Steller Secondary School - Anchorage, Alaska/AK

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Steller Secondary School

2508 Blueberry Lane, Anchorage, AK, 99503-2693 -

tel: (907)742-4950
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Definition of Terms

Steller Secondary School

School Level

High school

School Type

Magnet School

Grades Offered

Grades 7 - 12

County

Anchorage County, AK

Awards

Blue Ribbon School – Selected in 2005

Students & Faculty

Total Students

291 students

% Male / % Female

47% / 53%

Total Classroom Teachers

15 teachers

Students by Grade

Grade 7 - 52 students

Grade 8 - 52 students

Grade 9 - 50 students

Grade 10 - 50 students

Grade 11 - 44 students

Grade 12 - 43 students

This School

( AK ) School Average

Teacher : Student Ratio

1:19

1:16

Students by Ethnicity

This School

( AK ) School Average

% American Indian	9%	27%
% Asian	5%	7%
% Hispanic	5%	5%
% Black	3%	5%
% White	77%	57%
% Unknown	1 %	2%

Additional Student Information

This School

( AK ) School Average

% Eligible for Free Lunch

n/a

30%

% Eligible for Reduced Lunch

n/a

% Migrant Students Enrolled

n/a

( AK ) Statewide Testing Performance

School Statewide Performance

View Education Department Test Scores

School District Name

Anchorage School District

This School's Agency

( AK ) District Average

Number of Schools Managed	95	5
Number of Students Managed	49,789 students	452 students
District Total Revenue	$464,363,000	$7,734,000
District Expenditure	$591,659,000	$8,431,000
District Revenue / Student	$9,327	$86,507
District Expenditure / Student	$11,883	$86,876
District Graduation Rates	68%	92%

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 various personal traits such as independence, the love of knowledge, courage, and a pioneering spirit.
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.
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 Alaskan Mock Trial Championships for a number of years. The school has fielded two teams to the competition for the last two years. The team coached by Anchorage attorney Carmen Clark received 3rd place in 2005 and 6th place in 2006. The team coached by local attorney Julia Moudy did not place in 2005 and placed 7th in 2006. Steller also received 3rd place in the 2004 competition.
Unique educational opportunities:
Independent Study: 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 a 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.
Intermural sports: Steller does not participate in intermural sports within the Anchorage School District, but its students are allowed to play sports for a high school 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.
Tunnels: There are a number of maintenance tunnels beneath Steller, which run under most of the rooms in the school. The tunnels were sealed in 1995 to prevent students from accessing them. The Anchorage School District has included funding for removal of asbestos from these tunnels in numerous voter bonds, and much of it has been removed over the years. Several unsealed access points are said to still exist, though the school administration affirms that all entrances have been sealed. Although the locations of these entrances have officially been known only to the janitorial staff, it has been a tradition for students to surreptitiously explore the tunnels, usually in their senior year. Students visiting the tunnels over the years are said to have painted several murals on the walls, and there are rumors of a time capsule having been left in the 1980s. Students caught visiting the tunnels have been subject to severe disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion.
Notable alumni: Jewel, singer (9th & 10th grades).
Trajan Langdon, basketball player.
Mark Begich, mayor of Anchorage, Alaska.
Gretchen Guess, member of Alaska House of Representatives 2000�2002 and Alaska Senate 2002.
Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL
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About This Zip Code (99503)

School Zip (99503)

(AK) State Average

Population (Approximate)

13,847 people

602,981 people

% (age 25+) w/College Degree

27%

20%

Population Average Age

34 years old

32.4 years old

Average Household size

2.2 persons

2.5 persons

Median Household Income

$36,726

$52,213

Avg. # of Rooms in Household

3.8 rooms

4.8 rooms

Median Age of Housing Structure

36 years old

30 years old

View current housing listings in 99503

Median Value of Housing Unit
Zipcode (99503)

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% Owning / % Renting

31% / 69%

61% / 39%

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Weather: 10-day forecast or monthly climate averages.

Nearby Schools:


1. West High School - 1918 students - view location
2. Avail School - 77 students - view location
3. Crossroads School - 52 students - view location
4. Continuation School - 32 students - view location
5. S.a.v.e. High School - 222 students - view location
View all schools in: Anchorage Town, Anchorage County, Zip 99503

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Note: Data has been gathered from several government and commercial data sources. School data reflects years 2002-04 statistics (most recent years available). Area and demographic data reflects year 2000 statistics. Public School Review does not ensure the timeliness or accuracy of the information on this site.

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