January 23, 2014 Community Happenings

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Category: News

Created on Thursday, 23 January 2014 13:13

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Model Sleds, Dogs
    To be Constructed
    The Sheldon Jackson Museum will hold a free family-friendly At Saxan third Saturday program 1 p.m. Feb. 15 to make model sleds and sled dogs.
    The model sleds and sled dogs can be used with the action figures made  at January’s At Saxan program. Children do not need to have attended January’s program to participate.
    At Saxan is a program best for children ages 6-10.
    To register or for more information, call 747-8981 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Saami People
    Subject of Talk
    The Sheldon Jackson Museum will host a free lecture on Saami people and culture 1 p.m. Feb. 1.
    The lecture is titled “People of the Sun and Wind: an Introduction to Saami Culture” and will be provided by Vivian Faith Prescott, PhD. All are welcome to attend.
    For more information call 747-8981 and visit the Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum’s Facebook page.
 
    Parent Cafe
    Set for Jan. 30
    Parents are invited to the Blatchley Parent Cafe ‘‘Talking About Healthy Relationships with Teenagers’’ 7-8:30 p.m. Jan. 30 in the Blatchley Middle School library.
    Statistics cite that one in three teens will experience dating abuse by the end of high school, but over two-thirds of teens say they have never talked to a parent about healthy relationships.
    ‘‘It’s time to talk – let us help start the conversation,’’ organizers said.
    Desserts, coffee and tea will be provided. All parents are welcome. The event is hosted by Center for Community and Sitkans Against Family Violence. Contact Elena at 747-3370 for more information.

    Little League
    Meeting on Tap
    The first Sitka Little League parent/board meeting of the season will be 6:30-8:30 p.m. Jan. 30 in room 208 at Blatchley Middle School.
    It is open to anyone wanting to be involved with the upcoming season. The group will fill board positions, discuss and set registration times and season schedules, and discuss pre-season clinics (including umpires).
    ‘‘The league is growing leaps and bounds in Sitka and we need volunteers to keep it going,’’ organizers said.
    Individuals should go to http://www.littleleague.org/ and look under ‘‘league officers’’ for ‘‘board of directors roles’’ to review possible roles needed.
    The group is taking names for season coaches and managers for T-ball, baseball coach pitch, minor, major, junior leagues and softball coach pitch, minor, major and junior leagues. Those with questions can contact Karen Case  at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Kat Richards  at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

    Clinic Hours Told
    SEARHC is reminding the public of its business hours for area clinics.
    The outpatient clinic at Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday and Thursday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday.
    To make an appointment or for information regarding emergencies call 966-2411.

    Ukulele Group
    Plans to Meet
    “The Hundred” ukulele group will meet 6-7 p.m. on the third Monday of each month – Feb. 17, March 17 and April 21 – in the exhibit room at Centennial Hall to welcome new members, practice as a group and learn new songs.
    Free lessons are available 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays by texting 510-610-0075 for location and to confirm seating.
    The group can be found at ‘‘The Hundred’’ on Facebook.

Sealaska Chooses Teams for
Tlingit Language Project
    Sealaska Heritage Institute has chosen six teams of Tlingit speakers and students who will hone their skills over the next three years in an effort to revitalize the Tlingit language. SHI chose mentor-apprentice teams in Sitka, Yakutat and Juneau and will train them on mentor-apprentice language methods and strategies later this month.
    In Sitka, fluent Tlingit speaker-mentor Ethel Makinen will pair with apprentice Duane Lindoff, and mentor Anne Johnson will teach Jamie Bradley. SHI will partner with Sitka Tribe of Alaska and work with community liaisons Tristan Guevin and Heather Powell.
    In Yakutat, mentor Lena Farkas will pair with apprentice Jaclyn Milton, and mentor Nellie Lord will teach student Devlin Anderstrom. SHI will partner with the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe and work with community liaison Amanda Porter.
    In Juneau, mentor Selena Everson will teach Hans and Jessica Chester, and mentor Paul Marks will teach apprentices Ishmael Hope and Joshua Jackson. Marsha Hotch will serve as community liaison.
    The institute made Native language revitalization a priority in the 1990s and has cultivated a number of students, but it’s time to intensify that effort, said SHI President Rosita Worl.
    “We’re very fortunate in that we have many language learners. We have many, but we need more. And, we’ve known that we need to bring them to their next level of Tlingit language fluency. This is something that they’ve been telling us and they’ve been wanting,” said Worl, adding there are only about 200 Tlingit speakers left and most of them are elderly.
    SHI will sponsor an orientation and training workshop in Juneau Jan. 24-26. The class, “Mentor-Apprentice Language Methods and Strategies,” will be taught by Phil Albers, a language teacher who has played a crucial role in revitalizing his Native tongue, Karuk, in northern California.
    The mentor-apprentice program, “Bridging Challenges to Fluency through Partnerships: A Tlingit Mentor-Apprentice Language Program,” is funded through a grant from the Administration for Children and Families-ANA, Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance.

    Sealaska Heritage Institute was founded in 1980 to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska.


    STA Panel Meets
    The Sitka Tribe of Alaska Cultural, Customary, and Traditional Committee will meet noon Jan. 24 in the STA Resource Protection Department Office at 429 Katlian St. A light lunch will be provided. The public is invited to attend. 

    Subsistence
    Surveys Listed
    Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Sitka Tribe of Alaska will  conduct subsistence use surveys in February and are asking for the public’s cooperation.
    Questions about hunting, fishing and gathering of subsistence resources in the Sitka area are on the survey. The data from the surveys will determine subsistence use patterns and amounts.
    Those with questions can call Jessica Gill at 747-7168.

    Artists Sought for
    Individual Grants
    The deadline for artists to submit  applications for a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award is about five weeks away. These grants go directly to the artist. Since the program started 10 years ago, four artists from Sitka have received awards.
    Individual Artist Awards support Alaska artists in 10 artistic disciplines at various stages of their careers and creative development. Awards are made in three categories – project awards, artist fellowship awards and the Distinguished Artist award.
    Project awards ($7,500) are for artists with short-term project needs.  Fellowships ($18,000) are awarded to mid-career and mature artists to advance their careers. The Distinguished Artist award ($40,000) recognizes creative excellence and superior accomplishments. Artists may apply for only one type of award. The Distinguished Artist Award is by nomination only.
    Project awards may be in any of 10 artistic disciplines: choreography, crafts, folk and traditional arts, literary arts/scriptworks, media arts, multidiscipline/new genre, music composition, performance art, presentation/interpretation, and visual arts.
    Applications may be filed online on the Rasmuson Foundation website. Completed applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. March 1. Applications sent by mail must be postmarked no later than 11:59 p.m. March 1. Applications delivered to the office must be received by 5 p.m. Feb. 28.
    Applicants may also call (907) 297-2700 or (877) 366-2700 (toll free in Alaska), or write to Rasmuson Foundation, 301 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 400, Anchorage, Alaska 99503, for additional information or to request an application.
   

Mt. Edgecumbe, Homer
Students Headed to D.C.
    Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Mark Begich today announced the names of the two Alaska students who have been selected as delegates to the 52nd annual United States Senate Youth Program  to be held March 8-15 in Washington, D.C.
    Shanelle Afcan of Sitka and John Walsworth of Homer were chosen from across the state to be part of the group of 104 student delegates who will attend the program’s 52nd annual Washington Week.
    Afcan is a senior at Mt. Edgecumbe High School where she serves as the student body president. As a board member of Alaska Youth for Environmental Action, she is a youth organizer and peer trainer. She is a member of the National Honor Society and news editor for the school’s Radio Club. Afcan plans to pursue a degree in environmental and political science. She is from Marshall. Her parents are Solomon and Samantha Afcan.
    Walsworth is a senior at Homer High School and serves as the student body vice president. He is also a school site council member, and a districtwide representative to the Curriculum Review Committee. Other leadership roles include: peer tutoring, varsity basketball team captain, substitute conductor for concert and swing choirs, and first chair trumpet in the symphonic band. John’s long-term goal is to attend one of the nation’s military academies.
    The USSYP was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 and has been sponsored by the Senate and fully funded by The Hearst Foundations since inception.
    The competitive merit-based program brings 104 of the most outstanding high school students – two from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity – to Washington, D.C., for an intensive weeklong study of the federal government and the people who lead it. The Hearst Foundations provide each of the 104 student delegates with a $5,000 undergraduate college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs.

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