Yukon-Koyukuk School District

CONTACT INFO:

Email: thall@yksd.com

Phone: (907) 374-9437

Patty Woody is the Yukon-Koyukuk School District (YKSD) Career & Technical Education (CTE) Assistant Director. She has worked at YKSD for 12 years as CTE Assistant Director, CTE Coordinator, and an Itinerant Counselor. Patty has worked in education for the past 19 years, in a variety of positions ranging from Graduation Success Coach, to Career Guidance Specialist, to After-School Program Instructor, to School Counselor, to Accreditation Evaluator, to Education Administrator, and CTE Coordinator. Each position helped prepare her for her next job.  Patty is an experienced and skilled educator, and her dedication to student success and professional development has been an inspiration to colleagues, students, and the community. She is a valued member of the YKSD team and an integral part of our success.

Prior to pursuing education, she started her professional career as a chemist. After working in an environmental testing laboratory for nine years, she volunteered in a group home for teenage boys. Patty's experience as a Teaching Parent cultivated her passion for helping young people reach their full potential and led her to pursue a degree in education.

Patty has one daughter, a son-in-law, and two granddaughters. She loves doing outdoor activities, including hiking, skiing, and running. Her favorite activity is ski-journeying, where you are pulled on cross-country skis by a dog.

Certifications, Training & Professional Development

Alaska Association for Career & Technical Education Member 
Perkins V State Advisory Committee
EXCEL Alaska Board Member
A-CHILL Board Member
Educators Rising CTE Advisory Committee Member 
Interior Steering Committee 
NCPN Leadership Development Academy Graduate 2018-2019
Alaska Association for Career & Technical Education Secretary 2013-2017

CONTACT INFO:

Email: pwoody@yksd.com

Phone: (907) 374-9435

The CTE Coordinator at YKSD, Dave Foshee, has been teaching in the educational field for 29 years, 25 of them in Alaska. Before moving to Alaska, he earned an undergraduate degree in education from the University of Oklahoma and taught junior high science for three years. In 1997, he moved to Alaska and taught elementary through high school for six years with Bering Strait School District. In 2003, he earned his Masters in Education Leadership and served as principal of James C. Isabell School and Koyuk Malemute School until 2007.  

He worked for the Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District from 2007 to 2013 as the principal of Joy Elementary. Dave was a dedicated educator and was beloved by students and faculty alike. He was appointed assistant principal at West Valley High School in the Fall of 2013, where he remained until he retired in 2022.

Certifications, Training & Professional Development

2022 Region 6 Assistant Principal Of The Year Award

CONTACT INFO:

Email: dfoshee@yksd.com

Phone: (907) 374-9468

The CTE Student Support and Training Coordinator at YKSD, Brian Powell, has been teaching in the educational field for 28 years, 25 of them in Alaska. Before moving to Alaska, he earned an undergraduate degree in science education from Black Hills State University and taught high school science for three years in Wyoming. In 1997, he moved to Alaska and taught high school science and math for the Lower Yukon School District and Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District.  In 2009, he earned his Masters in Education Leadership and served as the principal of Nordale Elementary in Fairbanks until its closure in 2022.  

Before his retirement from the Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District, Brian worked as an assistant principal at West Valley High School and as Assistant Director of Human Resources.  One of Brian's most proud accomplishments is his work with colleagues to establish Star of the North Secondary School, an alternative charter school in North Pole Alaska. Brian looks forward to using his years of teaching experience, education leadership, aviation background, and construction/woodworking skills to enhance the District’s CTE program.

Misty Posekany is a CTE Training and Support Specialist at YKSD. In this role, Misty helps to coordinate CTE courses and facilitates teaching contracts. Misty also helps to create harmony in the background to ensure classes run smoothly. Misty brings with her 10 years in business administration and finance.

The experience of teaching preschool during COVID sparked Misty's passion for education. In that capacity, she developed lesson plans, honed her skills in fostering the emotional, social, and academic development of young people. Currently, she is enrolled in the YKSD CTE Grow Your Own Teacher program. She is working toward marrying the background she has in finance into becoming a teacher of business and finance. Misty is eager to gain teaching experience. She is confident that her experience in the business world will help her to be an effective teacher of business and finance. She plans to use her unique perspective to help students gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful.

Having grown up in North Pole, Alaska, Misty is a native of the area. Her husband and her have 4 children. They enjoy being outdoors, gardening and raising chickens. Misty also thrives on giving back to her community. She is currently serving as the North Pole Community Chamber of Commerce President (NPCCC). NPCCC is currently working on raising funds for the North Pole Welcome/ Empowerment center. There, she is working to ensure students and adults alike have access to career paths and financial literacy to help each individual find their passion.

Certifications, Training & Professional Development

Cosmotology - UAF TVC

Volunteer of the Year - 2022

North Pole Community Chamber of Commerce - President - 2022-2023

Mac Pac - 2018-2019

CONTACT INFO:

Email: mposekany@yksd.com

Phone: (907) 374-9469

Jocelyn Patsy is the YKSD CTE Facilities/Special Projects specialist. Jocelyn brings with her skills in Behavior Health, Special Education, maintenance and groundskeeping. She has a background in hospitality and works with staff to ensure that the CTE Facilities are safe and up-to-date. She also assists with special projects and is a valuable member of the YKSD team.

A native of Nulato, Alaska, Joycelyn moved to Fairbanks to pursue a certificate in Process Technology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a course that had to be postponed due to COVID. Her long-term goals are to complete school and move back to her hometown where she can enjoy life to the fullest.

When Joycelyn is not working, she loves spending time with her dog, reading, and beading. She also enjoys traveling to rural villages all over Alaska to learn more about local culture. She enjoys seeing the sights and sounds of more rural villages. She loves learning about the traditional way of life and meeting the people who live in these villages. She believes that it is important to preserve the culture and traditions of these communities for future generations.

Certifications, Training & Professional Development

Highschool Degree - Andrew K. Demoski School, Nulato