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The 37 graduating seniors of Petersburg High School's Class of 2025 have navigated a challenging path through their school years, supporting one another through highs and lows. They will leave a lasting impression on the educators and administrators who've guided them along the way. Petersburg Schools Superintendent Robyn Taylor, in her first year with the district, has been struck by both the students' talents and the community that rallies around them. "This class is incredibly supportive of...
Markus Anderson What subjects or classes did you enjoy the most, and which ones challenged you the most? I enjoyed math, choir, shop, mactech. I think math was the most challenging but I really enjoyed my teacher. What advice would you give to incoming freshmen? I would say to keep a open mind and try new things. Also procrastinating is one of the worst habits to develope. Play some sports, stay active. Please describe a specific moment or event from high school that stands out as a highlight for you? One moment for me would be going to state...
May 17 is Norway's Constitution Day, and in "Alaska's Little Norway," it's a big deal. Every year around this time, Petersburg holds a week-long festival to celebrate its Norwegian heritage. Hundreds of people flock to the Southeast island town for the experience. Festival celebrations date back to the late 1950s. Some traditions have grown and morphed over the decades, with new ones entering the mix as well. But the Norwegian Dancers have always been a fixture. Brandi Thynes is a volunteer on...
May 15, 1925 – With its shrimp, clam and crab plants, Petersburg is the center of the shell fish industry in Alaska. Last Saturday an additional payroll was added by the Star Shell Fish Company starting to put up crab meat in the old Ness Shrimp plant on the Union trading dock. The cannery is divided into three rooms – the dooking department, the cleaning room and the picking room. The plant has been made comfortable and modern sanitary methods are used. The incorporators for the new industry are Ben Grondahl, Chris Christensen, Hans Wick and...
Outside the brand-new facility on South Nordic Drive, the scent of grilling burgers and hotdogs lingers in the air as community members stream through the 16-foot bay doors of High Tide Auto. Close to two hundred people dropped by to congratulate Wes and Angie Davis and have a look inside their brand-new NAPA auto service center, according to Kimberly Simbahon who was dropping visitors' names into a blue bucket for the door prize drawings. "It's been a little stressful," Angie admitted,... Full story
In their first home games of the season, the Petersburg high school baseball team struggled to contain the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears high powered offense. In game one, the Vikings were defeated 16-1. "The weather played a huge role. We had to juggle our lineup a little bit because of a couple of different issues, we were not at full strength on Thursday," head coach Jim Engell said. Errors were an issue for the Vikings against the Crimson Bears. "We made four errors on Friday and one on...
This past weekend, the Mitkof middle school and Petersburg high school had an opportunity to come together for an intersquad track and field meet. Historically, Petersburg's track program has lagged behind when it comes to track facility and equipment. From a gravel oval space for running to a rigid, old boardwalk connecting with a rough sandpit for long jumpers, the conditions have not been ideal. But some improvements have been made in recent years. "We brought in some new rock two years ago...
For the first time ever, Petersburg hosted a Native Youth Olympics showcase for 19 students (17 due to illness) between the middle and high schools. Thanks to community support/sponsors, Petersburg was able to have the showcase here on April 29 and 30th, allowing for the community to see what the student-athletes have been working on this season. For the last three years, the number of participants for NYO have exceeded 15. Since the start of the season in February, the team has been focusing...
May 8, 1925 – Ohmer plans to invade Lynn Canal and there is great rejoicing at Haines, the little village nestling in Mission Cove, and happiest of the whole crowd is Dr. L. Pryer, the druggist and president of the chamber of commerce. For three years, Dr. Pryer has been preaching shrimp, shrimp and nothing but shrimp, in Lynn Canal. So loud and persistent was he in his talk, that it was heard way down at Petersburg, 200 miles distant, by Mr. Earl N. Ohmer, president of Alaskan Glacier Seafood Company. He immediately and forthwith sent two f...
This past weekend, Petersburg's high school art program brought their talent and work to the annual Artfest, in Wrangell – a four-day series of workshops, creativity and fun. "I brought an acrylic painting of a whale tale with a bunch of flowers on it," said sophomore Rebecca Midkiff, who has been working on the whale tale since the beginning of the year. "I did an acrylic painting of Ketchikan – a board walk with houses," sophomore Ali Kittams added. Senior Becky Fisher brought one of her for...
Barbara Jean Dunbar was born on January 19, 1934, in Utica, New York, to George and Mary Dunbar. Growing up in the majestic foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, Barb's early years were filled with cheerful family gatherings and time spent with friends exploring the many mountain lakes dotting the forests around Inlet and Old Forge, where the fall colors are like no place else on earth. In high school she waved her pom-poms cheerleading, marched in the Syracuse drum band and volunteered as a... Full story
The PHS track and field team sprinted through the competition at the Capital City Invitational, setting two school records. The boys 4x200 relay ran a blazing 1 minute and 39 seconds – placing first. "They had that as their goal. They knew what the school record was and kind of had an idea of what they needed to do," head coach Erin Hofacre said. The boys 4x200 consists of Noah Pawuk, Ben Kandoll, Nolan Lutomski and Brayden Tucker. "It was really celebratory and all of Petersburg was cheering u...
For Petersburg families wondering what their children will do this summer, Petersburg Medical Center's Youth Programs are offering more activities, more accessibility, and more options than ever before. After a six-month effort to secure critical funding streams, the programs have achieved a milestone that will help ensure more families can participate, regardless of financial circumstances. PMC Youth Program administrators have spent months advocating for access to state child care assistance...
Mary Peter Benson was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, on October 9, 1950, to Simel and Vivian Peter. She grew up along the Yukon River in Nulato, deeply connected to her Alaskan roots and traditions. Mary graduated from Mt. Edgecumbe High School in 1969, where she formed many lifelong friendships. Affectionately known as "Doll," Mary had the unique gift of remembering small, meaningful details about everyone she met. Her warmth, generosity, and genuine interest in others made her a friend to all, wel... Full story
Earl Nelson Benitz, Junior, was born on November 23, 1940, in Petersburg, Alaska. Growing up in Petersburg he spent his summers fishing on his dad's boat, the F/V Baranof. After graduating from Petersburg High School, Earl attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks where he obtained a teaching degree. A proud alumnus, he took a teaching position in Cordova, Alaska, where he and his bride, Mary Lou [McKibben] started raising a family. After several years he was able to get a job teaching high... Full story
WRANGELL — More than five dozen high school students from around Southeast, along with their art teachers, will be busy painting, inking, printing, beading, knitting and more during Artfest, a four-day series of workshops in Wrangell this week. Artfest will run Thursday through Sunday, April 24-27, at the high school, with an art show open to the public from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, said Tawney Crowley, the Wrangell School District’s art teacher. The festival for Southeast students started in 1997 when Wrangell art teacher Kirk Garbisch helped or...
"The Senate's new education bill is a joke!" declared Governor Mike Dunleavy in a social media post last week. "It does absolutely nothing to improve educational achievement... Welcome to Alaska: 51st in the nation in educational outcomes. In what world does one write a blank check with no expectations?" The governor's comments came as the Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 69 on Friday, April 11, which would increase the Base Student Allocation (BSA) by $1,000 per student. Dunleavy...
The Petersburg High School music team stunned the crowd during Spring Music Fest this past weekend in Juneau. The music team was determined to perform at their best, from jazz bands to solo ensembles. In 2024, Petersburg’s concert band did not receive any “superiors,” the highest marks from the judges. They changed that this past weekend. “We were just focused, we were like ‘Let’s just try to get one,’ but our concert band got three and that’s a reflection on the amount of work they [seniors] put into it and the amount of care,” music di...
The Petersburg High School baseball team began its season on the road at Ketchikan. In their first game against the Homer Mariners, the Vikings faced a 4-0 deficit after two innings and then a 9-0 deficit after four. The Vikings didn’t score until the sixth inning but by that point, the Mariners had complete control and they would go on to win 11-3. “We made some mistakes, we committed quite a few errors in that game. That was probably one huge contributing factor to the score. We have to rely upon making outs on the defensive side of thi...
April 3, 1925 – Earnest Kirberger, the merchant at Kake and fur farmer, was in town the forepart of the week with some choice blue fox pelts to be shipped to the New York auction sales. Mr. Kiberger says Kake is unusually lively this season with boats supplying clams from there to Mountain Point Packing Company below Scow Bay, and with three different logging camps operating in that section. He said Charles Knutson of the powerboat Katie and Arthur Johnson of the Woodrow are making regular trips to Mountain Point with clams. Mr. Kirberger s...
Education Funding To the Editor: Article VII of the Alaska Constitution requires the Legislature to “maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the State.” Alaska Statute (Alaska Students’ Educational Bill of Rights (3)) states “A quality education for students of all ages is a concrete investment that vastly improves the future prosperity, welfare, productivity, and vitality of society.” The indisputable, mathematical fact is that at least for the last 10 years (years in which I served in the Alaska State House), the Legis...
The Petersburg High School Track and Field team enters 2025 surrounded by excitement, led by first-time head coach Erin Hofacre. Hofacre was an assistant for the 2022 cross country season. "Even back in high school, being part of coach [Tom] Thompson and then [Brad] Taylor's track teams, there were pieces of those teams that I see as successful – having a really strong team atmosphere," Hofacre said. "Making sure that the team knows they're in this together and supporting each other." P...
Martha Luan Madole was born on April 12, 1960, in Tuscumbia, Missouri, to Orville and Wilma (McConnell) Alexander. In 1978 she graduated from Eldon High School in Eldon, Missouri, and joined the workforce as a secretary. She married Thomas Olaf Madole on December 8, 1979, at Blue Springs Baptist Church near Eldon, Missouri. After a while, Luan began to work with her husband as a pastor's wife. When her husband became a Village Public Safety Officer, she moved back to her hometown near Eldon to a... Full story
March 20, 1925 – The Petersburg teachers have received a certificate for framing from the National Education Association attesting to the fact that they are enrolled 100 per cent in that organization. There are over 70,000 teachers in the United States and more than half of this number are enrolled in the national organization. The Petersburg teachers have made it a 100 per cent year for they are also enrolled 100 per cent in the Alaska Education Association, an organization of all the teachers in Alaska. To thoroughly keep in touch with all o...
