Howling school highlights growth, interventions and a $10,000 music fundraiser

KETCHIKAN — Howling principal Meredith Lundemo presented a detailed portrait of the newly organized fourth‑through‑sixth grade school during the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School Board meeting on Jan. 28, outlining enrollment, curriculum, interventions and extracurricular programming.

Lundemo said the school serves 352 students: 63 preschoolers (district wide preschool count for the school), 91 fourth‑graders, 102 fifth‑graders, and 96 sixth‑graders. She reported that 127 students — about 36% of the school — qualify for free and reduced‑price lunch, and 115 students (about 32%) are served by special education. The principal said the leadership team set four priorities this year: building community, improving parent communication, raising math achievement through a new RTI math interventionist, and increasing community engagement.

Assistant principal Domi Viquey and specialists described attendance tracking, preschool programs and interventions. Staff said average unexcused absences generally remain low (around 2% except for typical December increases) and the school uses attendance data to identify and support chronically absent students. Preschool offerings include special‑education‑focused classrooms and an Indian Education preschool program at the Pioneer Home; early literacy instruction uses Heggerty and ReadIt to build phonemic awareness and language skills.

Library media specialist Jen Simpson described circulation and curriculum collaboration. Simpson said the library has circulated 2,550 physical books to date and leverages digital collections through Sora and the Alaska Digital Library. She emphasized information‑literacy lessons, source vetting, and age‑appropriate instruction about artificial intelligence and online reliability.

Howling’s music teacher summarized a fall focus on fundamentals and noted the music program raised about $10,000 through a community tree auction fundraiser to support music activities. The music program is launching an archery unit and has started band, with five beginning bands meeting twice weekly. The school plans an all‑school musical for Feb. 26 at K High; staff said rights and production costs are being covered in part by fundraiser proceeds.

Lundemo and staff highlighted expanded supports: two RTI teachers (math and reading), three special‑education teachers, three specialists (library, music and PE), and fully staffed support personnel including administrative assistants and a health clerk. They invited board members to campus events and noted Howling’s weekly family newsletter and social‑media pages as communication tools.

Board members thanked staff for the presentation and for bringing students and families to the meeting.