Ketchikan High School Warned by Region, State Governing Body

• News Home
• More from News of the North

Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 11:01 PM

By Klas Stolpe

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Messenger
• Share on Messenger
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Whatsapp

A Wrangell High School and Ketchikan High School wrestler participate in a match earlier this season at Juneau's Thunder Mountain High School. (Klas Stolpe)

Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - The Region V Executive Committee of the Alaska School Activities Association has warned Ketchikan High School of possible sanctions due to not following Region V policies concerning  COVID-19 mitigations at the recent Kayhi wrestling tournament.

  A formal letter sent by Region V Executive Committee president Jaime Cabral to Ketchikan High School and to ASAA Executive Director Billy Strickland noted that:

  “Due to Ketchikan High School’s actions, Region 5 schools and communities have been subjected to unnecessary health and safety risks related to COVID-19. This letter is to be considered a “warning” from the Region 5 Executive Committee. The undue stress on all communities and participating schools could have and should have been avoided. Ketchikan High School’s failure to follow the plans as set forth by the Region 5 Board of Directors created a situation that put both the Region and participating schools in an unsafe and unnecessary situation. These actions may jeopardize other schools academic in-person schedules and future activities. This is unacceptable and future violations of Region 5 policies may result in Ketchikan High School being denied membership in Region 5 in the 2021-2022 school year.”

  Ketchikan Athletic Director Cole Maxwell said in an email response that "the cause of the outbreak would be a question for public health or the Ketchikan EOC."

  “Kayhi believed it was following protocols, but misunderstood and was not,” Maxwell noted. “That action has been corrected and Kayhi will be following the Region V wrestling mitigation plan moving forward. All spring activities are moving forward and games cancelled from this weekend are actively being rescheduled. Kayhi was issued a warning by the Region V executive board.”

  Juneau-Douglas High School canceled their girls soccer trip to Ketchikan this weekend as did the Thunder Mountain boys.

  Sitka High School had to cancel their home track meet and baseball games that would have featured the Ketchikan Kings.

  The Native Youth Olympics Traditional Games were also affected, with the southern portion of the event that was to be held in Ketchikan rescheduled.

  Ketchikan had hosted eight teams in the Region V Division II meet last Friday followed by their Bill Weiss Tournament on Saturday. Teams from Craig, Haines, Metlakatla, Mt. Edgecumbe, Petersburg, Sitka, Thorne Bay and Wrangell participated.

  Ketchikan also hosted a track meet that included teams from Haines, Petersburg and Sitka.

  The communication also notes that an appeal can be made to the Executive Committee within 30 days of the decision.

  Some of the possible violations included not testing wrestlers within appropriate time before the tournament and not following the masking requirements at the venue. Masks are not required while in a match but are at all other times in the venue by wrestlers and fans.

  ASAA Executive Director Billy Strickland said he was aware of the situation and it is being dealt with by Region 5.

More from News of the North

• Last-minute Anan Wildlife Observatory permits available at the end of June

  Wrangell, Alaska (KINY) - Visitors will soon be able to submit requests for the last four daily permits to Anan Wildlife Observatory, which are meant to accommodate last-minute planning and need to be requested in person at the Wrangell Ranger District, up to one week in advance

• Alaska Delegation frustrated by interior’s delay of the Ambler Access Project

  Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) and U.S. Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), today released the following joint statement after the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced an up to six-month delay for the finalization of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the proposed Ambler Access Project (AAP).

• Dozens evacuated from small cruise ship in Alaska after engine room fire

  Juneau, Alaska (AP) — A fire in the engine room of a small cruise ship in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve prompted the evacuation of dozens of passengers and crew on Monday. No injuries were reported, and the fire was extinguished, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

• CCFR on scene on Fritz Cove Road fire

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - CCFR responded to a fire toward the end of Fritz Cove Road at 2:31 AM.

• Murkowski leads bill to invest in blue cconomy, spark innovations in coastal communities

  Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Representatives María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Ocean Regional Opportunity and Innovation Act (Ocean ROI Act), legislation that would require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a federal strategy for investing in the nation’s ocean-based economy with “Ocean Innovation Clusters” (ocean clusters).

• Water & Sewer Utility Rates To Increase July 1

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - CBJ wants to remind citizens that there will be a utility rate increase effective July 1. The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly, in August of 2019, approved increases to both the water and sewer utility rates. The 2% rate increase will go into effect July 1.

• Comments exceed 100 in effort to shape future of integrated forest management on the Tongass

  Ketchikan, Alaska (KINY) - A public outreach designed to compile as much local input as possible to shape the future of integrated forest management on the Tongass National Forest is proving to be successful and there is still plenty of time to comment.

• Sitka Salmon Derby comes to a close

  Sitka, Alaska (KINY) - Yesterday, saw the 68th Sitka Salmon Derby come to a close. News of the North has the scores

• Brett Gilbert sentenced for 2017 hatchet murder

  Fairbanks, Alaska (KINY) - Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Paul Lyle sentenced 55-year-old Brett Gilbert to 75 years in prison for the murder of Mark Mitchell on July 30, 2017. Gilbert was convicted by a jury of murder in the first degree earlier this year.

• A study to monitor the potentially imperiled Aleutian tern kicks off in Alaska

  Yakutat, Alaska (Alaska Beacon) - Researchers fear the uncommon bird may be in severe decline

• Juneau Symphony closes their 60th season with epic 'Showdowns'

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Juneau Symphony's theme for their 60th season was 'Epic' - and their final performance for the season went above and beyond.

• United Fishermen of Alaska announces support for Senator Lisa Murkowski’s Fishing Industry Credit Enhancement Act

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Late last week, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at supporting rural fishing communities.