New School Update
On August 6th the Matsu Borough Assembly unanimously voted in favor of Ordinance Number 24-072 to add a bond to the November 5th ballot. The 58.1 million dollar bond package would provide funding for new buildings for American Charter Academy and Birchtree Charter School as well as funds for a high school for Academy Charter School. For more information regarding the bond you can reach out to a Borough Assembly board member.
Mrs. Jamie Voigt was born and raised in Helena, Montana. She completed her Bed. degree at Carroll College and met her (now) husband the same summer of 2005. Mrs. Voigt taught in Helena until her and her husband had their first of two sons. Afterwards she continued to teach in private, public, native and Title 1 schools across the state. She and her family always dreamed of living in Alaska and were able to make their dream come true in August this year. Mrs. Voigt is starting her 13th year teaching in one of AMC’s multi-age classrooms. Her oldest son is a freshman in high school and her youngest son is attending American Charter Academy. Mrs. Voigt’s husband is an Alaska hunting guide, as well as a freelance writer for online publications and magazines and builds custom rifle stalks. The Voigts love hunting, fishing, hiking and camping as a family, and Mrs. Voigt enjoys gardening and canning the 'fruits' of their labor after seasons end.
Mrs. Shana Blankenship is AMC’s new middle school science teacher! With multiple degrees in science and math, focusing on teaching and learning, curriculum design, and integrating technology into the classroom, Mrs. Blankenship brings worldwide teaching experience and a deep understanding of diverse student learning styles. She has taught in Stuttgart, Germany for the Department of Defense Schools, as well as in the North Slope Borough School District and the Wind River Reservation School District in Wyoming.
Mrs. Blankenship and her husband of over 38 years live in the Matsu Valley near their two sons and grandchildren. They have three children, including a daughter who is a professor of nursing in Texas, and seven grandchildren. Outside the classroom, she helps on the family ranch, raising 2000 acres of hay and caring for a large herd of horses, including two rescue Clydesdales who are learning to pull a sleigh.
In her first weeks at American Charter, Mrs. Blankenship shared that the students are competent and caring, and the staff, filled with so many experts, have been immensely welcoming. She said, 'I feel very blessed to have found this new teaching home!'