From Alumni

Jenny Minor (Class of 2002) writes: I credit my years at

Atheneum for encouraging precisely this sort of enthusiasm about
this depth of study — the teachers, other students, community,
trips, Great Learning, and of course the texts themselves — all set
the stage for the kinds of observation, awareness, and questioning
that are so integral a part of healing, learning, and life itself.
(Hmm, I just noticed that I have the same Latin dictionary on my
desk that I got for my first quarter in 6th grade… and have many
more intimate book-friends dating to Atheneum days on my shelf!)

The farther I go in my education, the happier I am to have been at

Atheneum and the luckier I realize I am to have had such an op-
portunity at that age; it has truly deepened every aspect of my
higher education and my very way of living and engaging with the
world — in interactions with other people, ideas, cultures, prac-
tices, and my own sense of self.
Photos (left to right) Middle school students with pendulum experiment.
Finished constructing the geodesic dome are Austin Johnson and Jacob
Surber (2009). Below is Atheneum’s 10th class of seniors, the Class of
2009: Austin Johnson, Ali Bowles, Jakob Surber (from Switzerland), Janelle
Coy, Tim Treadwell and Stephen Burgoyne.

Marie Craig (Class of 2000) writes: Atheneum School sent me

into a future that was more than I bargained for. After my
graduation from the program in 2000, I found myself learning
Greek in Crete, studying the Great Books at St. John’s College
in Santa Fe, teaching literature and math at a Quaker Boarding
School in Ohio, and teaching subjects that range from Keats to
Compost Piles in Uganda. I learned at Atheneum that I could
succeed in many fields, as the faculty excited me equally about
the study of novels and the dissection of a pig. I insisted to my
math teacher that I could never do calculus, and he showed me
that I was wrong. This led me to risk foolishness on many occa-
sions, whether that meant opening a Crepe Stand for a summer
job or traveling to Uganda to teach students my age. Atheneum
taught me the strength of my own voice. When I spoke out in
class, teachers and fellow students responded with care and Remembering Our Friend, William Dix Fowler
interest. My teachers often encouraged me to write down my
thoughts, a practice I maintain to this day. I felt trusted to
When Tim Treadwell gave his graduation speech last May, he reminded
probe an issue or question with depth and care, and so I
us all that he came to Atheneum School in the first place because of Bill
learned to trust myself.
Fowler. Bill knew his dad and Bill knew us. Bill was a people gatherer ,
always looking to bring people together for something great to happen.
The largest gift Atheneum gave me was a love of learning. I At such a gathering, Kevin and I met Bill and his wife, Toni, seven years
approach my life with eagerness even in tough times, because I ago and that is when Atheneum School became Bill’s personal mission in
know I have the opportunity to learn something new. I see chal- the last years of his life. He took time to help us develop a future plan,
lenges as opportunities to understand life a little more. I can tutored us on the fine art of networking (Bill Fowler style), and he and
learn in or outside of the classroom. Atheneum has not made Toni were behind us on every level– the first to contribute and the last to
my life easier, for it forced me to examine my decisions and my leave a function. Bill loved to ask our students questions about how they
life. It has, however, made my life better. Wherever my life were thinking and he delighted in their responses. ―You know what
takes me, I will never forget my first true educational experi- Atheneum is?‖ he asked me after being a guest lecturer talking about the
ence at Atheneum Classics School. building of the Alaskan Pipeline. ―It is a leadership school. They can take
the lead in anything they want. These kids are so creative in their think-
ing. How do they think like that?‖ Then he laughed and I thought to my-
From A Parent self that taking that creative lead in just about anything was what Bill did
all of his life. We are influenced by him daily and I miss him. –L. Ossorgin

Steve Poirot sent an email to us early this winter: Brooke

We are grateful to Bill’s wife, Toni and their children and their families for
and I just had dinner with Michael Barber (Class of 2000) and
requesting donations be made to Atheneum School in lieu of flowers. Many
Sifu Zhou (founder of Atheneum’s Great Learning Program).
of Bill and Toni’s friends responded. To honor Bill, Northern Air Cargo es-
Michael got to talking with Brooke about Atheneum (a long con-
tablished The William Dix Fowler Memorial Scholarship shortly after his death
versation, needless to say), and Brooke said something like,
in the summer of 2008. The scholarship recipient for the 2008-2009 school
"I'm always finding that everything that we're learning in one year was Nicholas DeMolina. The recipient this year was Clyde Hoffman
class is closely connected to all the things we're learning in our (below right).
other classes... it's so amazing! I often catch myself wondering
if it's just me, but then I think about it and realize that these
things really ARE connected." I commented that to create a
program that leads to such realizations would require a combi-
nation of artistry and genius, and that probably not one in a
thousand schools have programs that would cause students to
say what she had just said. Everyone strongly agreed.

Photo (Right) 2007 Atheneum friend and advisor, Bill Fowler, with
students Sandra Amoak (from Ghana) and Tim Treadwell. This was
(Above) Clyde Hoffman, 11th,
one of many occasions Bill visited students to talk about their educa-
Napaimute, AK and Johnnie
tion, their dreams, entrepreneurship and making good things happen
Chung 11th, Taipei ,Taiwan
in the world. “Nothing is impossible if your best thinking is behind it.” Photo by Nick DeMolina, 12th.
(Cont. from pg. 1 Renewable Energy remote village schools. Furthermore, our
School) outreach has included our students and
parents. Austin Johnson and Tim
with a high school way up in Alaska, Steve
Treadwell flew out to Takotna for the last
merely challenged them to find another
two years to help villagers run the check-
school closer that had such a renewable
point during Iditarod. Takotna is a favorite
energy program! They are very excited
spot on the trail for mushers to take their
and we will have an Intensive at the end
mandatory 24 hr. layover. Recently, Ta-
of the month to help in all phases of in-
kotna needed more hands to make it 1.
stalling the solar panels. We will provide
work. Austin and Tim made quite the
our students with the hands on project
impression. Last year, Heather Johnson,
involving economic considerations, accu-
Austin’s mother went out as a volunteer !
rately measuring the energy, mechanics of
installation, and possibilities for uses of
extra electric power.

Since 2007, Atheneum students have

“Music is sound in the
periodically participated and presented in
the Arctic Energy Summit, the Bioneers air with rhythm and
Conferences, a graduate class at U.A.A., emotion echoing through
local Native conferences on energy, the
summer energy fair, local news stations
lots of worlds even all the
and others. way to Nikolai.”
Atheneum School is flexible and in con- -Miska Alexia 2.
stant dialogue with students, parents, and
From a seminar discussion in Nikolai, AK
the concerns of our society and its future;
therefore we have been able to provide
these kinds of exciting ―cutting edge‖ pro-
grams for our students as well as influ- Photos from Top Left 1.Puppets and
ence on our community. At the same theater made by Atheneum stu-
time, what allows us to think ―outside the dents for an original Native Alaskan
box―, challenge contemporary assump- tale. 2. Greg Tony of the village of
tions, and become better able to speak, Nikolai working on illustrated map
write, and be rigorous in our discussions, project of the Iditarod Trail.
is all due to our study of philosophy and 3. Students in Grayling arranging
the classics! These are the great minds composition for a project they titled
throughout history that challenged their “The Community Caring Quilt.”
contemporaries and continue to speak in 4. Katie, webbing the village sea-
sons. 5. Miska Alexia with his buddy
3.
most powerful ways to our students at
Kevin. 6. Music class at Top of The
Atheneum School.
Kuskokwim School. Phil Runkle (rt)
has since moved to Anchorage with
his family and is in 9th grade at
(cont. from pg.1 Atheneum Program Atheneum. 7. Lydia at below –50 in
in Village Schools) Takotna. 8. Tim Treadwell,
Atheneum student/ volunteer dog
on the Iditarod Trail (southern route, run
handler in the village of Takotna at
on even years) and off the road system.
their checkpoint for The Iditarod–
The villages are accessible by boat in the 4. 5.
The Last Great Race!
summer and plane in the winter. The next
summer, the faculty was invited to partici-
pate in teaching music and art at a week-
long Fine Arts Camp in McGrath for middle
school students from all the district vil-
lages. Since then, faculty and interns,
Elijah Ferbrache, Will Hoelscher and
Kyra Rice have ventured out to village
schools bringing Socratic seminars, art
and music classes. It has been a mutually
6.
beneficial partnership! Lydia and Kevin
have led professional development work-
shops both on site and through video tele
-conferencing made possible by parent
Brad Spees, GCI Vice-president of Mar-
keting. By installing state of the art VTC
equipment and cables, GCI continues to
support our vision of extending our edu-
cational program through outreach to 8. 7.
In 2007, an alumni parent, Sandy Matthews, provided a car and the funding for Atheneum students to convert the car to fully elec-
tric power. This exciting project became the foundation for our studies of all kinds of energy from local and Native Alaskan village
resources to worldwide con-
all sides and issues led to con-
tractables, renewables, and a
in the world to be off of oil, Ice-
vance and importance of this
today, Atheneum has incorpo-
ences (well ahead of our new
to be green!). We added tutori-
independent studies to support
Atheneum parent, Steve Poirot,
ested in installing solar panels in
5)
cerns. Atheneum style study of
troversial ideas about ex-
2009 trip to the leading country
land. With the immediate rele-
To our Friends, Students, discussion in our state and world
rated this study into our sci-
Parents, Alumni and Staff: chemistry textbook that claims
als, two-week intensives, and
We are celebrating this topic. Last month when an
was asked why a company inter-
Louisiana should partner (cont. pg
the 15th Anniversary
of
Atheneum School!
We could not have done it
without you.
Thank you for your
involvement, inspiration
support and friendship
throughout the years!
Best Wishes to each,
Lydia Ossorgin and
Kevin Holthaus
Co-founders