2015
Get your badge
Award Winners

NBRS Badge for Mat-Su Career and Technical High School

Mat-Su Career and Technical High School - Wasilla, AK

Students in the field learning about wild land fire fighting

Students in the field learning about wild land fire fighting

Mat-Su Career and Technical High School helps young people figure out what they want to do after high school while they are still in high school. Students explore their potential future careers via career pathways, selecting from courses in healthcare, business, building, tourism, fitness, transportation, human services, and natural resources.

To test the validity of our school, we always ask what would our outside industry partners expect? If a standard exists in the workplace, we employ that standard in our school. We borrow from many different industries to make our curriculum relevant. In keeping with our commitment to real-world standards, we often say to our friends in industry that we teach students and you test them.

For example, our school offers over 40 certifications from our real-world partners, industries such as the State Board of Nursing, Microsoft, Cisco, NCCER (National Center for Construction and Education Research), Adobe, ProStart (culinary), OSHA, The National Coaching Federation, and a financial literacy certification through WISE (Working In Support of Education).

All students at our school take a customer service class and customer service permeates everything we do. People are good to each other here, treat each other well, and look out for each other. There has never been a fight at our school, there are no dented lockers or marks on the wall, and students are an active voice in everything we do. As one parent stated, "My kid loves this school and all his teachers. What a special place!"

2015 Awardee

Mat-Su Career and Technical High School

2472 North Seward Meridian Parkway
Wasilla, AK, 99654-6699

(907) 352-0402

Principal at time of Nomination:
Mr. Mark Okeson

Choice School

Mat Su Borough School District

Suburban with characteristics typical of an urban area

School Website

Mission

The mission of Career and Technical High school is to help students figure out what they want to do after high school while they are still in high school. We further this mission by making our classes as relevant and as tied to industry as possible.

Student Demographics

  • Asian: 2%
  • Black/African American: 2%
  • Hispanic: 3%
  • Native American: 15%
  • White: 75%
  • ELL: 3%
  • Economically Disadvantaged: 26%
  • Application