From Ms. Maples
Principal
A Heart for Community
Hi Seldovia Families:
I want to share something that has been on my heart. My greatest hope is that our school becomes a place where every student, family, and staff member feels welcomed, safe, respected, valued, and heard.
I have heard some “rumblings” in our community—questions about my vision, qualifications, intentions, and even my integrity. I believe concerns deserve to be heard, but I also believe they are best addressed one-on-one, directly, honestly, and with grace. If you have a question or concern about something I have said or done, please come talk to me. Perhaps I wasn't clear. Perhaps something was misunderstood. Or perhaps I simply need to listen and learn.
I also want to reassure our community that I bring considerable experience to this role. I am Highly Qualified in Science and Middle School Mathematics, have taught K–12, have extensive experience in CTE and building programs, and have years of experience writing and managing grants—including securing millions of dollars in opportunities for students. While I am not Highly Qualified in ELA, I have taken the same Generalist Praxis required for grades 6–12. I don't have all the answers, but I do have experience, a love for learning, and a deep commitment to our students.
More than anything, I want us to be a community that talks to one another rather than about one another. We won't always agree—and that's okay. Healthy communities can disagree while still treating one another with respect and kindness.
When conflict happens, my goal isn't to win the argument; it's to walk with integrity, and continue the relationship. I believe in making things right when we can, and choosing peace whenever possible, which is sometimes difficult in disagreement. If you'd like to talk, please reach out. Text me anytime at (907) 290-9467. I would genuinely love to meet with you—over coffee or ice cream (two of my favorite things!)—at school or somewhere else in our community.
Let's model for our students what we hope they learn: talk to people, not about them; ask more questions rather before assuming; seeking restoration; and choose unity whenever we can.
We don't have to agree on everything to care about one another and work together.
❤️ Building Our School Community ❤️
We had three short, 30-minute assemblies this week, and each one had a purpose: building a school community where students learn to treat themselves and others with respect, kindness, and care.
Wednesday — “Mind Your Biz Wax!” 🐝
We celebrated the start of a new school year and had some fun with the idea of “minding your own business.” Through our Mind Your Biz Wax activity, we talked about the difference between being appropriately concerned about a friend and getting involved in someone else's business when it isn't ours to manage. Students explored some important questions: Is this my business? Is someone being unsafe or hurt? Do I need to get an adult? Or is this simply something that doesn't involve me? We want students to learn that they don't have to know, comment on, or participate in everything happening around them—and that respecting someone's privacy is part of respecting the person.
Thursday — Bullying vs. Being Mean
We role-played different situations to help students understand that bullying and being mean are not necessarily the same thing. We discussed repeated behavior, power differences, intent, and the impact our actions can have on others. Students also learned that even when something doesn't meet the definition of bullying, unkind or hurtful behavior still matters and needs to be addressed.
Friday — Building Our Class Cheers! 📣
Each class began developing its own class cheer—a fun way to build identity, belonging, and school spirit. We heard cheers from K–2 and 3–5, with our 6–12 cheer still under development! We can't wait to see what they create.
We also explored the difference between bullying, intentionally being mean or hurtful, and accidentally hurting someone's feelings. Students acted out each scenario and, importantly, we talked about how each situation feels from the perspective of the person experiencing it.
The goal isn't simply to teach students the vocabulary of bullying. It's to help them develop empathy, self-awareness, good judgment, and the courage to make things right.
We want our students to know:
You matter.
Other people matter.
Your choices affect others.
And when something goes wrong, we can learn, repair, and try again.
This is just the beginning of the year, and we're excited to keep building our SBE community together. ❤️ Below is a fun picture of students present on Friday. Many of our SBE students were absent, hunting, fishing, or heading to the State Fair with family and friends.
