Schoenbar Middle School
Encyclopedia
Schoenbar Middle School is the primary public middle school
for the Southeast Alaskan community of Ketchikan
and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District
. The school includes 7th and 8th graders, and in 2009 its enrollment was listed as 295 students. Schoenbar Middle School's mascot is the Knights, connecting with Ketchikan High School's
mascot, the Kings.
elementary schools, the Tongass School of Arts and Sciences (TSAS) and Ketchikan Charter School (KCS), both of which are housed in the building of former Valley Park Elementary School, which closed after the 2002-2003 school year. During the next school year, Schoenbar was closed for renovation following concerns over asbestos
in the school. 8th graders were moved to Ketchikan High School while 7th graders stayed in their elementary schools, sharing some classes at the high school. Renovation was initially expected to last only through the 2003-2004 school year, with students returning in September 2004. Many problems ensued during construction, however, resulting in the continuation of 7th and 8th graders not having a school for over four years. The new building was finally opened for students in 2007.
, girls and boys soccer, wrestling
, softball
and a drill team. Schoenbar's typical athletic competitors are Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School and Floyd Dryden Middle School, both located in Juneau
.
and surrounding islands. Throughout each school year in preparation for these trips, students are given practice and instruction in various survival skills, from fire-building to the harvesting of limpet
s and sea cucumber
s for food.
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
for the Southeast Alaskan community of Ketchikan
Ketchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan is a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, United States, the southeasternmost sizable city in that state. With an estimated population of 7,368 in 2010 within the city limits, it is the fifth most populous city in the state....
and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District
Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District provides k-12 public education to the children of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough and Ketchikan, Alaska...
. The school includes 7th and 8th graders, and in 2009 its enrollment was listed as 295 students. Schoenbar Middle School's mascot is the Knights, connecting with Ketchikan High School's
Ketchikan High School
Ketchikan High School, often referred to as Kayhi, is the principal high school for the Southeast Alaska community of Ketchikan and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District.-Academics:...
mascot, the Kings.
Naming
Schoenbar Middle School (or SMS) is located in Bear Valley, northeast and inland from Downtown Ketchikan. The school was first opened in 1965, its name selected because of its location on Schoenbar Road. The road, in turn, took its name from the tramway and trail leading to Ketchikan's Laskawanna gold mine, renamed the Schoenbar Mine in 1900 after its acquisition by John Schoenbar, a figure of gold rush history whose origins and activities in early Ketchikan are relatively shadowed.Renovation
The school is near both of Ketchikan's charterCharter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
elementary schools, the Tongass School of Arts and Sciences (TSAS) and Ketchikan Charter School (KCS), both of which are housed in the building of former Valley Park Elementary School, which closed after the 2002-2003 school year. During the next school year, Schoenbar was closed for renovation following concerns over asbestos
Asbestos fibers
Asbestos fibers are released from asbestos containing materials . Friable asbestos containing materials release fibers more readily than encapsulated asbestos containing materials.- Determining airborne asbestos fiber levels :...
in the school. 8th graders were moved to Ketchikan High School while 7th graders stayed in their elementary schools, sharing some classes at the high school. Renovation was initially expected to last only through the 2003-2004 school year, with students returning in September 2004. Many problems ensued during construction, however, resulting in the continuation of 7th and 8th graders not having a school for over four years. The new building was finally opened for students in 2007.
Sports
Schoenbar Middle School sports include cross country running, girls and boys basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, girls and boys soccer, wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
and a drill team. Schoenbar's typical athletic competitors are Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School and Floyd Dryden Middle School, both located in Juneau
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
.
Camping and Survival Trips
Annual activities unique to Schoenbar Middle School are the camping trip, required for all 7th graders, and the survival trip required for all 8th graders, both of which take place every spring. Groups of students are divided by gender and desired level of difficulty and sent to various campsites and wilderness areas on RevillagigedoRevillagigedo Island
Revillagigedo Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in Ketchikan Gateway Borough of the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. Running about 89 km north-south and 48 km east-west, it is 2,754.835 km² in area, making it the 12th largest island in the United...
and surrounding islands. Throughout each school year in preparation for these trips, students are given practice and instruction in various survival skills, from fire-building to the harvesting of limpet
Limpet
Limpet is a common name for a number of different kinds of saltwater and freshwater snails ; it is applied to those snails that have a simple shell which is more or less conical in shape, and either is not spirally coiled, or appears not to be coiled in the adult snails.The name limpet is most...
s and sea cucumber
Sea cucumber
Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea.They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. There are a number of holothurian species and genera, many of which are targeted...
s for food.