February 13, 2015 Community Happenings

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Category: News

Created on Friday, 13 February 2015 10:33

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Ariza-Olson

To be Wed

Sheila C. Ariza and Zachary Jay Olson have announced their plans to be wed March 7 at the Swan Lake Senior Center.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Roque and Felicisima Ariza of Brgy, Minuhang Barugo Leyte Philippines. She is a graduate of Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City, Phillipines, with a bachelor of science degree in biology.She is employed by Alaska Commercial Co. (AC Lakeside) and Sitka Pioneers Home as CNA.

The groom-elect is the son of Mary Ann Olson and James W. Lyons of  Lansing, Michigan. He is a graduate of Michigan State University with a bachelor of science degree in fisheries management. He worked at Kake Non Profit Fisheries and currently is running a commercial fishing boat.

The couple will live in Michigan.

New Arrivals

Baby Girl Pearson

Elizabeth Pearson was born to Tiffany and David Pearson Jan. 16, 2015, at Sitka Community Hospital. At birth, she weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

Maternal grandparents are Dawn and Randy Gluth of Sitka. Paternal grandmother is Joyce Pearson of Sitka.

Elizabeth joins two brothers, Cole, 10, and Everett, 8.

Chamber to MeetU.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan will address the Chamber of Commerce luncheon noon Feb. 20 at Westmark Sitka.

Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. and the public is invited.

Inspiring Youths

Honored at Event

The second annual Recognizing Inspiring Youths of the Sitka Community event is planned March 24 at Centennial Hall.

The student councils of Mt. Edgecumbe and Sitka high schools are joining together to recognize positive behaviors of youths throughout the Sitka community.

Organizers said that the event’s mission is to identify and recognize outstanding youths who support their peers, school and/or community.

Tickets will be available at Old Harbor Books starting March 10. Proceeds will benefit the SAFV shelter and Youth Advocates of Sitka.

To nominate an inspiring youth to have an award presented at the event, or more information, contact Ben Clark at SHS 966-1910 or Michael Mahoney at MEHS 966-5254.

STA Closure

Sitka Tribe of Alaska will be closed Friday, Feb. 13, and Monday, Feb. 16, in observance of Presidents Day and Elizabeth Peratrovich Day. 

STA invites all to participate in the Elizabeth Peratrovich Day parade, which begins at 3 p.m. Monday at the Crescent Harbor shelter.

Youth Baby-Sitter

Certification On

Sitka 4-H will offer the Youth Baby-Sitter Certification course after school and on non-school days Feb. 20, 27, March 2 and 9.

Topics include safety, business of baby-sitting and first aid. Cost is $15 and includes 4-H membership, first aid kit, certificate of completion, snacks and an opportunity to be on an official advertised list of 4-H-certified baby-sitters in the community.

Call the Cooperative Extension Service at 747-9440 for more information and to register by Feb. 17.

Yoga Restorative

Workshop Feb. 21

Lisa Sadlier-Hart will teach a relax and renew restorative yoga workshop 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21.

Space is limited so sign up beforehand, either at Yoga Union studio or by email to Lisa, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Sullivan to Speak at

Lincoln Day Dinner

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan will be the guest of honor and speaker at the Lincoln Day dinner and fundraiser on Friday, Feb. 20, at the Alaska Raptor Center, with cocktail hour beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Kraken Catering will be offering a  dinner of “Pies and Pints.” Tickets may be purchased at Aurora Business Supplies, from members of the Sitka Republican Women’s Club, or by calling Kristy at 738-8626. Advanced reservations are requested to help the chef prepare. The evening will include silent and live auctions.

Sullivan was sworn in as Alaska’s junior Republican senator on Jan. 6.  He is serving on the Senate Commerce, Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Environment and Public Works committees. In his first speech on the Senate floor on Jan. 27, he called for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline bill. He also stood with Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young in denouncing the president’s actions regarding ANWR.

Republicans across the U.S. hold Lincoln Day dinners annually to honor the memory of Abraham Lincoln, America’s first Republican president. The Sitka Republican Women host the Sitka dinners, which are both a celebration of Republican values and to raise funds for GOP candidates.  

Revitalize Sitka

Subject of Talk

All are invited to a Revitalize Sitka meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Centennial Hall.

‘‘Bring ideas and suggestions for our vibrant community,’’ organizers said.

For more information call 738-6738.

Beaded Glove

Workshop Listed

Sitka National Historical Park, in partnership with the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, will offer a free traditional Athabaskan beaded glove workshop 3-5 p.m. Saturdays, Feb. 21-April 17.

The workshop, instructed by artist Anna Bennett, will provide participants the chance to design, construct and bead a pair of Athabaskan gloves. 

Workshops at the park’s Cultural Center studios. Pre-registration for the workshop is required by calling SNHP at 747-0110 or by registering in person at the park’s visitor center during business hours, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Twelve seats are available, and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served, basis. Once the workshop has reached capacity, a waitlist will be created for individuals who are interested in registering.  

For more information about the workshop call 747-0110. 

 Technology Education Topic

Of Two Sitka Events

The Sitka School District and the Sitka Fine Arts Camp will present two events pertaining to the future of education 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Sitka Performing Arts Center.

They are free and open to the community.

Yong Zhao, an internationally known speaker, author and scholar, will present a keynote address at 2:30 p.m. The central emphasis of the address,  Zhao’s scholarship, focuses on the implications of technology and globalization in education. His recent book, ‘‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon: Why China Has the Best (and Worst) Education System in the World,’’ touches on societal and governmental fixation on standardized testing. 

Born in China, Zhao received his bachelor of arts degree in English language education at the Sichuan Institute of Foreign Languages and a master of arts and a doctorate in education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of more than 100 articles and 20 books, and currently serves as the presidential chair and director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education at the University of Oregon, where he is also a professor.

Preceding the address, from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m., Zhao, along with three other scholars, Jason Ohler, Pam Lloyd and  Kecia Ray, will take up the question of what learning should and might look like in the years to come.

Ohler is a strong proponent of student access to technology, and of the development of ways to successfully navigate a digitally-driven world. As a professor emeritus, speaker, writer, teacher and cyber researcher, Ohler is also a storyteller. He details a world that is grounded both in future possibility, and in the realities of the present and past. Though widely considered a futurist, he employs the term “nowist” to convey the necessity of meeting, in the present moment, the challenges encountered in the digital age creatively, realistically, with humanity. 

Kecia Ray, president of the International Society for Technology in Education, has explored a wide spectrum of technology-centric roles throughout her career. She began her career as a middle school science teacher in one of the first 21st Century Classrooms in  Tennessee, participating in the state’s first distance learning network. She has been a researcher, consultant, and author in the field of distance learning networks and technology integration in the classroom. She is currently executive director of Learning Technology in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools.

Pam Lloyd advocates for broadband equity for underserved rural schools and communities. She focuses, in large part, on strategy and vision in gaining wider access in her work as senior director of GCI SchoolAccess. A leader in the industry created at the intersection of technology and education, she is chairman of the board for the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, and the International Society of Technology in Education.

Coast Guard Group

Offers Scholarship

The U.S. Coast Guard Spouses’ and Women’s Association is offering a $500 scholarship to a graduating senior in Sitka who is a dependent of an active duty, retired, deceased or reservist member of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Forms have been distributed to the counselors at Sitka High School, Pacific High School, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, and the REACH office. Application forms are also available online at www.sitkacoastguardspouses.org. Completed applications must be received by March 31, 2015. Applications submitted by mail should be sent to CGSWA, P.O. Box 1164, Sitka, or emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For more information, call 747-6879 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Unitarians Meet

Jennifer Carter will present Sunday’s Unitarian Fellowship program on the historical figure of Saint Valentine and the origins of the present-day holiday.

Fellowship begins at 10:30 a.m., with the program beginning at 10:45. A children’s program is provided. Soup and bread will follow the program at noon. The Fellowship Hall is located at 408 Marine Street, with parking behind off Spruce Street.

SCVB to Meet

The Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors will meet 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Centennial Hall.

Questions can be directed to the SCVB at 747-5940 or emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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