Schools

Many local parents hugged their children a little tighter when they picked them up from school on Friday afternoon at Trailside Elementary. And although not directly affected, the horror of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut Friday morning struck fear in parents everywhere. “It's a terrible tragedy and we all will hopefully learn something from it and of course hug our kids extra hard today,” said parent Sondra Tompkins. “All I could think was how my child would react if that happened and how scared my child would be if that was the school that my kid went to,” said another parent, December Douglas.

The White House has ordered all U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff following the deadly Friday school shooting in Newton, Connecticut . Alaska state flags will also be lowered in accordance with the order, according to the Office of Governor Sean Parnell. All U.S. and state flags will be flown at half-staff until sunset on Tuesday, December 18. To read the full proclamation, click here . Contact Neil Torquiano

A bus ride to school Friday morning did not go as planned after several students reported feeling ill on the bus. An Anchorage School District transportation spokesperson said all of the students transported on route 406 had the opportunity to be checked by paramedics at central middle school. 10 students were checked out but most students remained in school. Several children went home with parents. Reliant Transportation, the company that owns the bus, is in the process of checking it out but ASD said there was no evidence of carbon monoxide fumes.

The deadly school shootings in Connecticut have raised school safety concerns across the country and here in the Anchorage School District. ASD members along with the Anchorage Police Department and Mayor Dan Sullivan's office held a press conference Friday to assure the public that Anchorage schools have extensive safety measures in place in the event of in-school violence. Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew said every school in the district has emergency response plans in place for several scenarios including the one that unfolded in Connecticut on Friday morning.  He could not give specific details about the response strategies, for fear of compromising their effectiveness, however, he expressed confidence in the readiness of Anchorage schools.

A proposed amendment aims to change the way Anchorage school board operates.  Currently the board uses "at large"district representatives but the proposal is for "district representation. " Since the 1970's when Anchorage became a municipality the school board has been run the same way, by 7 representatives. A new charter amendment put forward by assembly member Chris birch is looking to change that and some, like school board member Don Smith, do not agree with it. “I think it's a good system and it's worked for a lot of years," said Don Smith, "and I've never seen, I mean, I can't understand for the life of me why the push is coming on all of the sudden.

The Anchorage School District released its 2012 community report on Friday. Superintendent Jim Browder says it's a way to set goals and then track the progress. Highlights of this year's report include the district moving to Common Core State Standards. Those standards ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared for college and or the workforce. "We are really moving in a direction where we feel our kids will have a world class experience when they come out," says Browder.

The Alaska Junior Theater is giving schools a sneak peek into the "Top Secret Personal Beeswax Journal" of Junie B. Jones. The musical performance is based on three of Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones books. Organizers say the fast-paced show will capture the audience's hearts at all ages. “I think the great thing about it is it's not just for kids, so their parents can come and bring them and really enjoy it as well -- jokes for everyone,” said Erin Sjostrom, who plays the title character.

The Anchorage Montessori School hosted the opening of their Children's Art Show yesterday, December 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. The art show is a fundraiser and the school is hoping that a little art appreciation will help raise money. Some of the art on display was donated by local artists, but students of AMS also gave their masterpieces to the show hoping to generate more donations. The school says the money raised will support Anchorage Montessori School, especially their elementary age program since most students leave AMS for public school as they get older.

Liam Gibcus posted a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead the UAA men's basketball team to a 79-65 win over Montana State-Billings on Thursday night in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener for both schools.  UAA, ranked 25th in Division II, led 17-7 after less than five minutes of play and improved to 7 and 1 overall. The Seawolves outrebounded the Yellowjackets by a 48-25 margin, including an impressive 25-10 margin on the offensive glass.  Teancum Stafford led UAA with 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds.