Katelyn joined the True North Church YTH group this fall. Her personality is loving and accepting. Most students that attend the local boarding house also come from villages and many tend to struggle with their grades and learning how to study. Katelyn is a prime example of a hard worker, and good example for her peers.
Avery is involved in school’s state-winning Science Olympiad team. She traveled with the team to nationals in May. She is diligent inside and outside of class, she is also kind and respectful to everyone, teachers and students.
Greg had some great personal and family situations this year that really affected him. He did his best to rise above them and do his best at school. He is an outgoing young man with a great sense of humor.
Sarah Churchill is an engaging and active youth in our Matanuska Valley community. Her youth led passion for service addresses some of the most common needs in her community. Across Alaska animals are abandoned and abused. Sarah works in small, powerful ways to combat animal abuse and neglect and to built positive relationships for animals and for the people who adopt them.
Women of West is a group of young women who are or want to be leaders in their school and community. The past 2 years, they have been very interested in raising awareness about domestic violence with an emphasis on teen dating violence. Their work is aiming to prevent this violence from happening by educating their peers about the warning signs of dating violence.
Erika and Hailey are part of a peer partnership. They are role models and advocates for students with intensive special needs. They assist in being role-models for students with intensive special needs, and raise awareness of special needs of individuals and how to include them in the community as valuable partners.
Emma volunteered to help coach 6th grade girls basketball this year. She took the initiative to volunteer her time after school for six weeks in order to help. She was an excellent role model and went above and beyond teaching our players.
Isabelle helped coach 6th grade girls basketball this year at Colony Middle School. She came to every practice and every game. She was positive and respectful throughout the entire season and the girls truly look up to her.
Tyler puts endless amounts of positive energy into everything that he does, and always looks out for anyone that could use a helping hand. He has been involved in several extra curricular activities including Speech Competitions, School Plays, Science Olympiad, and National Junior Honor Society.
Taralyn has recently started a new life with a loving foster family. She has also started attending a new middle school in the Valley. She shows great resiliency, and has developed strength and coping skills through adversity.
Charly always approaches all of her activities with all of her effort and charisma. She has been a member of National Junior Honor Society, Letters of Love, our CMS Morning Crew (announcement crew), MSBSD speech and debate competitions, Agents for Change, Tri-M (music honor society), and the school’s QPR (suicide prevention program) team.
Lacie is great at delegating responsibility so those around her are able to shine as well. She is compassionate, and her passion for life is palpable. She is involved in Agents for Change, Tri-M (Modern Music Masters) Honor Society, and National Junior Honor Society as the Vice President. She tries to take leadership roles both in and outside of these activities whenever she is given the opportunity.
Braiden always brings a positive attitude and smile on his face to school, along with his humorous personality. He is eager to help others and is a prime example for those in his grade.
Kaylee is a self-starter, independent, and loves to serve others. No matter what group she finds herself in, she finds ways to serve others. All of the projects that she has been involved in address social problems and needs in both Fairbanks and Rampart.
Jackson has been a great team player in all the sports he has participated in, from t-ball to floor hockey. He has always been supportive of other teammates, always cheering them on, whether he was playing or on the bench. He helps others when needed without prompting and truly cares about his teammates.
Emily worked with her friend to create a Girl Talk chapter for our local middle school. She is a leader within the group and organizes the weekly lessons as well as sets up volunteer activities within the community.
Abigail participates in extracurricular activities such as cheerleading and basketball, while also maintaining her GPA. Her drive to continue to improve her grades after family trauma and emotional stress is evident in her work ethic.
Kiara is an active participant on the cheerleading squad. She brings cheer everywhere she goes. She also was selected as a Sister School Exchange participant and will be traveling to a remote Alaska village to experience the culture and life in rural Alaska. Kiara was selected out of a large pool of applicants due to her positive attitude, willingness to learn and try new things, and her leadership qualities.
Shayla is a youth leader at school. She helps kids her age with peer pressure, she listens and gives a shoulder to cry on. She was given an award for being most respectful at the last school awards assembly. Last month, she was invited to attend the State initiative “Lead On” campaign.
Makenzie is a student leader in class on a daily basis. She also takes initiative to participate in activities that take place outside of school, such as a member of the CMS basketball team as well as participating in a district wide junior cooking competition. After winning the Junior Cooking competition, Makenzie and her group were featured at a school district meeting and the district used her recipe to create a lunch menu for one day to serve to all students across the Mat-Su school district.
