Steller Secondary School
Steller Secondary School is an alternative school located in Anchorage, Alaska. The Anchorage School District established the school in 1974 as a response to a proposal by the Committee of Alternative Secondary Education. Steller was named after George Wilhelm Steller, a naturalist from Germany who traveled with Vitus Bering on an exploratory voyage to Alaska. The school was named after him because of various personal traits such as independence, the love of knowledge, courage, and a pioneering spirit.
Student demographics and government
Steller accepts students in grades 7-12 from anywhere in the Municipality of Anchorage through a lottery process. However, their student population is almost always maintained at under 300 students. Steller's governmental system is based on the counseling group, where each classroom teacher is assigned a group of 20-30 students. This counseling group elects one representative from each grade group (7-8 and 9-12) to the Operational Group, which deals with the day-to-day school issues, as well as the student funds. In addition, the high school (9-12) representative is also a member of the Advisory Board, which handles larger issues, such as the school's philosophy, policies and bylaws.
Notable graduates
- Jewel, singer
- Trajan Langdon, basketball player
- Mark Begich, mayor of Anchorage, Alaska