FRESH PERSPECTIVE

HOUSTON — This year at Houston High, there are many new teachers, and with fresh faces come new personalitiies.

Students who were once unsure about their new English, math, history or government teachers are attending classes and hearing new perspectives. Sean Seamands, Jennifer Jabbour, Tommy Pettit, John Robertson, Scott Ruta, Beth Longshore and Stephanie Sparks are among those who have come to Houston High to share their point of view.

Seamands made his way back to Houston as a wrestling coach. Now Seamands is a U.S. history teacher, and he’s ecstatic to be here.

During his years of coaching, Seamands got to know many people around the Houston area.

“The parents and families are super nice, and very kind and inviting to newcomers,” Seamands said.

The warm welcome from the families of his wrestlers gave him the ability to overlook any negative reputation that Houston may have had.

“I don’t put anything behind rumors or what people think they know about our school or what people say about it unless I can actually witness it or know it to be true,” Seamands said.

During breaks between classes, Seamands can be seen standing with groups of students making jokes and laughing, showing the connection he has with students.

Seamands said his overall goal while teaching at Houston is to help prepare his students for their future classes at Houston and their education beyond high school.

“Hopefully they’ll be as prepared as I was when I went to college,” Seamands said.

Jabbour, a returning Houston teacher, has taken over the freshmen English classes and some upper English electives with a sense of renewal and unity with the students. Jabbour admits the best part of her year so far is working with the upperclassmen in her classes.

“I already have relationships with those kids,” Jabbour said.

But Jabbour also said she is looking forward to the next couple of years as she gets to know her new students even better.

Jabbour said she is excited to be back at Houston because of the smaller classes sizes, compared to Colony High, where she taught last year.

“I really like it when I’m out in the halls and I know all the kids,” Jabbour said. “Even if I don’t have them in class, I can still recognize them and develop more of a rapport with each kid, even though they might not be my students.”

Jabbour didn’t return simply to mingle with familiar faces. She said she feels the longer a teacher is in place, the more successful she can be.

“You can compare it to being a freshman versus being a junior,” Jabbour said. “You know how things work, and you know where to find things. It’s just quicker and easier to be successful.”

When Jabbour found out she was able to come back to Houston, she said she was happy to be back. The biggest shock, Jabbour said, was the change in the students.

“It was kind of shocking, the physical changes and the mental growth,” Jabbour said. “It was fun to see (the seniors) three years older.”

Pettit, a new math teacher, transferred from the Anchorage School District to work at Houston because he said he felt being in the Valley was the best fit for his life right now. Pettit grew up in the Valley and said he would like to get a feel for the community once again.

“I want to wor k here long term and get to know the students and staff outside of the school in places suc h as dances and sporting events,” Pettit said.

Pettit said he enjoys working at Houston because of the professional atmosphere, and he is able to talk and work closely with other staff members. Also, in a smaller school, he has found that students seem to respect one another more than in bigger schools.

Pettit said he had many job offerings in the Valley and only had a 24-hour window to make a decision. He ultimately decided to teach math at Houston, a smaller school.

“(In)small schools it is easier to keep track of kids and by the end of the year, you pretty much know everyone in the hallway even if they are not in your class,” Pettit said.

Robertson, who has lived in Alaska for the last 10 years, was a student teacher in the past. This is his first year as a full-time teacher.

“Houston is one of the best high schools in the Valley because of its good sense of community,” Robertson said.

Robertson, who teaches Alaska history and government, said he decided to teach at Houston becasue he likes teaching in a smaller school where he can get to know the students and staff better.

This year, Houston High has about 390 students, with an average class size of about 23 students. There are 30 clubs, sports and other extracurricular activities offered throughout the school year. Currently 78 percent of the Houston student body is involved in activities and 76 percent of the members of the Houston staff coach or sponsor the programs.

Houston High has made Adequate Yearly Progress in eight of the last nine years, and has the best AYP record in the state among Alaska 4A schools.

Houston’s math proficiency went up 22 percent and language arts rose 14 percent.

Kylie Boepple and Katie Jensen are students at Houston High School and contribute to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman schools page.