Director: Eric Gebhart
Assoc. Admin: Tim Gebhart
Address:P.O. Box 442
Nenana AK 99760
Telephone: (907) 832.2000
FAX: (907) 832.5277
Almost 50% of all high school graduates go on to college. However, of the students that proceed to college, almost half of them do not continue to complete their bachelor’s degree. Some students simply are not prepared academically for their freshman year at college “prep” curriculum. Many students simply do not have the time management skills and self discipline required to succeed on campus, not to mention cultural challenges that prevent some students from succeeding on campus.
Increasingly employers complain that students coming into the workforce do not have sufficient work skills to succeed in business and industry. With seventy-five percent of all high school students in the work force or seeking to gain employment within two years of graduating from high school, it is apparent that the majority of students also need vocational and technical courses to prepare them for employment. However, in Alaska, students that seek a “tech” program in high school frequently do so at risk of being labeled “alternative students.”
Nenana’s leaders felt that either “prep” or “tech” approach was not meeting student needs. They embraced the Work Force investment Act of 1994 which recommends that all students take a core “prep” curriculum with “tech” electives.
The Nenana City Public School District is committed to teaching Alaska State Content and Performance Standards in the “prep” core courses that prepare students for the Alaska High School Qualifying Exam and beyond. Consequently, each student must bring to Nenana City Public School a commitment and determination to work hard.
The curriculum is versatile, offering “prep” subjects in science, English, mathematics, and social studies, as well as a full range of technical courses in a well-equipped facility. “Tech” courses include welding, construction trades, wood shop, auto shop, small engine repair, and home management courses such as culinary arts and bakery, along with various computer courses and education technology integrated into much of the curriculum. Students have the opportunity to work as teacher aids in the education curriculum and may become certified welders in the “tech” program. New “tech” courses may include business, home health care, childcare, and aviation related experiences. Students broaden their education by taking a variety of band, journalism, physical education and many other elective courses.
Even if prepared academically, and with ready work skills, many students are not prepared for college life or for living on their own after high school. The Nenana Living Center provides infinite opportunities for students to experience campus style living while learning time management and independent living skills in high school before they go away to college or enter the workforce.