District Superintendent
Dear Editor: To all Sitka School District staff, parents and community members: the Sitka School Board is interested in hearing from you regarding the criteria for selection of the next district superintendent.
This process is being facilitated by Timi Tullis, AASB superintendent search facilitator, and she will be here next week on Oct. 28 and 29. Timi will be available to meet with folks at the following locations Tuesday, Oct. 29, to answer questions about the process and to take comments: 10-11:45 a.m. at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi and 1:15-2:15 p.m. at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
She will also be available in the district office board room Tuesday, Oct. 29, between 2:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
We know that many of you may not be able to meet with Timi on the 29th. We still would very much like to hear from you. You can still participate by e-mailing your selection criteria suggestions or concerns directly to Laurie Seehafer at the district office at seehaferl@sitkaschools.org. We will also put a Survey Monkey link on the District website if you prefer to use that.
Lon Garrison, President,
Sitka School Board
Danger on the Roads
Dear Editor: You’ve heard the expression, “I feel like I was hit by a truck?” While riding my bike on HPR on Tuesday, I found out what that really feels like … painful bruises all over my body, aches and pains in places I didn’t know existed, stress, sadness, a cracked bike helmet, and a smashed bike.
The saddest part was that when I shared my story, I found out that vehicles hitting bikers and pedestrians is not uncommon in Sitka. Why, in Sitka, with our ~15 miles of main road, would anyone be in such a hurry that they would put another person’s life in danger? And how can we do better?
We can each take responsibility for our own driving and biking and think about others as we do it!
If you drive a car:
Take your time! Hurried or distracted drivers are much more likely to “cut corners.” If you think you don’t have time to take one more look to your left or your right, think how much less time you’ll have when you are waiting for the ambulance at an accident scene.
Think about how you would want a driver to treat YOUR kids or your friends! Would you want your kids to be tailgated or for someone to pass your best friend, then suddenly turn right in front of them?
When you pull out, look both directions several times before pulling out! Pay special attention to pedestrians and fast-moving bicycles … bikes SHOULD be in the bike lane, or on the right-hand side of the road, traveling in the same direction as traffic, but that is not always the case.
If you ride a bike:
ALWAYS wear a helmet! I am so thankful I started wearing one two years ago…who’s to say I’d be writing this today if I had not worn one Tuesday?
Follow the rules of the road! You might think no one is paying attention to your riding, but you’d be wrong! Drivers and walkers expect you to stop at stop signs and lights, to use the right side of the road, etc.
EVERY time you ride, ride in the same direction as traffic! We need to be seen and trusted by drivers. If we all follow the same rules and all bikes use the right side of the road or sidewalk, it is much more likely that drivers will remember to look for us and see us in time to do avoid us
Wear bright colors, lights and reflectives! I am appalled by the number of people I see riding bikes and walking in the dark wearing dark colors and no lights … when you do this, you are putting yourself and others at risk.
EVERYONE in Sitka deserves to be safe! Next time you drive or ride in Sitka, imagine your child or best friend is out there riding the next bike or driving the next car you see. Car, truck, or bike, thanks, Sitka for taking care of each other every time!
Michelle Putz, Sitka
Native Plant Project
Dear Editor: This is a thank you to Bob Gorman and the Cooperative Extension Service for assistance in the Sitka Sound Science Center native plant planting. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service provide native plants – blueberries, huckleberries, ferns, goats beard, strawberries, mountain ash, devils club and a lovely birch tree. The project, funded by the U.S. Forest Service RAC, has been a great collaborative project but central to that collaboration has been Bob Gorman’s willingness to offer expertise and plants. Thank you also to USFS Brad Krieckhaus for his expertise as well.
As some of you may know Bob is retiring this year but through his work, he has clearly left a mark on our community. We have much to thank him for – miles of trails and beautification projects galore. He was a founding member of Sitka Trail Works and the Sitka Tree and Landscape Committee. He took care of the Sitka Experimental Station propagating native plants, worked on compost projects, led master gardening classes and classes for pesticide training, taught many of us the art of growing plants in Sitka, Alaska.
Thank you, Bob!
Lisa Busch, Director,
Sitka Sound Science Center
Brave Heart Benefit
Dear Editor: What do you get when you mix salmon chowder, Thai curry soup, homemade bread, desserts of every fashion, live music and hundreds of Sitkans? Why, the 9th Annual Brave Heart Volunteers’ Alaska Day Open House Fundraiser, of course!
Thank you so much to all those who attended and made our event such a success! Every purchase of our home-made chowder, Thai curry soup and desserts allows us to provide free services for individuals and families who are facing chronic illness, terminal illness, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, are homebound, frail, have a disability, are recovering from hospitalization, or facing end of life.
We would also like to thank Sherie Mayo, Dennis Longstreth, Jean Longstreth, Ruth Culp, Janie Hall, Linda Bergdoll-Schmidt, Steve Warren, Erin Matthes, Julie Simpson and Darlene Orr for volunteering their time as well as their prodigious cooking and baking skills.
A special thanks to the SitNiks for providing live music as our guests mingled. Thanks to Aleeta Bauder, Pamela Ash, Bonnie Cottrell, Max Cottrell, Susan Padilla and Steve Lawrie for all of their hard work and assistance to ensure a wonderful event.
If you missed the delicious home-made soups, bread and desserts on Alaska Day, join us at Brave Heart Bowls on Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. at Centennial Hall. Thanks to generous Sitkans and Sitka businesses, we will have nearly twice as many soups and desserts as last year!
Thank you, Sitka, for such amazing community support; we could not do it without you!
Willow Moore, Executive Director,
Brave Heart Volunteers
