Ballet shoes. (Photo by Lolo K. / Flickr) Kayla Desroches/KMXT Next Step Dance Kodiak is preparing for its first performance under its new name and leadership. Mary Beth Loewen took over in June and her students will demonstrate some of their progress at its winter showcase on Saturday. “Mostly I’m just always impressed by how quickly our kids can learn …

Hannah Wandersee. (Photo courtesy of Seawolf Athletics) Kayla Desroches/KMXT A Kodiak local took home the championship at this year’s GCI Great Alaska Shootout as part of the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves women’s basketball team. Hannah Wandersee says they beat out first University of Maryland Eastern Shore and then, a few days later, Tulsa University to win the championship. She says she …

On this week’s Talk of the Rock, host Kayla Desroches speaks with representatives and a student from AKTEACH. They touch on the services the organization offers to the community, including home school and tutoring.  

Bruce Shactler. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Shactler) Kayla Desroches/KMXT National Fisherman magazine just recognized three individuals as its 2017 National Fisherman Highliners. One of those named was Kodiak-based commercial fisherman and Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute global food aid program director, Bruce Shactler. KMXT’s Kayla Desroches spoke with Shactler about the honor.

Leila Pyle. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT A young Kodiak local is passionate about combining art with environmental education. The Kodiak Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center will feature some of her fish-centric works at First Friday this week. For her senior thesis at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, studio art major Leila Pyle taught salmon ecology to a …

Genevieve Opheim sits painting a landscape. Her portrait of her grandmother, May, is far left. (Photo courtesy of Genevieve Opheim) Kayla Desroches/KMXT A local artist will exhibit her landscape art for First Friday. Genevieve Opheim captures Kodiak’s natural beauty through photography and then uses the photos as reference for her oil paintings. And while she says she likes landscape painting …

Pencil. (Photo by FadderUrl / Flickr) Kayla Desroches/KMXT Due to lack of funds, AKTEACH will turn away from a larger statewide presence. The organization includes services like a home school program and distance learning program and, much like village and city schools, is a part of the Kodiak Island Borough School District. Director Nicole Fuerst says a Digital Teaching Initiative …

(right to left) Professor Thia Falcone and students Jeffrey Woods and Aaron Mells. (Photo by Mitch Borden/KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT A new class at Kodiak College this year focuses on community engagement. Professor Thia Falcone says that’s anything from volunteering with local nonprofits to daily kindnesses, like helping someone across the street. While those acts may seem small, she says they …

On this week’s Alaska Fisheries Report, the Gulf of Alaska may have seen a big decline in cod over the last two years. Also, geologists have found that fish help form the landscapes around rivers when they return to their spawning grounds. We had help from KBBI’s Aaron Bolton in Homer, KDLG’s Dave Bendinger and Avery Lill in Dillingham, and …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Kodiak Island Borough School District is working on creating consistency in all its schools. It’s in the process of reviewing its student handbook. Superintendent Larry LeDoux said at a recent school board meeting that they want borough schools to be able to refer to one document. He said the school district hasn’t updated its handbook for a …