The month of March seemed to fly by. Students and staff were busy with various class projects and activities. Our journalism class, led by Anna Widman, is working on putting together the school yearbook. The yearbook staff has been busy taking and collecting pictures, conducting interviews, and designing layouts. This group is particularly creative (and motivated) so I am excited to see what the final product will look like. In addition, Anna has been teaching a graphics design class in one of our after school academy sessions. These students have been busy at work designing the school's hoodies and locker stickers. Once again, the creativity exhibited by our students is amazing and it is awesome to see our teachers provide them opportunities to explore their creativity by using various mediums.

Dan Adair's physical science class spent a good portion of the 5th rotation studying fundamental properties of physics and applying this knowledge to the design of a CO2 car experiment. The whole school was able to witness students race their cars against each other. After analyzing video footage, it was determined that Lexi Koenig's car reached the top speed. Congrats Lexi!

Students were also afforded the opportunity to learn more about the Process Tech degree program offered at Kenai Peninsula College. Jim Titus led a group of 16 Kenai Alternative students on a tour of the Process Tech building and shared insight into the program and potential career opportunities. The students who participated in the field trip came away from it with a sense of excitement and anticipation for a potential future pathway.

Finally, we ended the 5th rotation and month of March with a schoolwide celebration. Dan and Susie's Family and Consumer Science class prepped and cooked an Italian feast for staff and students. Afterwards, students competed in a 3-on-3 volleyball tournament, with the championship team of Kage Poe, Caydne Bornowski and Aben Larson taking on the KALT staff team of Alison Larson, Dan and myself. Things were looking a little dicey for the staff, with the students serving for the match and up 3 points. However, the staff was able to put together a 5-point streak and came away with the victory (and bragging rights)!

As we move into April, students and staff are focused on finishing the school year strong. We currently have 19 students on pace to graduate in May. It seems like a long ways off, but graduation is only 6 weeks away! I am confident in our students' ability to accomplish what they set out to do and take the next step in their journey.

#RunWithThePack #Fight #Family #Focus #Finish

Lexi Koenig is the Kenai Alternative High School student of the month for March. Lexi has taken charge of her academic journey and become a leader at KALT. She has designed and collaborated on the production of the senior tile and is constantly seeking opportunities to help her fellow classmates succeed. We look forward to seeing her cross the finish line of her high school career and embarking on her life's next great adventure. Congratulations Lexi!

Daivion Swain is a senior at Kenai Alternative High School who is in the home stretch of his high school career and nearing graduation. He took a moment to reflect on his time at Kenai Alternative and share his experience with others.

Q. How has your experience at Kenai Alternative been?

Daivion: Very good. It has changed my perspective on school and helped me focus on sports and challenge myself.

Q. What advice would you give to incoming students?

Daivion: Don't take it for granted. It's a great opportunity. Use it wisely and have fun.

Q. What are your future goals?

Daivion: College. Taking classes for high paying jobs and starting my own business. A clothing business would be fun.

Q. Do you have any parting words for your classmates and/or teachers?

Daivion: I had a great year. It was nice getting to know everybody. I have some great memories here. Glad I came here. Great opportunity. Shoutout to my favorite teacher - Anna...my track coach.

We are proud of Daivion for all that he has accomplished and look forward to seeing him take the next step in his journey!

The 32nd annual KPBSD Art Show at the Kenai Art Center will host its opening reception on Friday, April 7th at 5:00 pm. Awards will be presented to students at 6:00 pm. The exhibit will be open to the public throughout the month of April. Kenai Alternative will have a number of students' works in the exhibit. Please swing by and check out all of the amazing art pieces at the Kenai Art Center. For more information, go to https://kenaiartcenter.org/exhibition-april-2023/.

On Friday, March 31st, the KMS Sources of Strength group hosted a family night. Two students from the KALT Sources of Strength/Student Leadership group volunteered at the event. We want to recognize Bailey Demello-Rice and Eli Semeraro for their contributions to the community and modeling positive peer leadership.

On Tuesday, March 7th, Kenai Alternative High School hosted a community night where parents, guardians, and community members gathered to share food, provide input on the performance of the school and discuss external/internal factors impacting both KALT and the school district. We are very appreciative of the feedback we received. It will be extremely helpful in building a comprehensive school improvement plan that will better support our students' needs.

In order to promote attendance and encourage students to make an effort to come to school on a daily basis, we will be closely tracking student attendance for the months of February, March, and April. Students who maintain an 85% or higher attendance rate will be eligible for a rafting trip in Cooper Landing scheduled for Friday, May 12th. This equates to 4 or less absences for a 6-week rotation.

It is common for us all to get wrapped up in the culminating events of life that have great significance. For many of our students, this event is graduation. However, we can't lose sight of the steps it takes to get there. Attending class on a daily basis is one of these small steps and it will afford students a greater opportunity to achieve their dreams/goals. We are focusing on doing the little things so that the big dreams become a reality.

Kenai Alternative has partnered with Walden Bros to create a custom online apparel store. You can use the following link the check it out - https://waldenbros.store/KALTWebStore/shop/home.

The store will be open until April 15th.

Kenai Alternative offers students the ability to learn in a more individualized environment that focuses on the development of skills and knowledge that will be essential to life after school. Our staff is dedicated to the social emotional well-being of all our students and provides support beyond the traditional classroom walls.

Email: kmcfall@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
Website: https://kpbsd.org/schools/kenai-alt/
Location: Kenai Alternative High School, Frontage Road, Kenai, AK, USA
Phone: (907) 335-2870
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KenaiAlternativeHighSchool
Twitter: @kenaialt