New School Superintendent Works To Meet Challenges

CRSD School Superintendent Therese Ashton. (Photo, CRSD)

Meet Therese Ashton, Superintendent Of The Copper River School District

Therese Ashton arrived in the Copper River Valley last June. She got here just in time to take over a challenging new school experience, as the coronavirus epidemic forced all local schooling online. 

Background In Fairbanks, Tanana & Wrangell
Therese graduated for West Valley in Fairbanks in 1977. She was school superintendent and principal in Tanana. She and her husband of 37 years, Mike (who is in construction) lived in Wrangell for 18 years, where she was principal of the elementary school and worked on federal programs. 

Copper Valley Is "Very Welcoming"
The CRSD school superintendent told the Journal about coming to the Copper Valley: "We just love it. The school district is bigger than the one I came from. It also has a lot of moving parts to it, because of all the changes that have happened. I'm still learning about the different people – the different resources. [Local] organizations have been very welcoming and helpful. It's made the whole transition pleasant." 

District Staff
She added, "The staff has been very dedicated; very creative. It really shows how much they care about the students that they teach on a regular basis. They're trying very hard to make that personal contact, providing help through these times. The staff, for the most part, hasn't done a lot of remote teaching and learning. It's amazing how quickly they've adapted." 

About the Bus-Delivered Spring Lunch Program
The district's lunch program during the time of coronavirus is ambitious. "We can feed any child from zero to 18. It's pretty wide open. We've been really happy to do that. Anybody can call the school and get to be part of the program, whether they go to school or not." The meals are made in the mornings, and put on the school buses. The route is done with an aide on the bus. There's a special schedule for each bus route. Call the school at 822-3234 for details. Or, you can call the school, and there's a lunch pick-up van in front of Glennallen School. 

Next Year
The superintendent said: "I am looking for input on the calendar for next year." The budget for next year is also a topic for the school board next month. Keep an eye on the CRSD website.

Here's a link to the website for the school district:
Copper River School District