Love of Burchell keeps school nurse coming back

WASILLA – Burchell High School, an alternative school in the valley, originated in a portable behind Wasilla High School in 1989 with three students. Now in 2015, Burchell has grown from a small portable to 15-30 new students coming every year.

Burchell has 300 students this year. Burchell is different from an ordinary school, because it offers Advance Path Academy, which is online schooling and offers a variety of classes. Students can earn up to 10.5 credits while doing APA, but the rest is up to you, because the online classes are self-paced. Burchell offers after school classes, and school based counseling. Burchell also offers a program called PACE which is Positive Alternative for Continuing Education for suspended students or expelled students. But, with all of the change within Burchell, Diane Demoski has remained a constant.

Demoski was one of a few people who started at Burchell as a school nurse 26 years ago. Diane went to college at South Dakota State University for four years and received a Bachelor of Science and a Nursing Degree and then went to California State University for two years and received her Master’s Degree. Diane then chose to be a part of Burchell because she had just moved into the Mat-Su Valley from California and wanted to do something different; she thought it would be fun.

“I love everything about Burchell, the students especially,” Demoski said. “I love seeing students believing in themselves and graduating.”

Demoski said the school is different in several ways.

“Burchell is more flexible, it has more options working with students who haven’t been successful in the past. The school also made a commitment to help students in need,” she said.

Asked if she would ever be a nurse somewhere else and if she liked the changes, Demoski was quick to reply.

“No, I love Burchell and yes for the most part I think change is hard even if it’s good, it can be stressful but we are constantly looking at how we can do things better.”

Not only is Demoski a school nurse, she also spearheads grant funded after school programs and a supper program for several other schools in the Valley. But speaking of Burchell, Demoski said she works at the school of her dreams.

Rebecca Petersen is a student at Burchell High.