ADVOCATE | AFTERSCHOOL PROFESSIONALS WEEK
Afterschool
Professionals Appreciation Week
Join us in celebrating our Afterschool Superheroes for their dedication to working with youth during out-of-school hours and explore the bios of past Afterschool Heroes to learn more about their work.
Nominate an Afterschool Superhero!
Nominations are due by Friday, March 27!
Why Celebrate?
Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week is a time to recognize, appreciate and advocate for those who work with young people during out-of-school hours. The week is marked by celebrations, public relations, and advocacy efforts encouraging appreciation and support for afterschool professionals who make a profound difference in the lives of youth.
Past Afterschool Superheroes
2025 - Renee Veldman, Kaili Watkins, Karen Donavon, Michelle Crow, and Vanessa West
Read about the 2025 Alaska Afterschool Superheroes here.
2024 - Madeline Emmi, Eric Heil, Shellie Worsfold, Victoria Merritt, and Elizabeth Castillo.
Read about the 2024 Alaska Afterschool Superheroes here.
2023 - Meghan Boltz, Chris Etzwiler, Becky Turland, Jennifer Wienke, Karina Marette, and Cindy Tapia-Ruiz.
Read about the 2023 Alaska Afterschool Superheroes here.
2022 - Becca Madsen, Valarie Jackson, Connor Tetlow, Shirley Craig, Katie Holmlund, and Lea Hood.
Read about the 2022 Alaska Afterschool Superheroes here.
2021 - Mo Dart, Pam Gingue, Jazzanne Gordon-Fretwell, Sierra Moskios, and Julie Johnson.
Read about the 2021 Alaska Afterschool Superheroes here.
2020 - Billy Smith, Pauline Mejia, Wendi Raygor, Karla Horner Raffaele, and Chong Vue.
Read about the 2020 Alaska Afterschool Superheroes here.
2019 - Kristina Rush, Drasida Basargin, Lynette Ortolano, Kristy Peterson, and Kiara Kearns.
Read about the 2019 Alaska Afterschool Superheroes here.
2018 - Deanna Baier, Jorden Nigro, Kyla Dammann, Marilyn Eggleston, and Brad Fidel.
Read about the 2018 Alaska Afterschool Superheroes here.
2017 - Tracey Hupe, Missy Odsather, Janice Hadley, Thomas Burek, and Courtney Havrilek.
Read about the 2017 Alaska Afterschool Superheroes here.
2026 Afterschool Superheroes
Chris Orsbun | Site Coordinator, Mountain View Elementary 21st Century Community Learning Center, Anchorage School District
Michele Hayman | Chief Operating Officer, Boys & Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula
Cheyenne Wilson | Site Lead, Dillingham Elementary School 21st Century Community Learning Center, SERRC
Lucas Thoning | Site Coordinator & Academic Coach, CHILL Time Razdolna School, Project GRAD Kenai Peninsula
Hannah Jenks | Afterschool Program Coordinator, Hunter Elementary School 21st Century Community Learning Center, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Click Here to learn more about our 2026 Superheroes.
Save the Date for Upcoming Afterschool Professionals Week
2026: April 20-24, 2026
2027: April 19-23, 2027
Help Highlight Afterschool!
A Social Media Toolkit For Your Program
Right click on an image and then select “Save Image As…” to save it to your desktop. Then, you can upload it to any social media platform you’d like! Feel free to use our suggested post text or think of captions of your own. You can also download these images from Canva here.
