Category Archives: Student Accomplishments

Please help SPG congratulate some of Steller’s artistic students!

Steller student achievements in Band & Theatre

Band:
Steller Band students, Ezzy Banning on flute, Noah Lapierre on tenor saxophone, and Zoe McDonagh on French horn have been accepted to the 2025 ASD All-City Middle School Band.  It is an honor band for 7th and 8th grade students for ASD, and the selection of membership requires competitive live auditions. 
 
“Ezzy, Noah, and Zoe were competing with other students from large schools,” said Mr. Toba.  “The three students handled pressure and did well for the auditions.  Ezzy is just a 7th grader but beat many 8th graders. I am so proud of the accomplishment Ezzy, Noah, and Zoe achieved.”
 
The All-City Middle School Band will meet selected Tuesdays for rehearsals in February, March, and April.  The Middle School All-City Band, Choir and Orchestra will have a concert on Thursday, April 17 at West High School at 7 p.m.  Public is invited.

 

Theatre:
West Theatre presents HadesTown
 
This full-length Teen Edition of Anaïs Mitchell’s haunting, jazz-inflected folk opera follows Orpheus’ mythical quest to overcome Hades and regain the favor of his one true love, Eurydice.
 
Cast includes Steller students Hunter Menck and Blue Smith!
 
February 13-15 at West High – get your tickets now! https://wahstheatre.booktix.com/ 
 
 

Hadestown: Teen Edition

 

Steller Band Produces All-Northwest Participants

Charlie Banning, a sophomore trumpeter, and Zane Hopewell, a senior baritone player, have been accepted to the 2025 National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All-Northwest Wind Symphony. 
 
The NAfME All-Northwest Wind Symphony is a prestigious honor band specifically for small schools in the Pacific Northwest.  Auditions are rigorous and very competitive. 
 
“Only 10 to 12 students would be accepted from Alaska to the Wind Symphony.  Charlie and Zane did exceptionally well for the auditions,” said, Mr. Toba, the band director.  “I am certain these students will have a great time with the Wind Symphony.  I am super, duper proud of Charlie and Zane for this remarkable achievement.”
 
The 2025 NAfME All-Northwest Conference will be held in Spokane, WA from Thursday, February 13 through Saturday, the 15th.  The Gala Concert will be held on the Saturday, at the Spokane Convention Center from 4:30 p.m.

 

Congratulations to the Class of 2024!

Steller Parent Group would like to offer our best wishes to our Senior Class and their friends and families.

This day marks a huge accomplishment for you and we hope you are very proud of yourselves. We wish each of you wonderful new adventures in whatever you choose to do, and remind you that you will always be part of the Steller family. Thank you for all that you have done to make Steller what it is. 

Steller Parent Group

Fall 2023 In Review

A message from our Principal:

I hope that you are all staying safe, healthy, and warm these days.  As you are all aware the end of 1st semester is very near – December 21st.  This is my favorite letter to write every year because I get to talk about and reflect on all the amazing things that your children have accomplished this semester.   

  • A successful, student-run Activity Day – bringing back traditions 
  • 10 students opened and are operating the Temple of the Bean – TOB has been growing every year. 
  • 30 students took the PSAT this year – the largest number of participants in a while. 
  • 1 student participated in the World Tetris Tournament in Portland, OR. 
  • 1 student was Region Champion in the 500 Freestyle race. 
  • 37 students worked on Passages this semester, many included volunteer hours in our community. 
  • 2 successful student-run dances this semester. 
  • 2 Band and Orchestra concerts this semester. 
  • 1 JV Volleyball student was asked to play Varsity, placed 4th in the state and traveled to Florida to represent ASD. 
  • 5 alumni students came back to teach our students about Band, Outdoor Survival, and Financial Independence.
  • 5 students attended the Women in Education Leading & Learning conference.
     
  • 1 student got 15th finisher at Boys Varsity X-Country Regions IV that qualified him to run at the State meet. 
  • All 15 seniors are on track to graduate. 
  • 2 students participating in Alaska Youth Court. 
  • 1 student received a bronze medal for the President’s Volunteer Service Award by AmeriCorps. 
  • 1 student got accepted into the Anchorage Fire Explorers. 
  • 1 student was asked to be the MC for the Indigenous Fashion Show. 
  • 1 student was a dancer in the Nutcracker at the PAC. 
  • 3 students made it to state swimming competitions. 
  • 1 student earned the King Tech Student of the Semester for AK Farm and Food. 
  • Students in collaboration with SPG ran a successful fundraiser “Steller Cups for Kids”. 
  • 1 High School and 1 Middle School Battle of the Books teams going strong.
  • First successful International Travel Intensive in years – 21 students and 3 chaperones have made it to Vietnam.

Please keep in mind this is by no means an exhaustive list.  I am also so impressed by the amount of talent we have in our community.  Our students have worked very hard to make this semester spectacular.  So, please don’t forget to congratulate our young people, they are truly amazing.    

 

Our Steller staff has also been working hard at ensuring your children are getting the support they need.  Our staff has been busy, doing professional development around the major ASD initiatives:  6th grade to Middle School, Professional Learning Communities, and College & Career, Life Ready; Scheduling for a robust academic experience, Math & Reading assessments, intensives, etc. all while ensuring that we hold high academic standards for all our students.   

 

We thank our community for all your support, as you have also participated in helping us make decisions and move our school forward this semester and next school year.  As a community, we have come together to finish our first semester strong and support your children’s learning.  I hope this holiday season allows you time to gather with your friends and families.  Those that don’t celebrate the holidays I hope you also find time to share with your community and celebrate our wonderful winter months.  Please remember to be safe while you celebrate and gather and be ready to start our second semester strong with all our students healthy, safe, and ready to learn.  Wishing everyone a wonderful start to the winter holiday season.  Thank you for all your support. 

 

Sincerely, 

Maria Hernandez 
Proud Principal of Steller Secondary  

Thanks for helping

On behalf of Steller Parent Group we would like to thank all our volunteers for helping with our fundraiser Cups for Kids! 

  • Our lead Monica started working on this event in August and has spent hours planning the logistics. 
  • 16+ adult volunteers put in 40 hours over the last three days.
  • Over a dozen students helped out each day! 

This is the beauty of the Steller Spirit! 

SPG news: All State Band and SPG Meeting

Steller Band Sends Two Students to All-State 

Steller Band students, Sarah Duot-Kelley on flute and Bjorn van der Goore on bass clarinet, have been selected to participate with the 2022 Alaska All-State Band.  

Bjorn is a junior and earned a regular chair. This is his 2nd year in a row with All-State Band. Sarah is a senior and this will be her first time.  

“I am delighted to see these highly accomplished students go through such a competitive audition process,” said Mr. Toba, band director. “Participation for All-State is the pinnacle for high school musicians in Alaska.  I am so proud of our All-Staters.”

The All-State Gala Concert will be held on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at West High School, starting at 6 p.m.  Admission will be $10 for adults and $5 for students.  The public is invited.

 

SPG Meeting: Tuesday, November 8th

Come one, come all!

Click here for the Agenda

 

Come Support Steller Student Marty – Team Captain of West Hockey Team!

It would be great if Steller students could come to this week’s games. Thursday night is against Dimond and it will be a very, very tough game. West could actually lose (!) as Dimond is really strong and the defending state champs.

Saturday evening is also a very tough game. Saturday is West’s Senior Night, and Marty and the other senior players and cheerleaders will be honored in a special program between periods. It’s the last game of the regular season; the Cook Inlet Conference playoffs start next week.

Marty, who is a team captain, is right now among the top scorers in the CIC, and in fact five of the top 10 scorers are on the West team:

Cook Inlet Conference Home Page

Read more here

We are all super proud of your hard work and success Marty and wish you the best this weekend! 

Submitted by Steller Parent

 

“The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet”

Join us for the “Seussification of Romeo and Juliet” on November 18 at 6:30 pm on Zoom.  Directed by peer teacher Taylor S, you’ll enjoy talented students, constant costume changes, and lots of laughs.  

Join the Zoom link at 6:15 to make sure to appreciate the full performance at 6:30 pm. 

See you there!  

Submitted by Taylor and Becky

Steller Band Sends  ***Five*** Players to The All-State

The audition results for 2021 All-State Band are released.  The All-State Band participation is one of the highest honors for high school band students in Alaksa.  Steller will very well be represented by these highly accomplished musicians:

Bjorn V, sophomore, bass clarinet

Johnathen J, senior, tuba

Griffin L, senior, French horn

Xavier L, senior, bassoon

Kamyrn Ls, sophomore, flute

Furthermore, Griffin and Xavier are also accepted to play for the All-State Orchestra.  

“This is by far the best year for Steller Band program, as far as the student achievements are concerned, ” said Mr. Toba, the band director.  “Kamryn and Johnathen are alternates, which is still great because of the level of competitions for the auditions.  Bjorn, Griffin, and Xavier earned the regular chairs.  I just don’t know how to express my feeling now.  These students did an exceptional job not only for themselves but also for the entire Steller Community,” said Mr Toba, Steller Band Teacher.

The All-State ensembles will rehearse from Thursday, November 18 through Saturday, the 20th, at Chugiak High School.  The gala concert will be held on Saturday, November 20, at West High School.  The admissions will be 10 dollars for adults, 5 dollars for students.  Public is invited.

Submitted by Mr Toba

Well done to all the the Steller Students. We are all very proud of you. Thank you Mr Toba for your dedication to our student’s success and sharing this wonderful news with us.

Steller Parent Group