The school district has hired Clemence Hwayire as a new special education teacher — the last of four new faculty hires for the school year that started on Tuesday.
Hwayire brings 24 years of teaching experience to Wrangell, including a decade focused entirely on special education. He began his career in Zimbabwe, teaching fifth through seventh grades for 18 years in public and private schools. He later taught in Botswana for four years before moving to Fairbanks in 2024 to teach for two years.
Though he applied to schools across several states when leaving Botswana, he felt drawn to Alaska. Adjusting to the subarctic weather, however, proved to be an initial challenge.
“It gets cold in Fairbanks — very cold,” he said.
Wrangell’s milder climate appealed to him, and he was also encouraged by the district’s reputation and vision for the future.
“Special education is different than standard teaching,” he said. “With special education, you are more focused on the individual needs of the student, and you aren’t focused on managing a classroom.”
He added that he values the strong partnerships required in his role, working alongside general education teachers, administrators and parents.
“I have been impressed with what I have seen with the administration and the faculty so far,” he said of Wrangell. “I think this is a good environment with good communication. And I want to be a part of this community. I think this will be a great place to grow professionally and personally.”
His hiring comes after a string of departures left the district needing to replace roughly 20% of its faculty for the 2026-2027 school year: special education teachers Mikki Angerman and Ryan Howe resigned; elementary teacher Michelle Clark took an extended leave of absence; and kindergarten teacher Madison Blackburn’s contract was not renewed.
