water cycle

water cycle

Bill Nye the Science Guy - "Water Cycle Jump"

Facebook | My Photos - Babies

Facebook My Photos - Babies

School Update

Hi all, I was wondering how everyone in our group was doing? Is anyone close to graduating or have you? I ran into Annette F. at WEIO and understand there is funding again. I have to put off another year for student teaching as I am finally pregnant and with twin boys! Those of you who know we, my husband and I, have been trying for 5 years, so we are blessed. However, I would love to get my student teaching out of the way. I understand UAF also has a grant that will help pay for your last year of school as long as you put in a year afterward of teaching. Some great opportunities are out there, lol, figures... Anyway, I would love to hear from you all. It would be great to meet up again!

The family is doing great.

Grandma Passes

My grandmother passed March 2nd at 4:20 a.m. I am glad she is no longer suffering. It was a terrible way to pass, that cancer. She was at peace her last hour and that makes me feel better. She was such a strong woman it all seems so unreal right now. I just thought I should give a follow up to my last post.

Wasilla Life

Well, I have to start out by saying it isn't so bad here after all. I really miss life in McGrath, the access to the outdoors and how beautiful it is there. I really miss my house, and my things. I was hoping to do my student teaching but once it again it has been postponed.

My grandma found out this fall she had colon cancer it had spread to her lungs and is in stage iv she opted not to go through chemotherapy. I wasn't working as I was going to student teach so I have been able to take care of her. I spent almost every night in the hospital when she first found out since then we have removed the main tumor and have come home where I watch her daily get weaker. We have some great days that come out of the blue, mostly lately the days have been full of sleep and some visiting. I keep wanting to know what is going on what to expect, the nureses that visit keep reminding me there is no crystal ball, cancer is just ugly.

My grandmother is 74 and was still full of life this was just a blow. Prior to this year we have taken many road trips together and she has spent her summers with me in McGrath. Many of those nights in the summer we have spent them around a fire visiting with friends. She is still young, and we were not ready for this. I find myself sulking and not feeling motivated to do much. I have seen cancer patients but I have never lived with one and watched them slowly disapear. I am her oldest granddaughter she introduces me to her friends as her first. I know she loves me, but we have tough days, my Aunt says it is because I am the closest to her that I get the brunt of her grumpiness. I finally told here the other day to say please. She told me to rub her down like she was giving an order. I have to keep reminding myself she is passing and how hard it must be for her too. I want to break down often, but I know soon there will be a time for that. For now I am trying to keep my head up and as they say one step at a time.

The kids are doing great here. It amazes me that Forest had so much trouble in McGrath, yet he did great in Fairbanks and he is making honor roll out here in Wasilla! Both of our children are actually. I get bitter about that too, because I would love to go home and finish student teaching with a teacher there has been teaching for years and is wonderful. I want to live in my own home, but the school is failing my children and they deserve the best opportunities I can give them. I know there are other parents in my predicament. Both of them did x-country running and did fabulous. Forest finished basketball and went strait into hockey! Alice took a break and is getting ready for NYO, I think we might talk her into track as well in the spring. If you are a parent thinking about moving you should know our first two months were terrible. My daughter hated it. She is a sophomore. Our school in McGrath has 53 students k-12 she moved to a high school with over 1,000 students. She was so depressed I got scared. She came home one day and said, "mom they bump into me and don't even realize it". I thought I made the biggest mistake of my life. What helped us get through the move was getting Alice involved in something. For us it was x-country running. She was mad at me at first for making her join. She didn't know anyone and didn't want to be there. I didn't give in and Alice met friends and ended up finishing the year as a JV runner. But, I see now why we have so many rural students dropping out when they move to the city. There is no transition it is sink or swim time and they need a huge support system when they get here. The system here had an open door policy, but if they think a child like mine is just going to walk into the office and ask questions they are crazy! It was tough. On the other hand my social child Forest had no problem at all with the transition, but becuase he is so social I could never home school him in McGrath he needs that out let.

I just thought I would use my blogg as an outlet, and since Grandma has been diagnosed with colon cancer I have done much research trying to see what others went through. Hang in there and I also think my faith in God has kept us going, actually I know it has.

Spring Fever & Senioritis

I noticed a few glances were still being made on the blog. I really should have written sooner as there is so much to catch up on. First Spring is here in McGrath I will post some pictures soon. This means it is time to ice fish and get ready to go bird hunting. We are getting nervous about break up as we normally do. Spring also brings the threat of a flood. We haven't had a terrible flood since the early 90s.

It has been a rough semester February 15th, my friend passed away from a brain tumor. She was only 27. It is so hard loosing peers, as it feels so unreal. I think after that I just wanted to spend time with my family and school work took a back burner.

I started training for Arctic Winter Games with my daughter. We went to Yellow Knife for the competition in March and it was wonderful. She did so well. I had much more fun watching her then competeing. I think this is my gradual step to quit competing. No, not yet. I still have it in me for a few more games. At the AWG we competed in the Inuit games much like at World Eskimo Indian Olympics.

I have decided to take another year off from student teaching. The primary reason is to spend time with my children. We only have 3 more years with Alice and our son is entering 7th grade. He has done so terrible here in the McGrath school. He did so well in Fairbanks, it was sad to see his academic performance dwindle here. Our children are our first priority and that means getting them out of here so that they may have a chance in the academic world and continue on to college.

I am still working with our youth, and it makes me sad that I won't be here next year for them. That is the hardest leaving our community, but for the sake of our children we don't have a choice. I will be taking 7 students to the Native Youth Olympic competition in Anchorage April 24-26th. Wish us luck!

JNYO Success & College Update

I just got back from Anchorage. We had 14 students competing and ended up with 7 medals. I know I know it is not about the medals, but they sure are a fun extra bonus. Our students behaved so wonderfully. We had 3 days of competition and some of the days our students didn't compete so they would have to sit and watch their team mates. Imagine that, 7 1st and 2nd graders just sitting for hours!!! I would encourage anyone reading this in Rural Alaska to get your students out anyway you can for the experience alone. We took our students ice skating at the Dimond Center and they didn't want to leave the rink! Yes, even though we live in icey conditions this was the first time for many to go ice skateing, and they loved it. They also loved the 5th avenue with all the escalators and the glass evelvator! It was a wonderful trip!

My school up date is that I am still going to finish up this semester so I can student teach in the fall (keep your fingers crossed)! I am having to take classes here though and not in Fairbanks, because I couldn't get into the dorms I wanted. So, that means three of my classes are paperbased through correspondence, UGH! I am just going to have to be disciplined!

Well, I am not sure if anyone is still reading these, but I thought I would give it a shot, just in case!

Back from Bethel

What a quick trip. We left here Friday at 9:30 a.m., got into Anchorage, ran over to Alaska Airlines, ran to our gate, got on the flight, arrived into Bethel, went over to Killabuk School and the games started. I was sort of sad though becuase the wind was blowing so hard there, that the other schools didn't show up, only Napagiak. One of the reasons I like this trip so much as our students get a chance to compete with some of the best (LKSD athletes), however we still had fun. The students were so nice our kids just had a blast. All the kids coached each other and cheered each other on, regardless of team. The McGrath students did great, and I was proud of all of them.

It is so good for our students to stay at Killabuk, they loved hearing and seeing the Yup'ik language. We actually didn't have to wait until we got to Killabuk, we heard Yup'ik on the plane to Bethel and my kids loved it. They are always motivated to want to learn their own language as well as Yup'ik when we go on this trip. The classroom we stayed in was very decorated in all sorts of learning material, it looked like a great classroom, and 90% of it was in Yup'ik!

When we flew over the communities as we got closer to Bethel I was wondering, is that Magdelina down there or is that Kendra? I sure miss you all. I was also relieved to see the river (Kuskokwim). I am a nervous flier and it did not help that both flight were turbulant and I had prior warnings that they would be from the pilots LOL!

OH! It was 50 degrees there and NO SNOW!!! We walked around in mud. Isn't that crazy. You could see the tundra! I couldn't believe the weather for December!

You all take care. Miss you all!

Just Something I tried Getting ADN to Print

I thought this piece would be good to share, but I haven't heard back from ADN, so I'll just share it on my blogg :). Enjoy.

Communities Taking Action in Preserving
Alaska Native Cultures

What is your community doing to preserve the Alaska Native Culture? Studies have shown that students who know their cultural background have a better chance of benefiting in the Western educational system. As a country, we have known this since at least the Meriam Act. In Alaska we even have cultural standards in our State educational system, yet our actions are not backing up these facts.

Policy makers continue to say we can’t fund this or that because of funding which in part are do to decreasing numbers in rural Alaska schools. I have heard this countless times in our community, as well as through my studies as an Elementary Education major. We cannot depend on our districts to take charge of the situation; it is up to you and your fellow community members.

At our last Native Education Committee our high school students listed some of these cultural activities they wanted such as a survival class, they wanted to learn a type of Alaska Native Dancing, an Alaska Native language, and participate in the traditional Native games. Our students want to know about their community, their history. We must listen to our community needs and our youth, and just “do it”.

This is our just “do it” start.

This year we have one of our largest Junior Native Youth Olympic teams. We have 13 students that will be traveling to State as well as 2 senior Native Youth Olympic athletes, and 5 chaperones. Last year there were only 3 students traveling and no Bethel trip. We take our 5th through 8th graders to Bethel for a traditional Native games competition. Our budget is over $16,000 the district has given us $760.

Many of these cultural activities will be made possible by your time volunteering.

As a community we have seen how our children shine through the traditional games, Native and Non-Native children alike. Parents, community members and athletes have spent numerous hours of volunteering from putting on dinners, to shoveling snow, selling pies, to an antler drive, to raffles, to seeking corporate sponsors we received six; Crowley Marine, the McGrath Clinic, MTNT, MLP, AC McGrath Store and the Fraternal Order of the Alaska State Troopers. That still leaves a big chunk to be raised, but the people in our community have not given up on our youth and through every fundraiser we have had a success. What do the students in your community want? If your district is not providing those opportunities or you have heard the excuse they can’t, you can. Our community is doing it and so can yours.

McGrath’s latest population update is down to 321. There are currently 53 students enrolled in the school from grades K-12.

Junior Native Youth Olympics will be held January 11, 12, and 13th at Mirror Lake Middle School.

Noel Strick-I am a senior majoring in Elementary Education through Interior Aleutians Campus, University of Alaska Fairbanks. I am the Chair for our Native Education Committee. I am the volunteer JNYO coach as well as a mother of two. I work as a DJ in the morning for KSKO 870 am and a Facilitator for IAC-UAF in the afternoons. Contact information: fsnrg1@uaf.edu e-mail.

Day by Day, Activities for our students what it is like

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I am so worried about making it to JNYO in January. We have 7 weeks and $7,000 more to raise. We have asked for corporate sponsors to give $500 and in return we are putting their names on our t-shirts. We are also trying to raise enough money for our volleyball team to make it to Regionals in Golovin, but they only need $1,500 and we are doing an Asian dinner on Monday that should bring in $1,000, plus they have a small raffle going on. Back to JNYO we have been shoveling, cooking, raffles, etc.. Our community has really been active, but with our numbers getting smaller they can only do so much. So, I can't help but wonder why the District didn't try to find grants to help subsidize some of our programs the students love? My husband says don't do as much, because it does stress me out. My back is going out and I am breaking out like crazy, but if we don't do it who will? Everything I do he is tied into, but we need to for our children. Also, I found out I need 4 classes and the only way I can take them all is by being in Fairbanks. There is no way I could handle them via correspondence. I just don't know. When I wasn't here we had no Senior NYO team and our JNYO team had only 4 athletes compared to this years 14. I know I make a difference for our youth, but I need to take care of myself and kids so moving to Fairbanks is becoming more of a reality, yet I feel like I am betraying my community. This really just sucks. It was fun watching all the students! We even had some preschoolers and Kind students play. I was going to upload a video from our potluck last night, but the computer wouldn't let me. So, here is a picture of my son doing wrist carry.

:) PEACE & my thought today coming from a rural town with a district like ours, is do not allow money to make a choice for you and do not accept it as an excuse through the grace of others who do see the value in what you do for your youth goodness can happen!

I've taken on a new look....what do you think?

Well I have done it, a new make over, funny though not a person realized it, except the children that visited my house on Halloween. Sadly enough we made no child cry, but took a few bye, surprise. They wiggled and screamed, but their parents said, "go in their not mean". Haha they soon also sang a different tune when monsters jumped out at them as they waited, thinking they were there just to watch, we laughed so hard, perhaps that was the scotch (kidding of course). Today I thought the make over was too much. Down came my life size skeleton that loves to sing and move, down came my spiders and cob webs, the black roses and bones in the graveyard are gone too, only 2 pumpkins remain in the back of our truck, with any luck they will vanish as well. A new Holiday is near and today we are getting 5 inches of snow as if he is laughing near bye, "hohoho" with a belly full of jelly. I can't wait to see that old man. In two weeks we will prepare to greet him galore! My friends you have seen nothing like it before. The lights will hang, the candy canes will line the way, and I plan to get more, THANK YOU E-BAY!!! Hope you are all doing wonderful. I am still stressed, but plan on going on vacation in December, and I am going to get a massage! Lots of love and hugs coming your way from MCG!

Making a collage

I had a couple of friends ask me how I made the collages on my blog. The way I have done it is through Picasa. Download it first :). Then put the picture you want to use into the tray. You will see the tray on the left hand bottom portion of the screen. You then hit collage on the menu at the bottom. It will give you a preview of the collage. There are different way you can experiment with as far as making one. Once you are finished and have saved the collage one of the options below on the menu is to blog it or what I did was just save it and then bring it on to my blog by using the picture tool button when creating a post. It is the button next to the ABC Check mark. I absolutely love Picasa just a picture tool in general. Have fun with it!

I am doing okay. I have taken on a third job just for the week as a family that is like family to ours is having a family emergancy, as in extreme emergency. You know one thing about living in a rural community versus a urban is that we are attached. I have no choice but to help out my community because I am a part of it. I wish this philosophy extended into the school. But really when one family is hurting here everyone steps in to help them. In the city we were cut from that and I think that is such a huge part of me as a person, needing that family. I realize in urban Alaska people do work together, I just feel because I see all 300 + people of our town almost daily I know them "more" then I did in Fairbanks and Anchorage. In any case I hope all works out for my friends, and I hope you are all doing well. HEY I just a lightbulb switch on. Do you suppose because we come from Rural Alaska and we do better in our intensives together because we have that bond that we are so familiar with? I am not sure, but you are all dear to me and it is so nice when I do get to see you all!

Greetings My Friends

Well, I thought I would make a collage for today's blog. The scary pictures are from outside my house. My mom asked me recently after I told her about my Halloween house, "Do you wonder why you like Halloween so much?" I just love to celebrate. My husband jokes about having to make another wood shed to store all my Christmas decorations, yes that is right, you haven't seen anything yet! I can't believe how fast our river seems to want to freeze up. Although the forecast is pretty warm this week so I doubt it will do much, the river.

My friends, my life is just crazy right now. I could use about 20 hugs, lol. I have started another job in the afternoons working at IAC. Tues and Thur I am doing my civic duty, and one of my life passions, coaching JNYO. We had 13 students our first practice and I hear more are showing up today! That is close to at least a 1/4 of our students! And guess what?! The SCHOOL has no budget for us. So, I have until now and Jan 11 to raise over $12,000.

Oh, our Native Education Committee start their meetings this week too!

Three of my four classes are going okay, but my correspondence HIST 115 is back logged. I need a big kick in the a$$ to get motivated with that one! My poor son has been acting up at school, but not terribly. You know we had this problem with him two years ago here at this same school! AND HE DID SO GOOD IN FAIRBANKS!!! So, I really think my children will stir us back to Fairbanks next year. And on top of that my daughter is going to have to play co-ed basketball because there are not enough boys for a boys team!!! And "village ball" was one of the major reasons we moved back here! I am so frustrated!

Okay, well I hope no negativety has streamed through the computer! You just smile and give me a hug through osmosis. Thank you I needed that! Miss you all and keep going, we have no choice, we must fight back the ethnic cleansing of the early 1900s! hehe

My Weekly Post

I don't have much to say in the area of technology. I am here in Fairbanks for a math 205 intensive and we are stacked with homework. I also have two other classes pouring on the work. Not much of a blogg, but just wanted to check in!

Technology Progression or Regression

I have blogged before about our little community message board in McGrath, but under different circumstances. I am so bummed right now and it is because of our message board. I often wonder if I should even read it. At times it is an outlet for angry people who are choosing to put messages on with anonymous names. Perhaps technology has helped us communicate more but at what costs. There is something to be said about direct communication. If you go to our message board today you will see a posting about a white van. People and companies sell things here all the time, and at times you do have to know where to look to see the advertisement, none the less they are advertised. Anyway if you want to see what can happen to a message board where anonymous messages can be left -Check This Out http://members2.boardhost.com/MCG-Community/index.html?1190756337.

UA Video scholarhip opportunity

Hey, check out this cool scholarship. I have been sharing my videos with my friends, and
my cousin who works for UAF sent this to me. I don't know if any of us are up to
it or not, but it might be fun to try to make a video for UAF. Just thought I would
pass this on.

http://www.uamyway.net/
This is a scholarship contest. Student can create a video/commercial for UA
and be entered to win a 1 year scholarship. Thought it was interesting.
Below is more information.
How to Enter
Submit a video that shows what all of the choices that the University of
Alaska has to offer means to you and you could win one of five 1-year
scholarships! To enter, record your video and submit it to www.uamyway.net
before December 15, 2007.

Video submission requirements:
1.       Videos entered in the contest should demonstrate what choices the
University of Alaska has to offer and how you are impacted by all the
choices.
2.       Video entries must be submitted in the following video file
formats: .MOV or .FLV or .WMV and must be no longer than three minutes in
duration.
3.       Video must be in English.
4.       Entry must be original, unpublished, the sole property of
submitter, and not previously submitted in any other contest.
5.       Entries must not include unsuitable, inappropriate or offensive
conduct or content.
6.       If you include music, you must use one of the choices of the music
provided here <http://www.uamyway.net/rules/> .
7.       To be eligible to win, all entrants must fill out and either mail
or fax two forms:
Liability
<http://www.uamyway.net/legalforms/liabilityrelease_uamyway_contest.pdf>
Release and the Talent
<http://www.uamyway.net/legalforms/talentrelease_uamyway_contest.pdf>
Release Form.

Subsistance

This year and last, when moose hunting season first began we had inservice. This works for the students that go hunting that week, but most of us will keep going until we get our moose. We just take our kids out, because this time is important than anything the school can offer. Beside this year our school implemented a new attendance policy, that myself and others literally faught for, and that is if the child is doing allright in school with a C or better they don't have to worry about being kicked out. Last year's policy gave students 15 days regardless if it was for a funeral, it was up to the discression of the SI I believe, but it was shady in any regards. The rest of the things like bird hunting, we do on the weekends or like last night, my son and I went out for spruce hens. We do trapping too in the evenings and set them on weekends. The major conflict does seem to be moose hunting.

Class Video Assignment

This is the second time I have had to edit this Blog. I am soooo sorry Skip for not mentioning you in my credits! The music cuts were provided by the CD you sent to us. Highway patrol and Skylar Blue, were the songs. Thank you for providing the music!

I had so much fun with this video too! I swear I may go into some sort of media productions! This was so much fun! Skip thank you so much for providing me the opportunity to learn all of this. I found a way to overlap the noise, as you can see. This really wasn't instructional but more motivational. I hope this all works, and for those of you checking this out, I hope you enjoy the movie! I had to come back for editting, I believe that picture of the Gibbens children might be their son Kody and not Kaden, I couldn't tell, and then I started evaluating it more and more and now I am not sure. They are my best friend's children and she knows I am using this photo. Anyhow, I just wanted to throw that side note out. I was all excited about being able to upload our videos onto the Blogger, I think I moved to fast. I need an editor. :)!