Palmer High School's May
Principal's Post
The Final Weeks of The School Year
Speaking of marching. Our seniors are now in their final week of school with their last day falling on May 7th. We will celebrate this day with an annual tradition of the senior send-off assembly in the Palmer High Gym (10:00 am). On this same day, our 8th graders from Palmer Middle, Birch Tree, and Academy Charter schools will be taking their 8th-grade orientation tour of the school. This tour will conclude with them taking their rightful spot in the gym when the seniors gather on the floor for recognition.
The senior's last day of school will conclude with a trip through what I like to call the "gauntlet of caring". This is a tunnel made up of all the staff at Palmer High, and the seniors exit the gym through the tunnel. The gauntlet of caring is full of smiles, laughter, high fives, hugs, and tears of joy. All senior parents are welcome to attend.
As far as the rest of the students, the end of a semester is a crucial stretch when considering academic achievement. The semester grades are the final grades and determine credits earned for the semester. The semester grades also establish eligibility for the fall sports and activities at the start of the next school year.
This is a difficult time of year for students to stay focused on academics. The message needs to be, "finish strong". Please take the extra time to communicate with your student and monitor their progress.
As always we are here to help you in any way we can.
Palmer High Art Students Receive All-State Recognition
Fifteen PHS artists competed in the 2019 All-State Art Competition. The artwork is judged on the following categories: design and composition, craftsmanship and technique, creativity and innovation, and concept.
2019 Award winners include:
State Champion in Drawing, Kelton Jensen
Second Place in Ceramics, Caitlin Sargeant
Second Place in Mixed Media, Ruby Wright
Honorable Mention in Mixed Media, Anesia Pavilla,
Honorable Mention in Multicultural, Bailee Petersen
Honorable Mention in Sculpture, Rheanne Bouchard
All entries can be viewed at: http://artalaska.org/
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. Congratulations to PHS Sophomore, Kelton Jensen, for having his drawing titled “The Wacky Taste of Imagination” selected for this honor. Kelton’s drawing will be sent to Washington DC, and will hang in the Cannon Tunnel, a highly traveled area leading to the Capitol, for the duration of the display.
Kelton’s Artist Statement:
I created this art piece to give the viewer a sense of imagination and surrealism. I created this art piece with the intention of having it full of creatures so that each time you look at it you can discover something new and fun to look at. I used the line of the monster’s tongue to help guide the viewer’s eye throughout the drawing.
This submission was written by Palmer High's outstanding art teacher; Ms. Franckowiak
The piece below is Kelton Jensen's State Champion in Drawing.
Student Highlight
Student Represents Alaska in Washington DC
Congratulations to Bailee for her exemplary representation of Palmer High School and the State of Alaska.
Palmer High's Student Led Sandwich Project Gets Big Boost in Funding
The Sandwich Project provides students who are homeless, in transition, or low income with food over the weekend. Zoe Nelles started the project in October of this year and has been providing weekend meals for kids in Palmer area schools. Meal bags are prepared at the school with the help of students from the National Honor Society. This project has been primarily funded through donations from Zoe, the Nelles family, PHS staff donations, and other community support. Recently the program was able to partner with the Alaska Food Bank. In other fantastic news, The Sandwich Project was awarded a $9,000 grant from the Mat-Su Health Foundation. This grant will help to ensure the project is able to purchase supplies and necessities for the next school year.
The Mat-Su Health Foundation additionally has been instrumental in gathering key support groups in the valley to help combat youth hunger in the valley. Recently, a consortium was held to raise the awareness of youth hunger in the valley, specifically on the weekends. Together, it is our goal that no kid goes hungry, no matter what day of the week it is. The Sandwich Project would like to thank the Mat-Su Health Foundation for supporting the Sandwich Project and helping to fight youth hunger in the valley.
This submission was written by Sami King, Palmer High teacher, and National Honor Society Co-Sponsor
Senior Awards Ceremony
Wednesday, May 8, 2019, 07:00 PM
Palmer High School Theater
Learn More About Palmer High on Our Facebook Page
Email: paul.reid@matsuk12.us
Website: https://www.matsuk12.us/phs
Location: 1170 West Bogard Road, Palmer, AK, USA
Phone: 907 746-8400