This has been a big year for Reynar, who won the Interior Mayors Arts Award for Working With Youth and went on to direct the 11th Annual Motion Sensors Dance Troupe production of “Alice In Wonderland.” She has been an integral part of that Kids In Motion after school program since 2005.
She also recently joined the Kids In Motion board of directors.
One more thing: she spent her first year as a first-time mother to baby Quinn.
Reynar is a certified teacher and has worked at Tri-Valley School. She is a longtime community volunteer.
Running the preschool and day care facility is a natural next step for her.
“I love working with kids and this job allows me to focus my attention on kids who are my son’s age,” she said. “I have been interested in working more directly with nonprofits and grant writing for some time.
“It has always been important to me to do work that I feel is beneficial to my community.”
She also recognizes the importance of balancing work with the needs of her family.
“This job allows me to align my professional goals with my personal parenting goals,” she said.
She steps into the Denali Preschool and Learning Center at a critical juncture. The center’s board is in the final stages of writing a strategic plan.
“I feel fortunate to be coming along when DPLC is on the cusp of doing so many great things,” she said. “I would love for DPLC to become a community hub for classes and activities outside of our regular preschool and daycare roles.”
She said it will be hard to fill the shoes of director Kim Clark, who is moving to North Carolina with her husband, Steve. Clark also stepped in at a critical time, two years ago, and helped guide the center to where it is today. Her monthly newsletters, distributed throughout the community, kept everyone informed of goings-on with our littlest Healy residents.
Earth Day calendars
The 2011 Earth Day calendars are here.
This $6 calendar is filled with recycled artwork created by Tri-Valley School students, thanks to sponsorship by ARAMARK. All proceeds from calendar sales fund sustainable activities at the Denali Borough School District.
The calendars are for sale at the Tri-Valley Community Library and at Denali Park Resorts gift shops.
Elementary students created the artwork featured each month, by turning recycled items into art projects. These include a bird feeder made out of a milk jug, yarn and paint; wind chimes, made out of a cashew can, duct tape, paint, fishing line, washers, bolts, nuts and wire; and a series of plastic water bottle bases, filled with dirt and and planted with seeds to spell the word Earth.
There are 12 months worth of beautifully photographed projects.
Each day of each month also highlights an environmental tip such as compost your leftovers for a great garden or greener lawn; plant a tree — it will be home for a bird, shade for summer and a pollution filter; fluorescent light bulbs save electricity and last 10 times longer too.
“At ARAMARK, we have a deep respect and commitment to preserve our environment,” states the calendar.
ARAMARK also is hosting a student field trip to ARAMARK hotels to introduce students to the company’s green programs, including biodegradable silverware, a new machine that reduces waste by removing water and other innovative programs.
Richard Nelson visits
Richard Nelson of “Encounters” fame visits Denali on Tuesday sharing his 40 years of experiences, stories and sounds. His presentation takes place at the Murie Science and Learning Center at 7 p.m., as part of the summer speaker series.
Nelson is a writer, cultural anthropologist and radio producer who has spent most of his life in Alaska. His books include “Hunters of the Northern Ice,” “Make Prayers To the Raven,” which became a PBS television series, “Shadow of the Hunter,” “Patriotism and the American Lane” (co-authored with Barry Lopez and Terry Tempest Williams) and two award-winning books about the natural world — “Heart and Blood: Living with Deer in America” and “The Island Within.”
He co-produces and narrates “Encounters,” a nationally-broadcast public radio program about the natural world.
New bank office
First National Bank of Alaska opens at its new location — just across the hall at the former courthouse area in the Tri-Valley Community Center on Monday.
A grand opening celebration will be held May 26, with free hot dogs, chips and lemonade.
Music masters
Congratulations to all the students who participated in the state music competition in Anchorage last weekend, including the two who earned perfect scores.
Tri-Valley senior Bradley Lewis received the top score for his interpretation of “My Defenses Are Down” from the Broadway musical “Annie Get Your Gun.”
Anderson freshman Robin Turnipseed also earned a perfect score with her performance of “Danny Boy”
“I don’t know if it is the first time in Anderson’s history, but it is the first time in my run here at DBSD to have an Anderson student score a ‘1,’” said music teacher Candace Mudge.
Plenty of parents drove to Anchorage for the weekend event.
DBSD’s musical “Cream of the Crop” include: Brad Lewis, Parker Vacura, Jack Reeves, Trevor Haken, Nathaniel Grimes, Kimmie Miller, Haley Tyler, Danny Fisher, Kayla Mortensen, Robin Turnipseed, Mariel Wright, Sammy Dempster, Kami Graham, Teal O’Connor, Bobbilou Burbank, Kristen Scholten, Sam White, Hannah Keith and Cassidy Owen.
Denali Life Blog: Healy students visit Calypso Farms.
Kris Capps is a freelance writer. Her column reporting Denali happenings appears weekly in the News-Miner. She can be reached at kcapps@mtaonline.net. Check out her blog at http://newsminer.com/pages/blogs_denali_life.
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