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About 10 years ago, members of a local church found a new way to help the community and local youth. They created a back to school shoe drive. It started as a legacy mission at Northgate Alaska Church, gathering donations in the sanctuary.  

After partnering with Thrive Mat-Su, Northgate’s shoe drive is now part of a major event that serves hundreds of families throughout the Mat-Su. 

“The congregation got together and wanted to do something for the community," said Tynissha Cromer, strategic benevolence director for iAMSOMEBODY and Northgate Alaska. 

iAMSOMEBODY, a local outreach program and branch of the Northgate church, partnered with Thrive, a program of United Way of Mat-Su dedicated to improving community wellness, three years ago. Now each summer during the weeks ahead of a new school year, local organizations host what has turned into a major event. 

It’s the ThriveFest and shoe giveaway.  

“Together we’ve grown from meeting a basic need to creating a community-wide event focused on connection, resources and belonging,” Cromer said.  

This year, the groups served more than 330 families, and about 800 local children received a brand-new pair of shoes during the event, Aug. 1 at the Menard Center in Wasilla. 

There are two parts to ThriveFest. The Menard indoor turf field is home to a carnival-like atmosphere for the afternoon with numerous booths set up by a variety of Thrive’s partners, including the Mat-Su Borough School District. There was a photobooth, bounce house and other games to add to the atmosphere of family fun. 

Families there for the shoe giveaway were led to the Menard upper track. Dozens of volunteers helped families cycle through a streamlined process. Clusters of chairs were set up on both sides of a collection of rows of boxes of shoes, in some cases stacked three or four feet high. Volunteers brought each child options to try on, helping to find the best fit and style.  

“We don't just get shoes. We look for the ones that are on trend, but that are also going to benefit the child. So they're really good shoes that they're gonna have for years to come,” Cromer said.  

Mat-Su students in grades kindergarten through 12th are eligible. Pre-registration is required, Cromer said, so the group knows about how many children they will be serving during the giveaway each year. Cromer said the Mat-Su Health Foundation awarded a grant to help purchase the shoes. The Mat-Su Sea Hawkers — the local booster club for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks — donated 300 pairs.  

Partners of ThriveFest included the Mat-Su Heath Foundation, Menard Sports Center, United Way of Mat-Su, Mat-Su Borough School District, LINKS, Mascot Arts, Behavior Matters ABA Services, Young Life, Thrive Youth Events, Mat-Su YMCA, Denali Family Services, REACH 907, Guidepost Pediatrics, Healthy Futures and Palmer hockey. Sponsors included U-Haul, Bridgepoint Law, Residential Mortgage, Valley Excavation, Wee Care A Lot Child Care, Hi Res Graphics, Shadow Mountain Locksmith and Patriot BBQ. 

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su School District. 

Some might think you have to be born and raised on a farm to be a member of the Future Farmers of America and compete in a livestock show. That’s not the case at all. Just ask Layne Ockerman.  

The Palmer High School junior moved with his family from Tuscan, Arizona, to the Valley before high school. His family didn’t own livestock. But after moving to the Mat-Su, Ockerman and his younger sister Izzy Burt found their way into this new world. Last week, Ockerman was one of about 40 FFA members who participated in the third annual Palmer FFA Blue Jacket Jackpot, showcasing cows, pigs, sheep and goats at Palmer High School.  

“We kind of jumped into this through various connections,” Ockerman said of raising, caring for and showing livestock. “We’re the first to do it. No one else in our family did. It’s been great. In less than a span of a year, we’ve really expanded the people that we know and our ties to people. We went from having really minimal livestock or some birds. Now we own four cows and two yaks.” 

Their family also has chickens and turkeys.  

During the Blue Jacket Jackpot July 31, Ockerman was working with Meridia, a nearly 1-year-old Jersey cow. 

“She's calm. She definitely has some character. I definitely love that about all these animals. They're not mindless or anything like that. They have character. They know what they're doing. They know who they are,” Ockerman said. 

The Palmer FFA Alumni and Supporters, a group founded about four years ago, hosted the event. 

“One of the first things they wanted to do was this jackpot,” Palmer High agriculture teacher Corrine Henderson said.  

There are a lot of students involved in FFA and 4H in the area who raise animals and participate in livestock events at the Alaska State Fair. But the Palmer FFA Alumni and Supporters wanted to provide another venue for local students to hone their skills while working with the animals.  

“There's not a ton of opportunities in Alaska in general to show your animals and kind of feel that sense of competition and practice those skills. This is a really great opportunity for them to get that practice leading up to the (Alaska State Fair),” Henderson said.  

Blue Jacket Jackpot participants competed in both market and showmanship, and the showmanship was split into novice and advanced levels. In market, judges are looking for the best animals. In showmanship, the focus is on the students. 

“One show judges the animal and one is judging the students’ skills,” Henderson said. 

The event also featured renowned livestock clinicians and judges Jared Fast and Justin Fast, who hail from Newkirk, Oklahoma. The Fast brothers judged the market and showmanship competitions during the Jackpot and were also part of a week-long clinic for local students in FFA. 

“That was so much fun,” Palmer High senior Isabella Pratt said. “They spend an entire week teaching us in-depth, all about how to show livestock, how to train, all about nutrition. We don't really have very many options like that up here in Alaska. So we bring them up every year just to give all of us the chance to learn and better ourselves.” 

Pratt joined FFA as a freshman and has been a part of 4H since about the second grade. 

“When I got to high school, it just kind of felt like a natural transition for me,” Pratt said. 

Pratt entered a sheep, a goat and cow into the jackpot. 

“Sheep is my favorite, easily, but I decided since this is my last one or second to last one doing this (jackpot), I wanted to try all different animals,” Pratt said.  

Tylynn Sturdivant is entering her freshman year at Palmer High and has been involved in FFA for the last four years.  

“I've shown livestock my whole life, and so I feel like it really pushed me to be involved in FFA and maybe learn more skills along the way,” she said. 

Sturdivant raises sheep, cows and goats. 

“I just feel like being involved makes you a better person in many different ways,” Sturdivant said. “It shows you life skills that, I feel like, not any other things or sports can teach you.”   

Layla Buzzard is a 2025 graduate of Palmer High School and remains active in FFA. Membership allows participants to stay until they are 21. Buzzard joined as a freshman at PHS. She has been showing animals for about 14 years, but prior to moving with her family to Palmer, Buzzard lived in an area in North Central Washington where FFA was not available.  

“As soon as we moved up here, I knew that this was something I wanted to be involved in,” she said. “I had seen all of the incredible opportunities that FFA presents for your future, all the leadership opportunities and opportunities they present for growing yourself. I knew that immediately, that was something that I wanted to be a part of and help inspire the youth and agriculture,” Buzzard said. 

Buzzard has two pigs. She brought Maggie, a Hampshire Cross, to the jackpot. She’s had about 11 pigs since she started showing animals at about the age of 8. 

“Every year is different. Every year I learn something new. Every year, there's a new trick of the trade that gets brought up, and it's such an interesting industry to be a part of,” Buzzard said. 

Buzzard was able to attend the day of the clinic focused on pigs. 

“It’s a lot of fun. I learn so much every time I attend,” she said. “They will teach fitting and showing with each and every animal. They'll do a school session where they teach feeding and feed additives, and genetics, and looking at animals and being able to teach us how to pick specific animals, even when they're babies, so we can see the potential in them as they grow up. It's truly incredible.” 

Henderson said 41 students participated, with an age range of 8 to 19 years old, and more than 75 different animals were on display. Each winner during the event was awarded a custom belt buckle, which was sponsored by members of the community, Henderson said. 

Blue Jacket Jackpot award winners 

Market: 

Goat: Morgan Steadbeck, sponsored by Northland Pioneer Grange #1 

Lamb: Isabella Pratt (Palmer FFA), sponsored by Reimers Micro Farm 

Swine: Ka’ena Reynolds (Palmer Middle FFA), sponsored by Palmer FFA Alumni and Supporters 

Young beef: Clara Pester, sponsored by Ockerman Hobby Farm 

Large beef: Tarin Thomas, sponsored by Northland Pioneer Grange #1 

Novice Showmanship: 

Goat: Morgan Steadbeck, sponsored by Chosen Creation 

Lamb: Jude Tompkins, sponsored by Knik Veterinary Service  

Swine: Adalynn Brown, sponsored by Buzzard Nest Farm 

Beef: Adalynn Brown, sponsored by Knik River Ranch 

Advanced Showmanship:

Goat: Tylynn Sturdivant (Palmer FFA), sponsored by Pleasant Valley Farm 

Sheep: Isabelle Burt (Palmer FFA), sponsored by Pratt Family Farm 

Swine: Rayna Reynolds (Palmer FFA), sponsored by Frozen Oak Farm  

Beef: Isabella Pratt (Palmer FFA), sponsored by Alaska Farm Supply 

Palmer FFA hosts annual auction 

The Palmer FFA also hosted its third annual auction on Aug. 1

Henderson said the auction helps build career experience through Supervised Agriculture Experience. Career experience is one of three parts of a well-rounded program in agriculture education, Henderson said. Learning in the classroom and leadership through FFA are the other two aspects. It’s a chance for students to work on entrepreneurial agriculture endeavors, she said. 

In the supervised program, students are expected to maintain records of assets, finances and activity as they work on their projects. 

“(This) helps them build essential record-keeping skills,” Henderson said.  

The money made during the auction goes straight back to the students. But they have to meet certain requirements, such as showing their thank you cards and record books. 

“We’re trying to help build some of those skills that go with entrepreneurship beyond just making a project and selling it,” Henderson said. “Students are getting hands-on career experience with some supervision.” 

This year, 26 students participated and produced a total of 52 projects, which ranged from planter boxes and refurbished tailgates made into benches to homemade goods such as bread and jam baskets and honey. There was also an 8-foot by 8-foot shed auctioned off. There were an additional 28 items donated by members of the community. 

“This year we had more projects, higher-value projects, stronger buyer participation and more dollars invested directly into the students more than any other year,” Henderson said.  

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

The stuff has outgrown the bus. 

The United Way of Mat-Su hosted the annual Stuff the Bus event July 29 at Amazing Grace Academy in Palmer. 

It’s a tradition that spans nearly two decades, starting as a simple school supplies drive and evolving into a festival-like atmosphere to help celebrate the back to school season. 

“It started as a true stuff the bus,” United Way of Mat-Su Development and Outreach Director Michele Harmeling said. “We had a bus. We would park it at the downtown Palmer pavilion, and folks were welcome to donate supplies. That would also be where we distributed supplies from.” 

School supplies are still at the heart of the event. But there are now more than a dozen nonprofits and agencies offering services and resources for local families.  

“It just grew and grew,” Harmeling said.  

Harmeling has helped organize the event since she joined United Way of Mat-Su nearly nine years ago. This is the third year Amazing Grace Academy has hosted the event. 

“They’re amazing hosts. Their gym here has that first day of school feel,” Harmeling said. 

Amazing Grace also donates the space for the day. 

“We’re very thankful for that,” she said. 

Harmeling said they expected between 425 and 450 kids to receive school supplies as the first batch of students made their way into the gym with their families. Participating students had to be preregistered, and Mat-Su Borough School District public school and charter school students in grades kindergarten through 12th were eligible to participate. Proof of enrollment was required, and school supplies lists for each grade level of each school were on hand. Once signed in, students and families made their way to the far side of the gym. Students were able to pick out their own brand new backpack, and volunteers helped to make sure each gathered all of the school supplies they needed. 

Kirsten Armstrong, of Big Lake, attended the event for the first time after seeing it advertised on Facebook. 

“I have five kids in school, so it helps families like mine a lot to have all of the school supplies we need,” Armstrong said.  

Armstrong children — ages 5, 9, 10, 12 and 15 — span the elementary, middle and high school. 

“But to also have the resources maybe we didn’t know about is great. It’s a great program,” Armstrong said. 

Once families gathered their school supplies, they could venture throughout the gym to visit the variety of resource booths. Kids Kupboard was also there serving a complimentary lunch to families. 

“This is probably our favorite event of the year,” Harmeling said. “It’s connecting with families, letting them know about United Way of Mat-Su, letting the know about our partners.” 

LINKS Mat-Su Parent Resource Center, Thrive, Youth 360, Alaska Family Services, Mat-Su Health Services and Denali Family Services were among those represented.  

“We’re just making sure that these families understand that all of these agencies and the whole community is there for them,” Harmeling said. 

The Palmer Fire Department brought a fire truck and were offering safety tips. The Palmer Lions Club offered free vision screenings. Style Starts Here Hair Academy offered free hair cuts. 

“We’re just super thankful to everyone who is here,” Harmeling said. 

This is the fifth year that Dawn Fabanich has brought her Style Starts Here Hair Academy Students to the event. 

“The event itself is the reason we come back every year, and the people we meet,” Fabanich said.  

The academy is an apprenticeship program that gives aspiring barbers and hairdressers on the job training. Last year, Fabanich and her students provided 140 free hair cuts, and about 160 the year before. 

“We have enjoyed it immensely to give back to the community,” Fabanich said.  

It’s great experience as well. 

“This is the busiest they are going to be while they are in hair school,” Fabanich said.  

Overall, the response of the kids, she said. 

“The smiles in their faces make it so worthwhile,” Fabanich said. “You cannot beat that when you show them the mirror and you see their fresh hair cut. You know they love it when they smile at themselves in the mirror.” 

Cheryl Phillips, a registered nurse at Mat-Su Health Services, represented her agency during the event.  

“I think it’s a great turnout. It’s wonderful for kids and families,” Phillips said. 

Phillips said her nonprofit agency was on hand to offer information about their resources and back to school vaccines. 

“We’re really trying to promote kids being up to date on vaccines,” Phillips said. 

 

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su School District.  

The Mat-Su Borough School District is one of choice, offering students and families flexibility along with the variety of academic opportunities. Through programs such as online and homeschool, students and parents have the chance to create an academic game plan unique to their individual short and long term goals.

But there are also students eager to maintain a more traditional high school experience who also may benefit from additional flexibility. Colony High School Principal Kristy Johnston hopes to provide her students with the best of both worlds.

Welcome, the Excellerate Learning Academy.

Johnston said Colony students now have three different avenues that can lead them to their academic goals while remaining within the walls of CHS. There is traditional in-person, which includes well-known favorites such as advanced placement, career and technical education, fine arts, world language and JROTC. There is also iTech, and now Accelerate ASU.

“We’re figuring out options for our students who want to stay at Colony High School,” Johnston said.

Students can also combine those pathways to meet their own academic needs.

Colony High School has partnered with Arizona State University and Accelerate ASU, a dual-enrollment program that allows high school students the chance to enroll in college courses and earn college credit without leaving their home building.

Other programs designed to allow district students the opportunity to earn college credit have long been in place and successful. But the Excellerate Learning Academy and Accelerate ASU can help provide students with all of the opportunities right at CHS.

The iTech online learning program offers a vast collection of courses that students can take online while continuing to attend their primary school. Accelerate ASU is currently open to only juniors and seniors, but iTech is available to students in all four grade levels.

Johnston used an example of a CHS senior during the 2025-2026 school year. This student needed to enroll in three specific classes during the second semester, but those fell during first, third and sixth periods. That left two gaps during the second and fifth periods. But the student, a child of a single mother, also needed to work. The pieces of a puzzle that is a class schedule did not fit. Ultimately after 3 ½ years at Colony High, the student needed to transfer to homeschool to create the schedule that fit her needs and give her the opportunity to work full time.

“She was devastated. She was a die-hard Colony kid,” Johnston said.

With the iTech or Excellerate ASU program, or a combination of both, Johnston said she feels like she could have kept that student at Colony High.

And that’s just one example.

How Accelerate ASU works

Accelerate ASU has two course formats that will be offered to juniors and seniors. There is the on-demand format, which includes fully online courses with no set dates or class times. There are also session-based courses with eight- and 16-week schedules. These are structured with deadlines and a more traditional format.

There is no formal application process, and dual-enrollment students have access to a full catalog of first-and second-year Arizona State courses.

Colony students enrolled in ASU courses will work directly with Arizona State professors and all of the grading is done by college staff. Colony guidance counselors will record the grade for the high school transcript, and school staff will also be available for technical support.

Johnston said Colony will use its library for the Accelerate ASU program.

“It’s going to look very much like a college setting,” Johnston said.

Students enrolled in iTech courses can also use the library.

The cost

Johnston said the school district will cover the costs — tuition and materials — for the Accelerate ASU program. Currently there is a budget for 50 total courses. Students can enroll in just one ASU course, or multiple. If demand exceeds the current cap, Johnston said the Colony administration will work with district staff to find additional funding.

The future

The hope is the program becomes a staple for the school and continued opportunity for Colony students.

“I am super excited,” Johnston said.

Johnston said she is eager to see both the initial and long term demand for the Excellerate ASU program. School staff polled a small group of incoming seniors, and the enthusiasm is building, she said.

For more information, see https://accelerate.asu.edu/.

Overall, with the Excellerate Learning Academy, Colony administrators see CHS as a place where personalized learning meets academic excellence, preparing every Knight for college, career and life.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.

 

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District has invested heavily in its Career and Technical Education programs. It’s a rapidly growing trend in secondary education, particularly in the Mat-Su. 

But for those who don’t know, what exactly is CTE? 

The strategy is simple. Provide opportunity in career-based education. It’s hands-on, detailed and tailored to prepare students for college and the workforce. 

But before we get into more about the programs, let’s answer a few questions. 

Are students limited to what’s offered by their primary school they are zoned for? 

No. 

“All courses can be taken by anyone in the district,” MSBSD Director of Career and Technical Education Tyler Gilligan said.  

Mat-Su Career and Technical High School is structured around CTE and the programs in its pathways. A common misunderstanding, Gilligan said, is students who are not selected in the lottery system to attend Mat-Su Career Tech do not have access to Career and Tech programs. 

That is also not true. 

Students who do not get into Mat-Su Career Tech as a full-time student in the school can enroll in courses at the school if space is available.  

Can students enroll in CTE classes in schools other than their primary school? 

Yes. 

District-wide CTE courses are offered and available for students throughout the Mat-Su.  

“Regardless of where they go to school, they're not limited to CTE options at that school. The CTE options across our district are open to all of our students,” Gilligan said. 

Gilligan used Wasilla High School’s fire science program as an example. It’s a two-year course that gives local students a head start in a career as a structural firefighter, and it’s unique to WHS. 

“You don’t have to go to Wasilla High to take that class,” Gilligan said. 

Students can simply request to enroll if space is available.  

Is CTE limited to specific trades? 

No.  

“The reality is career and technical education encompasses everything because if you're going to have a career, then it falls under that umbrella, right?” Gilligan said. “If you want to become a doctor, we have pre-nursing programs . So we can't get you to a point where you need a doctorate, but what we can do is get you the groundwork to enter into a pre-med field.” 

Gilligan said a common misconception is CTE courses prepare students for the trades, and not college. The courses do both, and in many cases the paths intersect. 

Construction is a good example. CTE construction classes provide the groundwork for the skill set, but there is also the added potential for post-secondary education in careers such as construction management. 

Real world application 

As the district built and continues to grow its CTE programs, officials looked at the big picture. 

“We try to be responsive to the local, state and national workforce development,” Gilligan said. “We look at local first. Does our industry have a demand in these fields locally? And then at the state level and then nationally.” 

District officials look at employment trends and demand. 

There are currently more than 200 CTE courses offered across the district divided among eight different pathways: building, business and information technology, fitness and sports medicine, health, human services, natural resources, tourism and culinary, and transportation. Each pathway includes a variety of programs. For example, bookkeeping, accounting, website design, computer networking and computer science fall underneath the business and information technology umbrella. 

“We hit across eight different pathways, which touch workforce sectors across our state and then we try to tie our students to getting a job later on or being successful in some way. Whether that's going to be their career or that's going to be their part-time gig while they're going to college or whatever. Those are kind of our big goals,” Gilligan said. 

Developing basic skills 

CTE also helps students develop basic skills to apply to everyday life. This can be as simple as vehicle or home repair. Everyone will eventually have a car or a home, Gilligan said, and utilizing the knowledge and skills gained through CTE classes will benefit students in the long term.  

Future success 

CTE concentrators graduate high school at a higher rate compared to their non-CTE concentrator peers. It’s about 97 percent, Gilligan said. The average sits in the 80 percent range. Students in CTE programs have the opportunity to earn industry certifications and college credit. There is also the financial savings for a student and their family as students earn those credits and certifications while in high school.  

For more 

For more information, see cte.matsuk12.us.  

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.