Honor of storing dragon head is Denali Montessoris
In the ADN, Feb. 5 article on the Ski for Women costumes, the paper mistakenly reported that the dragon head has been residing at North Star Elementary School. In fact, we at Denali Montessori School have had the pleasure of storing and using the dragon head for our annual Chinese New Year parade. We love the dragon and will use it again this Monday for our parade! Thanks.
— Paula Davis
Anchorage
Is there a political vendetta against ASD superintendent?
What's with the Anchorage School Board's decision to search for a new superintendent? Has the school district been is recent turmoil? Have the parents been up in arms demanding the ouster of the current superintendent? Has the teachers' union been at war with the superintendent? I didn't think so.
Then why does Graff get his walking papers? He has led the school district during some troubling times. The district has managed to survive some serious forced budget cuts without drastic repercussions. Anchorage School District is still alive and functioning.
There seems to be only one possible answer. Somebody is out to get Graff. Is it a vendetta? Or is it somebody's personal or political ambitions that lead to the need to get the superintendent out of the way?
It is time to closely monitor the behavior and actions of the school board.
— Donald Schultz
Anchorage
ASD staff baffled by boards move to end Graffs tenure
As a longtime teacher in the Anchorage School District I was baffled when the Anchorage School Board announced it would not renew Ed Graff's contract as superintendent. Every ASD employee I know was equally baffled. To my knowledge the board has yet to share any specific information regarding Graff's shortcomings.
Teachers were recently asked to complete a survey describing the desired qualities of a new superintendent. I began answering the individual questions, then realized I could save time by skipping to the comments section at the end, where I simply wrote: "Hire someone exactly like Ed Graff."
— David Hagen
Anchorage
Ostrander is fastest in NCAA, but Devines hair gets headline
As a high school running coach, I was disappointed to see Allie Ostrander's incredible 5K performance buried deep within the ADN Feb. 6 sports section with no mention of the fact she's now an automatic qualifier for the next Olympic Trials, or the fastest woman in NCAA track this year by 23-plus seconds.
However, I was even more disappointed to see three-quarters of the front page of the sports section devoted to a single physical attribute of a female athlete. There were more photos (seven) devoted to Alysha Devine's hair than there were sentences devoted to her contribution to the team (two), UAA's performance as a team (zero), her work ethic (zero), and her academics (zero) combined. If the intended message was that female physical appearance is of greater importance than any other trait or ability a woman might have, you nailed it.
— Nathaniel Grabman
Anchorage
Rare sighting in the Butte
Wildlife officials have found a rare jaguar in the mountains near Tucson. They also found a Maserati at the Butte. Its engine and tires have been removed, and it was torched.
— Will Hayes
Palmer
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