Eight teachers, the Unalaska High School registrar, and Eagle s View Elementary Achigaalux̂ Principal Chad Eichenlaub have all submitted letters of resignation, according to Superintendent John Conwell.
Credit Berett Wilber
The Unalaska City School District will have to fill a total of 10 vacancies for the upcoming school year.
Eight teachers, the Unalaska High School registrar, and Eagle s View Elementary Achigaalux̂ Principal Chad Eichenlaub have all submitted letters of resignation, according to Superintendent John Conwell.
The vacancies are equally split among the island s elementary and high schools. The openings at the high school include alternative education and language arts, taught by Amy Purevsuren, who has been with the district for 13 years; high school social studies, currently taught by Ryan Humphrey; another high school language arts position held by Jacob Collins-Wilson; and seventh through ninth grade math, currently taught by Emma Carr.
Credit Laura Kraegel/KUCB
Remote education has been a challenge for many teachers and families, especially recently, as the district shifted to in-person learning and back out again, all within about one week.
And for those parents who are also teachers while it may seem they have an advantage to teaching their children at home it s also been a very bumpy road. My fourth grader is doing things that I m just not 100 percent confident with, said first grade teacher Mallery McEldery. So that s hard. And I guess as a teacher, I have an advantage there, but with kids in different grade levels, it s tough trying to manage all their work and not to exhaust them with it.
Credit Berett Wilber/KUCB
Unalaska students and staff began their holiday break Monday and are scheduled to begin the new semester on Jan. 4. But what that semester will look like and whether or not students will return to their classrooms next month is still undecided.
After the City of Unalaska moved into the high coronavirus risk threshold in late November due to potential widespread exposure of the community to the virus, school staff began home-based instruction and the district closed to the public.
Meanwhile, in accordance with the district s updated Smart Start 2020 plan, a limited number of students, such as those with special learning needs who are on individualized education plans, were allowed in the schools.