May 22, 2013--a return to the blog

Well... it's been a long while since I have blogged but it looks like this summer is shaping up to be a blog-worthy one.

First off, I am just wrapping up my first year as a site administrator in Akiuk and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.  There really isn't a way for me to sum up everything so I'll just post a couple of pictures to distract you.

Akiuk School is August

Akiuk School in February

But here it is, as I said at the end of the year, and the pictures that represent my current days are these:

Summer is just around the corner and these are my plans: 

May 27-June 1 ANC for ASLI (Leadership Institute)

June 2-4 Akiuk to finish up close of school

June 5 fly to SMF

June 6 Dr. appointment at 10:30 and Vision appointment at 2:00

June 7-24 open

June 25   Tuesday         Welcome to California

June 26   Wednesday     Walmart/Costco/Drive In Movie (bring the KFC)

June 27   Thursday        Downieville

June 28   Friday             Downieville

June 29   Saturday         Sacramento Day To Be Arranged

June 30   Sunday           Santa Cruz

July 1      Monday          Jelly Belly Factory/minigolf

July 2      Tuesday         Tai Chi/Zoo/#1 Buffet/Hiking/Spaghetti Factory, Other?

July 3      Wednesday     S.F. Chinatown/Exploratorium/Land's End

July 4      Thursday        Folsom Lake Swimming/Fireworks

July 5      Friday            Calaveras Big Trees/California Caverns

July 6      Saturday         Chinese Dim Sum/IMAX/Biking

July 7      Sunday           Farmer's Market...Then, Drive to L.A.

July 8      Monday          Disneyland

July 9      Tuesday         Disney/California Adventure

July 10    Wednesday     California Adventure

July 11    Thursday        Universal Studios

July 12    Friday             Drive Home to watch Alcatraz Movies

July 13    Saturday         San Francisco--Pier 39/Alcatraz/Angel Island

July 14    Sunday           Sly Park Picnic

July 15    Monday           Packing/Laundry

July 16    Tuesday          Go Home Happy 

July 20 Bella Vista 20 year Reunion

July 22 Fly to ANC

July 23-26 (or 24-27) Hike Crow's Pass

July 29-Aug 2 DLE training in ANC

Aug 3-5 in Akiuk

Aug 6-7 SA in-service in BET

Aug 8 in Akiuk

Aug 9 DW VTC

Aug 10 Site Inservice

Aug 12 Workday in Akiuk

Aug 13 First day of school in Akiuk

It'll be busy... but a good summertime busy. 

Walks in the wood, Reisling on the river, and...uh, pig knuckles.

I fell asleep blogging last night so when I woke at 5:20AM I opened my computer back up and picked up where I left off.

At 7:30AM I meandered downstairs to meet the tour group for breakfast. Our first stop was at a traditional windmill in Amsterdam. The bus had to gas up so we were left here for a good 30 minutes.

As opposed to the other truck stops there wasn't really a lot to see after this one monument. While others stood in place or walked in circles, I found a path through some woods. It wasn't a long walk but it was enough to take some time for solitude and reflection. It made me think of borogoves and tulgey wood and I found myself singing quietly to myself. I considered sitting by a tumtum tree but continued on the trail until it opened up to a bridge.

Those two shots show the less traveled areas (by our group specifically I mean) and marks really my favorite moments on large, fast, tour group outings that my mom likes to go on. It is, for me, really the time on my own that sells the trip.

On the other side of the windmill, there were some sheep milling around. This was picture worthy to the rest of the group, so I snapped a picture of it myself. At one point a mother sheep broke away at a fair pace from the others with her offspring running to catch up. Once she stop the child immediately tried to nurse again. The mother kicked and tried to walk away. Damn kid.

Once the bus returned we loaded up and drove to a diamond cutting factory. It's a pretty popular place for tourists. We were told they average 40 tour buses a day. When we arrived they had JUST opened and already there were two other tour groups.

The rain had started up again and the 120 or so tourist were squeezing to get out of the rain and into the lobby area. Our tour guide called for us to go through the main foyer and into an inner lobby. Unfortunately this meant we had to maneuver our way through another group. The guide of that group, who spoke with a thick French accent, started speaking loudly and with distain to our guide. "That is really rude. That is cutting our group. It is rude. I hope you don't think that you can just do that again. You better not behave like that again. So rude." Taking the higher road our guide said nothing. He was, after all, just trying to separate the groups and let the third group in out of the rain. There was really no foul play on his part.

We waited patiently in front of their group until she was done ranting and then allowed her group to continue up the stairs. I considered sticking a foot out to trip her, perhaps starting some tour group on tour group steel-cage-match-action at the diamond factory, but decided against it.

We were given a little demonstration about the steps it takes to cut and polish the diamonds and then we were shown several samples of different carats, colors, and cuts. But in the end the diamonds I find to be most beautiful (bluish, princess cut, etc) were too low class for this diamond shop. They pride themselves on the 121 cut so about 95% of their diamonds are round.

Eh... I was okay not buying anything.

We drove on to another truck stop where I again passed up the paprika and cheese&onion flavored Pringles. Interestingly, at this place (on the boarder of Germany) they were playing P!nk on their overhead speaker. I get playing imported music at a swanky clothing store or something but American music at a rest stop?

I suppose, in hindsight, they were pretty swanky. It did cost a Euro ($1.60) to use their bathroom after all.

Our next stop was a Cathedral in Cologne. It was situated nicely next to a McDonald's in a pretty skethky part of town. We were warned of pick-pocketers. Although I rarely take these warnings to heart.

This particular Cathedral our tour guide says in the tallest in the world. Wikipedia says it's the fifth tallest. It is the tallest twin tower Cathedral though... so there's that.

Sufficiently filled with a McDonald's McDouble (and not the veggie burger as advertised) and some pretzel bread from the bakery on the corner we headed down the road to our next stop... a cruise on the Rhine River.

I snapped a picture of a sign laying on the grass before boarding the boat. I am not quite sure if dogs are not allowed on the boat, the grass, or perhaps they are just not allowed to squat on the grass... either way the makers of this sign are very serious about their all caps "nein!"

Again we were given options of an indoor or outside sitting area. My parents again chose indoor and I went outdoors. It started to sprinkle a little and a majority of the people on the top deck went down below. As you can see I was quite comfortable though and stuck it out until it was shining brightly again.

Kiana soon joined me on deck. And then a guy from out group, Jason did. Shortly there after Stefanie came up and ordered a beer from one of the two bars on the boat. Two brothers, Raymond and Eric, joined us while I went to the bar and got myself a bottle of Riesling. And soon there was a small group of us enjoying some adult beverages and partaking in some good conversation.

Uh... we passed some castles and stuff. And I was the first to finish my beverage which caused an applause to erupt from our group that probably confused the other passengers who weren't exactly sure what they should be taking pictures of.

Docking the boat, it was quick five minute bus ride up to the restaurant where we ate ham hocks. The tasty meat did wonders in soaking up the alcohol in my system. The picture to the right shows what I found to be the "perfect" bite. For as good as the meat was seasoned it was still a bit thick and dry. With a bit of sauerkraut and rice, it was quite pleasant. Having said that, I ate less than half of the whole dish. That there is a LOT of meat.

We checked into the hotel in Frankfurt around 8:30 PM where I proceeded to plop down on the bed before even removing my shoes. Stefanie at one point mentioned checking out the pub across from the hotel and I may or may not have grunted about doing it after a little nap. I *thought* it, but I don't believe words came out. When I woke at midnight, Stefanie too had crashed out on her bed in her day clothes as well. By 12:30AM we were both in pjs and down 'till morning.

Side note... by morning... Sponge Bob and then Ren and Stimpy were playing on our TV in German. "It's Log" is a great catchy song in English (it's log, log, it's big it's heavy it's wood. It's log, log, it's better than bad, it's good.)

Bullies at security, Boys peeing, and Bikes

Day three began at 5:30AM with a wake-up call. Bags were required to be in the lobby by 6:15 and the bus to catch the morning train departed at 7:00.

There was a Starbucks in the hotel parking lot, which helped me to honor the times assigned to us. Unfortunately, this particular Starbucks, while open at 10:45PM (when walking past the night before) was not open at 6:10AM. Crestfallen, I met up with my group for a buffet breakfast that would have cost 21-pounds had we not been in the group. I did my best to eat 21-pounds worth of food, but I failed.

We loaded up into the bus and drove down to the train station where we passed another Starbucks. After dropping luggage with our tour guide (who gave us 30 minutes to use the bathroom and whatnot before entering security) I walked speedily back to the Starbucks to drink the nectar of the gods (or "a soy white mocha" as other people refer to it).

Stefanie had found that the train station provides free wifi which I took advantage of sitting down next to my luggage. It's hard to know which obsession I was more excited to have at that point.

Unfortunately my glee was short lived, as my tour guide, and my mother, decided it would be best to go through security immediately, rather than wait the time he had originally given us. Despite the scheduled departure for the train being 50 minutes away, and the announcement saying it was delayed, I ended up throwing away 3/4 of my beverage to get through security.

The train though was spacious and I was able to play a little on my computer, so my mood bounced back pretty quickly. Once my computer ran out of battery power, and I read of how Mr. Darcy's first proposal to Miss Bennett was met with a girl-powered-ass-whooping (thanks for the book loan Erin), we arrived in Brussels, Belgium.

Essentially, we had about an hour to kill in Belgium before driving on to Amsterdam. We visited the Grand Palace and City Hall and what our tour guide referred to as the famous "peeing boy statue boy who is peeing". It is an added special treat to see Europe with a Chinese tour guide. He speaks as if we were all Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. Occasionally though, I find it laughable. For example, he explained today, "Brussels, not capital city. But big city, not capital of Belgium, but only Brussels. Not capital of Belgium is Brussels." Everyone seemed to comprehend him well enough. Later laughter erupted (confirming that he was being listen to) when he announced, "population of Belgium not that much. Compare to other country in Europe. Belgium only take two hours to drive through. Not so big only population in Belgium is only eleven. Only eleven population in Belgium. (pauses for bus to stop its mockery and then corrects) Eleven million people. Population eleven million." Additionally, his pronunciation of "restroom" is the same as "restaurant" and "New York" sounds suspiciously like "New Year."

But I digress... Brussels was, as Stefanie remarked, "a city I could do some damage in." We walked passed storefronts that all alternatively advertised Belgium chocolates, Belgium beer, and Belgium waffles.

Unfortunately we passed the stores quickly to see the Mannenkin Pis Statue which our tour guide explained depicts a significant moment in history when a Dutch boy climbed a tree and pissed upon invading French soldiers. I was willing to buy the story until it was further explained that the statuted boy is small because he was only three years old. A three year old who could climb a tree and urinate on passing soldiers? Maybe someone truly gifted like Issac, but... nah.

Our guide released us for a few minutes here and I went looking for a money exchange that would turn my American dollars into Euros. Unfortunately, I was unable to find more than some dressed and trained dogs and a whole lot of rain.

Ducking into a store that sold Smurf and Hello Kitty knickknacks, to purchase an umbrella I had the following conversation with the clerk.

Me: Do you take cards?
Clerk: Of course. Just the one umbrella?
Me: Yes please. This rain came on quick.
Clerk: Yes, but we need it.
Me: Oh yeah?
Clerk: Yes. It is good for the culture. And it doesn't happen much.
Me: No? These flash storms don't happen too often?
Clerk: No. It's pretty kooky, huh?

Yes. Kooky. One minute Denise and I pose for a picture together in the sky-is-so-bright-you-gotta-wear-shades moment and in the next I am buying an umbrella to try and salvage some body heat coming from my sandles-and-tanktop-wearing body.

Returning to the bus we traveled another couple of hours to find our planned stop for lunch closed due to road construction. It was 3:00PM and it was here that I officially decided to carry my own supply of food for the rest of this trip.

We arrived at our next point, an Amsterdam canal cruise, at 6:00PM. All that bus travel and lack of food brought out the travel-grouch in a few of us again, and we were generally pleased to be in the fresh, albeit chilled, air.

There were two seating choices while on the canal cruise. Either you could sit inside (as you can see from the photo above) and look through windows covered in raindrops and generally sun-worn windows or you could move out to the back of the boat that was uncovered. Unfortunately, once outside you could no longer hear the narrative of what buildings we were passing.

So... here on the left is some building with the name "Nemo" on it. It sort of reminds me of the "bird's nest" building that was built for the Olympics in China a few years back. The picture on the right was snapped after the guy second on the left waved to our passing boat. I smiled and waved back. I can't say for that these guys are responsible for the chalk "victim on love" drawing there beside them... but with smiles like that, they looks like they could be.

Our guide informed us that there are far more bikes in Amsterdam than actual people. Checking out the bicycle-parking garage near where our cruise docked, I tend to believe this statistic. Even the streetlights reflect the popularity of this form of transportation.

We sat down for a Chinese dinner around 7:30 making it a full 12 hours (with the adjustment for the time change) between meals.

We checked into the hotel around 9:00 where I watched the Marriage Ref (with guest judge Ginger Spice) and paid the 22 Euros (approx. $31.47) for Internet for the evening.

Europe: Day One/Two--the 34.5 hour day

I'd say my trip to Europe began with the Thursday, 4:30am shuttle bus pick up from our Best Western in Milbrae, CA. It ends with our hotel check-in for the night Friday, 11:00PM in London, England.

Admittedly, there's really not a lot to remark on with that first several hours though. My parents and I flew to Charlotte, NC. Met up with my coworker, Stefanie Masten, and her mother, Teresa. And then hopped on another plane to head out to Europe--first stop, London.

It was a 7.5 hour flight and I *knew* we would have to get some solid sleep in. Unfortunately, the smaller than AK Air seats, the anticipation of London, and the availability of eh-quality movies left me sleep deprived when we landed at 7:30AM (local time) ready to start a full day of touristy-joy. As it was, Stefanie, who was a bit under the weather, was the only one to really get any substantial sleep.

Upon receiving praise for her good choice, she admitted this particular position didn't really allow for any sort of neck movement in the following hours.

Customs in London, while previously a generally pleasant experience was hampered by an Immigration Desk Clerk who questioned my Kuskokwim River-loved passport.

After being told that falsified passports look exactly like mine, he asked to see another form of identification. I pulled out my AK driver's license. He told me he would accept my passage this one time only if I promised to replace my passport once I returned to the States. I pointed out my passport expires in 2013 and I didn't have problems before now (having checked with several agencies in the US before traveling) but this information only seemed to further to perturb the agent. He then asked a series of questions that I couldn't answer (I see you are leaving to Brussels tomorrow, what time are you traveling? How are you traveling? How long will you be there in Belgium? What hotel are you staying in while in London? What is the postal code for that hotel? What is the name of the Immigration officer in CA that said you could travel with this passport?) and some questions I could answer (Are you traveling alone? How long have you worked in schools? What is the name of the school where you are a vice principal? Where is it located? What are the ages of the students you have at your school?).

I appreciate the need for security... but dude... I am visiting your country for the third time. I'm gonna pay exuberant prices to take in a musical and check out the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and the sort. I'm not going to sell others into the slave industry. I promise.

As it was, I didn't have to make such a promise to the clerk out loud, he eventually allowed me to enter the UK. I made my way quickly to baggage claim and retrieved my bag along with my parents' luggage. My sister, Denise, and her eldest daughter, Kiana, had arrived a good 30 minutes before us, and I was eager to meet up with them.

Unfortunately, as soon as our tour group had gathered with all bags, someone discovered that they had left his/her money on the plane. The plane on the other size of Customs. I'll let you, blog-reader, connect the dots on how we ended up not meeting up with Denise and Kiana until a good 2.5 hours after we landed.

An uneventful bus ride later, and we arrived at the Tower of London. My first stop was the loo. I took a picture of the wall above my toilet.

I was strangely fascinated with the idea of a raven standing perched above me... behind me... while I did my business. Ravens are kept clipped and caged at the Tower of London because rumor has it when the ravens leave the king will fall. My experience with raven-lore is quite different with them being the Creator and all, but whateves.

Rain began falling while we were touring the Tower of London, so we didn't spend too much time meandering but, rather, headed fairly quickly to the Jewel House. I did snap two pictures of a remaining stockade and a memorial for the ten (then seen as traitors) executed persons within the Tower. Including , of course, famously Anne Boleyn and her sister-in-law Jane (who played both sides of the fence when it came to squealing to the king about infidelities).

We left the Jewel House (no pictures were allowed) a while later as the rain was just beginning to lighten. It should be noted that it was a good seven hours since a danish was served on the plane and about thirteen hours (not a fan of just a sugary treat in the morning) since I had eaten the pasta-dinner that was offered on the plane. In other words, I was not the only one in our tour group who found themselves resembling the Royal Beasts of the Tower.

We had, at that point, failed to exchange dollars for pounds and were thus taunted by the snack and gift shops we passed until my dad was able to swap out a little dough with our tour guide allowing for medicine (in the form of caramel fudge) to fix his low-blood-sugar-induced headache to subside.

And off we went...

Driving off we had the London Eye pointed out to us several times. I have previously been on the London Eye and... look... it's a nice view... but wow are the British proud of this merry-go-round of theirs.

Don't they know that their phone booths are just as cool to the average American tourist? As a side note when Stefanie and I took turns snapping photos inside the time and space traveling portals made famous by Dr. Who and Harry Potter, we caught a conversation between two others from our tour group:

Young Man #1: (looking at us) It's almost cliche, huh?
Young Man #2: Yeah, I mean who doesn't get their picture taken in the booths?
Young Man #1: So... want to go next?
Young Man #2: Yeah.

Following the theme of expected shots... here's the obligatory family photo in front of Buckingham Palace for those of you want to see that sort of thing. It is set beside a dragon marking one of the entrances of Chinatown (where we had a late lunch/early dinner/only meal of the day).

After eating, we were given thirty minutes of freetime wherein our group madly dashed to purchase tickets for that evening's showing of Wicked. At the start of the meal only Stefanie and I were confirmed to attend the show. But due to the persuasive nature of my mom (shoutout to all those who have traveled with my mom and can attest to this) we ended up getting five tickets.

Buying tickets to a London musical three hours before a Friday night, nearly sold out showing, didn't really score us any great deals. But it's London! And it's Wicked! So all we felt pretty comfortable splurging even though it was just "day one".

Unfortunately getting our money exchanged and getting the actual tickets in our hands took more than 30 minutes so Stefanie and I had the tour go ahead without us. Our next stop was to check into our hotel for a free evening... so we volunteered to just take The Tube and meet up with them shortly.
An understandably cautious Teresa and Stefanie questioned my ability to find the hotel (near the Tower of London) as well as the theater for that matter, but I assured them that navigating oneself in London is a breeze. Everyone speaks English after all.

This assurance I gave proved to be true. Although, I probably shouldn't have been so convincing as we didn't actually, at that point, know where the closest Underground Station was... nor did we know the actual name of our hotel. We knew it started with a "G". That's enough, right?

As it turns out, finding the Piccadilly Circus station, purchasing tickets with an agent, navigating the two needed lines, and locating the first "G" hotel we could see from the Tower of London station got Stefanie and I meeting up with our group before hotel room keys were shelled out.

A quick shower for all five of the attendees and we were off to the theater.

Those who either were privy to my notes from London six years ago, or who frequent my Facebook page, know of my affinity for men in suits *swoon*. And just in case there was any doubt at all, London, Friday night, on The Tube, does not disappoint.

At one point a dapper looking stylish bloke addressed my sister with, "'scuse me gorgeous" before reaching behind her head to place a newspaper behind her on the window sill (for travelers in the future who might be interested in a free read). I did my best to conceal my consideration of getting off at the Temple Station (as he and his four male friends did) and continue on to the Victoria Station.

We did, though have pretty great plans for the evening.

Wicked was... amazing. As I expected it to be. The show really is just that well crafted. And yes, credit is due to the actual actors on stage. The talent was that more impressive to me after purchasing a program and learning both of the leads as well as Madame Morrible were all played by understudies that evening.

When purchasing my coffee before the start of the show, the attendant asked if I had seen the show before, and I confirmed that I had. He then asked, "American?" And I nodded. He sort of shrugged defeated and said, "I do hope you like the show, I heard the production in Broadway is tops." I smiled and told him, that I saw the show in San Fransisco, so I am sure I will love it, here.

I wasn't wrong.

We arrived back at the hotel around 11:00PM... and confirmed the 5:30AM wake up call.

I assure you posts in the future will NOT be as long as this one. Surely, we can't have many more 34.5 hour days, right?

Morning meeting in Oscarville

Every morning from 8:30-8:45 Oscarville have the entire school community gather around our lunch table. The staff takes turns each week talking about one of the Yupik Cultural Life Skills (components of Yuuyaraq). At the end of the talk the students recite a pledge with appropriate hand gestures. This morning, on the last day of school, I took some video. Leading us today is those members who will be in High School next year. Well... the ones who showed up before 8:45 this morning.

Feel free to follow along in your daily Yupik Eskimo Language lesson...

Wangkuta elisngaukut. (We are smart)

Taigukut elicarturluta, ikayuutaaryarturluta-llu. (We come here to learn and to help others)

Maani assikuciqukut pingnatugciiqukut-llu. (We will be kind and strong here)

Caliciqukut assircaarluta, murilkelluta, niicugniluta, elilluta-llu. (We will work hard, pay attention, listen, and learn)

Watnaukut ciuliaput umyuaqluki wangkutnek-llu.
(Above all else, we think about others and ourselves here)

Graduation 2009

Well the end of the year is upon us. I can tell because there are puppies everywhere...

(and... this very that last one that is still looking for a good home...)

love, it seems, is in the air...

and once again, I had a graduation speech to deliver...

So here is this year's tribute...

I'm here to congratulate four very deserving students on their graduation from middle school and their ascent into high school.

I, personally, have been extremely pleased to observe their progress over the past two years. Their growth, in every way, has been remarkable. They have, in that time, become mature, well-spoken adults helping provide for their families and making responsible choices.

They have become taller, too.

Allow me introduce Anissum Henry, Nick Joekay, Lyle Meier, and Patrick Waska.

These four boys work together well as a team. Last year along with Issa and Nicole they performed remarkably well making it to the state level with both Battle of the Books and Robotics.

I’ll be honest. I thought it was a fluke. That group of six being one of those classes teachers dream of having.


I was wrong. These young men have been leaders in the Jr. High helping the four new students in our group also become great teammates. The Jr. High this year has surpassed my expectations again with their ability to work well through communicating safely with one another. They were award winners in the Science Fair and the Multimedia competition. Two contests they have never been a part of before this year.

In addition to all of the amazing work they have done together they have also, independently, produced high-quality school work, under some serious pressure.

Perhaps even more impressive, in this time of nation-wide recession, each of them has had at least one job within the past year.

Young men, today is a turning point in your life. As you make it through this celebration, take a small part of your brain and think about the direction your life is going to go. It's been said that a high school education is one of the greatest gifts that one can receive. And I guess… you’ll have to ask Andrew more about that.

Well, starting now, you have the opportunity to earn that gift. Are you going to take advantage of that opportunity?

You each have a unique set of strengths. Find out what they are, and build on them using this school as your toolbox. With a little self-analysis, planning and focus; and with a lot of work, there are no limits to what you can do with your lives.

At this time, I would like to acknowledge each of you separately. Please stand as I announce your name.

ANISSUM HENRY:

Remember all the magic acts you saw and you learned in Las Vegas? You love magic, and we love seeing you perform it. Well nothing can be more magical than the way you've matured over this last year. All of a sudden, you're a voracious reader. You're great working with kids, and you were a good help to me in the classroom this year. You haven't yet chosen your future career, but don't worry. There's plenty of time. You've gotten a good start, though. You've researched everything from firefighting to marine engineering. That covers a lot of ground. You're a hard worker. Whatever you do, it will probably involve outside work, working with your hands. Keep up the research. There are plenty of options for you.

NICK JOEKAY:

Nick is punctual. He's never late for anything. Well... this week aside. This isn't just a good character trait. It reflects his energy level. Nick will never sit if he can stand. He'll never walk if he can run. If class starts in five minutes...and he's ten minutes away, don't worry. He can make it in three minutes. Of course, punctually is a good character trait too. So is his excellent record of always getting his homework done as assigned. Those aren't his only good traits. If you don't believe me, ask my niece, Marissa. She'll tell you that he's a good guy. You can get a good look at Nick's inner strength by watching him take on athletic challenges. He always pushes himself harder than anyone else I know. In Health and PE we have been doing an video called "Walk Away the Pounds." So a couple of times a week we have been walking two miles in 30 minutes. WE have been walking. Nick has been... running! This drive will help him accomplish goals for the rest of his life. Teamwork and a burning drive to succeed... Nick has considered a career in law enforcement or as a Navy Seal. Lofty goals... But get to know him and he'll convince you...He has what it takes.

LYLE MEIER:

Lyle always accomplishes more than he's asked to do. He's now entering high school, but he's been performing high school quality work for some time now. He's humorous, intelligent, witty, super friendly, popular, self aware, creative, etc. And frankly, at this age he shouldn't be. He should be... scared. But not Lyle. He's an independent thinker and… a… tinkerer. He has TINKERED with broken toys and made them into functional equipment. He has mastered skills typically demonstrated only by career electricians. He even taught himself to play the guitar recently...and he does it well. He hasn't yet decided what he wants to be; but given facts that he's super bright and mechanically inclined, once he decides on his path, the sky's the limit. Let's be nice to him. Someday, we all may be working for him.

PATRICK WASKA:

Patrick is a good student and so much more. He has demonstrated his leadership skills and ability to take on responsibility both at school and at home. We should all feel grateful that he is a member of our community. He's a positive example for us all. No matter what's going on, he always flashes this HUGE smile. Come on, Patrick, show everyone what you've got! Patrick is charming, passionate about everything he does, loyal and empathetic. He sees what needs to be done, and he does it. Patrick already has his future picked out. In case you haven't heard, Patrick intends to live in Anchorage, working as a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines. He's sure of this. And it's that commitment that will make his dream come true. I have no doubt, he'll make us proud.

There you have it...four remarkable young men, ready to move on.

Anissum, Nick, Patrick, and Lyle… it is obvious to me that they didn't get here and do all this on their own. The success and quality of these gentlemen are a tribute to the love and support they've received from their families and from the Oscarville community. Let's not forget your contributions. For those of you who have been a part of their lives, and that means all of you, we applaud you. (through applause) Your help. Your support.

I've felt very close to the four of you. We've worked well together. But don't feel guilty about abandoning me as you move on with your lives. It's the nature of being a teacher. I help you grow up, and then you leave me. It's the circle of life, only without the killing and eating parts.

Besides, you won't get far. I'll still be keeping an eye on you.

Next year, with Erin leaving, you will be getting a new high school teacher. Don't think can get away with reporting to a "Newbie." I read your paper and one of you wrote with hopes of that already. No slacking though... like I just said, "I'll still be keeping an eye on you." After all... I will be in here with the Jr. High and you'll only be just right down the hall from me.
Good luck gentlemen. And... thank you.

In addition to the eighth grade promotion into High School there was a kindergarten graduate and a High School graduate.

Andrew, our High School graduate, seems very pleased with his graduation presents...

as were the kuspeq wearing ladies.

The purple kuspeq, I am wearing here, was a gift from Eliza, Andrew's mother. A quick look around and we found a vast majority of the kuspeqs in this picture were actually all made by Eliza's creative hands.

There are three days of school left. But frankly, I am DONE with academic work. It's been a productive year. My students really pushed right up to the end. A picture is said to paint a thousands words. Well... here's my visual representation of the end of the school year.

Early this week I posted my expectations for each of my students by the end of the school year. Purple is what needs to be done. Orange means it was completed. A blue circle means that the student finished EVERYTHING. A pink square is the work incomplete.