monicainalaska

08:23 pm: Reflection of the past 3 year . . . .
Wow!  I can’t believe how fast time flies!  I remember how nervous I felt, when I was first offered the teaching job in Alaska.  I went through a confusing tizzy, unsure of what to think of this….  Alaska just felt too far from home to even consider leaving my safe, familiar surroundings for this unknown, mysterious life in a small village on the Bering Sea.    In my mind I debated to myself the pros & cons, but in the end just thought I was not tough enough to really take that BIG leap into the unfamiliar, harsh environment, known as ‘Bush Alaska’.  

Thankfully, God puts people into your life for specific reasons . . . . I was lucky enough to have a friend, Waid Johnson, explain to me what an amazing opportunity this would be.  Waid shared many memories of his experiences traveling in Greenland with Paul Shearke, living with the natives and adapting to the culture. And he said, “To think – what’s one year out of your life?  If it’s not for you, come home in a year.”  You have so much to gain and nothing to lose, so why wouldn’t you take this opportunity of a lifetime.” 

I then went home and decided I should JUST DO IT!  And so I did and the rest is history . . . . .


The Kids From Nowhere by George Guthridge 

This is an excellent story of a family’s struggles and triumphs of teaching in a remote Siberian Yupik village in Gambell.  This village can be found on the very edge of Alaska, located on St. Lawrence Island – very, very close to Russia. 

The title “The Kids From Nowhere” is a name the students used to describe themselves.

Many of George’s scenarios resemble the same experiences I have been challenged with as well as enjoyed becoming a part of. 
 
While reading, I came across the following quotes, which really struck close to home for me –

1)
“The breeze blows my hair and chills my cheeks.  I feel alive, here at the edge of the world, and realize a terrible truth.  My heart belongs here, where I can never remain forever, for my people are of another place, my ancestors and relatives scattered and ultimately unknowable.” 


2)
“You a good man, but you troubled,” he says.  “You know what your trouble is?”  You half Eskimo, George.  Somebody forgot to tell you that,” stated a Native man from Gambell.

My trouble is that I’m a man without a culture,” responds George. 


3)
“Going home for the summer?” asked the pilot.
“No, leaving home for the summer.”  answered George. 

07:01 pm: Home At Last… well, sort of…. for I have two homes – Minnesota & Tununak
Sunday -
Derek & I boarded the jet in Anchorage after midnight and arrived in Minneapolis at 12:30 in the afternoon (with ONLY a short layover in Seattle - unlike our last experience there in December).  It was nice to be home, but I was exhausted!  I really dislike taking the red eye flight, but it is sometimes unavoidable when you have 3,000 miles separating your two homes!!!    

10:25 pm: Layover in Anchorage
Saturday -
Derek & I flew to ANC on the afternoon flight, arriving around 3:30pm.  My cousins, Shannon & Maggie picked me up for a quick day trip adventure with the family.  We went to the Anchorage Zoo and out to eat for dinner.

Afterwards, I met back up with Derek, Paul & Janel for a quick late night movie.  Being the big movie buffs, that the guys are….. we scheduled our flight around having time for a movie.  We watched X-Men Origins – Wolverine.  It was a great movie.  Last weekend, out in the village we had a X-Men marathon, to catch Janel up on the series before today’s planned outing.  It was nice to see Paul & Janel again before leaving Alaska.  I don’t know when the next time will be….. hopefully sometime this summer, since we only live one state apart (in the lower 48).    
      
 
Conner & Cassidy enjoying all the railings at the Zoo!  (Shannon's kids)
 
Conner loved the tiger!                                      Quinn being a helpful older cousin:-)
  
Maggie with her 2 boys - Kyler & Quinn.

*** We had a zoo of our own before even getting to the Alaska Zoo!  Wow!  I couldn't believe how much they have all grown since last May.  Kyler & Conner are no longer tiny babies, but actually look like real people.  Walking, laughing & somewhat talking (or at least making animal noises)!!!  Quinn has now graduated from Kindergarten & Cassidy(3) is still one smart little young lady - using thought-out, complete sentences. 

09:55 pm: Last day in Tununak
Friday –
It was one fun-filled crazy day.  There was plenty of work to be done: checking grades, filling out permanent records, passing out book orders to students, and finish dispersing next year’s materials to the correct locations, and scrubbing my classroom clean to George Panruk’s satisfaction.

For lunch I was invited to a student’s house for some seal soup.  Dorothy & I drudged through the snow, brown tundra and deep water to get to their house.  We walked on top of 20 feet snowdrifts and yet still had jumped over puddles that had turned into streams where the sun had already melted the snow away.

Almost all the teachers left Tununak on the evening flight – Derek & I flew to Bethel with Janel, Paul & company (baby Luke plus 2 Great Danes).  Once we reached Bethel, former Tununak teachers - Paula, Rod & Gayle met us at the airport.  We said good-bye to Paul & Janel as they were on tonight’s evening jet to Anchorage.  Derek & I couldn’t get on the standby list, so we spent the night at Gayle’s house in Bethel. 


    'The Gang' on our last night in TNK. 
George & Heidi, Nathan (Heidi's Brother Nathan, visiting from Michigan), Paul & Janel, Derek & Me.

  Heidi modeling her wedding Qaspeq.
George, Heidi & Nathan flew to Newtok this afternoon for tomorrow's BIG DAY!!!

 
Derek sporting our alumni colors!  Go SCSU Huskies!        Paul & Derek with the girls (Kai & Stormy) on our way
His old classroom, my future classroom:-)                           to Alaska Airlines.  Ridin' pretty in the back of Gayle's
                                                                                             purple truck!!

08:12 pm: Last Day of School
Thursday -
Students started the morning cleaning their classrooms, than parents were invited to attend our school’s Awards Ceremony.  I recognized a handful of my outstanding students as well as all of my NYO athletes.  Afterwards, school ended at lunchtime with an End of the Year Picnic for the entire community.  The second half of the day was spent getting ready to closedown school for the summer.  Every school year, I have moved classrooms.  Next year I will be teaching 5th & 6th grade all day.  So besides moving my things to a new classroom, I need to shutdown the ELD curriculum (which is being discontinued, due to grant funding) and organize my room for next year’s new 1/2 SPED, 1/2 ELEM teacher, who will teach in my current classroom.    

Moving time! 
In addition to cleaning/moving my classroom at school, Derek & I are moving into Paul & Janel’s apartment next door and Heidi & George are moving into ours.  So between the 3 apartments, we are playing musical chairs will all our belongings.  Every night this week I have stayed up late - either packing, moving boxes next door or cleaning every square inch of our house.  With the sun staying out late with us past midnight, the mind can play tricks on you.  Luckily we had plenty to do, and did not waste anytime tossing & turning over the brightness shining through our bedroom windows.  It all has to be done TONIGHT, since we are all leaving tomorrow . . . .

10:31 pm: Games Day
Wednesday –
The last Thursday of every month, the whole school gathers in the gym for Games Day.  The students & staff are divided into 6 teams with Alaska animal names such as Salmon, Beavers, Walrus, Moose, Caribou, and Seals.  Anna and I coached the Moose team to a 6th place finish all year long…. except for today!  Our team has accepted our lack of point earning on these miserable Thursday afternoons, but some how our team ended up on top.  I really don’t know how or why, but there were many surprised faces when we received the 1st place award for May’s Games Day.   Usually we hold up 6 fingers, to show our place, and today instead of holding up 2 hands…. we only have to hold up one finger!!!  It was nice to see some other smiling faces, instead of Paul’s Walrus team, who usually comes out on top.       

10:14 pm: Staff Picture 2009

08:46 pm: It's 5:30am, the sun is up and I am still awake!!!! Is it really Saturday already!?!?

All Night Lock-in = NO SLEEP

Friday 10PM - Saturday 10AM

After the graduation ceremony, Paul & I chaperoned an ALL NIGHT High School Lock-in for his exceptional students.  It was a ton of fun….  but very, very draining.  I did not go to sleep the whole night.   A few of the older guys wanted to go seal hunting Saturday, so Paul & 3 boys decided to take a 1 hour nap, before heading out to the ice floats for a long day in search of seal.  Around 7:00AM students started to drop like flies in all sorts of locations…. while others left at daybreak for an early start at hunting.   We all cleaned up quickly and decided to call it a night at 8:30AM.  It was definitely time to go home - there were many of us having difficulties walking straight & talking coherently.  

When I arrived home, I got all ready for bed (pj’s on, teeth brushed & contacts out) and decided I should probably go next door and say good bye to Gayle before she leaves.  Because I knew I would not want to wake up anytime soon, once I went to bed.  Despite how exhausted I was, I enjoyed reminiscing with Gayle & Janel about the good ol’ days of Tununak.  One of last night’s students gave me the great honor of joining the ranks with the two of them, in the ‘Best Tununak Teacher’ category!  That was pretty neat… I hope to remember that moment next year when I have a rough day and feel like all hope is slipping away.  

I finally went to sleep at 10am!!  I was awake for over 26 hours!  Yikes!  I closed my shade and slept until 3:30pm.  My day was already 1/2 over before it began!

Here are some pictures to document our sleepless night:

   
Basketball, Yuraq (Eskimo dancing) and NYO ... all at the same time

   
Parachute Time... this was really a ton of fun:-) 

 
Computers & coloring

 
Paul trying to keep it cool... but really, really just wanting to sleep (Lucky for him he eventually 'volunteered' to nap with the 4 seal hunters)

08:56 pm: Class of 2009
Last night we hosted the annual Thursday night Senior Dinner for the families of the seniors.  It’s always fun to dress up and eat really good food.  This year we had turkey & steak with fresh grilled veggies & real mash potatoes plus strawberry shortcake for dessert. 

Friday –

We have only three seniors this year - Thomas Albert, Allison Lennon & Stacy Asicksik Jr.  The ceremony began at 6:00pm, with Janel & Gayle as the two commencement speakers.  Gayle & Autumn flew in from Bethel this afternoon for the graduation celebration.  I was in charge of running the sound system, only messing up one time:-)  Opps!!

Out of the 3 seniors, I have only taught Thomas, as well as coached him.  He thanked each one of his teachers & coaches with words of thanks and gratitude - as well as words of advice for me (referring to coaching NYO) “Remember to show them you mean business… you need to be more strict!” or something like that. 

* Thomas will be going to college in Bethel for the 1st semester, than transferring to UAF in Fairbanks for mechanical engineering.

* Allison will attend UAS in Juneau for a nursing degree.  She is the HS math teacher Holly’s daughter.    

* Stacy will attend Job Corp in Anchorage to study heavy machinery.  

There were also 12 preschoolers who step across the stage and are now ready to enter kindergarten in the fall.  Twelve students – that’s huge!  And there are only 4 girls – leaving a heck of a lot of boys!!  The current kindergarten class has 7 boys & only 1 girl!!  The school ratio all the way up to the HS has more males than females – what’s up with that!?! 

   
Allison, Thomas & Stacy                                                            12 preschool graduates:-)

 
Janel giving her speech

10:28 pm: Baby Luke
Heidi & I stole Luke for the night!  And we actually got a way with it for the 1st time!  Janel & Paul were preoccupied with selling their ND home over the phone, so we kept the baby busy & happy with us at my apartment!  Here are a few cute pics of our bundle of joy:-) 

   
Baby Luke & I

 
Luke & Heidi                                                            Derek & Luke

10:04 pm: My risky attitude ‘almost’ came back to bit me big time…..
I have been driving back and forth through the village this week, using the beach (on the ocean) as a safe alternative to the melting river (the river is the village road in the winter).  I have always been told to gun it, when driving over the soft, thawing river.  Well, this time I decided to take the river edge, just this once… Heidi & I wanted to see the black hawk as it approached the airstrip – we were on our way to pick up George (he was in Bethel for National Guard training). 

While driving along the riverbank, I was trying to scout out a safe crossing.  I saw the trail I used a few days ago, but I wasn’t sure if it was still safe.  This resulted in a last minute hesitation, so I continued to follow the shoreline, when all of a sudden the thick slushy snow swallowed my snowmachine.  Heidi & I were on the verge of tipping sideways and the machine turned inward, right towards an open pocket of melting river water.   I quickly stopped the machine, and we investigated the current predicament we were in…meanwhile George was getting off the black hawk & we were sinking into the slushy river.  The heavy wooden sled we were pulling, didn’t make things easier.   I few days ago, when I was chatting with a friend at school about getting suck, he once said, “You live in a village.  Don’t worry, someone passing by will stop to help you.”  Well, the 2 of us stood there looking hopeless, and there was no one in sight.  So much for a helpful passer by-er… everyone was out seal hunting on this beautiful day.  I resorted to digging out my new cell phone and called for some help.  We were stuck right outside a good friend of mine’s house.  He of course was out seal hunting, but when I asked his daughter if anyone else with muscles was home.  She asked me what muscles were, so I reworded my question to “Is there anyone home who is strong enough to help me pull my snowmachine out of a snowbank?  I am right outside your house.”  She happily responded, “Sure, I’ll go get my uncle, he’s next door.” 

A few minutes later, her mom & uncle came to our rescue.  Not only was my snowmachine stuck, but I was stuck too.  I sank to the bottom of the slushy snowbank.  While I was trying to get one foot out, the other one just sank deeper & deeper, with the surrounding ice quickly freezing.  I was now stuck in the slushy snow up to my waist.  My rubber boots were so submerged in the icy water, the snow froze all around my foot and I was literally frozen in place.

Thankfully her uncle skillfully drove the machine up and out of the unsafe, melting river.  After we push the wooden sled up the riverbank, and reattached it to the hitch, we continued on our journey towards the airport, Heidi & I just laughed the nerves out of us.  Yikes, just another adventure out here on the Yupik tundra.  We found George & his buddy walking across the bridge and it looked like they were happy to see us, better late than never right!?!  But man did we have a story to tell….        

After almost sinking my snowmachine in the river.... Let’s just say, I learned my lesson about driving my snowmachine in the spring.  I need to become more aware of my surroundings and look beyond where I am, to survey the land conditions and avoid the dangers before they sneak up on me.      

01:10 pm: Hey Monica, Do u still have snow on the ground there?
Yep, and lots of it.... when there is over 30 feet of snow, it takes more time. The quickly melting snow makes it challenging to walk. I'd be walking on the snow just fine, when all of a sudden one foot sinks in and I am now in snow waist deep - basically making you trip because your body still has the forward momentum going, but then you are forced to stop. You look funny falling, but its okay cause everyone is doing it:-) 

Land of the midnight sun -
The sun is now setting after midnight these days.  It’s that confusing time of the year when your mind still thinks it’s early, and your body needs sleep but you lay there and just can’t.   *** Besides our students having the end of the school year excitement, the teachers also have to deal with tired/crabby students who have the same “Spring Daylight Sleeping Challenge Syndrome”  – I see many students still outside late playing, because it is hard to tell what time it really is.    

Only 3 more weeks of school……..

For proof.... Here are some pictures:

08:18 pm: LKSD All-Star Team @ the State NYO Tourney
April 21-27th

Tuesday:  Thomas, Frank & I snowmachined to Toksook unexpectedly – we were scheduled to leave Wednesday morning, but the weather forecast showed a storm moving in.  Everyone from the villages flew in a day early.  We spent the night on the floor of an elementary classroom.  I did not have anything packed, or 3 days of lesson plans written yet and still needed to teach all afternoon…. let’s just say I ran home & started throwing everything & anything into my large suitcase (I brought more than I needed, but it’s better to be safe than sorry).    

Wednesday:  Thankfully, we flew in yesterday, because as predicted – the weather was down & there were no planes going to Nelson Island all day.  We flew to Anchorage on the afternoon flight and checked into the Holiday Inn Express, our new home for the next four days.  After dropping our luggage off @ the hotel, we all went to the Golden Corral (a huge buffet) for dinner and ended the night swimming in the hotel pool. 


For a description on the events, click on this link to download the NYO Handbook  www.citci.com/index.aspx

Thursday:  The first day of the Anchorage State NYO Tournament began with the Opening Ceremony.  Teams from all regions of Alaska (57 communities) marched into the arena holding a banner, to represent their school.    

Kneel Jump:
1st Place - Daniel Andrew III  57 inches
4th Place - Laura Therchik 43 1/4 inches

Alaskan High Kick:
1st Place – Andrew White 93 inches *** New State Record***

Wrist Carry:
Frank did well, making it 2 3/4 laps around the gym, before falling off while turning a corner.  Possibly could have placed, if he held on another 5 feet or so.  In our District tourneys we measure the WC by time (due to the size of our small gyms), but at the State Tourney the carriers run and feet instead of seconds measure the distance.

Friday:
Eskimo Stick Pull: 
4th place – Thomas Albert

One Arm Reach:
3rd Place - Yako McCarr

Two-Foot High Kick:
None of our LKSD athletes placed, but both did very well.

Toe Kick:
1st Place - Albert Tunuchuk 82 inches
1st Place – Amanda Black 53 inches *** New State Record***
Amanda was interviewed after the Toe Kick event.  Coach Paul Paul & myself helped Amanda with additional details.

At 6am I ran down the hall and knocked on Amanda’s hotel room with my computer.  I woke Amanda up, as well as the other 3 seniors sharing her room, to share the front-page story on her.  The Toe Kick Queen’s eyes were too sleepy to read the screen, so I read it to her.  She was all smiles!!!  

Check out the sweet newspaper article in the Anchorage Daily News…… 

Toe-kick queen
Napakiak's Black sets record at SNYO
By KEVIN KLOTT
Published: April 24th, 2009 10:24 PM

Amanda Black became an instant celebrity in her village of Napakiak on Friday when she blew the lid off Anchorage's Dena'ina Center at the Senior Native Youth Olympics.

The 18-year-old not only set a record in the girls toe kick, she also crushed her personal best by five inches to give Napakiak -- a Lower Kuskokwim village of about 400 people -- its first Senior Native Youth Olympic champion.

"I think the village of Napakiak will have a feast," said Paul Paul, a coach for the Lower Kuskokwim School District. "They will be so proud of her."

Black, representing Napakiak's first athlete at SNYO, put together a jump that drew tears from her coach.

"She was really focused," Paul said.

Black shared the toe kick record with Beverly Nakarak of Bering Straight School District, but Black was named the winner because she leapt 53 inches in only three attempts. It took Nakarak six tries.

"It was pretty cool," Black said about winning an event that teaches kids to be light on their feet on sea ice. "I'm really happy."

Black dedicated herself to breaking the record -- set in 2007 by Renae Ivanoff -- four years ago when coach David Bill introduced her to the sport that only requires a tape measure and a stick.

Black practiced the toe kick for two hours every day after school. On the weekends, while she worked at Napakiak's only grocery store, she would hone her leaping skills alongside grocery isles.

"I worked on jumping when there was nothing else to do," Black said.

The training never seemed to stop, even when she came to Anchorage for SNYO.

On Thursday night around 9:30, Black had her stick and tape measure handy in the Holiday Inn Express lobby.

But her practice was cut to only 30 minutes.

"The lobby lady said curfew was at 10," said Monica Hecklinger, a teacher who lives Tununak. "It was time to stop."

Come Friday, it was time to give it her best. She became one of five athletes to break records so far with one more day of competition. 


- - Here is the link, if you want to read other NYO articles: www.adn.com/sports/story/772295.html - -



Saturday:
Indian Stick Pull: Rena (from Nightmute) was one win short to making it to the finals bracket. 

One-Foot High Kick:
Thomas kicked 100 inches, but missed the 104” ball.  He could have received the 3rd place medal, but had more misses than the other 3 boys who also missed the 104” mark.  He finished in 6th place.

Seal Hop:
5th Place – Megan Friday
2nd Place – Moses Charles *** State Record*** 
Moses was only 9 feet short of the 1st place champ from Nome.  The Nome guy had been trying to break the state record for years and finally made it.  I am sure he was getting worried when Moses was quickly approaching his finish mark.  The Nome guy is a senior, so Moses will have one more shot at breaking the state record next year.  He has already started training with pull-ups & push-ups at the hotel and in the airport these past few days. 

2nd Place Finish - Overall Team Points
LKSD All-Star Team

*** Since 1987, the LKSD All-Star Team has been in the top three every year.  Mostly 1st place, a hand full of 2nd place finishes & only a couple 3rd place.  We have always dominated the State Tourney, making us the team to beat each year.*** 



 
LKSD All-Star Team                                                       Coaches: Monica, Paul Paul, Charlie Issac & Marty Smith

   
Opening Ceremonies - wearing our Qaspeqs (traditional dress). 


Frank in the Wrist Carry - carriers Thomas & Albert.         Girls Wrist Carry - Andrew & Moses carrying Delcie. 

 
Chanice in the AK High Kick.      Me with my 2 Tununak All-Star athletes after the opening ceremonies in our Qaspeqs.

   
Andrew attempting to kick the seal skin ball in the Alaskan High Kick.  He broke the State record with 93"


Thomas in the Eskimo Stick Pull.  A 4th Place finish earns him a press interview. 


Amanda concentrating in the Toe Kick.   
      
Toe Kick Queen Amanda with a State Record of 53"

 
Two Foot High Kick - - -  Daniel & Jackie

 
Rena in the dirties event -                                       Proud Coach Marty celebrating Moses' state record win:-)
Indian Stick Pull (a greasy stick covered in Crisco)
representing a slippery salmon


Sunday:

We flew back to Bethel on the Alaska Airlines afternoon flight.  After arriving in Bethel, we drove down the road to Grant Aviation to catch our small plane home to the village.  Tununak’s runway was still questionable, so we decided to book our tickets for Toksook Bay instead.  Unfortunately, the whole coast (all villages north of  Chefornak) were fogged in.  All students who live in the Nelson Island region were stranded in Bethel for the night.  So Marty & I had 4 boys & 4 girls from the villages of Nightmute, Chefornak, Toksook & Tununak.  Luckily the rest of the athletes made it home this evening (to the villages of Kipnuk, Mykoryuk, Akula, Napakiak & Oscarville).  We slept on the floor of the District Office, with hope of flying home in the morning.


Monday:

We arrived at Grant Aviation when they opened @ 8am this morning to find out we were still on weather hold.  With dense fog along the coast, no flights were scheduled to leave until the wind was able to blow it out.  After spending the whole day at the airport, we finally arrived back in Tununak @4:30pm.  The runway was soft & very muddy.  It was nice to have a true spring, while away in Anchorage (there was no snow in ANC & very little in Bethel).  Tununak still had plenty of snow, but I could tell it has been warm & slowly disappearing/melting.  It was still foggy, close by planes informed our pilot to avoid the thick pocket of fog between Toksook & Tununak.  We ended up going north towards Newtok and following the coast down to our home runway. 

I had an excellent time in Anchorage.  I learned a lot and hope to make great improvements in my coaching skills for next season:-)  I am very glad to finally be home!!  

  
   
 
    

 

06:15 pm: Winter’s Aftermath
This has been one crazy winter….. Here are a few pictures to prove just how much snow we get here on the coast.

   

 
Kids often play on roof tops, because the snow drifts are even with the tops of the houses.  I accidentally walked a top of someone's house and didn't even know I did until I had to crawl under the powerline.  Opps!

   
Families have to dig their way out of their house.  Here is a father of my students digging out his windows on one sunny afternoon.  The snow goes clearly to the top.  Currently standing on 30 feet of snow, this is after he already shoveled 3 feet above where he is standing.  See the door to his house below him.  Stairs made of snow are the only way to come and go.  In the summer, they have to walk up stair to get inside, but now they do the opposite - by walking down the snow stairs to the door.    
   
The 3 girls standing in the window gully made by their father.   

10:22 pm: Heidi, Heidi, Heidi
It was my friend Heidi's Birthday on Monday, April 13th and then we hosted a Bridal Shower for her today:-)  Boy, that Heidi girl was spoiled this week!!!  No really, I am happy to have Heidi here in Tununak this year.  We both started teaching here on the Kuskokwim Delta the same year, but she originally taught in Newtok.  This year she decided to transfer 20 miles south, to the wicked cool village of Tununak:- )  She has noticed 2 major differences - THE WIND!!!!! and the student behavior (which is much nicer here, unlike the wind).  I would say, we have the windiest village out here.  The way it blows off the ocean and gets tunneled between the mountains (more like hills).  It whips through our valley like a high-powered vacuum.  The weather gauge on the top of the school gets some insanely high mph readings. See for yourself at our local weather  web page, on the Tununak school website: www.lksd.org/Tununak/Weather/index.html

Heidi will be marring George Charles, from Newtok, on May 23th, 2009.  She will also have a Michigan Wedding in June.  Here are some pictures from her Bridal Shower: 


Our beautiful brides in the 'Make a Bride' contest.                       Heidi & her students:-)  They all had a Blast!!!

08:19 pm: Easter Sunday
Last night I went to the late night Easter vigil at the only, local Catholic church.  It started at 11:00pm and I didn’t get home to around 1:30am.  It was neat to see the church packed with so many people & the candlelight added a nice touch to the late night ambiance.  At first, I didn’t think I really want to go to church so late at night, but I felt wide-awake and decided – What the heck…. Why not!?! 
So in the light of the moon, (more like twilight, since the sun had just set) George & I dug out our snowmachines, that were buried under a much bigger snow bank then I originally anticipated.   We have been hunkered down since Friday, when another white-out blizzard hit us hard (it finally let up Saturday evening). 

Today we had a staff Easter Brunch @ my apartment.  I cooked up my Mom’s famous Egg Bake and we had an assortment of breakfast goodies:-)  It didn’t quite feel like Easter yesterday, since the Easter Candy Hunt @ school was cancelled due to weather Sat. afternoon.  But after going to church, and the blizzard stopping – it felt a little more like Easter (minus my family).   

09:58 pm: It's Official....
Derek & I will be returning to Tununak next school year.  We bought our companion ticket home for the summer.  It only cost $1,305.14 .
Minnesota watch out.....here we come!!!!  May 23rd - Aug. 8th 

07:10 pm: I-Did-A-Read Contest
For the month of February & March, our school had a reading competition during the Iditarod Dog Sled Race – Anchorage to Nome March 8th, 2009.  The students who read 1,131 pages for each mile of the race, received the ultimate prize….. a real dog sled ride:-)  Five students actually finished the long reading trek, before the last musher crossed the finish line in Nome.   

Here are some pictures of their ‘prized’ dog sled journey: 


2 proud winners bundled into the dog sled.                           Brett & Kristin harnessing up the dog team. 

  
Almost ready to go... only two more dogs to tie up.       Here is a pic of the fan club... making their own dog team. 
Wow, this is quite a lengthy process.                             Hopeful contenders for next year's reading competition. 

09:07 pm: District NYO in Akula
Thursday – Saturday

Thursday morning, we snowmachined to Toksook Bay to catch the plane to the Kasigluk – Akula, since our airstrip has been closed for over a week.  I could only take our students in 7th grade or higher, due to the district rules about traveling by snowmachine.  George K. & I took 9 students (7 boys, 2 girls).  
There were 22 villages here to compete, with 3 schools visiting from out of our school district.  Kasigluk is a village, divided by a river, so they have 2 schools - Akula and Akiuk.        

Thursday-
After dinner, we held the kneel jump, wrist carry & toe kick events. 

Friday –
We finished the rest of the events:  one arm reach, two-foot high kick, one-foot high kick, Eskimo stick pull, Alaskan high kick, seal hop and Indian stick pull. 
We went non-stop, event after event all day long, 9am – 11pm.  Considering we had 22 teams competing… we finished in record time.  (The Indian sick pull was originally scheduled for Saturday morning, and the toe kick was set for Friday.)

Saturday –
We held a coaches meeting to choose the All-Star Team for the State NYO Tourney on Anchorage April 22nd – 26th.  Held an awards ceremony and then flew home to Tununak (we actually landed in TNK, the runway opened Friday night and there have been tons of planes ever since!!!)
 
Tununak has two All-Star athletes:
Frank Link for wrist carry
Thomas Albert for Eskimo stick pull
** He was hoping to go for the one-foot high kick again, but instead was chosen as the alternative athlete this year. 
I will also be traveling to Anchorage this year, as an All-Star coach:-)                 

10:22 pm: I am THANKFUL I am not under a tarp, in the middle of the tundra tonight!!!
Saturday -

It all started with the Yuraq (Eskimo Dance) Festival being in Newtok this weekend.  It is the last one of the year.  I really, really wanted to go.  I was basically dragging Heidi with (she did not want to go) - but George her fiancé is from Newtok and knows the way.  We knew a storm was coming later tonight, but it came early.....way early!!  We were on our way to Newtok, and decided to head back home, due to the visibility.  We made it home just fine - then the huge blizzard hit (45+ mph winds, zero visibility and -40and lower windchill temps).  About 2 hours later, we started getting calls from worried people in Newtok - looking for us!!  We were not home; all 3 of us were next door at a Paul & Janel’s house...opps!!

Good news though - I DID pack a huge bag filled with emergency survival stuff! 
3 tarps, 1 sleeping bag, extra warm clothes, a candle in a can w/matches (for boiling snow) and some food.  Let's just say Heidi & I would not be as good of friends if we were sharing body heat under a tarp tonight!!  She was having visions of herself with frostbite scars all over her face on her wedding day:-(   

I thought it was Spring!!!  Today it was 10 degrees above zero, sunny with no wind!!!  How did our beautiful day turn so ugly?