Recuperating
Dear Editor: On May 9, one month ago, Bill Davis had a really bad crash into the bedroom door frame. I heard him fall from the kitchen. By the time I got there he was lying in a pool of blood but conscious. By the time I called 911, unlocked the door and got a towel under his head, the police had arrived, followed quickly by EMS, firemen and other experts. With amazing efficiency and gentleness, they bundled Bill up, lifted him into the ambulance and within minutes he was in the care of another team of experts. His head wound was stapled, and X-rays revealed six bones were broken. The medevac plane from Juneau was called and by 4 p.m. he was in Providence Hospital in Anchorage. After 10 days he was moved to a new facility, Providence Transition Care Center, 9200 Compassion Circle, Anchorage, AK 99504.
Now, after a month, he is sitting up, can stand on his left leg, is eating well and cheerful. In the future, look for Bill Davis rolling down Sitka streets in a wheelchair.
Thank you, Sitkans, for your warm support, cards, notes and prayers sent his way.
Nancy Yaw Davis, Sitka
Karate Grants
Dear Editor: Kenwa Karate of Sitka would like to thank two organizations for their generous grant funding that they recently provided to us.
A Coast Guard Spouses’ and Women’s Association of Sitka community grant is allowing us to purchase a set of tumbling mats for our program. Once they arrive, we will once again be able to teach falls, throws, and other karate techniques to our youth and adult students. We are grateful for CGSWA’s support and for their commitment to making Coast Guard families feel at home in Sitka.
The donation by Sitka Woman’s Club allows us to expand our scholarship program. Previously, we were only able to offer limited discounts on class fees. This expansion will allow us to better serve students in financial need by helping them to obtain uniforms and equipment and to advance in rank. The Sitka Woman’s Club support for the well-being of women, children, and the community as a whole is much appreciated.
We are thankful to both CGSWA and Sitka Woman’s Club for supporting our mission of making high-quality karate instruction accessible to all Sitkans.
With gratitude from all of our students and our board of directors,
Laurinda Marcello, Instructor,
Kenwa Karate of Sitka
Education Regulation
Dear Editor: The Obama federal department of education has just released 192 pages of new ESSA federal regulations for schools. What is clear is that federal compliance, indoctrination, standardized testing and data mining are expanded at the cost of state, local and individual parental control of education. All schools, all special needs, homeless, ELL students and foster care students will be swept up and standardized. The Sitka School District supported this regulation and has consistently acted as a compliancy agent for federal control. The comment period on this regulation goes through August.
In addition the Sitka School District has unilaterally suspended children right and expectation to privacy for the personal and private activities of going to the bathroom, showering and sleeping. The district neither gave them this right nor has any authority to suspend it. Children do not have to request this right the district has to respect it. If there are special needs students the District needs to make accommodation for them. They have no authority to require 1,200 students to ask for privacy.
They have also announced they will spend $300,000 on common core materials. After promising greater transparency in the budget process they completely subverted and circumvented the process by announcing this decision immediately after the process ended with no mention. A $300,000 expenditure never mentioned in the budget process. I have attended these budget meetings for 12 years and I have never seen such a lack of open and honest discussion.
Throughout history immoral despots have understood that consolidating control of education is the key to social engineering a population. It is in fact the education model for totalitarian societies. The Sitka School District has jumped into the social engineering business with both feet. Across the nation there are hundreds of thousands of common core warriors fighting to end this. Fighting to control and oversee the upbringing and education of their children. Fight if you can, refuse standardized testing. Demand privacy for you’re child. Call Gov. Walker ask him to sign HB 156 parental rights bill. Contact you’re reps. Run for School Board. Help end this.
Ed Gray, Sitka
