Author: kfskadmin

It’s the first week of school in Petersburg and the high school is now under the watch of Principal Rick dormer. Dormer is one of the district's three new administrators. He arrived in town earlier this summer with his wife Jill and their two young children. Dormer previously worked as dean of students at Aloha high school in Beaverton, Oregon. As part of a series of conversations with the districts newest staff, matt lichtenstein spoke with Dormer last week, as he got ready for the school.

Alaska’s Department of Transportation has been stepping-up enforcement of rules that cover many commercial fishing operations and other businesses when they haul gear and vessels on public roads. The regulations can also impact non-commercial drivers who transport boats or other loads that exceed size restrictions. State officials say the rules have long been in place to meet federal highway safety requirements. But the issue has prompted an outcry from some fishermen who say the rules are excessive and that concern has caught the attention of state lawmakers.

Petersburg students and staff are settling into their first week of school. The slate of new administrators this year includes Middle School Principal Mike Brawner. Brawner hails from Tennessee, where he was principal at a kindergarten through eighth grade school in a rural town. Brawner has been an elementary principal and a high school technology teacher as well. Along with serving as Petersburg’s middle school principal, Brawner is also the district’s athletic director.
As part of a series of conversations with new school staff, Matt Lichtenstein spoke with Brawner as he got ready for school last week.

A new team of administrators is heading up the school district in Petersburg. It’s the first year in town for the superintendent and the principals in the high school and middle school. While the new year is just getting underway, Superintendent Rob Thomassen has been on the job since early summer.
Thomassen and his wife, Susan, came to Petersburg from Hillsboro, Oregon. He previously worked as superintendent of the Nenana school district in Alaska from 2005 through 2008. Thomassen has also held administrative, technology, and teaching positions in Oregon, Idaho, California, Saudi Arabia and Australia. Matt Lichtenstein spoke with Thomassen as he prepared for the start of school last week:

As the first week of school kicks off, you’d be hard pressed to find a student who is more excited than a new kindergartner. And this year, Petersburgs kindergarteners and other elementary school students will have a new swimming and physical education teacher. Dana Simon is kicking-off her teaching career in Petersburg. Simon and her husband Dave moved here earlier this month. She’ll be teaching kindergarten through 2nd grade P.E and K though 5th grade swimming. Simon is Petersburgs only new teacher this year. She spoke with Matt Lichtenstein as she prepared for school earlier last week: