Retirement
Dear Editor: Greetings to all businesses and citizens of Sitka.
First I want to set any rumors straight. I have retired, I have not been fired from my 28 years in the city finance department of the City of Sitka.
It has been with great pleasure that I have served the people and businesses of this community. My goal was to make things better both in the office and outside. My belief has always been that we are the stewards of the money of the citizens of Sitka and that it is with fairness and equality that the city code should be followed. I was blessed with a great co-worker who held the same belief and worked alongside to make many of these things happen. A huge thank you to Brenda.
Thank you, too, to so many of you who have treated me with such great respect and kindness even though I was separating you from your hard-earned money. I will miss so many of you, especially those who came into my office in the last 10 years and were so respectful as we worked to make your sales tax returns balance out correctly. I wasn’t always right, but you were kind when I said ‘‘oops’’ and we went on to figure it out. For sure, you will now be thought of as friends who I will miss seeing every quarter.
A heartfelt thank you to those who threw me a party and even gave gifts. I had no idea that it would be such a deal to so many, but maybe they are like I am, which means anything can be a good reason for food and fellowship with good friends. Thank you.
I am very confident that the new person hired to take the tax clerk position is very qualified and has the best interest of the people as her goal. Her name is Amber, and I know she will be even better at that job than I was.
We have a great community and it is my prayer that the struggling economy will turn soon and people will be able to not just survive here but thrive and truly enjoy this beautiful town. I look forward to doing my part outside the city walls to improve things for us all. Your former tax clerk,
Marjorie Parmelee, Sitka
MEHS Graduation
Dear Editor: Our family this year has now graduated all four of our children from Mt. Edgecumbe High School. Myles, Tiffany, and twins Trevor and Deirdre all attended all four years. We could not be more satisfied with beautiful Sitka and wonderful Edgecumbe.
When we first contemplated sending our oldest child to Edgecumbe years ago, we felt apprehensive and guilty about 14-year-old Myles traveling 1,000 miles across Alaska to attend high school. We did remain steely in our conviction. He had second thoughts, too. “I’m only 14,” Myles said more than once. “Well, you’re going,” we replied, pretending it didn’t break our hearts to send him away from his family.
After Myles left for Edgecumbe, three weeks later we called the school. “Do you have a Myles Creed down there?” we asked. Myles has so immersed himself in academic and extracurricular opportunities that he forgot about home. “They give us a lot of homework here,” he used as his reason for not calling home. He also was having the time of his life.
Tiffany followed two years later, then six years later Trevor and Deirdre enrolled.
Each child took advantage of different opportunities at this outstanding school. Myles and Tiffany pursued academics and the arts, from music to drama to student government and more. Deirdre and Trevor continued their obsession with sports, including wrestling. Deirdre’s interest in business and writing has allowed her to start a school business while also taking college-level writing classes at the University of Alaska Southeast. Trevor’s love for working with his hands led him to a UAS endorsement in both welding and construction trades and nearly 45 college credits.
Every great school has a great faculty, supported by a hard-working support staff and administrators. We have never seen more dedicated and caring teachers than at Edgecumbe. They seem to work around the clock, arriving to school early and staying late to help students, bringing students into their own homes to make them feel special so far from their own homes.
We cannot name individuals here for fear of leaving someone out. We do thank everyone at Edgecumbe who has assisted our children prepare themselves for college and life. We have no idea how the Edgecumbe family accomplishes so much with more than 400 students to keep track of.
We do know, however, that Edgecumbe’s academic principal, Bernie Gurule, has a lot to do with the school’s success. Mr. Gurule’s charisma, energy, and genuine concern for young people are hard to beat. We just wish he’d never cut off his pony tail.
Thank you to all.
Susan B. Andrews & John Creed,
Kotzebue
P.S. Thank you also to the Sitka Daily Sentinel for its excellent coverage of MEHS activities, a great service for the folks back home.
