Longtime Nome resident Julie Kelso wears a lot of hats.
She’s the President of the Nome PTA, sponsors the annual spelling bee, organizes the school’s community calendar, and even serves as a substitute math teacher.
Despite all of this, for the near-two decades that Kelso has contributed to Anvil City and Nome Public Schools, she’s never taken a paycheck.
Anvil City’s Principal, Lisa Leeper, has worked with Kelso since 2008.
“She’s just a volunteer,” Leeper said. “I think she puts so much into it without ever really getting recognition or people fully realizing how much she does to help us.”
Leeper said that on top of having a wealth of knowledge, Kelso is among the easiest people to work with.
“She has so much to offer, but she doesn't put it in your face,” Leeper said.
Anvil City Science Teacher, Keane Richards, called Kelso’s presence a rare gift to teachers and students alike.
“I think she really exemplifies that old-school volunteerism that I think is really important for our kids and our communities,” Richards said.
Richards’ daughter, seventh-grader Rosalie Richards, said that Kelso is much more than just her algebra tutor.
“She brings us brownies to eat, and she really dedicates a lot of her time to the spelling bee. And she's also helped me out in my math class a lot,” Rosalie said.
The charter school principal said that Kelso’s influence stretches far beyond the classroom.
“She has been on strategic planning committees for our whole district, and that is really digging deep into our goals for our district,” Leeper said.
Leeper said she wasn’t surprised Kelso selflessly volunteered her time.
“She is just so passionate about education, and over the years, she served Nome Public Schools and Anvil City Science Academy a multitude of ways,” Leeper said.
Leeper is set to retire this month after 25 years with the district and made honoring Kelso one of her final priorities before stepping aside. Kelso, however, still plans to volunteer next year.
