The Buccaneer Newsletter

We are officially one-quarter of the way through the school year already! As important as it was to finish the first quarter strong, it’s just as important to get off to a great start in the second quarter. Stay on top of your classwork, turn assignments in on time, and don’t let missing work pile up. Low grades early in the quarter can be tough to recover from, so start strong and keep that momentum going!

We hosted our final home volleyball matches of the season this past weekend and recognized our four seniors. The Lady Bucs went out with a bang, defeating Delta in both matches! Wrestling and swimming were also on the road this past weekend, representing VHS.

This coming weekend, we are excited to host our Throw Down in Snowtown Wrestling Tournament! Come out to the gym Friday and Saturday to catch some great wrestling action and cheer on our Bucs. Let's pack the gym and show some Buc Pride!

Parent-Teacher Conferences are this Friday! Due to the high school hosting our wrestling tournament, conferences will be held in the GMS Gym this year. Please stop by between 8:00am–12:00 p.m. or 12:30–2:30 p.m. to meet with your student's teachers. This is a great opportunity to check in on your student's progress and make sure they're off to a strong start in the second quarter. We look forward to seeing you there!

Go Bucs!

-Mr. Cronk

October 20th - Ski Parent Meeting @6:30pm in the library

October 21st- PSATS 1st thru 3rd period in the VHS Library (registration is closed)

October 23rd - No School , Parent Teacher Conference

November 7th - SAT offering (OCT 23rd registration deadline; collegeboard.org to register)

December 5th - SAT offering (NOV 20TH registration deadline; collegeboard.org to register)

The classic Egg Drop project is officially underway in Physical Science, challenging students to step into the shoes of engineers to protect a raw egg from a high-altitude fall with a Budget! Students had created their egg drop apparatus using supplies of only straws, paper towels, paper, string and tape all at Alaska prices! Seven structures survived the drop and special thanks to maintenance for being our droppers!

Valdez High School students Evan Westerlund (9th grade) and William Gittins (11th grade) were selected from among a slew of applicants to participate in this past weekend's University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Teaching Through Technology (T3) "T3 Alaska Storytelling & Drone Workshop." There, they joined fellow Alaskan high school students from Cordova and Kotzebue for a unique hands-on experience learning how to capture stories from the ground and the sky using professional storytelling techniques and drone technology. While in Anchorage, William, Evan, and workshop participants created a digital story from storyboard to finished production; learned to safely fly drones and earned their FAA TRUST Certificates; met drone professionals and discovered careers using drone technology; and, are now prepared for the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Exam. Highlights from the weekend include remotely flying Alaska Department of Transportation drones deployed at the Cooper Landing Bypass Project with DOT employee tutelage and oversight, learning from drone professionals at AK DRONE, flying drones themselves, and working with UAF staff and students to develop stories of their own. Fun extracurricular activities included stops at the Anchorage Museum, down time at the Dimond Center and 5th Avenue malls, and an end-of-weekend adventure at Alaska Escape Rooms. Fun meals were provided throughout the course of the weekend, culminating with Evan and Will joining Valdez T3 co-coach Tommy Sheridan at the Noisy Goose Cafe in Palmer for breakfast before their drive home to Valdez. Says Sheridan, "We hope that this experience will inspire Evan and Will to lean into their opportunities with T3, and encourage other students to join us for T3 activities in Valdez and beyond. We're grateful to UAF T3 for these opportunities, and for the City of Valdez's support of T3 in the Valdez school district."

During Flex Friday Enrichment students participated in Elevated Dorm Room Cooking and made sushi! Students learned how to prep all the ingredients including crab salad and learned to correctly roll sushi. After sushi was completed, students devoured the rolls and some students ate a whole roll like a hot dog! Be sure to sign up for the next Elevated Dorm Room Cooking.

VHS Staff also practiced our sushi rolling skills.. I say a student/staff sushi roll challenge is in the near future!!

Hey Buc Fans,

We have a massive week ahead for Valdez athletics! From hosting hundreds of athletes at home to sending teams on the road, here is everything you need to know to support our Bucs.

There will be a Pep Assembly 4th hour on Thursday to recognize the fall sports teams and honor roll students.

Wrestling: Valdez Throw Down in Snow Town (Home)

We are proud to host over 300 wrestlers right here at home for our annual tournament!

• Friday, October 23rd: Matches start at 8:00 a.m.
• Saturday, October 24th: Matches start at 8:30 a.m.

Recent Highlights: Congratulations to our wrestlers on kicking off their season with strong performances at the Houston Altercation and Wasilla Scramble!

Volleyball: Dimond/Service Tournament (Away)

Our JV and Varsity teams are hitting the road to Anchorage. Catch their first tournament games this Friday:

• Varsity: 3:30 p.m. vs. Chugiak (Service Ct. 2)
• JV: 5:30 p.m. vs. Palmer (Hanshew Ct. 2)

Recent Highlights: A huge shoutout to our Volleyball Seniors! We had a fantastic time celebrating them during their last home game against Delta.

Nordic Skiing: Parent/Athlete Orientation

Ready to hit the trails? The winter season is right around the corner.

• Tuesday: 6:30 p.m. in the school library.

Swim/Dive Shoutout

Kudos to our Buc swimmers who traveled and competed hard at the Palmer Swim Invite last weekend!

See all the attached write-ups for more details.

Good luck to all of our athletes this week. Let's go Bucs!

Buccaneer wrestling back for the 2026 season! This past weekend the Bucs traveled up to the valley to compete at the annual Houston Altercation and the Wasilla JV scramble. Leading the way for the varsity squad was Logan Beck 2nd place (130 pounds), Kaden Vanbuskirk (145 pounds), Bryndi Beck 3rd place (107G pounds), and Sophia (145G pounds). Leading the way for the JV was Lovisa Fitka 1st place (120G pounds), Isabella 1st place (235G pounds), and Brad Wheeler 1st place (152 pounds).

Logan dominated his way to the finals where he pinned each of his opponents, then dropped his finals match to Landon Hill of Juneau Douglas.

Kaden won his first match via technical fall, then pinned his 2nd opponent in just 55 seconds before dropping a hard-fought match in the semifinals in the last 10 seconds. Kaden then dominated the back side of bracket to come back for 3rd place.

Bryndi won her first match via first period pin, then wrestled familiar foe and last year’s girls state champion Naomi Keller of Soldotna. Bryndi wrestled a hard-fought match in a back and forth battle before dropping the match via pin in the 2nd period, then worked all the way back for 3rd place.

Sophia had an excellent tournament making the semifinals, then battled back for third place including a come from behind victory to continue advancing through the bracket.

Next week the Bucs stay home for the annual Throwdown in Snowtown tournament. Wrestling will begin at 8am Friday (Oct. 23rd) morning and at 8:30am Saturday (Oct. 24th) morning. Come on by VHS to catch the action and support your Buccaneer wrestlers. Go Bucs!

The VHS swim team traveled to Palmer this weekend for the Palmer Invite, the final invite of the season, and Palmer did not disappoint! From a fire alarm interrupting the meet to beautiful weather for a quick hike up Palmer Butte and sunset, it was a weekend full of excitement. The adventure

continued with a trip through the Haunted Forest! Almost the entire team qualified for Saturday’s finals, with one swimmer unfortunately unable to continue after an injury during prelims.

Senior Joslyn Unger swam the 100 yard Breaststroke in 1:30.09 and 50 yard Freestyle in 32.38.

Junior Makena Wisner dropped time in the 200 Individual Medley, finishing in 2:44.30 to take 1st in the B heat and 6th overall! She also competed in the 500-yard Freestyle, finishing in 6:33.70.

Junior Garrett Sutton, despite an injury early on in the meet, showed his team spirit by participating in the 200 Freestyle Relay and swimming his 50 yard leg in 29.27 seconds.

Junior Jackson Vincent earned two personal records! He swam the 50 Freestyle in 32.22 and the 100 Freestyle in 1:14.15, earning an alternate spot in the 100 Free.

Freshman Wesley Sheridan swam the 50 Free in 26.71 to earn an alternate spot and swam the 100 Breaststroke in 1:17.13.

Senior Grant Osburn, who recently joined the team, swam the 50 Freestyle in 25.17 seconds for 6th place and the 100 Backstroke in 1:07.83.

Thank you to our swimmers for another fun-filled, team-bonding weekend! These guys keep making me proud. And big thank you to Ray Sutton for being such a patient chaperone throughout all our adventures. We appreciate you!

This weekend the Lady Bucs took on the Delta Huskies. Friday night we honored our four seniors, Elaine Gilson, Raina Wells, Hali Fitka, and Hazell Vanderpool, as they played their final games on the Valdez home court. The Bucs got off to a slow start with multiple unforced errors, but finished the game with strong serving to secure a win in three sets 25-23, 25-21, 25-14.

Saturday morning brought more action against the Huskies. The Bucs came out ready to play with solid passing, hard swings, and some great blocking at the net. Their strong start allowed us to try

some different options in our lineup. Delta started to close the gap, but with all four seniors leading the way on the court through the final points we came away with the win 25-15, 25-15, 25-23.

Great job Bucs!!!

Thanks to all the parents and underclassmen that really made the seniors feel special on their night! Next week the Bucs head to the Dimond Service Tournament in Anchorage where we will meet some of the toughest 4A and 3A teams in the state.

The last home games of the season for the JV Buccaneer Volleyball team took place this weekend against the Delta Huskies. Not only was it the last home games of the season, but Friday was Senior Night-where we honored our four Senior Varsity players–Elaine Gilson, Hali Fitka, Hazel Vanderpool & Raina Wells.

With a slightly smaller lineup this weekend- meaning fewer sub options on the bench–our players had a lot of opportunities for ample playing time and chances to play in positions not typical for our roster. We did really well despite the lineup change up, which is not surprising since they train for all positions in their weekly practices. With the gym full of Buccaneer fans on Friday night, our JV team fed off of the vibes in the gym and came out onto the court ready for action. Our team played a match that was best of 5 sets and we won in 3 with scores of 25-17, 25-18, 25-17. Highlights from Friday’s match include 8 kills from middle hitter Lexi Passin, excellent backrow passing from Sophia Malcuit, 2 kills from right side hitter Keana Wilkinson and dynamite serves from Averey Franklin.

Saturday’s match began at 10:00am and the Lady Bucs started strong. The first set finished with

a win of 25-18 with highlights from that set being 2 kills from Kristen Fitka, a kill on the right side

from Sophomore Savannah Hamerly and only 1 team serve error. Set 2 was much tighter as the

Bucs barely squeaked out a win as it ended 25-22. Although that set was much closer, our hitters saw a lot of action and much of the points were due to kills from hitters Amelia Alex, Airoh Smelcer, Passin and Wilkinson. The Lady Bucs finished off the Huskies in the third and final set to secure the match win 25-18. Overall, the weekend was a success and the JV team has a lot to be proud of as every player worked hard and contributed to the match wins. Next weekend both Varsity and JV head to Anchorage to compete in the Dimond/Service Tournament.

It's the time of year when the season is changing, darkness and cold weather start becoming more consistent, and the first quarter comes to a close.... which is wild we are already here!

We hear more tired remarks and thoughts of being overwhelmed with homework, grades, and life expectations. This is NORMAL and valid but it doesn't mean it needs to stay that way! Some tips to help get into the winter swing of things early:

* Sleep - Teens should be getting roughly 8-10 hours of sleep for every 24 hour period (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) to ensure proper brain function, growth, lower risk of depression, emotional regulation, etc.

* Maximize natural light - Take advantage of the daylight hours as much as possible! Take a short walk as a family, walk to school, sit outside at lunch.. this helps ensure your circadian rhythm is balanced, as well as your emotional and mental state. "Happy Lights" can also help boost serotonin and balance focus and energy.

* Activity - MOVE! Although it feels like hibernation season, a minimum of 30 minutes a day of activity will keep your body engaged and depressive episodes more manageable. Call your friends and walk to the track, check out the high school gym after school for some inside activity, or join a local Zumba or Yoga class. The more you move, the more energy you create and the more drive you have!

If your mental health seems bigger than something sleep or movement can fix, there is help for you:

988 Lifeline - Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is open 24 hours a day

Providence Counseling - Local, 907-835-2838

Sound Mental Health - Local, 907-835-9355

WSS is a free program that supplies students in need with snacks for weekends and school breaks. Items will be distributed to lockers/backpacks at end of every Thursday.

Contact Ms. Goudreau for any further questions or if you are interested in being on the list for this year. kgoudreau@valdezcityschools.org

SAT dates are posted and live to register for! You all had the opportunity for the junior year school day test, but this is an opportunity to improve your scores for college applications, scholarships, personal achievement.. whatever! Dates are: November 7th (reg deadline is Oct 23rd, late registration Oct 27th) and December 5th (reg deadline is Nov 20, late registration November 24).

REGISTER HERE

2027 United States Senate Youth Program

The Department of Education & Early Development is soliciting applications for the U.S. Senate Youth Program—a national program sponsored by the Federal Senate and underwritten by the Hearst Foundation. It is open to juniors and seniors who hold elected positions in student government during 2026-2027 academic year. Students must be enrolled in a public or private school. State delegates will have outstanding leadership qualities and a strong commitment to public service. This is an equitable opportunity for student leaders from across the state and we encourage students from rural areas to apply.

Each delegate receives a $12,500 undergraduate scholarship and will participate in the USSYP Washington Week in Washington, D.C., 6-13 March 2027, where two Alaska students will join 102 other delegates for an intensive educational program about the workings of the Senate and the federal government overall.

Interested students will apply online via Google Forms (https://forms.gle/78egDTgbaQ5BbCDa8). Students will need a Google affiliated email address to apply but may specify an alternate contact email address if they prefer. Students can visit the form multiple times to fill out various sections. It will automatically save and only be transmitted to DEED when they press the submit button at the end of the form. Required signatures will either be collected via DocuSign (directly from DEED) or in person by the student and uploaded to the form.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. 23 October 2026.

For more information on the USSYP, please see https://education.alaska.gov/recognitionprograms. Also please feel free to contact me with any question at 907.465.6542 and bjorn.wolter@alaska.gov

Special notes:

• Please carefully review the submission form with applicants. There are four separate signatures needed, including principal, guardian(s), and representative of elected body the student represents. Applicants should coordinate how signatures will be gathered—via DocuSign from DEED or in person by the student and uploaded.
• Students are required to submit a brief video as part of their application. Please review the process for submission with applicants.
• All applications must be received at DEED by 5pm on 23 October 2026. Digital submissions are required.
• Official transcripts must be sent by either the school principal, registrar, or counselor directly to the program coordinator. Transcripts must include an unweighted GPA. DEED will not calculate this for your students and failure to include it may result in the application being denied.

• Each school can recommend only one applicant. If a principal expects interest from multiple students, they will need to do some internal decision making about who’s name to forward.
• Applicants must hold an elected office for the entire 2026-2027 academic year. For more information on qualified positions, please review the USSYP brochure that is part of the attached application packet.
• Applicants must be either juniors or seniors.
• The Hearst Foundation provides a scholarship of $12,500 to each state delegate.
• If selected to represent the state, the nominee must be available to attend the entire Washington Week from 6-13 March 2027. Travel to Washington, D.C., accommodations, and food is provided to delegates free of charge by the Hearst Foundation.

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ELKS MOST VALUABLE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP

(click above link to visit website)

Eligibility:

• Current high school seniors, or the equivalent, who are citizens of the United States are eligible to apply.
• Applicants DO NOT need to be related to a member of the Elks.
• High school graduates are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants must be citizens of the United States on the date their applications are submitted; permanent legal resident status does not qualify.
• Scholarships are available only to students who enroll in four-year undergraduate degree programs at accredited U.S. American colleges or universities.

The 2027 application deadline is November 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m., Pacific Time.

Awards:

• The Elks National Foundation will award 500 four-year scholarships.

• Male and female students compete separately.

• Ranging from $1,000 per year to $7,500 per year, Most Valuable Student scholarships are for students pursuing a four-year degree, on a full-time basis (minimum of 12 semester hours), in a U.S. college or university. All scholarships are in the form of certificates of award conditional upon the full-time enrollment of the winner in an accredited U.S. college or university.

Don't forget to check out the SCHOLARSHIP MOTHERBOARD access for many more scholarship opportunities to browse!

VHS Empty Bowls Project

It’s back! Join us for an evening to support the Valdez Food Bank. The classes are abuzz getting ready for you–be our guest!

A collaboration of VHS classes and clubs are pleased to announce an upcoming Empty Bowls Project on Thursday, November 19, 2026, in the VHS cafeteria. Empty Bowls is a national non-profit that encourages local projects to fund local food banks. All proceeds from the project will go to the Valdez Food Bank.

A full experience!

See the creations of Ceramics class.

Taste the soup of Culinary Arts and Home Economics classes.

Enjoy the aroma of bread made by a Flex Friday baking session and several staff members.

Listen to the music of the Band, Choir, and Guitar classes.

Be served by Beta Club and National Honor Society!

Here’s how the fun evening will work: Attendees will make a cash donation for the Food Bank and select a handmade bowl to fill with soup and homemade bread. Sit and enjoy a meal with friends, bid on some silent auction items, and enjoy the musical entertainment provided by students. It’s a fun and easy way to support our local food bank with cash needed for holidays. Food will be served 6:00-7:30pm or until we run out of food. The cafeteria will be open until 8:00 pm.

Contact Ann Norris to make donations for the silent auction, homemade bread, or soup.

anorris@valdezcityschools.org