STAR Team

November 6, 2024

The STAR Team, made up of grades 6-8, promotes mental health awareness and suicide prevention among middle school students. STAR stands for Saving Teens at Risk, and encourages students to Share, Tell, Ask, and Reach out when someone needs help. Throughout the year, the team presents suicide prevention slideshows in each homeroom, teaching students to […]

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Collin Hitchcock

December 26, 2023

Collin is helping pedestrians on the street by clearing sidewalks adjacent to properties. He helps people out shopping, people going to church on Sunday, and travelers in and out of town. He does this by shoveling snow, which this year is setting records for most snow fall. Each night at 10pm, he goes out to […]

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Wally Wallace

December 17, 2023

Wally, as part of Seward Prevention Coalitions Peer Leader team, created and implemented youth led campaigns to foster connection, highlight resilience and increase help seeking behaviors in their school and community. He works to normalize conversations about struggle. He leads his peers on how to recognize resilience in their own lives and connects them to […]

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Nolan Stephen Freeman

Nolan has been a member of the Kenai Peninsula Native Youth Leadership (KPNYL) team way before being an official member, his freshman year. That is, because his Auntie has been the leader for the last 10 years, which allowed Nolan to grow up with what leadership skills. Nolan has been on many sport teams-football, baseball, […]

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Shanella Kashatok

December 5, 2023

Shanella Kashatok is an outgoing and peachy student in Eek, AK. She attended a CPR class this summer in the efforts to further provide for her community.

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Carter Uttecht

December 30, 2022

Carter took initiative to complete the necessary training to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for the city of King Cove’s EMS system, no small feat considering King Cove is a community located 625 miles from the “big city” of Anchorage.

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Sycely Wheeles

December 1, 2022

Sycely is a student leader with a passion for student mental health advocacy. Over the past year, Sycely has dedicated significant time and energy to raising public awareness of student mental health issues, and she has sought to improve conditions for young people in our state.

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Elijah “Dylan” Dumag

December 5, 2021

Dylan has provided social and emotional support through his participation in the arts and as a caring young adult. Several students at Sitka High School have been impacted positively by Dylan when they were at a low point in life.

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Stephen Harmon

Stephen is one of two students who were on the Sitka School District Smart Start Task Force, a group created to formulate a plan to safely reopen schools after the Covid-19 pandemic started. His input and perspective helped the group create and continue to form guidelines needed to safely reopen schools in his district.

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Hawwah Taylor

November 2, 2021

Hawwah Taylor flagged down an Anchorage Police Officer to report a woman being attacked and directed him down a bike path. The officer reported that the male suspect could have seriously injured or possibly killed the female if not for the quick reactions of Hawwah.

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Muhammad Taylor

Muhammad Taylor flagged down an Anchorage Police Officer to report a woman being attacked and directed him down a bike path. The officer reported that the male suspect could have seriously injured or possibly killed the female if not for the quick reactions of Muhammad.

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Hannah Yi

February 1, 2021

Hannah Yi and Sophie Mayers were instrumental at West High School in reviving the YANA club (You are Not Alone) after the pandemic and students returned to in-person learning. Once clubs restarted this fall (2021), Sophia and Hannah were the main students who picked up the work that had been left off. They also have […]

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Sophie Mayers

Sophie Mayers and Hannah Yi were instrumental at West High School in reviving the YANA club (You are Not Alone) after the pandemic and students returned to in-person learning. Once clubs restarted this fall (2021), Sophia and Hannah were the main students who picked up the work that had been left off. They also have […]

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Anchorage Teen Council

December 28, 2020

For over twenty five years, Teen Council has provided teen leaders with comprehensive, medically-accurate sexual health training, empowering them to become non-judgmental resources to their peers through both formal presentations and informal social interactions. Members improve the quality of life of peers through direct instruction and informal conversations.

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Jade Balansag

December 22, 2020

Jade Balansag helped create BASE (Building A Supportive Environment), a youth-led organization that aims to improve the social-emotional environment of their school. BASE has provided back-t0-school gift bags for students, fundraised money to improve their school, and developed a staff recognition program, among other things.

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Dakoma Epperly-May

December 16, 2020

Dakoma is the lead youth advisor for Build Them Up Alaska, an organization focused on Alaskans helping Alaskan youth participate in community service and finance youth involvement in sport and recreational activities. Dakoma has volunteered over 100 hours as a chair with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

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Sharon Kim

December 15, 2020

Sharon helped start Mask Mission AK. She helped make 50o homemade masks within the first five or six months of the pandemic and donated them to the Alaska Native Medical Center, Alaska Regional Hospital, Beans Cafe and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.

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Ian Shangin

December 14, 2020

Ian is part of Student Council and Native Dance group, and he helps and advocates for fundraisers and activities. Additionally, he helps to control the bullying in town. He’s one of biggest, oldest and most respected so most all the kids listen to him.

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No More Mat-Su

December 4, 2020

No More Mat-Su is a youth-driven organization that seeks to end domestic violence and sexual assault in the Mat-Su Valley. They spread their message of kindness, respect and fidelity to the practice of active consent through their social media and live events such as Rock the Resilience, which is a performance art-based event that draws […]

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Sheryl Swarner

December 30, 2019

Sheryl was recently involved in saving the lives of three teenagers. She was instrumental in the retrieval of the teenagers and taking action prior to when the paramedics arrived. Due to her quick actions and directions, the outcome of the event was not tragic.

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