Unless otherwise noted, all articles were originally published in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
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January 2008
Sculpture depicts strength, determination, valor
Local artist James Grant Sr. is hoping his latest sculpture will serve as a visual fanfare, buoying the spirits of wounded soldiers and their families and friends on Fort Wainwright. [more]
Second graders at Weller check out stellar features
The second-graders in Kristy Moretz’s class at Weller Elementary School sat in a large circle Friday afternoon, necks craned, eyes glued to the glimmering patchwork of stars dancing on the black, domed ceiling above them. [more]
Roddy recognized by state as the Educational Support Professional of the year
Flora Roddy has been named the Alaska Education Support Professional of the year by the state’s educators’ union. [more]
Meth lab busted; baby inside residence
Alaska State Troopers dismantled a methamphetamine lab Tuesday in an apartment a few blocks from downtown Fairbanks. [more]
Organizations plan meeting to discuss education in borough
This coming Saturday, a community meeting is planned to discuss education in the borough. [more]
School district tries to allay concerns about sixth-grade shift
NORTH POLE — School district administrators are working to reassure parents of North Pole fifth-graders that moving almost all of the city’s sixth-graders out of the elementary schools and into the middle school next year will be a smooth transition. [more]
Student groups given equal access to facilities, fundraising tools
The school board Tuesday night approved a policy guaranteeing all student-initiated groups equal access to school facilities and the opportunity to raise funds. [more]
Teachers step into 21st century with new laptops
As the teachers at University Park Elementary filtered into the school’s library for a meeting Monday afternoon the warm tones of Bob Dylan played from some speakers at the front of the room. [more]
Mammoth tooth lands Fairbanks boy a spot on “The Tonight Show”
A young Fairbanks boy’s mammoth find landed him on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” earlier this week. [more]
Rockets will return to Poker Flat Research Station
The skies will be quiet over Poker Flat Research Range this winter; there are no rockets scheduled to launch. But anticipated funding increases to the NASA sounding rocket program should keep the range busy and the skies north of Fairbanks alight with rockets in the coming years. [more]
UAF links with Finland school
The University of Alaska Fairbanks will be teaming with the University of Lapland in Finland to offer graduate degrees to students across the northern hemisphere through the University of the Arctic. [more]
Delta rifle range takes steps to reduce lead dust
Upgrades are being put in place at the indoor rifle range in Delta Junction to protect shooters, including the members of the town’s high school rifle team, from toxic lead dust. [more]
Teacher links Alaska village to ’small’ hometown
The towns of Mentasta Lake, Alaska, and Fort Gibson, Okla., are more than 2,770 miles apart but have shared a close relationship this school year thanks to a first-year elementary teacher. [more]
Students of the week
Triplets Danny, Kelly and Patty Eagan are all sixth-graders at University Park Elementary School. When it came time for the staff there to choose a student of the week, these three outstanding students were on everybody’s minds and “student of the week” quickly became “students of the week.” [more]
Manga Madness
On the shelves of the Noel Wien Public Library, nestled among the works of Longfellow, Dickens, Hugo and Shakespeare are thousands of comic books — gritty graphic novels, the adventures of Uncle Scrooge, and manga imported from Japan. [more]
Artist of the week
Jaguar Kristeller, an eighth-grader at Tanana Middle School, sees a definite link between art and science. [more]
Nanooks athletics try to stay in bounds
The University of Alaska Fairbanks athletics department is in debt, and officials are hoping that a new student fee coupled with increased ticket prices and less team travel will pull the programs back into the black. [more]
Two troopers vehicles damaged in separate crashes last week
This past week two Alaska State Troopers were involved in separate accidents on Fairbanks roads. [more]
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December 2007
Ice age gets technological
NORTH POLE — More than 9,300 people have taken a gander at the ice sculptures in the North Pole Christmas in Ice park without having to brave the cold. [more]
Knowles endorses Obama
Former Gov. Tony Knowles has officially endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president. [more]
Student of the week
One of Jovan Askew’s favorite subjects is math. Not only does he do well in his math classes at school, he uses math during his favorite pastime, cooking. [more]
Artist of the week
For Harmonie Harvey, a 10th-grader at West Valley High School, playing the viola is her “freedom.” [more]
Federal spending bill aids PLATO program
A federal omnibus spending bill signed into law by President Bush Wednesday includes a quarter million dollars for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District’s PLATO program, which helps students make up credit for failed classes. [more]
Holiday lights illuminate homes, bring Christmas cheer to city
Each year it takes Dale Huletz several days to decorate his house and yard with Christmas lights. [more]
Ticasuk Brown students craft stockings for soldiers
The students in Candice Leaverton’s multi-age class at Ticasuk Brown Elementary School were concerned that some of the soldiers at Fort Wainwright didn’t have families here to celebrate Christmas with. [more]
Student of the week
Taking classes through Guided Independent Study takes a lot of motivation, according to Suzanne Rogers, the correspondence program’s director. Tyrel Lathrop, a senior in the program, has the motivation necessary to do well, she said. [more]
Pearl Creek Elementary students create museum of Athabascan artifacts
All this past week, the students at Pearl Creek Elementary School have been visiting a museum of Athabascan artifacts and models. [more]
Artist of the week
According to her art teacher, Dave Gerrish, seventh-grader Jessie Brunner’s art is “definitely not typical for a person her age.” [more]
Yukon-Koyukuk superintendent to retire at end of school year
The superintendent of the Yukon-Koyukuk School District, headquartered in Fairbanks, has announced he will resign at the end of the school year. [more]
Internet video connects village students
The Yukon-Koyukuk School District held a Christmas concert Wednesday afternoon.
Children from six Interior village schools took part in the event, with the students singing songs and exchanging holiday greetings. The holiday gathering, however, wasn’t a gathering at all, but a virtual fete. The students, separated from each other by hundreds of miles, were connected by high-speed video. [more]
School board rejects dress code for district employees
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Board of Education soundly rejected a proposed dress code for district employees Tuesday night. [more]
North Pole sixth-graders moving to middle school
The school district is hoping to alleviate overcrowding in several schools by shuffling North Pole-area sixth-graders next school year, putting nearly all of them into the city’s middle school. [more]
Along came a spider
When she was a kid growing up in Salcha, Brandi Fleshman was terrified of spiders. The thought of the little arachnids crawling out of the shadows sent chills chasing across her skin. [more]
High price of caring for kids
Day care is too expensive in Fairbanks, both for parents and providers, and there aren’t enough licensed day-care centers to go around. [more]
Ryan Middle art teacher gets state award
Phil Carrico, a longtime Fairbanks teacher, has been named the Alaska Art Teacher of the Year. [more]
UAF removes summertime day-care service
The high-demand day-care center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks will no longer be open during the summer, a move meant to save the university tens of thousands of dollars each year but further tightens the already sparse list of day-care options in Fairbanks. [more]
Preservation plan presented for Slaterville neighborhood
The residents of Slaterville, the neighborhood north of the Chena River straddling Minnie Street, got a glimpse of what their part of town might look like in the coming years at a meeting with community planners Tuesday night. [more]
Hospice meets funding goal
A $381,384 grant from the Rasmuson Foundation, coupled with hundreds of thousands of dollars in community support, have topped off the Hospice of the Tanana Valley’s months-long fundraising campaign for the nonprofit’s new building. [more]
Foundation gives $1 million to Morris Thompson Center
A number of Fairbanks organizations recently received grants from the Rasmuson Foundation. [more]
Students compete in Constitution challenge
The students in Pat Behner’s advanced placement government class at North Pole High School know the ins and outs of the U.S. Constitution. They proved their constitutional mettle this past week in Anchorage when the class took third place in the state “We the People” competition. [more]
Governor wants $2.6 billion set aside for education
Gov. Sarah Palin wants to set aside $2.6 billion of projected oil revenue to give school districts across the state a funding boost each of the next three years. [more]
Student of the week
Pamela Taylor, a sixth-grader at Crawford Elementary School, has a real talent for reading. [more]
Tanana Middle School students learn about Civil War
The gym at Tanana Valley Middle School was turned into a Civil War training camp on Monday. [more]
Artist of the week
Jasmine Mitchell is a good violinist in part because she is such a good listener, according to Sheryl Frey, her orchestra teacher at Woodriver Elementary School. [more]
Statewide teacher training mandate nixed
A proposal that would have meant all teachers in Alaska would have to prove they know how to teach reading was voted down by the Alaska State Board of Education on Friday. [more]
French students embrace technology
NORTH POLE — When Brittney Reiland moved to Eielson Air Force Base with her family last year, the sophomore already had one year of French on her high school transcript. But Ben Eielson High School doesn’t have a French teacher on staff; the only language taught there, because of budget and staffing constraints, is Spanish. [more]
Kids learn the ugly truth about meth
NORTH POLE — The kids at the North Pole Boys and Girls Club know that some things are just downright disgusting and definitely shouldn’t be eaten. [more]
