Homer High-Lights
Volume 2, Issue 10, May 2014
Message from the Principal
Graduation
It is that time of year when we honor and say good-bye to our seniors. Many have worked hard, participated in multiple sports and activities and some have earned awards and honors. All of our students have grown in knowledge and maturity and we hate to see them leave. We do look forward to seeing all the wonderful things they will do once they have graduated. It is aways fun when past graduates visit and let us know what they have been up to.
Help us honor our newly minted high school graduates by attending our graduation ceremony on Monday, May 19th at 7:00 pm in the gym.
Remember, my office is always open and I appreciate hearing your opinions or suggestions. I am making it my goal to be more responsive to what our parents and community want and need. Please give me a call or come in and chat.
Sincerely,
Douglas Waclawski
Principal
DNR Outdoor Recreation Survey
Every 5 years the DNR completes an Outdoor Needs Assessment for grades 9 and 10. Our 9th and 10th graders will take a few minutes out of one class to fill out this survey. Please be watching for a permission slip for this that will be sent home in early May. This survey is voluntary and is meant to help the DNR with planning for youth recreation. Thanks for your help with this.
Homer Students Earn 4 Awards at State Art Contest!
Homer art students recently showed the State of Alaska why Homer is known for its art. Five students submitted entries to the State Art Competition and 4 brought home awards including "Best of Show." Hayden Chase won first place in metalsmithing and was chosen for "Best of Show" for his entry which is considered the best entry in the entire show.
Other winners include:
3rd Place – Lisa Wisner
3rd Place – David Woo
Honorable Mention – Brian Rowe
The exhibit above was created by Hayden Chase and earned "Best of Show"
Brian Rowe earned Honorable Mention in Ceramics
David Woo earned 3rd place for Sculpture
Lisa Wisner earned 3rd place in Mixed Media
Dates To Remember
May 3 - SAT Testing (Pre-registration Required)
May 6 - Site Council Meeting - 3:45 pm in Library
May 12 - Senior Scholarship Award Ceremony
May 15-16 - Senior Final Exams
May 19 - Graduation Practice - 8:30 am
May 19 - Graduation - 7:00 pm
May 20 - Final Exams
May 21 - Final Exams
May 21 - Last Day of School
New KPBSD App Available in August
In our ongoing effort to improve communication with district stakeholders, I am pleased to announce that we will soon be rolling out a new KPBSD mobile app for iOS and Android smart phones. In the new mobile app, the KPBSD staff directory has the ability to display staff pictures. This App should be available in August and will allow you to follow your favorite school and teacher. More information will be available when this App is fully available to the public.
Caring for the Kenai
Kenai, April 18, 2014 – With a plan to increase longevity and add environmental benefits to roofs in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD) by installing “Green Roofs”, Homer High School Senior Katherine Dolma claimed the Caring for the Kenai (CFK) traveling trophy for Homer. Homer has won this competition 2 years in a row!
“I’ve been working with Borough Assembly members and Dr. Atwater to implement a test project with the current bond measure that is replacing roofs of KPBSD schools to allocate funds for a test green roof, which is an amazing opportunity for a space that is not normally utilized,” said Dolma of her project that won her $1,600 cash and top CFK honors.
Winning $550 and in 6th place was Jane Rohr, another Homer High School senior who is working with the Borough Assembly to build a commercial composting site in Homer to reduce the need to haul biodegradable waste to the Peninsula Land Fill in Soldotna while producing potting soil for re-sale.
Other finalists from Homer High who earned $400 each for making it to the final 12 out of approximately 400 some entries were Patrick Latimer who wants to implement a stream watch curriculum for elementary age kids taught by high school students to scientifically measure water quality, Lisa Wisner who is writing an elementary school curriculum called “Peers for the Future” to mentor the next generation of environmental decision makers and Cassidy Soistman from Homer, who organized a cross-country ski race this winter and raised funds to make improvements at the Calvin & Coyle Woodland Park in Homer.
(The above article was provided as a news release from Caring for the Kenai.)
Vaccines for Your Child for Fall 2014
The State of Alaska requires that all students are up to date on their immunizations before the start of the school year. If your child is due for a vaccine or your family has chosen a religious exemption, the school nurses will send you a letter this summer.
9th -12th Grades ---There are usually about 20 students who are due for their 10 year Tdap vaccine. You will receive a letter from us if your child is due for a vaccine.
Religious Exemption—You will receive a letter and the State of Alaska form that you must fill out and have notarized before the first day of school. This form is required annually and must be notarized after July 1, 2014. Please return this notarized form to HHS before the first day of school.
Graduating Seniors-----You will receive a immunization record in your senior packet. This packet is given to you on May 18th when you have your graduation practice. It is recommended by the Center for Disease Control that all young people receive the meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) and the human papilloma vaccine (HPV) vaccines. These are not required by the State of Alaska, so many of you have not received them. Call your health care provider about these 2 vaccines.
If you have any questions about your child’s vaccine status, call Sharon Gorman, RN, or Ella May Cooper-Waldron, RN, at 235-4626.
AP (Advanced Placement) Testing Schedule
Here is the AP testing schedule for 2014. If you are in an AP class please plan on taking the test and submitting the $89 fee to Mrs. Hampson. Make checks out to HHS and please note that these tests begin before school starts!
May 5 - Chemistry AP Testing - 8:00 am in Library
May 7 - Calculus AP Testing - 8:00 am in Library
May 8 - English Lit/Comp AP Testing - 8:00 am in Library
May 9 - English Lang/Comp AP Testing - 8:00 am in Library
May 13 - Government AP Testing - 8:00 am in Library
May 14 - US History AP Testing - 8:00 am in Library
Award-Winning Students
Homer High students have always excelled in both academics and sports. This year, they seem to be doing even better than usual. Here is a small slice of the honors our students have earned. My apologies if I have missed someone. Please let me know if a student has earned an award so I can include them in future newsletters.
- Waricha Thoechanthuek (Mook) earned free tuition for a year at AVTEC
- John Walsworth - Semifinalist for the US Presidential Scholarship Program
Homer Students Shine During Band Solo Ensamble
The following students qualified with a “Superior” rating for the State Solo and Ensemble Festival in Anchorage in May:
Brandon Beachy (snare drum)
Miles Catlin (horn)
Andrew Doughty (trumpet)
Owen Duffy (trombone)
Robert Hockema/Patrick Latimer (tenor sax duet)
Zach Holschen (bass clarinet)
Marissa Lind (flute)
We want to be able to give you instant up-to-date information about what is going on at school. This could include emergencies, sports scores and dates and times of events. To stay tuned to what is going on at Homer High, "like" us on Facebook. The address is www.facebook.com/homerhs.
Check Out Our Website
Are you wondering when sports teams have home games? Do you have a senior who needs paperwork for their senior service project ? Do you want to see agendas and minutes from our site council meetings? Check out our school website to find answers to these and other questions.
The address is http://homerhighschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/.
You can access PowerSchool from our website and weekly activities as well. There are lots of great links and valuable information about Homer High School. If you have suggestions for things you would like to see on our website, please talk to Mr. Waclawski.
Homer High School
Website: http://homerhighschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/
Location: 600 E Fairview Ave, Homer, AK
Phone: 907-235-4600
Facebook: www.facebook.com/homerhs