For the second year in a row, Cordova High School graduate John Bruce has been honored for his outstanding teaching at Romig Middle School in Anchorage. Last year it was the Alaska Teacher of the Year Award, with a trip to Washington, D.C., to receive the honor. This year he was named a National Education Association Teacher of Excellence, and once again headed back to the nation’s Capital for more recognition.
Bruce was born and raised here in in Cordova, and graduated from high school in 1986. He began a career in banking after earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration, where he advanced to vice president in charge of multiple branches for Bank of America.
At age 30, he discovered his favorite part of the job was developing and mentoring young employees, so he went back to school to earn a master’s degree in education at Alaska Pacific University. He began his teaching at Houston High School near Wasilla, eventually moving on to teach mathematics in Anchorage.
He teaches pre-algebra, algebra and algebra II at Romig Middle School, and has been featured on statewide TV for his lively, humorous, and hands-on approach to discovering and enjoying mathematics.
As part of his NEA Award, Bruce was scheduled to travel to Peru this summer for sight seeing and a few demonstrations of his teaching methods. Instead, he opted to stay in Anchorage, where he and his kids are very active in sports. His daughter Chelsea, a freshman who has excelled in cheerleading and dance squads, has been selected for the Dimond High cheer squad. His son Alex, a 7th-grader at Meares Middle School, continues to develop as a standout in both basketball and baseball. Bruce himself is one of the main officers involved in organizing, scheduling and managing the city’s popular and competitive Little League program, and coaches one of teams.
The Bruce gang will find time to come to Cordova to visit with proud parents and grandparents Randy and Jackie Bruce, and share the traditional September opening of the waterfowl season at their family duck cabin on Eyak River.
One suspects a question for his advanced students might run along these lines: How far do you lead a pair of mallards coming downwind in a 25 mph gale when shooting 12-gauge No. 4 shot with a muzzle velocity of 1,350 fps at a range of 40 yards?
You can certain Bruce will spice the problem up with a few duck hunting tales, plus photos and video on a computerized classroom screen; and then split his class into groups to tackle the challenge that has baffled many a Delta duck hunter over the years.
