Atheneum School

Friday Bulletin
January 23, 2009

Announcements and Reminders:

 This month has brought us three outstanding guest speakers, each a true leader in his field!
•Early in January, Retired General Joseph Ralston spoke to us about his role during his
appointment as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. He presented an engaging talk about the
development of NATO, the principles of its operation and its role in the world, and the differences between
NATO and the United Nations. General Ralston matched our student in his responding to questions. We
hope that he will to Atheneum when he is back from his traveling.
•Willie Hensley came to speak to us with his newly released book, a memoir, Fifty Miles
From Tomorrow. Willie was born in Kotzebue, a small community in Northwest Alaska about 40 miles
above the Arctic Circle. His family lived on the Noatak River delta and lived in the traditional way. While a
college student at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks (1966), he wrote a paper titled "What Rights to Land
have the Alaska Natives: The Primary Issue"- This was the catalyst that moved the land claims issue from
idea to action and launched Mr. Hensley into an active public life that continues to shape our state. A
member of many boards, and a founder of NANA Regional Corporation, Mr. Hensley talked about the
importance of language and story in shaping our lives.
•Cal Williams, a civil rights activist, who as a young man was at the mall in Washington DC
to hear Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous speech, came to tell us stories about being black and
growing up in Louisiana during the 1950’s. Raised by women in his family as the men were just coming
back from WWII and would later go on to serve in Korea, he felt that his mother and grandmother really
shaped his life with values that might otherwise have been secondary. “I was so lucky,” was the genuine
refrain we heard the morning of his talk. Cal talked about his own training to become a non-violent activist,
which he undertook after a tour in Vietnam. “You can be taught to be non-violent. It takes practice!”

 We are very fortunate to have the guest speaker program that David Hoffman founded at Atheneum a
year and a half ago! It gives students and faculty the opportunity to be in the presence of people from
many walks of life who are passionate about what they do and inspire others to go forward with their
own lives. Our thanks to parents Gail Johnson, Ed Cullinane, and staff member Gary Holthaus for
scheduling these speakers. Coming to speak to us in the near future is David Hoffman who has
returned to Alaska from several weeks in Liberia where he is involved in community organization and
the structuring of micro financing.

 Thanks to parents, staff and students who attended Tuesday night’s PTSA meeting. The meeting
focused on two items of business, The Annual Auction and Student Recital on February 13 and
student recruitment. Our PTSA meets the third Monday of each month! The next meeting is February
16 at 7:00pm. Please plan to attend!
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 This semester, we welcome new students and their families: Matison Deaton, 11 , Pamela Jones,
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9 , and Kody Conner, 8 . We are happy to have you as part of the Atheneum Community!

 Staff and students are working on the Spring 2009 Iceland Trip Proposal and plan to have it ready to
view next week!

 Finally, as this historic week comes to an end, several faculty members and students who attended
Arun Gandhi’s talk “Lessons From My Grandfather” are still conversing about the parallels between the
non-violence movement of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King. Coaching groups on the
inauguration speech of Barrack Obama will concluded with an all school seminar scheduled on Monday
morning!

 Parents: Friday Evaluations of students go home today. Please bring in those auction items and
turn in your sold tickets!

 Have a wonderful week ahead!