March 15

There are a few reasons why it has been a while since my last post. For one, I’ve been extremely busy getting my students ready to pass their state assessments in April. Another reason is that for the most part nothing is new here.  The weather is cold, but it is odd due to the fact that there is nearly 12 hours of daylight. Since Daylight Savings Time went into effect, the sun is out until almost 10:00pm, and we get an additional 7 minutes of sun each day.
    This week has been an interesting week in town, as the native corporation (the business end of the area as a result of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act) and the church are having a weeklong conference in town. This happens each year, however, it rotates throughout the 10 villages, so this is the first time it has been here in 10 years. For this, people come from across all villages have come here, almost doubling the population in a short period. Sunday was interesting, because since Monday is the BIG day (also the last) there were planes landing about every 20 minutes (normally there is only one plane that lands here on a Sunday). 
    The kids are behaving much better, especially one student I’ve been working hard to build a better relationship with. He’s shown strong improvement since the beginning of the year, and I hope it continues as he moves on to 4th grade.
    As for other news from elsewhere in the state, the leaders of the Iditarod have just gone through Koyuk, which is a 1 to 2 hour snow machine ride from here (and the closest the Iditarod actually gets to coming through town).  The winner will probably cross the line within the next 24 to 28 hours, and the current leader, Lance Mackey has won the last 3 Iditarods, and looks to make Iditarod XXXVI his 4th consecutive win.