Soldotna High School is off to another great school year and we are truly impressed with our 500 full time students. As we welcome the “Class of 2015” we also need to send a special thanks to the Class of 2011 and to all of our AP students! Soldotna High School had 33 students take AP exams during the month of May. We are proud to report that out of those 33 students we had 13 students score a perfect “5” on their AP exams ranking them among the best in the United States! We also had another 14 students score an impressive “4” on their AP exam.

The president spoke to a joint session last night about growing jobs in the U.S. by giving incentives to employers (tax breaks) to stimulate hiring new employees, I listened to the speech and have questions.

Question: Why would some one hire new employees if there is no market for his product/service in the current market?

Answer: Because it will save the employer money with tax breaks and put people to work.

Today is International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day. All around the world, people are recognizing the 9th day of the 9th month, representing the 9 months of pregnancy when women should not drink alcohol. Here in Alaska, FASD is a big issue. Here on the Kenai Peninsula, it’s a big issue. We have a great diagnostic team, and we do some wonderful education. Statewide, we are a leader in this area. But we still have a lot to work on, and one of those areas is our perceptions of why women drink during pregnancy.

Gov. Sean Parnell recently issued an executive proclamation naming this week Suicide Prevention Week, with the intent of drawing more attention to an issue that plagues Alaska.

Indeed, suicide ranks as one of the top 10 causes of death in Alaska, and the suicide rate here remains twice the national average — a number the governor described as “epidemic.” The rate is highest among young Alaskans, ages 15 to 24, and is the second-leading cause of death among Alaskans ages 10-24.