East High language arts teacher Larry Wilson is KTVA's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Lorianne Mordini
This week KTVA's Head of the Class is Lorianne Mordini, a second grade teacher at Wonder Park Elementary!
Daybreak Staff
Head of the Class: Jade Leon
Jade Leon, a Spanish teacher at Clark Middle School, is KTVA 11's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Robert Stagg
Fourth-grade Aquarian Charter School teacher Robert Stagg is KTVA 11's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Abby O'Neill
Abby O'Neill at Fire Lake Elementary School is KTVA 11's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Megan Webb
Wendler Middle School band director Megan Webb is KTVA 11's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Jasmine Lewis
Jasmine Lewis of North Star Elementary School is KTVA's Head of the Class!
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Johanna Bushue
Eagle River Elementary teacher Johanna Bushue is KTVA 11's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Andrew Deckert
Creekside Elementary School physical education teacher Andrew Deckert is this week's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Lem Wheeles
Dimond High history and government teacher Lem Wheeles is KTVA's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Rebecca Haag
West High School band director Rebecca Haag is KTVA's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Heidi Tsukada
Ocean View Elementary School fourth grade teacher Heidi Tsukada is KTVA's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Anaely Leon-Hernandez
Romig Middle School Spanish immersion teach Anaely Leon-Hernandez is KTVA's Head of the Class!
Liz Raines
Head of the Class: Agripina Pascual
Mears Middle School algebra teach Agripina Pascual is KTVA's Head of the Class.
John Thompson
Head of the Class: Sarah San Martin
Sarah San Martin is the KTVA Head of the Class. San Martin teaches preschool at Chester Valley Elementary School.
John Thompson
Nominate an educator for 'Head of the Class' award
We're once again highlighting the educators who have made a difference in the lives of students and their community.
Daybreak Staff
Head of the Class: Wayne Ashworth
After serving in the U.S. Air Force for 26 years, Wayne Ashworth now teaches at Inlet View Elementary School.
John Thompson
Teacher of the Week: Colony High's 'Miss Mary'
KTVA went outside the classroom to find a Colony High School staff member who is going the extra mile to make students smile.
Cassie Schirm
Teacher of the Week: Jake Doth
Our final Teacher is a middle school Science teacher from Nikiski.
Daybreak Staff
Teacher of the Week: Sandra Ehlers
Sandra Ehlers began her teaching career about 15 years ago in the Lower Yukon School District where she learned some valuable lessons.
Teacher of the Week: Marissa Brennan
Marissa Brennan’s students consider her family. She's been teaching at Kasuun Elementary School for 19 years and says she tries to teach social and life skills too.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Annette Alward
Annette Alward, second grade at Kincaid Elementary School describes her 27-year-long teaching career as an adventure every day.
Teacher of the Week: Rees Miller
Rees Miller teaches chemistry and acting at West High School. "It's kind of a wild day, but I found a balance in it," Miller said. It's not everyday you see the arts and analytical math-based learning in the same classroom.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Karen Cordero
Learning a second language has been a life-long pursuit for Karen Cordero. For the past 11 years, she has been inspiring students at Eagle River High School to learn Spanish, as well.
Teacher of the Week: David Tollerud
David Tollerud teaches math at Colony Middle School in Palmer. His undergraduate is in mathematics, but he's also taught science, physical education and English.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Cricket Ives
Our Teacher of the Week is Cricket Ives
Daybreak Staff
Teacher of the Week: Chad Lusk
Lusk teaches science at Wasilla Middle School and is big on life lessons. He encourages students to make the best out of any situation.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Nadine Price
Nadine Price says health and physical education is the most important class her students will ever take.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Joyce Banks
“Yes we can.” That is the motto of Wonder Park Elementary School teacher Joyce Banks. She and her second graders recite it together at the beginning of every class. It also serves as a verbal contract of sorts.
Teacher of the Week: Eric Elliot
Eric Elliot is convinced he has the best job in the world. "I've never had a bad day at work," he said. Elliot teaches in the Spanish immersion program at Government Hill Elementary.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Kris Hinrichsen
At Chinook Elementary School, first and second-grade teacher Kris Hinrichsen educates his students on more than just academics.
Teacher of the Week: Brittany Nerland
Energetic and engaging -- Brittany Nerland is a second-grade teacher at Aquarian Charter School. Nerland says her secret to success is building relationships with her students.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Alex Troll
West Anchorage High School’s Geometry and IB Math Studies teacher is a man on a mission.
Teacher of the Week: Diane Hawley
KTVA 11’s Teacher of the Week is a fourth- and fifth-grade special education teacher at Meadow Lakes Elementary School.
Teacher of the Week: Paula Saindon
Paula Saindon is teaching her middle schoolers skills they can use for the rest of their life.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Shawn Campbell
Stick with it. It's simple but sound advice from Shawn Campbell, a band teacher at Mears Middle School and KTVA's Teacher of the Week.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Denise Carey
After 29 years in the classroom, there’s a reason Denise Carey keeps coming back for more.
Teacher of the Week: Michelle Vaaia
Mrs. Vaaia is a neighborhood teacher at Government Hill Elementary. She’s been teaching at the Spanish immersion school for the past eight years and feels close to the neighborhood's families and community.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Frau Lucht
Our Teacher of the Week is Frau Lucht, a music and band teacher from Hanshew Middle School
Teacher of the Week: Natalia Sears
Natalia Sears sees math as a universal language that’s applicable in real-world situations.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Siray Abbey
Less than three years into her teaching career, Siray Abbey is already making a big impact in the Anchorage School District.
Daybreak Staff
Teacher of the Week: Robin Wold
Robin Wold is teaching her kindergartners to dream big. “I want them to love learning. I want them to know that school is a fun place to be,” she said. “It is a place where they can be successful.”
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Creed Campbell
At Bartlett High School, Creed Campbell aims to help his students get a better understanding of human nature through the social sciences.
Daybreak Staff
Teacher of the Week: Allison Stengel
Relatable, positive and passionate; it’s how students describe Allison Stengel.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Brian Waite
Brian Wait is a biology teacher at Service High School, and has been teaching science for 26 years. His hope is for some of his students to pursue science after high school and create a career out of it.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Kaitlyn Vallee
Mrs. Kaitlyn Vallee teaches second grade at Mountain View Elementary School and has always known she wanted to work with kids.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Brad Goetz
Being in front of the classroom is second nature to Brad Goetz. He’s been teaching 5th grade at Kincaid Elementary School for the past 17 years.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Rebecca Sedor
In Rebecca Sedor’s per-kindergarten class at Nunaka Valley Elementary School, excelling socially is just as important as improving scholastically.
Daybreak Staff
Teacher of the Week: Doug Williams
Doug Williams says he needs three things as a teacher: passion, patience and a lot of coffee.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Marcella Hitchcock
This week's Teacher of the Week is Marcella Hitchcock, a second grade teacher from Pacific Northern Academy.
Daybreak Staff
Teacher of the Week: Jessica Mallory
As Tudor Elementary School transitions to the Montessori Model this year, first-year teacher Jessica Mallory is helping to lead the charge.
Teacher of the Week: Amy Habberstad
When South Anchorage High School opened in 2004, English teacher Amy Habberstad was one of the original staff members.
Teacher of the Week: Kathy Campbell
Kathy Campbell has worked in active war zones and debriefed a four-star general in the United States Army, but she feels it’s in the classroom where she is making the most difference.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Tamela Kile
Tamela Kile has nearly 40 years experience teaching elementary education.
Teacher of the Week: Asdid Derouen
From a very young age, Asdid Derouen knew her heart belonged with kids.
Megan Mazurek
Teacher of the Week: Highlights from the School Year
Over the past school year, Daybreak has highlighted 35 educators for Teacher of the Week, from Palmer to south Anchorage.
Teacher of the Week: Amy Habberstad
When South Anchorage High School opened in 2004, English teacher Amy Habberstad was one of the original staff members. Thirteen years later, she is still working to make sure her students don’t take their classes for granted.
Teacher of the Week: Kathy Campbell
Kathy Campbell has worked in active war zones and debriefed a four-star general in the United States Army, but she feels it’s in the classroom where she is making the most difference.
Teacher of the Week: Tamela Kile
Tamela Kile has nearly 40 years experience teaching elementary education. “I love children. I think they’re our tomorrow. I celebrate them,” said Kile.
Teacher of the Week: Asdid Derouen
From a very young age, Asdid Derouen knew her heart belonged with kids. “I love what I do,” Derouen said. “This is what I was meant to do.”
Teacher of the Week: Jessica Mallory
As Tudor Elementary School transitions to the Montessori Model this year, first-year teacher Jessica Mallory is helping to lead the charge.
Teacher of the Week: Travis Harrington
Travis Harrington is giving back to his community. He was a Chugiak Mustang and grew up playing the trumpet.
Teacher of the Week: Shane Todd
From the time he was in elementary school, Shane Todd has enjoyed being in the classroom.
Teacher of the Week: Wendy Barnes
Wendy Barnes learned as a teenager that you should never take anything for granted. When she was 18 years old, she taught sick kids at a hospital in Chernobyl. She said the experience was an eye opener.
Teacher of the Week: Vani Pillai
Vani Pillai may be a teacher, but she prefers to act more like a facilitator in her Bioscience Career Academy classes at Service High School.
Teacher of the Week: Stefanie Stacey
Second-grade teacher Stefanie Stacey believes in hands-on learning.
Teacher of the Week: Laura Freeman
For the first time in Laura Freeman’s 16-year teaching career, she is teaching just one subject — math.
Teacher of the Week: Joanne Christian
Tudor Elementary Kindergarten teacher Joanne Christian is starting her students off with the basics — sounding and spelling three letter words and putting together sentences.
Teacher of the Week: Marissa Evans
Although relatively new to Anchorage, Marissa Evans is already making a significant impact on students at Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage.
Teacher of the Week: Rebecca Julian
Rebecca Julian says she may be strict, but her students know she cares about them.
Teacher of the Week: Mischell Anderson
Whether teaching AP Psychology or AP World History, KTVA’s Teacher of the Week wants her students to take away some valuable life lessons.
Teacher of the Week: Kaity Williamson
For Kaity Williamson, teaching is her dream job. “Every day is different,” she explained. “The kids are awesome.”
Teacher of the Week: Dee McKee
The day after Dee McKee learned her big brother Mike Kelly died in a plane crash, she went to school as usual.
Teacher of the Week: Marsha Williams
Marsha Williams has always been a music person. She says there’s something about it that brings people together.
Teacher of the Week: Randy Harrison
As a student, Randy Harrison struggled through high school. He says he knows how difficult the experience can be without the right support.
Teacher of the Week: Randy Marsh
He’s a math teacher by trade and aviator at heart.
Teacher of the Week: Lindsay Wackowski
When she was just 7 years old, Lindsay Wackowski decided she wanted to be an educator. At the time, it had nothing to do with teaching.
Teacher of the Week: Erika Crumley
Erika Crumley tries to make school feel more like a home than a classroom.
Teacher of the Week: Erica Arnold
At just 9 years old, Erica Arnold was inspired by her fourth-grade teacher, Ken McCormick, to become a teacher herself.
Teacher of the Week: Thomas Pease
Thomas Pease strives to get his students to be team players. He teaches language arts at Mears Middle School and structures his classroom to encourage interaction.
Teacher of the Week: Li Retus
With a kind heart and a no-nonsense style, Rabbit Creek Elementary School kindergarten teacher Li Retus says she encourages her students to be sensible kids that care about their classmates.
Teacher of the Week: Brett Bissell
Brett Bissell had a dream of being a naval officer, but it turns out life had different plans.
Teacher of the Week: Emily Becker
Airport Heights Elementary School teacher Emily Becker brings her love of nature into her sixth-grade classroom.
Teacher of the Week: Michele Whaley
Michele Whaley has impacted thousands of students of the course of her career. She’s been teaching language in Alaska for more than 30 years.
Teacher of the Week: Lee Butterfield
Students at South Anchorage High School get to learn real-world tech skills in Lee Butterfield’s drone class.
Teacher of the Week: Dorothea Culbert
Posters with phrases like, “math rocks” and “There’s no crying in math class!” are hung on the walls of Dorothea Culbert’s Mears Middle School classroom.
Teacher of the Week: Perry Lewis
Perry Lewis’ classroom at Eagle River High School is his stage. His script is an adaptation of the history books.
Teacher of the Week: Monika Oldham
A special shelf in Monika Oldham’s classroom at Willow Crest Elementary School holds nearly two decades’ worth of letters from her former students, all noting the lasting impression she’s made on them.
Teacher of the Week: Debbie Wakefield
For nearly three decades, Debbie Wakefield has been teaching music at Bayshore Elementary.
Teacher of the Week: Temperance Tinker
At the beginning of the school year, Temperance Tinker has each of her students write down an intention on a piece of origami paper.
Teacher of the Week: Jennifer Derks
Jennifer Derks has her students end the school day with the same lesson, every day. “We end by doing appreciation,” she said.
Teacher of the Week: Agnes Bowers
Redington Junior/Senior High School English teacher Agnes Bowers got a jump-start on her teaching career when she was only in second grade.
Teacher of the Week: Julia Withers
Julia Withers is all about the numbers. “Math was probably always one of my stronger subjects,” Withers said.
Teacher of the Week: Rachael Scott
A kindergarten teacher at Ocean View Elementary School says her goal is to develop little minds into “awesome citizens of society.”
Teacher of the Week: Rodney Wild
Rodney Wild isn’t one to shy away from competition. “When you get knocked down, you get back up. Not literally but figuratively.”
Teacher of the Week: Ann Cherrier
Wendler Middle School math teacher Ann Cherrier admits she wasn’t always a fan of math. “I needed to see the pictures of mathematics,” said Cherrier.
Teacher of the Week: Angi Alexander
This is Angi Alexander’s first full year of teaching, and she’s already being recognized for her ability to bring out the best in her second-grade students.
Teacher of the Week: Scott Shumway
Real-world experience can lead to a successful teaching career in the classroom.
Teacher of the Week: Joey Kottre
Joey Kottre is Alaska born and raised. The teacher incorporates Alaska Native culture into each of his lessons.
Teacher of the Week: Malene Johnson
A support system for kids who need a little extra help, study skills teachers play an important role at East High School.