February Seniors of the Month recognized
By Cameron Sphapmixay
Joseph Pacheco is a student at Fairbanks High School and he has been nominated by Mr. Jeff Powell as senior of the month. Joseph first came to Fairbanks as a middle schooler. He describes the first day as an
uncomfortable new environment, but soon he came to enjoy his time at Fairbanks and being around his peers. After graduation, he plans to go to college for finance. Joseph was a part of the track team his freshman year, joined wrestling his sophomore year, and killed it on the soccer field all four years of high school. His most fond memories came from his time in all of the extracurricular activities he was involved in. Fairbanks has many school traditions, but the one Joseph enjoys the most are the pep rallies where he cheers on his fellow seniors while they compete for spirit week. In five to ten years Joseph sees himself graduated from college and progressing from day trading. He feels honored for being recognized for his efforts at school and would like to thank his wrestling coach. Joseph says that his coach helped him bring out the best version of himself when he needed it the most. He hopes to finish out his senior year strong and to spend as much time with his peers as possible.
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By Cameron Sphapmixay
Na’loni Estelle is another nominee for senior of the month at Fairbanks High School.
She was also selected by Mr. Jeff Powell as he sees Na’loni as a kind person and hard worker. Her plans after graduation are to attend college where she will study nursing. Na’loni was a part of the track team for her first school but decided to take a break at Fairbanks, and instead she became an academic weapon. The first time she arrived at Fairbanks she thought she wasn’t going to like it here, but she began to get used to the environment and started pursuing her academic goals. Going into her senior year she wants to work hard on her grades to get her to the next level in college. Na’loni looks forward to entering the world of work, getting as many hours as she can, and saving up for her dream car. She is proud of Fairbanks Panther Pause days, where she can enjoy the many activities provided as an end-of-quarter reward for students. In five to ten years she sees herself living a relaxing life in a warm climate. She is appreciative of being recognized for her efforts in class and she would like to thank Mrs. Melissa Gonglik, guidance counselor. Na’loni describes Mrs. Gonglik as very supportive and she will do whatever it takes to help students achieve their dreams. Na’loni Estelle can’t wait to be a graduate and step into the experience of the real world.
FFA kicks into high gear
By Aubrey Burns
The Fairbanks FFA is busy these next few months as all of the national events roll out. Since these months hold the national FFA week, the group is planning activities to go along with the week. These include dress-up days, another spring fruit sale coming to an end, tractor day, teacher appreciation events, guest speakers, a petting zoo, and other agricultural events. The strawberry sale concluded with better sales than previous years. During teacher appreciation breakfast, the officers will be cooking breakfast early enough for the teachers to eat before their day starts. The dress-up days will consist of Pajama Day, FFA Apparel Day, Camo Day, and Case vs. John Deere. The group will also be going over to the elementary school to teach the 3rd-5th graders about FFA, 4H, and animal systems to get them excited about the clubs. Mark your calendars for March 22nd to come and see all the tractors the kids will be driving to school. Finally, the chapter will be holding a petting zoo along with the Ag Olympics later in April. There will also be a State Officer coming in to teach the students about FFA from the state level. All in all the spring is a time that the FFA looks forward to.
Coach David Carroll welcomed
By Jack Nicol
Exciting changes are happening for the Fairbanks Panther football team. At the end of the season, Mr. Patrick Cotter resigned after an extensive and successful time serving as the head coach. Coach Cotter is planning to continue his teaching job at Fairbanks and wants students to know that he is there for them. This created an opening for a new coach. After two months of interviews, athletic director Mr. Logan Dunn made his selection. The candidate is David Carrol and he has been a coach since 1989 with a record of 230-131. Carroll has an impressive resume, including 2010 Division IV Coach of the Year. Coach Carroll has led three ten-win seasons since 2017. At the February 12th board meeting, there was a brief meet and greet with Carrol and athletes. He said, “I’m looking forward to this season and excited to get to work.” Coach Carroll has high expectations for his team and wants to do his very best. He expressed that he was impressed with Fairbanks’ academic performance and that was a big reason why he wanted to coach here. Carroll ended the meet and greet by expressing that he is extremely excited to get the season underway and to learn more about the community as time goes on.
Crushes, Cash, and Community
By Tara Rice
With February comes Valentine’s Day, and at Fairbanks High School also comes a new fundraising campaign: “Crush for a Crush.” Organized by the district’s National Honor Society (NHS), “Crush for a Crush’’ included selling the orange soda cans for $1 and attaching notes of appreciation for those receiving the Crush cans. Handing out the sold soda cans on Valentine’s Day, hundreds of students and staff alike received sweet treats and notes of appreciation, helping to make this day of love and friendship even more meaningful. Yet, this spirit of community didn’t stop there; with the profits of “Crush for a Crush,” NHS was able to collect enough cash to support and fund future community service projects within the organization, further allowing NHS to better serve the Fairbanks community and continue to build upon the spirit of giving and kindness.
Freshmen practice interview skills with seniors
By Sara Hayer
The freshmen class here at Fairbanks interviewed the senior class for a project. It was an opportunity for both classes to tell stories and learn. The freshmen learned about the school and how their next years of high school might look. The seniors got to tell stories about their teachers, classes, activities, and memories. This interview allowed them to talk about the best and possibly the worst times of high school. This project allowed the freshmen to plan an interview with questions they decided were important and to learn how to ask those questions in a professional way. They asked follow-up questions so the seniors could elaborate on the topics and listened attentively. Molly Brewer Fox, a former 10TV News reporter visited Fairbanks to share her expertise about leading an interview. Students were able to ask questions following her presentation. As for the seniors, this was an opportunity to learn how to act and answer questions in a more professional manner. They were able to think about how to best answer the questions while also being able to talk about their favorite memories. The Fairbanks English department hopes to continue this project in the future to have the opportunity to hear even more stories. In a few years, the freshmen class that were the interviewers will be able to be the interviewees!