Zacharias John Williams Memorial School

Home of the Hawks

HS Speech

HS Speech is an co-curricular activity at the high school level. The competition occurs annually for high school students. Students have the option of writing or utilizing other writers' work. There are also several categories in which they can compete in either English or Yupik. The District Speech Competitions happen in Bethel with successful participants moving on to competition in Anchorage.

JH Speech

JH Speech is an co-curricular activity at the junior high school level. The competition occurs annually for junior high school students. Students have the option of writing or utilizing other writers' work. There are also several categories in which they can compete in either English or Yupik. The District Speech Competitions happen in Bethel.

ANSEP (Alaska Stem-Ready)

ANSEP is a college-readiness program for students interested in math, science, and health careers. ANSEP’s objective is to effect systemic change in the hiring patterns of Alaska Natives in science and engineering by placing our students on a career path to leadership.

Started in 1995 as a scholarship program for university students, ANSEP has evolved into a longitudinal education model that provides a continuous string of components beginning with students in sixth grade and continuing on through high school, into science and engineering undergraduate and graduate degree programs through to the PhD.  ANSEP students at every level are successful at rates far exceeding national and state numbers.  We provide inspiration, guidance, and opportunity for students from over 100 Alaskan communities.  We have arrived at this model after 20 years of effort, with the awareness that a fragmented approach that focuses on one academic level is not adequate to deal with the scope of the problem and ultimately falls short.

Napaskiak students have traditionally been very active and extremely successful in ANSEP.

LeadOn!

Our students take an active role to end domestic violence in Alaska, and many of them are active participants in a program called LeadOn! to promote peace and equality.

At LeadOn!, national and local speakers engage youth from all regions of the state through presentations on various topics, including healthy relationships, non-violence, leadership, positive choices and community involvement. Youth plan and lead much of the conference. outh also created plans to change their own communities, by planning projects with their peers around topics they cared about.
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First Lego League Robotics
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The vision of First Lego League Robotics (FLL) is, "To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders." Their mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

FLL Robotics is available at ZJ Williams School for students in grades 4-8. The annual programs culminate in robotics competitions, in Bethel, where teams win recognition, gain self confidence, develop people and life skills, make new friends, and perhaps discover an unforeseen career path. The winners attend the state competition in Anchorage.

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Yuraq

Yuraq is a traditional way of dancing that started in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta over a thousand years ago.  Students grade K-8 participate in Yuraq each Friday for 30 minutes. Beyond this, there is a Yuraq team that practices and performs during special events and annual feasts at the school.

The team also travels annually to the host site of the Lower Kuskokwim School District Dance Festival. They may also travel to other events as opportunities  come up. In the past they have attended the Camaii in Bethel, and festivalas in Toksook Bay and Napakiak to name some.

The team is currently in the process of training the next generation of male drummers, but several females have shown interest in singing and drumming.


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Battle of the Books

Put on by the Alaska Association of School Librarians, Battle of the Books, is an annual activity in which students from all over the district read books and take quizzes, competing for the honor of being the winner of the "Battle of the Books." Students in grades K-12 are eligible to compete for points and prizes at the school level, and bigger rewards during the Spring competition in Bethel.

Science Fair

Students grades K-12 are able to participate in Science Fair. An experiment is put into a competition where contestants present their science project, results in the form of a report, display board, and/or models that they have created. In LKSD students grade 4-12 may then travel to Bethel in late February to present their findings, in the categories of Elementary, Middle and High school. From here High School students are able to carry on to Anchorage for state competition with their projects.

Future Educators of Alaska (FEA)

Alaska has 54 school districts, many of which are located in rural parts of the state. Most districts face high rates of teacher turnover and a general shortage of Alaska Native teachers. The Alaska Teacher Turnover, Supply, and Demand: 2013 Highlights report found that while Alaska Natives make up 22% of the student enrollment in K-12 public schools statewide, Alaska Native teachers represent only 5% of the teaching force.

Future Educators of Alaska (FEA) is a statewide collaborative effort to inspire Alaska Native K-12 students to become teachers and administrators. It is administered within the UA Statewide Academic Affairs Office of K-12 Outreach, in partnership with Alaska Teacher Placement and the Alaska Native Education Association. The idea is to increase, maintain and grow the available workforce of teachers prepared in-state and committed to Alaska. Currently, less than half of Alaska’s teachers are prepared in-state. 


Teens Lead Ahead