First-ever ‘Best Teacher’ in radio contest that raised concerns is elementary and swim/dive instructor Josiah Loseby

Some school district officials questioned if online competition would slight other educators, but board opted out of a resolution to disavow the results announced Monday

Josiah Loseby, a teacher at Mendenhall River Community School who was also a swim/dive coach at Thunder Mountain High School, was selected Monday as "Best Teacher" in an online radio competition. (Photo courtesy of Josiah Loseby)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Josiah Loseby tells his students it's OK to make a splash as an individual while fully recognizing the accomplishments of the team. On Monday he did both when the elementary school teacher and swim/dive coach won the first-ever "Best Teacher" award in an annual "Best of Juneau" radio contest.

"I try to teach my students, and my swimmers and divers, that it is totally great to honor yourself, be proud of yourself, recognize the success that you have, that your team has, that your school has," he said in an interview.

"But it's also equally as important and impactful to honor and recognize the success of other people, and other teams and other schools. That's just as important and you can feel just as good about yourself by recognizing other people, and doing good things for other people that you do for yourself. So that's my hope, is that we could all come together and just recognize good things."

Loseby was honored in a contest hosted by a group of radio stations, including KINY and TAKU-105, that has taken place for decades, with about 80,000 votes cast this year, according to Cliff Dumas, owner/operator of Alaska First Media. Nearly all of the categories are commercial, honoring specific types of businesses or workers.

The creation of the best teacher and best school categories raised concern among several Juneau School District employees who said it "conflicts with the District’s core values of equity, collaboration, and collective responsibility for student success," according to a district administration memo submitted to the school board. The Juneau Board of Education at its March 10 meeting declined to act on a proposed resolution stating it does not endorse best teacher or school categories in the contest.

The awards announced Monday included one for Best Teacher, but not Best School.

"Josiah Loseby is a dedicated elementary educator and student mentor in Juneau, Alaska, serving at Mendenhall River Community School while also coaching swim and dive at Thunder Mountain High School," the contest website notes. "Known for his commitment to student development both in the classroom and through athletics, he emphasizes engagement, discipline, and personal growth. With a background in education from the University of Alaska Southeast and years of involvement in local sports programs, Loseby plays an active role in shaping both academic success and extracurricular achievement within the Juneau community."

The Silver Award went to Davin Savikko, a kindergarten teacher at Kax̲dig̲oowu Héen Elementary School. Among the notes at the contest’s website is he is "known for engaging students with songwriting challenges. He designed the cover for ‘JAMM: The Album,’ featuring original songs from Juneau elementary students."

Loseby, a lifelong Juneau resident who’s worked for the district as a teacher and coach for 11 years, said he didn’t know he was a contender in the contest until people told him earlier this year they had voted for him.

"And then I found out today from one of my colleagues who came by and came in, and let me know and let our class know that ‘Mr. Loseby was nominated as best teacher of Juneau.’ So it was a really cool experience," Loseby said.

Loseby said he voted in this year’s "Best of Juneau" competition and his parents’ real estate brokerage has been a nominee in past years. He said his dad also set a preceding path at the school district, working for more than three decades as a teacher and administrator.

What got Loseby, a graduate of the now-defunct TMHS, to follow his father’s path was an opening for an assistant swim coach at the high school.

"I have always been passionate about teaching and helping students, and just helping people believe in themselves," he said. "And so I jumped on that and got the position. And then at the end of that season the head coach at the time said that he was going to be stepping down from the head coach role and fully supported me moving into that."

Loseby spent 10 years as a coach and is now in his eighth year as a certified educator.

"I think most teachers or all teachers, regardless of where they are in the world, have the overall goal of making a positive impact and a positive lasting impact on the lives of the students and the families that they work with," he said. "And I think that this competition is just a really cool way to see the impact that I've had on the families that I've worked with, are working with currently and will work with in the future. And I'm really honored for that and, again, really appreciate all of my colleagues at Mendenhall River Community School, and see that we're doing a bunch of great things every single day and look forward to that continuing."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.