A Village Death - Dec. 12, 2009

Sometimes a blog is just informative, and that is the only purpose of today's subject: death. We have recently had two deaths in our village. It has a big impact on life since our population is so small. I did not attend either funeral. My views presented here are from others who have tried to explain some traditions.

As I said, death affects the entire community. Our total population is around 532 people. Everyone knows everyone. Many people are directly and indirectly related to each other. With each passing death, the impact is great. First and foremost, after a person dies he/she is never left alone. When one of our elders died in Anchorage, his body was returned to the village via a private charter. The village went to meet the plane and escort his body home.

The body then resides at home so that the entire community may come and pay their respects. Those closest to the deceased will stay up all night with the body. Someone must be awake at all times with the body. Over the course of visitation, those close to the deceased will have very little sleep, but they will take turns sleeping. The rest of the community also pays their respects in many other ways. No bingo. No play for children. Respect for the deceased is observed by everyone and every age.

The actual funeral service itself is quite long - lasting perhaps two to three hours. Everything shuts down for a funeral - store and school. This allows everyone the opportunity to attend the funeral. Most services are held in the school gym to accommodate the crowd. It is a solemn event.

But even after the funeral, respect for the deceased will continue. Children born in the near future will be named for the two who have died. The sex of the child may not matter. I have a female Wassilene and a male Wassiline. I have an AnaBoy and AnaGirl. Remembering the deceased is what is imporant.

Off to Anchorage - Nov. 25, 2009

Thanksgiving break began and within minutes we were on snow machines headed to the airport for our charter to Bethel. The tundra had changed to a beautiful and serene setting. It was a smooth trip. Our next flight from Bethel to Anchorage took only one hour. But once we arrived, we were treated to a five inch snowfall. It was beautiful. I stayed at the Captain Cook Hotel right downtown. My view of the city was fabulous.

For Thanksgiving dinner I met two other teachers, and we went to one of the girls' distant relative's home. It was a wonderful dinner. The person who hosted the dinner is a surgeon, and she had invited two of her staff and a close friend. Her friend Caroline happened to have raced the Iditarod and was married to Norman Vaughan, who had raced in the Iditarod thirteen times. Everyone was interesting and everyone seemed to have a story, so it was a very entertaining evening.

The next morning I woke early and went shopping downtown. My village does a gift exchange. Two women organized it. First, they visited everyone in the village to see if they wanted to participate. I was number 295 to sign up. Then, a few weeks later, they returned and I drew a name. I knew the person whose name I had drawn. He's a regular at the men's open gym for basketball, so that made it much easier for me to buy his gifts. In addition, when he signed up. he listed his sizes. Most people spend about $100 on their person. I was very surprised by the amount, but I signed up anyway. I wanted to be a part of the gift exchange. So, I was off to do some serious shopping. In addition, I chose a name from our staff Christmas exchange. My person is one of our school board members. Needless to say, I shopped and I shopped. I was able to buy quite a bit. What I wasn't able to purchase, I'll do online.


That evening on my trip back to the hotel, I heard beautiful Christmas horn music. I went over to see what was going on. It was the annual tree lighting. People were walking around offering free cookies and hot chocolate. It had just begun, so I decided to stay. It turned out to be an hour show of music, singing and acting. And, then Santa and his reindeer showed up and the tree was lit. It was a beautiful, warm evening. And, the place was packed. I returned to the hotel, nestled in, and watched the city lights. It was mesmerizing.

On Saturday, I did a little more shopping, but not too much. I met up with my friends and we wandered through lots of quaint little shops. It was just an easy going Saturday. Everything seemed normal - and then I saw him - a man walking a reindeer.

We ran across the street to take pictures. The reindeer's name was Star. The man lived over on 9th Avenue, and he was just taking his reindeer out for a walk. So, as we were talking, another man walked up to us - Santa Claus. I couldn't make this one up! Yes, while we were talking to a man who was out walking his reindeer, another man dressed as Santa joined us. Remember, this is Alaska.

After shopping, we returned to the hotels and cleaned up for our last dinner in Anchorage. We chose Orso. My principal had recommended it. I had a wine and appetizer dinner. Excellent. One thing for sure, there are many excellent restaurants in Anchorage.

Sunday came too soon. At 12:30 I was on my flight back to Bethel, and by 3:30 I was back in the village. I had a great time in Anchorage. I can hardly wait until my next trip here in March - for the start of the Iditarod!

Me, Erin, and Seque
Thanksgiving Day

Judy's son Jamie, Segue, and Caroline

Our hostess Judy works in her kitchen, preparing our Thanksgiving dinner.

Dinner at Orso
Seque, Me, Erin with friends of Erin's

My last view of the city of Anchorage.

Let the Feast Begin! Nov. 24, 2009

Akiuk Memorial School hosted a Thanksgiving feast for the community of Kasigluk. As you know, Kasigluk is made up of two villages: Akiuk and Akula. In total, our population is around 530 people. So, when you invite the entire community, you certainly have a big party.

Most of the planning was done by Annie, our cook. Fourteen turkeys were baked. Mashed potatoes, stuffing corn, cranberry sauce, lettuce salad, jello salads, olives, celery, bread with butter, pineapple upside down cake, spice cake, white cake, and a variety of beverages were also served. Amazing, isn't it? And, we didn't run out of food.



The school from Akula's side came over early. We put our students together and they danced. Then, the elders poke on cultural values. The students listened to them speak for over an hour. We then lined the students up by age and the feast began.




We each had a job. The first photo shows Tweelie, a student teacher, carving one of the turkeys.
Deanna (left) helps Annie (far right) serve.















Karla and Paul served the salads.










Vicki helped serve desserts.








I was in charge of the line. This was my view. The line was throughout the lobby and continued outside. People waited patiently for over an hour. Students were served first. Once the student line was done, my job was over. The community line began. I, instead, went to help with the turkeys. I carved three of them - straight from the oven. No chance for them to cool. We needed the meat - "right now."


When the feast ended, Annie prepared take home boxes for anyone who wanted to take food home. Before long, the food was gone and clean-up began. We had a few students volunteers to do the clean-up - perhaps twenty. They got the work done quickly. When they were done, they knew they would have open gym. Here's Duane supervising the group.



What a fun day! Good food. Good people. A great way to start the Thanksgiving holiday.

Santa Arrives - Nov. 23, 2009

At 10:30 this morning, a stir began to go throughout the school. Santa! It came across the VHF: Santa was on his way. With coats on we all went outside to await his arrival. Soon, we could hear him. No, not the reindeer, but the Black Hawk helicopter. It was an amazing sight. When the helicopter landed, there was a cloud of snow that completely concealed it. Soon there was silence and the door opened. Out jumped a few army men/women, out came the boxes of toys/books, and finally Santa and his wife appeared. As we were standing there watching, one of my boys asked me if I knew what happened to Santa's reindeer. I answered, no. So, he explained - the reindeer were shot and eaten, and that's why Santa now uses a helicopter. Okay. . .

Slowly, Santa made his way to the younger ones who were waiting for him. After shaking hands, they brought him into the school gym where a crowd of parents and babies had assembled. The students returned to class and the babies/pre-schoolers had their pictures taken with this kind man. We had a few tears, but for the most part, everyone left happy - present, candy cane and a book in hand. We brought all the classes down, and each student had his/her turn on Santa's lap. Everyone participated - high schoolers and staff included.



After a few hours Santa had to leave. Our kindergarteners came back to tell Santa "Quyana," thank you. He then waved and said goodbye, "Piuraa." Everyone was so happy. It was one magical moment. Peace. Joy. Many happy little faces - all because of Santa Claus.

Accelerated Reading Store - Nov. 23, 2009

"WOW!" That's what they all said when they walked into my room, which had been converted into the Accelerated Reading Store. After a weekend of pricing and arranging, the store was finally ready. We had school supplies, hair shampoo-conditioner, toothpaste/toothbrushes, toys, stuffed animals, candy, coffee, jewelry, jump ropes, t-shirts, iTunes gift certificates and much more. Teachers, administrators, and students - all were amazed at the sight of the store!





The teachers of the K-4 grades brought their students in so they could simply walk through and look at everything. You could hear the students "planning" their purchases. The store wouldn't open until the end of the day. Everyone would have to wait.




The Accelerated Reading program assigns points to books. Students read the books and take a quiz on the books. They receive a certain number of points for their scores. We total their points and award them their tickets. The staff helped me "price" the prizes. For one hundred fifty tickets, you could purchase a car or shampoo/conditioner. For fifty tickets, you could buy toothpaste/toothbrush or jewelry. For twenty tickets, you could buy pens, pencils, notepads, or pencil sharpeners. We had all quite a selection for everyone - no matter how many or how few tickets one had.



The AR Store opened late in the afternoon. We started with the youngest. When I went to get the first group, Curtis told me - "I want the car." I counted his tickets - exactly 150. He could buy one. A few other students would have liked to purchase the car, but only Curtis had earned enough tickets. We lined up and walked to my room. When everyone was in, I explained the rules. Then the "shopping" began. In a flash, Curtis had a new car and I had 150 tickets in my hand. We helped everyone shop - making suggestions, counting tickets. After 20 minutes of shopping, our first customers were done, and our next group arrived. Everyone was so excited.




I brought the students in class by class and gave each group about 20 minutes to shop. At the end of the day, I opened it up to everyone. At that point a few brothers and sisters pooled their tickets to shop. Several students "bought" presents for other siblings. It was wonderful to watch them decide on what was important and what they really wanted.


The success of the store was due to a group of retired teachers who bought the prizes and mailed them to me here in Alaska. Most were colleagues of mine from Richwoods High School in Peoria, IL. Others were my family, who always support me in my endeavors - no matter where I am. Thank you so much for your generosity. Because of you, the Accelerated Reading Store was an overwhelming success.

Tundra Travel November 14, 2009

Here they are - the high school speech team! There are actually five girls in the picture. One is just photo shy and is hiding at the moment. The girls are in our school sled, which is attached to our school snow machine. We are off to the airport which is on the other side of the river. I didn't ride in the sled. Instead, I sat behind Carl Berlin on the snow machine. Within ten minutes, we were at the airport. When we travel, the district requires heavy gear. So, we wear our warmest. If the wind chill is below 35 degrees, we are not allowed to travel. Fortunately, it wasn't that cold. It was only about 22 below! We had record daily cold temps for four days! Trust me, it was very cold on that snow machine.

I tried to buy the warmest gear. My parka is Canada Goose, warm enough for Antarctica. It's fabulous. My boots are Sorel, good for 100 below. My gloves are Gordini down. I have neck scarves, a windproof/waterproof balaclava, Smartwool socks, Patagonia baselayers 3 and 4. My snowpants are down with waterproof seams, telflon outercoating and extra padding in the seat and knees. Ugly - but warm.

When I bought my clothing in Anchorage, I emphasized warmth, windproof, and waterproof. It's important for daily wear, and it's important for that plane ride which is not heated. Another reason for the warmest clothing is just in case the plane should go down. Your chances of surviving the crash are pretty good. But it will take hours for a rescue crew to get to you.

Has it happened before? Yes, while we were in Bethel for the speech tournament, a plane on the way to Kipnuk went down. The plane lost its oil pressure, and it simply stopped running. The pilot glided the plane down. The landing was so smooth that the twin babies in the back seats did not even wake up. But it took three hours for the snow machines to get to them. They had to cut the trail. One of my girls on my speech team had an aunt on that plane. The best advice to give for winter travel: Get the best gear. It's worth every penny in case of an emergency. (Here I am with my backpack in front of our school.)

Our time in Bethel was short. The speech team arrived Tuesday morning around 10:30 and the competition began at 1:30. There were two rounds. At the end of round 2, we learned who would continue into the semi-finals. Of the five girls, we had three who advanced. The semifinals were the next morning. By noon, we knew who would advance to the finals. We had two! That afternoon the finals began. My two girls now had to present their speeches in front of all contestants.

That evening before the pizza party, the winners were announced. Renae placed first in Yup'ik original oration and fifth in English original oration. Nicole received fourth in English original oration. Their speeches were excellent. Renae spoke on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, a disability totally preventable by avoiding alcohol during pregnancy. Nicole spoke on the need for young people to step up and learn to speak Yungtun, the Yup'ik language. Just last year one of the Alaskan Native languages died with the death of the last elder who could speak the language. This could happen to the Yup'ik language, too. It's up to this generation to learn their Native language. Both girls did such a great job!

After the awards ceremony, the pizza party began followed by the dance. Everyone had fun. At 10:30 the party was over and by midnight all the lights were out. We were asleep on the cold floors of Bethel High School. By seven Thursday morning, we were dressed and ready to leave. Soon we were on our flight home. At 10:30 A.M., I was back in the classroom teaching. It was a quick trip to Bethel - successful and fun!

Spirit Week November 2, 2009

Once Halloween was over, it only seemed normal to have a Spirit Week. Sorry. . . that should be spirit as in school spirit! We started the week off with dress-up days.
Monday - Paint Your Face Day
Tuesday - Pajama Day
Wednesday - Dress Up Day
Thursday - School Colors Day
Friday - Qaspek Day




The kids seemed to enjoy themselves. Even the lockers were decorated. Esther's locker is decorated for the Native Youth Olympics. The sport Esther does is to kick a ball hanging from a string. She crouches holding one leg and then kicks herself up until she is standing on one arm, holding her leg, and kicking the ball with the other leg. It's pretty remarkable. The other poster is for volleyball. Our students don't dress like that for the sport; they wear uniforms, but the poster looks great. Our volleyball team was the district champs last year. This year seems to be a bit of a struggle. But who knows - once the district meet starts anything can happen!




Basketball hasn't started yet, but when it does - look out. It is extremely popular. We also have junior high/high school speech and robotics teams. It's nice to get the kids involved. But just as it is in the Lower 48, many of the students are in multiple activities and some students simply don't chose to be involved. We work hard to get all the kids involved. This year's Spirit Week was a success. As you can see, we think the Akiuk Grizzlies are #1.