Page 3 - Ben Eielson News Today

Ben Eielson Junior-Senior High School in Fairbanks will be closing at the end of this school year.

Ben Eielson Junior-Senior High School on Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, which teaches grades six through 12, may be forced to close its doors at the end of the school year due to budget shortfalls.

Parents, students, educators and others attended the latest school board meeting, pleading for their schools to remain open.

Around 200 people packed the Fairbanks School District boardroom Tuesday night to voice their opposition after the district announced four schools it is considering for closure.

Administrators and members of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Board of Education met for a work session Monday where they discussed upcoming school closures.

Ben Eielson Junior/Senior High and Ticasuk Brown Elementary are recommended for closure, while Pearl Creek and Two Rivers elementaries are under consideration

Eielson Junior/Senior High and Ticasuk Brown Elementary are named as the schools the district recommends closing while Two Rivers and Pearl Creek elementaries are being considered for closure.

Carl Ben Eielson is a famed North Dakotan, known for being a pioneer of polar aviation. On November 9th,1929, Eielson and his mechanic Earl Borland disappeared on a flight to Siberia. They were on a rescue mission to an ice-bound ship. By November 16th, the ship reported that the plane had not arrived.

A West Valley High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps student won a local essay contest and was selected as the Fairbanks area JROTC Cadet of the Year.

Track upgrades, a new kitchen at Lathrop and revamped playgrounds are just some of the improvement projects before the board.