January 15, 2014 Community Happenings

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Category: News

Created on Wednesday, 15 January 2014 11:28

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Actor in Residence
    To Offer Workshop
    Actor Galway McCullough, in residence with the Island Institute, will offer a “Creative Centering” workshop for “performers” of all stripes – actors, singers, dancers, public speakers – 1-4:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Yaw Chapel on SJ Campus.
    The workshop is open to all. The   fee is $25. Low-income assistance is available.
    McCullough will lead workshop participants through a number of exercises he has learned during his nine years of studying with and assisting acting coach and teacher Bob McAndrew in New York City.
    The institute said that the exercises will not only have direct benefits for performers of all kinds, but can also help participants more genuinely connect with themselves and others in daily life.
    ‘‘This will not be a lecture,” said McCullough. “Come prepared to be alert and participating throughout. No previous training or experience is required, just openness.”
    McCullough wears many hats in his work including actor, fight director/stunt coordinator, director and producer. He has performed leading roles in theater and film in the Twin Cities and New York as well as national and regional tours.
    During his Sitka residency, he is collaborating with writer Mona Susan Power. Their residency is made possible by support from the Alaska State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, City of Sitka, Sitka Alaska Permanent Charitable Trust and Island Institute members.
    Those interested in the workshop should sign up in advance with the Island Institute by calling 747-3794.

    Babies and Books
    Event Jan. 25
    “Getting Ready to Read is Fun!’’ is the topic of the Sitka Babies and Books Program 10:30 a.m. Jan. 25 at Kettleson Memorial Library.
    The program includes songs and movements. Sign up ahead of time by calling the library at 747-8708.


J    SNEP to Register
    SNEP registration is available for middle school and high school students.
    Cultural instruction is scheduled to begin on Feb. 3. Registration forms are available at Blatchley Middle School, Sitka High School and the Tribal Youth Center. Contact SNEP at 747-4968 for any questions.

    Drawing Journal
    Workshop at UAS
    UAS-Sitka Campus will offer a drawing journal workshop 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays Jan.22-Feb. 5.
     It will explore ideas, techniques and experiences that will enable students to begin, continue and grow a journal to include both drawings and words. The fee is $50. Norman Campbell will instruct.
    Call 747-7762 for more information or to register.

    Chinese Lanterns
    Topic of Program
    Summer Shen and Yan Yang will present a Chinese new year program for all ages 4 p.m. Jan. 19 at Kettleson Memorial Library.
    The two will introduce new years culture and traditions including clothing of the season, paintings and spring couplets. They will show short videos about new year lantern festivals and then teach the audience how to make Chinese lanterns, red envelopes and dumplings.


Sitka Conservation Society receives grant to study Salmon Restoration Project
    The Sitka Conservation Society recently received a grant from the National Forest Foundation to enter a strategic partnership with the Tongass National Forest to monitor the effects of a salmon habitat restoration project on Prince of Wales Island, and engage local youths in monitoring efforts.
    Other partners and participants will include the Universities of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Southeast, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and schools on Prince of Wales Island.
    The two-year, $124,000 grant has two components. The first will fund the hiring of a crew to operate a seasonal non-lethal trap to count and assess salmon smolt that are migrating out of the Twelvemile Creek Watershed on Prince of Wales Island.
    SCS said that collecting this type of data is critical for evaluating the effectiveness of habitat restoration activities. The USFS Tongass National Forest, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy and the National Forest Foundation, conducted restoration work on this creek over the past few years to restore salmon spawning and rearing habitat impacted by past logging activities.
    The monitoring project will be an integral part of the Watershed Restoration Effectiveness Monitoring Program of the Tongass National Forest. The Tongass National Forest produces an average of 28 percent of Alaska’s annual commercial salmon harvest. Because salmon support one in 10 jobs in Southeast Alaska and create an economic impact of $1 billion in the regional economy, projects that protect and restore salmon runs are of critical importance to Southeast communities.
    The second component will engage local youths in habitat restoration. Teachers and students from Prince of Wales communities will take part in classroom-based salmon curriculum and outdoor-based Steam Team activities. Stream Team is a statewide program where students collect field data to assess water quality and stream health. In partnership with the UAS fisheries technology program, local youths will also have vocational training opportunities as interns working at the fish trap, along with receiving career and educational counseling from fisheries professionals.
    “Collecting data to evaluate how these projects affect salmon habitat, along with involving the surrounding communities in hands-on resource stewardship, will help ensure we’re doing what’s best for both the resource and our communities,” said SCS Conservation Science Director Scott Harris.
    For more information, contact Harris at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 738-4091.

    Barn Dance
    Raised Jan. 25
    A community barn dance is set 7-9:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at Blatchley Middle School.
    All are invited to participate in mixers, circles and contra dances, or simply listen to the live music of Sitka’s Fishing for Cats band. Beginners and seasoned dancers of all ages are invited.
    Dances are taught and called. No partner is needed and no dancing experience is necessary. The first hour will be geared to beginners and young dancers.
    The dance is a non-alcohol and smoke-free Community Schools event. For more information call 747-3412.

    Youth Basketball
    Schedule Given
    Sitka Youth Basketball will run Jan. 11-March 15 at Blatchley Middle School gym. It is for girls and boys in kindergarten through eighth grades.
    The schedule is: 8:30-9:15 a.m. kindergarten-first grade, $35 ; 9:15-10 a.m. second grade, $65; 10 a.m.-11:15 a.m. fifth-sixth grade girls; 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. third-fourth grade, $65; 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. seventh-eighth grade girls; 12:30-1:45 p.m. fifth-sixth grade boys, $65; and 1:45-3 p.m. seventh-eighth grade boys, $65.
    A T-shirt is included in the price. For more information call Community Schools, 747-8670.

    Pre-Kindergartners’
    Parents Asked to Call
    Parents of a child who does not attend a local preschool and plans to enter kindergarten in the fall are being asked to call Baranof Elementary School at 747-5825 to give their child’s name and date of birth.
    The staff is trying to get an estimate of the number of children who will attend kindergarten in the fall. Eligible kindergartners will be 5 by Sept. 7. the information will be used for budget planning purposes.
    Kindergarten registration is slated 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. April 8-10.

    Cancer Support
    Group to Meet
    Sitka Cancer Support Group will meet 1 p.m. Jan. 19 at Brave Heart Volunteers in the Sitka Pioneers Home Manager’s House, located behind the Mt. Edgecumbe Preschool on Seward Street.
    Those in cancer treatment and cancer survivors are invited to come and spend some time with others who understand what they are going through. This support group is sponsored by Sitka Cancer Survivors Society. Those who need more information or a ride may call or email Mary Beth at 623-0842 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

    All Invited to Make
    Action Figures
    The Sheldon Jackson Museum invites the public to a free family-friendly At Saxan third Saturday program to make action figures 1 p.m. Jan. 18.
    Individuals will learn about traditional Inupiaq and St. Lawrence Island Yupik clothing, including parkas and kuspuks/qiipaghaq, gloves, waterproof garments and snowshoes.
    This is the first of a two-part program. The second program will involve making sleds to go with the action figures.
    To register or for more information, call 747-8904 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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