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.
Liam is not only an extremely hard worker, and a model student who strives to give his best in any and all activities, he is a leader. He is also very included in his school, sports, and community outreach.
Rina is a role model and a strong, quiet leader in school, extra-curricular activities, the community, and at home. She has worked in many youth and community programs including the Nanwalek Summer Youth Program, the Kenatize Tribe Workforce Intern Program at their Head Start Program, many Project GRAD sponsored activities including Summer College Institute, Career Institute, and Leadership Institute. She has been active in Kenai Peninsula Native Youth Leadership Program and served as the Nanwalek KPNYL Student Advisor Assistant and one of their representatives at the Alaska Federation of Natives Conference in 2016. She also attended the UNITY National Native Youth Leadership conference in Oklahoma through KPNYL, a gathering of two thousand native youth and leaders.
Kail is chosen as a leader among his peers and teachers frequently have him to lead, help, or facilitate during classes. At home, he continues to help his grandparents. He exhibits a great sense of humor and an exceptional ability to see the best in every situation.
Kaylynn leads a Girl Talk group at Colony Middle School. The group concentrates on anti-bullying, girls supporting each other, and increasing confidence in teen girls. She is also involved in community programs like Special Santa, a fundraiser for My House, and volunteers at the North Star Vet Clinic. She participates in all these activities despite recently having surgery for a brain tumor which caused her to have to relearn much of her speech.
Mia organized a school group called Letters of Love. The Letters of Love project addresses a social problem in our local, national, and global community, that there are people in the world who need to hear words of encouragement from someone else.
Kelly has over 300 hours of various community service hours, such as providing support to special needs students during and after school. She has conducted numerous color guards, which provide support across the Anchorage community. She is selfless in her commitment to the community and her school by providing support for teachers and parents during conferences.
The students at Cook Inlet Academy reach out to their entire community. Their Fall Workathon program targets the elderly in their community by helping them get ready for winter. The local Crisis Pregnancy Center holds a pie auction every year, they raised $40,000 for community needs this year with the help of our students. The school holds a Spring Carnival each year and the students are an integral part of it.
Rylee supported the Magic Yarn Project. She and the crew made wigs for children with cancer. Over the years, Rylee has continued to grow her range of efforts and services, always shining light into the community and finding ways to be a positive contributor.
This past summer, David lead the community beautification project. He organized other youth to help by picking up trash and paint trash cans around the village. He ordered the supplies and asked the village council to provide lunch for the student workers as well. He is active in student government, the captain of the basketball team and is always presenting new ideas to help the community and his school become a better place. He also suggests ideas to teachers about how the elders in the community can be taken care of.
West High School’s Interact Club supports human rights in a variety of ways. They have fundraised by doing miracle minutes at West High Assemblies and continuing to focus on current events and ways in which West High students and staff can get involved in human rights issues. This December they are focusing on human trafficking awareness by participating in Dressember—they’re wearing bowties and dresses all December and are explaining many facts to students about the horrors of human trafficking.
The Service High School Partners Club is made up of students with intellectual disabilities and their partners, staff members and peer teachers who work to develop activities that both promote awareness and inclusion of all students. The club works together on educational goals, life skills activities, and community inclusion. Observers and participants say it has encouraged a school culture at Service High where students with disabilities are actively included in school assemblies, drama productions, choir, prom and dances, sporting events, and after school activities.
Puck is an assistant scout leader with Boy Scout Troop 209, where he earned the Eagle Scout Award. He has great knowledge of the natural world and extensive backcountry experience. He has developed a keen interest in conservation of the environment. He has lead projects on bird conservation, remediation of natural landscape, documenting and combating invasive species in Alaska. He also conducted an energy audit for his high school.
Robin “Puck” Van Dommelen has exhibited enthusiastic devotion to the outdoors, to wildlife and to the environment. He was a leader as a Boy Scout, obtaining the Eagle rank, and all of the palms that can be awarded. After receiving his Eagle rank, Puck continued to devote his time to environmental issues, including leading several projects to survey invasive species, cleaning up Beluga Point in the Chugach State Park, and conducting an energy audit for his high school, Steller Secondary.
