Steller Secondary School
Encyclopedia
Steller Secondary School is an alternative school
located in Anchorage, Alaska
. It is based on the philosophy that students have the right to control their own education. The Anchorage School District
established the school in 1974 as a response to a proposal by the Committee of Alternative Secondary Education. Steller was named after Georg Wilhelm Steller
, a naturalist from Germany who traveled with Vitus Bering
on an exploratory voyage to Alaska. The school was named after him because of his independence, the love of knowledge, courage, and a pioneering spirit.
approved funds to remodel the school and add a new gym as well as a drama facility/auditorium
. In 1992, the auditorium was rebuilt after a structural failure caused the roof to collapse, leaving nearly everything ruined except for the stage's curtains. The voters of Anchorage approved a school bond in 2003 to provide funding for the addition of a new science lab and relocation and renovation of the staff lounge, offices surrounding the gymnasium, and the special education office. This construction was completed in October 2004.
In addition, a member of the advisory group (traditionally the high school (9-12) representative) is also a member of the Advisory Board, which handles larger issues, such as the school's philosophy, policies and bylaws. The Steller Advisory Board is notable because it has real power to change the workings of the school, from changing classroom hours, to eliminating the grading system (which has been considered, but never adopted). As a public school, Steller's policies must stay within the requirements of the Anchorage School District (or at least "below the radar" otherwise), but everything else is open to discussion and modification by the Advisory Board. On all committees where voting is involved, students always have a larger number of potential votes than staff or parents.
, in which students teach other students under the supervision of a teacher. Students must design lesson plans and present them to the staff prior to offering their class. Other members of the community are also able to teach classes with staff approval.
gym hockey
league. These games are closely followed by many members of the Steller community and culminate in a series of playoffs in late February.
for Steller, and is in a continual process of implementing the goals set forth in the strategic plan. The current focuses are on staff development, enhancing the new student orientation process, and development of the advisory group model.
Alternative education
Alternative education, also known as non-traditional education or educational alternative, includes a number of approaches to teaching and learning other than mainstream or traditional education. Educational alternatives are often rooted in various philosophies that are fundamentally different...
located in Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
. It is based on the philosophy that students have the right to control their own education. The Anchorage School District
Anchorage School District
The Anchorage School District manages all public schools within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the 93rd largest school district in the United States, serving nearly 50,000 students at over 90 schools. As one of the United States' largest districts, it is often...
established the school in 1974 as a response to a proposal by the Committee of Alternative Secondary Education. Steller was named after Georg Wilhelm Steller
Georg Wilhelm Steller
Georg Wilhelm Steller was a German botanist, zoologist, physician and explorer, who worked in Russia and is considered the discoverer of Alaska and a pioneer of Alaskan natural history.-Biography:...
, a naturalist from Germany who traveled with Vitus Bering
Vitus Bering
Vitus Jonassen Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering (also, less correNavy]], a captain-komandor known among the Russian sailors as Ivan Ivanovich. He is noted for being the first European to discover Alaska and its Aleutian Islands...
on an exploratory voyage to Alaska. The school was named after him because of his independence, the love of knowledge, courage, and a pioneering spirit.
Building History
For the first nine years of its existence, Steller was located in the old North Star Elementary School building. After much political activity by Steller parents, the Alaska LegislatureAlaska Legislature
The Alaska Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a bicameral institution, consisting of the lower Alaska House of Representatives, with 40 members, and the upper house Alaska Senate, with 20 members...
approved funds to remodel the school and add a new gym as well as a drama facility/auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
. In 1992, the auditorium was rebuilt after a structural failure caused the roof to collapse, leaving nearly everything ruined except for the stage's curtains. The voters of Anchorage approved a school bond in 2003 to provide funding for the addition of a new science lab and relocation and renovation of the staff lounge, offices surrounding the gymnasium, and the special education office. This construction was completed in October 2004.
Student demographics and government
Steller accepts students in grades 7-12 from anywhere in the Municipality of Anchorage through a lottery process. However, their student population is almost always maintained at under 300 students. Steller's governmental system is based on the advisory group, where each classroom teacher is assigned a group of 20-30 students. This advisory group elects one representative from each grade group (7-8 and 9-12) to the Operational Group, which deals with the day-to-day school issues, as well as the student funds.In addition, a member of the advisory group (traditionally the high school (9-12) representative) is also a member of the Advisory Board, which handles larger issues, such as the school's philosophy, policies and bylaws. The Steller Advisory Board is notable because it has real power to change the workings of the school, from changing classroom hours, to eliminating the grading system (which has been considered, but never adopted). As a public school, Steller's policies must stay within the requirements of the Anchorage School District (or at least "below the radar" otherwise), but everything else is open to discussion and modification by the Advisory Board. On all committees where voting is involved, students always have a larger number of potential votes than staff or parents.
Academics
Students register for classes on a quarterly basis, although the entire semester's class schedule is provided for perusal. While Steller does offer some general classes (such as History I & II, biology, chemistry, and economics), many of the classes are more specific; focusing on creative writing or grammar, for example, rather than on a full spread of English studies.Model United Nations
Steller has been participating in the Model United Nations competition for many years.Mock Trial
Steller has participated in the Alaska Mock Trial Competition for a number of years. The school fielded two teams to the competition in 2005 and 2006, with the assistance of attorney-coaches Julia Moudy and Carmen Clark. A single team composed of remaining members from the former teams entered the competition in 2007, and the majority of those members (virtually all juniors) plan to return for one last go in February 2008.MathCounts
The 2006-2007 school year marked Steller's first year of participation in the national Mathcounts competition. Eighth grade student Jed Grabman won the school competition and ascended through the state rankings to place 76th at the national competition in Texas.Accreditation
Steller Secondary School is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.Independent Study (IS)
In an independent study, students develop a contract with a teacher to pursue a subject outside of the regular school curriculum. Independent studies can be done within an SDL class or in an open period, and can be used to gain academic credit.Intensives
Intensives are two-week periods, held twice a year, in which the school ends regular classes and allows students and teachers to focus on a single subject all day for the two weeks. Popular intensives include skiing and snowboarding (held annually with 3 teachers, due to demand), internships in the community, and out-of-state traveling groups. Travel intensives, though popular in theory, are often difficult to arrange due to high costs and the need for strong student interest.Passages
Also known as senior projects, a Passage is a class taken for a period of time ranging from one quarter to one year, in which a student selects a topic he or she is passionate about and does an extremely in-depth study on it, with a final project to show his or her accomplishments. Ideally the project will give something back to the school. Notable examples include the production of a school play and the building of a gazebo in the school's garden. Initially this class included a Comp IV (research writing) element, although this is not included at this time.Peer-Taught Classes
Steller offers the option to take or teach peer-taught classesPeer-taught classes
Peer-taught classes are high school or college classes which are taught by students under the supervision of a staff member....
, in which students teach other students under the supervision of a teacher. Students must design lesson plans and present them to the staff prior to offering their class. Other members of the community are also able to teach classes with staff approval.
Self-Directed Learning (SDL)
A class administered by a teacher in which students develop a contract and study plan relating to a topic they are interested in. The student follows the plan with regular meetings with their sponsor, and makes a presentation to the class at the end of the quarter. SDLs are generally eligible only for elective credit unless they are used as an independent study.Extramural sports
Steller does not participate in sports within the Anchorage School District, but its students are allowed to play sports for a high school (or middle school depending on grade level) of their choice. This opportunity is not afforded to students in traditional schools within the ASD.Intramural sports
Many students and staff at Steller participate in an intramuralIntramural sports
Intramural sports or intramurals are recreational sports organized within a set geographic area. The term derives from the Latin words intra muros meaning "within walls", and was used to indicate sports matches and contests that took place among teams from "within the walls" of an ancient city...
gym hockey
Floor hockey
Floor hockey is a family of indoor hockey games, usually in the style of ice hockey, that are played on flat floor surfaces, such as a basketball court. As in other hockey codes, players on each team attempt to shoot a ball or puck into a goal using sticks, usually with a curved end...
league. These games are closely followed by many members of the Steller community and culminate in a series of playoffs in late February.
Staff
Steller has a very small staff, consisting of 14 full-time classroom teachers, 5 special education staff and 4 office staff, as well as a part-time librarian and two music teachers who are shared with other schools within the school district. As such, staff turnover has a large effect on the Steller community.Strategic planning
Steller held a strategic planning session on May 14, 2005 with the Foraker Group, a nonprofit organization specializing in planning for nonprofits. The results of that meeting were sent to a wordsmithing committee consisting of approximately nine students, six parents, five staff members, and future principal Karin Parker. This committee met on May 25, 2005 and crafted the core purpose and core valuesCore values
Core values may refer to:*Core values, the first value category of the value system*Core democratic values*Family values*The core values of many military organizations:**Core values of the United States Marine Corps**Core values of the United States Navy...
for Steller, and is in a continual process of implementing the goals set forth in the strategic plan. The current focuses are on staff development, enhancing the new student orientation process, and development of the advisory group model.
Notable alumni
- JewelJewel (singer)Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
, singer (9th & 10th grades) - Marty BeckermanMarty BeckermanMarty Beckerman is an American journalist, humorist, and author. He is a native of Anchorage, Alaska, and started his career with The Anchorage Daily News, when he was still a junior and sophomore at Steller Secondary School...
, author, humorist, journalist, and features editor with Esquire MagazineEsquire (magazine)Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:... - Mark BegichMark BegichMark Peter Begich is the junior United States Senator from Alaska and a member of the Democratic Party. A former mayor of Anchorage, he served on the Anchorage Assembly for almost ten years prior to being elected mayor in 2003...
, former mayor of Anchorage, AlaskaAnchorage, AlaskaAnchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
and junior US Senator from Alaska - Mario ChalmersMario ChalmersAlmario Vernard "Mario" Chalmers is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the NBA. He was selected 34th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves...
, basketballBasketballBasketball 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...
player (7-9th grades) - Mari Gallion, author of The Single Woman's Guide to a Happy Pregnancy
- Gretchen Guess, member of Alaska House of RepresentativesAlaska House of RepresentativesThe Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of about 15,673 people . Members serve two-year terms without term limits...
2000–2002 and Alaska SenateAlaska SenateThe Alaska Senate is the upper house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The Senate consists of twenty members, each of whom represents an equal amount of districts with populations of about 31,347 people . Senators serve four-year terms, without term...
2002–2006, Anchorage School DistrictAnchorage School DistrictThe Anchorage School District manages all public schools within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the 93rd largest school district in the United States, serving nearly 50,000 students at over 90 schools. As one of the United States' largest districts, it is often...
School Board Chair, 2011–present - Lindsey HolmesLindsey HolmesLindsey S. Holmes is a Democratic member of the Alaska House of Representatives, representing the 26th District since 2006.-External links:* official government website* profile*Follow the Money – Lindsey Holmes** campaign contributions...
, member of Alaska House of RepresentativesAlaska House of RepresentativesThe Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of about 15,673 people . Members serve two-year terms without term limits...
2006–present (9th through 11th grades) - Trajan LangdonTrajan LangdonTrajan Shaka Langdon is a retired American professional basketball player. A 210 lb. shooting guard, he gained fame in the U.S. while playing college basketball at Duke University with the Duke Blue Devils.-Biography:...
, basketballBasketballBasketball 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...
player