That's a Wrap!

Still some sunlight at
1 a.m. in Nondalton!

Much like the rest of this year, the last few weeks of school passed me by in the blink of an eye. As I type this from my room at my mom’s house, I can’t believe that my second year in Alaska is already over. However, this break is one that my body and mind have been longing for. The many long days and nights filled with paperwork and classwork started to wear away at me in my final weeks and I was often excited for when I could climb into bed and just sleep. However, the land of the midnight sun kept calling my name and it was difficult to fall asleep while the sun was still out. There were many nights that I stayed up later than I wanted, just to get outside for a walk or to have a bonfire with the rest of my staff.

Gifts from a student:) 

In addition to enjoying the fresh air and long nights, I also got to enjoy watching three of our students celebrate a major milestone as they graduated from Nondalton. I’ve watched these three students work to achieve this accomplishment, and it was so exciting to see them receive their diplomas. Not only was the graduation a reason to celebrate, but we also had our new principal in the village when graduation took place. It was great for the students, families, and community members to be able to meet our newest staff member. However, it was a bittersweet moment as it meant that our current principal is truly leaving us. He and his wife, our guidance counselor, retired at the end of the year, and their removal from the community will not be overlooked. I am so thankful to have been able to work with the two of them, and know that they will be dearly missed by both students, staff, and community members. Next year will be one in which we will all adjust to the staff change, but luckily our teaching staff will remain the same and this will help make the transition easier for everyone. 

Popped into Kokhanok during
 our flight to Anchorage

While the transition will be a big one, I am going to put a pause to preparations and thoughts of the upcoming school year so that I might fully enjoy my summer break. I’ve been home for about a week now, and I’ve gotten to catch up with some family members and great friends. I look forward to spending the next two months visiting with relatives and friends, going on adventures, and soaking up the sun (I have been desperately trying to work on my tan since I’ve been home!).I am also excited for my current summer class to end so that I can truly relax. My only hope is that the summer doesn’t pass by too quickly! 

Fun fact: This was my
18th flight of 2016!

This year was full of ups and downs, and my students never failed to make me laugh, often tested my patience, and taught me new things each day. I feel that I am finally getting the hang of being a special education teacher (and just a teacher in general), and I am glad that my position will be the same next year. The adventures I had have created lasting memories, and I am eager to make more memories in the upcoming year. Blogging helps me reflect on and remember those adventures, so I plan to keep writing about my experiences throughout my third year of teaching and living in Alaska. I continue to be thankful for those of you who read about my experience, and hope that you continue to do so in the future. For now though, I am going to sign off and stay up late to binge watch one of my favorite shows (partly due to jet lag, but also because this girl doesn’t have to get up for school tomorrow!). 

April's Adventures

Six Mile Lake likes to show off

As I’m sitting on the couch typing this, I can’t help but smile as I think about all the fun that was had in April. At the same time, I can’t believe how quickly the month passed us by. It is almost impossible to wrap my head around the fact that there are only 12 days of school left, and only 21 sleeps until I hit the east coast for summer. With the semester coming to a close, things have been chaotic at school which has students and teachers all counting down the days to break. Even factoring in the most stressful moments, April had its fill of adventures and countless memories were made!

Saying my "see you laters"
to Jon and Elisabeth

At the beginning of the month, Sam had visitors, Jon and Elisabeth, and I can’t describe how great it was to hang out with people my age. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the ladies I work with and value their presence in my life. However, it is so refreshing to get to visit with some people that I don’t see every single day. I enjoyed getting to spend time with them, and it was exciting to find out that they will be moving to one of our villages next year as Elisabeth is joining the LPSD staff! It was also fun to know that in just a few weeks I would have my own visitors. Their visit definitely had me craving family time with my sister and brother-in-law. 

A few Nondalton ladies at prom

After Jon and Elisabeth left us (way too quickly!), LPSD's annual Academics and Athletics Meet began in Newhalen. The middle and high schoolers from all over the district gather for a week filled with fun sessions and social time. Some of the activities from this year included working with robots, hosting a radio show, and students getting the chance to ride in a helicopter (some students even got to take over the controls for a few minutes!). I was able to attend the A.A. Meet last year, and though it was a tiring week it was great to see the students let loose a bit and enjoy the activities that were offered. Last year’s A.A. Meet was in Naknek, but since it took place in Newhalen this year, I was able to pop in for two nights to see students and teachers that I don’t get to see often. It was so nice to see everyone, and then to get to go home to my own bed as opposed to sleeping on school floors. I even got to go to my second LPSD prom and it was just as fun as my first! Though our schools are unlike many others across the U.S., our high schoolers are still high schoolers, and the girls get butterflies as they get ready while the boys nervously line up to buy roses for those they might have a crush on. Attending prom allows a different view of the students that we work with each day, and I am thankful that I got to spend the night dancing with, and embarrassing, my students. 

Ferrying my Honda
across to Newhalen

The week after the A.A. Meet was devoted to finishing up some self paced classes I have been taking. For different state requirements, I have to take four courses, and I also chose to take a few courses for professional development purposes. Therefore, the past few months have brought with them a lot of reading, discussion board posts, and weeknights spent on class assignments and projects. I am down to my two final courses, one of which is self paced while the other requires me to hop online once a week between May and June before I can finally relax and enjoy my summer. My friend Caitlin and I have been keeping each other on track and motivated as we’re both working through the same amount of courses. Without her, I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far as quickly as I have. 

Visiting Tazimna Falls
with Nikki & Frank

With those courses out of the way, I was able to fully step away from class-work and school-work to enjoy my visit with my sister and brother-in-law. Though Nikki was in Alaska after my accident in March, I truthfully don’t remember much of that time, and therefore I was eager to see her and to show her and Frank this place I get to call home. I have never been so excited to see anyone get off a bush plane and the first few hours felt incredibly surreal. Thankfully, we had great weather while they were visiting and we spent almost all of our time outdoors exploring. We went on a lot of walks as I showed them around, and we had a bonfire every night that they were here. Sam and I were even able to take them down to Newhalen where they got a taste of a different village set up. At one point, a very serious discussion was had in which the end result would’ve been us coming together to purchase a house that’s currently for sale and having Nikki be a health aide in the village. However, I think the mosquitos that have started to bite (and they aren’t even at their worst yet) scared Nikki away from that idea becoming a reality. My time with them ended all too quickly, and watching them fly away was bittersweet as I knew I’d see them again in just a few weeks. It was great to have them here and to be able to have people from home fully understand how life is out here rather than just trying to connect through my pictures, stories, and blog posts. I’m hoping that next year will bring with it a few more visitors, but only time will tell!

Another set of
"see you laters"

My Culture Week
creations and new outfit

As if my tank wasn’t full enough after two great visits, Sam had another visitor, Ryan, whose trip began as Nikki and Frank’s was coming to an end. We got to spend one day hanging out as a group and I don’t know about them, but I enjoyed being able to do so. Not only did I have Ryan’s visit to look forward to, but after missing a Monday during Nikki and Frank’s visit, I was eager to join in on Nondalton’s Culture Week. Culture Week consists of a week devoted to having our tribal council and community members come in to teach students skills that are valued in their culture. Not only this, but they welcome teachers to take part in the activities, and it was fun learning to sew a Dena’ina Athabascan (this is this culture of those in my village) Hood and needle pouch, and how to make dream catchers. I even got to wear my new Yup’ik (the culture in which many people from Sam’s village come from) Qaspeq (pronounced kuspuk). The week was equal parts fun and exhausting, and Friday couldn’t have come soon enough. A few more fires were held throughout the weekend, as were some more adventures so that we could show Ryan around. I was even able to snag a few hours of naps throughout the weekend, which my mind and body greatly appreciated. 

Yet another fun boating
excursion in Nondalton

The endless stream of visitors and non-stop activities have caught up to me and I am desperate for a weekend filled with sleeping in and taking naps. However, Alaska’s long days are constantly calling me to come play outside, and with summer coming, I want to soak up every minute I have here. With our school days dwindling, I am enjoying time with my students and trying not to get too caught up in the paperwork, progress reports, and end of semester tasks that need to be accomplished. With any luck, May will be just as great as April was, and if I’m lucky I will make it out of this semester without a caffeine-IV stuck in my arm!