risk if there have been 50 to 99 cases in the last 14 days, and is in high risk if there were 100 or more new cases in the last 14 days.
The central peninsula, including Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna, Sterling and Kasilof, is at high risk with 232 new cases over the last seven days.
The eastern peninsula is at high risk with 18 new cases identified over the last week.
Schools operating with universal indoor masking for staff and students include Fireweed Academy, River City Academy and Tebughna School.
In the past seven days, Homer High School reported one case, Homer Middle School had two cases, McNeil Canyon Elementary had two cases and West Homer Elementary had one case.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s COVID-19 dashboard reports a seven-day summary of 14 staff positives, seven staff close contacts, 33 student positives and 38 student close contacts.
Fireweed Academy
March 4: Inservice, no school
March 7-11: Spring Break
Homer Flex School
March 4: Inservice, no school
March 7-11: Spring Break
March 25: End of rotation
March 29-31: AKSTAR testing for 9th and 10th graders
Homer High School
March 4: Inservice, no school
March 7-11: Spring Break
McNeil Canyon Elementary
March 3: Snow Fiesta
March 4: Inservice, no school
March 7-11: Spring Break
March 15: Talent Show permission slips due
March 16: Talent Show video submissions due
March 16, 12:10 p.m.: Talent Show try-outs
March 16, 1 p.m.: Community Council meeting
March 18: Student Council plant fundraiser orders due
March 21-25: K/1st swim lessons
March 21: After-school wrestling begins
March 23: Spring pictures
March 23: After-school wrestling
March 24, 3 p.m.: Talent Show dress rehearsal
March 25, 6:30 p.m.: Talent Show and Auction
March 28-April 1: 2nd/3rd grade swim lessons
March 28: After-school wrestling
March 30: After-school wrestling
March 31: Site Council meeting
West Homer Elementary
March 4: Inservice, no school
March 7-11: Spring Break
