School started this week and enrollment is already up at Nome Public Schools.
At an Aug. 25 school board work session, Superintendent Shawn Arnold announced that 724 students are enrolled in the district — that’s about 30 more than expected. And the higher figure could mean more funding if it holds through October, when the state finalizes funding allocation.
But even with high overall enrollment, Arnold said eight students left Nome Schools over the summer to attend Mount Edgecumbe High School, a boarding school in Sitka.
“I’ve spoken to five of the families. Some of the comments were the concern of our offerings with athletics and activities,” said Arnold. “On a one-to-one basis, we just can’t compete against Mount Edgecumbe. Their budget is significantly larger.”
Arnold said some families chose Mount Edgecumbe, citing higher student expectations than at Nome-Beltz Jr/Sr High School. Others left the district because the parents are graduates of the boarding school and want their children to continue the tradition.
The superintendent said it’ll take long-term efforts to make Nome Schools the top choice for families, but ongoing improvements are already helping. Two students who were attending Mount Edgecumbe have returned to Nome for senior year.
“One of the families said they want their daughter to finish at Nome-Beltz because they like the direction that things are going,” said Arnold.
Meanwhile, the board discussed another issue that Kevin Theonnes said could have a positive impact on the school community. Theonnes is the new principal at Nome Elementary School, and he’s proposing a new mascot.
The wolverine is the elementary school’s current symbol, while students at Nome-Beltz call themselves the Nanooks. Theonnes said a common mascot could unite the different school cultures and encourage younger students to get excited about junior high and high school.
“What I really wanted to do was connect our schools, build the verticality between us, [and] connect our teachers,” Theonnes said. “We’re building kids to go to them and the next piece was — we should be the Nanook cubs or some version of that.”
Arnold said the district has come up with a potential replacement — the Nanauyaat, which means little Nanooks or little polar bears in Iñupiaq.
He said the community will be invited to comment on the new mascot idea through a survey and an open house in September. If the mascot meets public approval, Nome Elementary School will also adopt blue and white as its school colors — the same as at Nome-Beltz.
