FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]
By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]
Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska, [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]
Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m. [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Blatchley Students Discover Their Potential
By BRIELLE SCHAEFFER
Sentinel Staff Writer
This week at Blatchley Middle School seventh-grader Hunter Lambdin learned how to take care of her skin in a class called Beauty 101, arrange aquatic plants and stones in a fish bowl, and apply gory horror movie makeup.
But her favorite course taken during the school’s “Discover Your Potential” week was pop a capella, where she learned to beat box.
“I was really surprised,” Hunter said. “It’s new to me, I still have to learn a lot more and be more experienced but it’s just fun.”
And that’s what discover your potential week is all about.
This week at Blatchley, students could pick between 85 different courses – butchering, scuba diving, sushi making, duct tape art, knitting, sign making, geocaching, boxing and many, many others.
“We want to offer our students in Sitka every opportunity we can to expose them to new things and new interests,” Principal Ben White said.
Students pick four courses from all of the offerings and then take those sessions each day for four days.
“It allows them enough time to become proficient and complete projects,” he said.
By the end of the week, seventh-grader Rebecca Warren, age 12, had knit a hat and a headband, learned how to hand letter, and to play table tennis.
“Ping pong is really fun but I’ve never been good at it,” she said.
Now that she has a calligraphy set from the course, she plans to continue using it.
Discover Your Potential week takes place every other year so each student at the middle school gets at least one chance to experience it while they’re there.
The event started out as a Renaissance Fair more than a decade ago and then about eight years ago morphed into what it is today White said.
“I talk to kids who have graduated and they cite it as one of their highlights,” White said. Blatchley Middle School has to teach math, writing and science but “students also need to know all the different and unique experiences in the world they can be engaged in – this is one of the ways we can give that to them.”
Eighth-grader Jemar Diga, 14, learned how to sew during the week.
“I made a pillow for my brother,” he said, “It has a picture of him.”
It was the first time he’s used a sewing machine, he said.
Seventh-grader Aaliyah Borgaard, 12, also learned to sew, and to make ceramic plates.
The week “is to help kids figure out their passions and what they like to do,” she said. “I found my passion a long time ago through art. I brought my passion a little bit farther by learning to sew and do ceramics.”
Devin Tatro, who teaches at Blatchley, said she notices a difference between her students at the beginning of the week versus the end of the week.
There is an empowerment that happens when students step out of their comfort zones to learn something new together, she said.
She led the pop a capella class and that ended up being a big hit.
“Some kids had come in and never sang in front of anyone before and then three days later there they are singing in front of 300 people,” Tatro said. “It’s so cool to see that progression. It’s really a life-changing experience for some students, for some it’s the most excited they are about school.”
Discover Your Potential week takes a lot of volunteers – and donations – from the community, White said.
The school raises funds to be able to put on the courses at no cost to the students. Community members donate their time and skills to offer different experiences to the adolescents.
“We want access for everybody,” White said. “We want kids to have the opportunity to experience amazing growth and do things they never do.”
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20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....