Seventy miles away from to the Bering Sea, on unpaved areas along the Kuskokwim River Three Yup’ik villages provide a perfect illustration of the difficulties faced by schools in Alaska.
The state’s teacher turnover ranges from 25% to 30% per year. In addition, poor attendance and low test scores have been frequent problems in numerous rural schools.
In the middle of the 1980s The communities comprising Akiachak, Akiak and Tuluksak separated from the larger district, to create The Yupiit School District. They wished to provide an education that was more than fully integrated the traditional Yup’ik Native knowledge.
The district was allowed to run according to an academic calendar closely aligned with subsistence harvests for the seasons. School administrators spent the majority of 2022 attempting to have it accepted in the eyes of state officials.
The school starts one week later than other districts across the state, and the classes end at 10 days later. The school makes up for the difference by offering an extra 30 minutes of instruction per day.
Students are now able to participate in the hunt for moose during the fall as well as the spring migratory bird harvest. The idea is to share the knowledge of the past that is not acquired in the classroom and attendance was not great during harvests that are seasonal.
Camp culture for summer
In summer months, Yupiit schools run a culture camps.
On a cloudy day in June, elders and teachers gather with students at a huge cutting table that is located close to the housing for teachers close to the river. The catch of the day of salmon was planned to be processed in a nearby fish camp, but the plans were cancelled because of the bear was seen in the area.
Literacy trainer Evelyn Esmailka wields a large ulu while explaining the distinctions between chum Chinook, and sockeye salmon to a small group of youngsters. Following this class, the youngsters will get on drift boats and go fishing for salmon along the river.
“They’re making preparations to head out. This is for the fish that is available in winter to complement meals,” Esmailka said.
After the fish have been cleaned and weighed, they’re loaded on an empty back battered truck, and taken to the walk-in freezer at school. The blood of salmon, which is returned into the water, flows through plastic containers as the truck travels through Akiachak’s pothole-filled main drag.
Woody Woodgate, the school director of federal programs for the district Woody Woodgate, the director of federal programs for the district, has said that staff prefer indigenous food items in the cafeterias within the district.
“Not actually doing anything to diminish the United Department of Agriculture] or the school lunch program, but the majority of the stuff included on these menus was designed specifically for those living in cities, like the lower 48 states, and much of it ends up in the garbage can because children aren’t interested in eating the food,” Woodgate said. “So is it possible to add fish and moose to the mix, we can particularly the moose and fish that kids can catch.”
Participating in the harvest
Except for the sockeye salmon, the run of salmon along the Kuskokwim River are crashing, and the time the students were out was one of the few chances to catch the species. As the clock ticked down in the 12-hour fishing season, the focus for the entire day consisted of to make sure that all students get an opportunity to share in the fish harvest.
Barron Sample was in charge of the fishing with drift nets portion of the summer culture camp. He is currently in the third season as the principal of Akiachak School. Akiachak School.
“For certain people it’s their first time that they’re actually on the river to do this, and also the first time they actually pull nets,” Sample said.
The boat’s length is 24 feet. It’s one of three that are owned by the school district.
“There’s three schools within our district of schools: Akiak, Tuluksak, and we, Akiachak. Also, we’re in an unintentional competition, for example”how many of you did you catch today? ‘” Sample said.
After a 150-foot gillnet had been released, the boat floated slowly along the river. The kids sat glued to an array of buoys to see evidence of activity.
“Fifteen more minutes, and then we’ll reel in,”” a fourth grader informs the group.
The first one produces just two fish. However, the next one drift brings about 12: a mix of kings, reds and Chums. Students scream with delight when the squirming salmon get removed out of the net, and then landed with a bang in a plastic container.
“I wanna fish again. This is actually a fantastic location to fish in,” a fourth-grader chimes into.
Following two drifts there’s plenty of fish waiting to be cleaned and kept in the schools for the winter ahead. The only thing kids are able to discuss is the next time they go fishing.
In the short time frame during which fishing was allowed the town of Akiachak was like an abandoned town. However, along the river, the fishing camps were buzzing with activities as families processed the harvest of the day in a way that’s been unchanged over time. 9(MDEwMjQ0ODM1MDEzNDk4MTEzNjU3NTRhYg004))
