Steller Secondary School

Steller Secondary School is an alternative school located in Anchorage, Alaska. It is based on the philosophy of responsible freedom, personal initiative, and individualized 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, love of knowledge, courage, and 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 Legislature 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.

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. Op group is the government, where students cometogether and decide for the school. It is a joint executive and legislative branch of government, common in many schools.

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, 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.

Academic Competitions

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.

Unique educational opportunities

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 classes, 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.

Sports

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 intramural 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.

Staff

Steller has a very small staff, consisting of 12 full-time classroom teachers, one special education teacher 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 values 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

• Jewel, singer (9th & 10th grades)^[1]
• Marty Beckerman, author, humorist, journalist, and features editor with Esquire Magazine
• Mark Begich, former mayor of Anchorage, Alaska and junior US Senator from Alaska
• Mario Chalmers, basketball player (7-9th grades)
• Mari Gallion, author of The Single Woman's Guide to a Happy Pregnancy
• Gretchen Guess, member of Alaska House of Representatives 2000–2002 and Alaska Senate 2002–2006, Anchorage School District School Board Chair, 2011–present ^[2]
• Lindsey Holmes, member of Alaska House of Representatives 2006–present (9th through 11th grades)
• Trajan Langdon, basketball player

External links

• Steller Secondary School Website
• Steller Philosophy

References