Love Letter to Sitka
Dear Editor: With the ferry finally coming on Sunday, I have less than one week left in Sitka – and it will be hard to leave! We have been so lucky to live in this incredibly gorgeous place, with more bears than people and more trees than most people can even imagine. We are fortunate that its first caretakers have taken such good care of it, that it still provides for all of us. And we are all so blessed to live in a place where people, generally, take care of each other.
Please appreciate this place – not only in words but in deeds and action. Do the “hard” things that turn out not to be so hard. You know … like helping a neighbor in need, paying a little bit more to buy local, and, yes, bringing your reusable bags to EVERY store. Do not let the outside world stop you from remembering to take care of each other and the place where you live. Living on an island we are reminded that, like in a marriage, you have to get along and support each other through good times and bad. After all, on an island there is nowhere else to go and no one else to count on.
I hope I can take this beautiful island and its wonderful inhabitants, and the lessons you all have taught me, with me, whether I am near the ocean or in the middle of the continent. Because, Colorado or Sitka, we are all on this one little planet. And what is this planet Earth, but an island in a very large sea? Not quite a direct quote, but still an appropriate one, “There are no passengers on M/V Earth. We are all crew.”
I wish you all well. Take care of each other! Take care of this place until we return! A bientot!
Michelle Putz, Sitka
On a Positive Note
Dear Editor: I want to give a few big thank you’s out for some excellences in our community.
First off, thanks to Garland Kennedy for his insightful and well written piece on Peter Williams Friday. Beside giving notice to Peter’s work, I really liked the depth of the article. As a friend of the arts I value the backstory. Garland and Peter really did that.
As for my other two uplifts of late, the Sitka Fine Arts Camp folks truly brought some delight by bringing Jake Shimabkuro to the Performing Arts Center. His presence, musicianship and grace put much-needed good energy into a dark Sitka nite. Thanks so much to those who made this happen.
Finally the Sitka Jazz Fest. Man, you guys are the best. I almost didn’t go Saturday evening with all that cold rain pouring down. Am I glad I did. There were four acts – all of them laid down the magic of live performance. The mixture of 26 years of having the Jazz Fest in Sitka, the pure energy and creative juices, the youth players (from all over Alaska), enthusiasm was contagious (the good kind), the teaching staff who fed the furnace of the youthful players, the outstanding guest performers, all the stage help, lights.
The final set with Kyle’s Dance Party blew the two-year-old cobwebs out into the Gulf of Alaska. Everyone seemed energized and thrilled to be together for some live music.
John Murray, Sitka
Thanks to Hames Corp.
Dear Editor: The Filipino Scholarship Committee would like to thank Roger Hames, Sea Mart Quality Foods, and the Hames Corporation for the donation of $2,500 toward the Sitka “Tulong Aral” Filipino Scholarship. This founding donation guarantees the award of two $1,000 scholarships this year. The scholarships will go to Sitka School District students of Filipino descent seeking post-secondary degrees, certificates, and trainings.
We are grateful for the Hames Corporation’s continued support of the community and its schools, not only in donations but by providing an initial job experience for so many of our young people. Employment with the Hames Corporation has been an important career pathway for our youth here in Sitka.
The establishment of the scholarship came out of family engagement work the district has done together with the Filipino community. Parents indicated that they wanted to work with the district in encouraging their children to consider post-secondary education.
The committee is working to endow this scholarship for the future.
Community member Peggy Fedoroff is holding an online bake sale at tinyurl.com/sitkabakesale. Please support us there.
Kari Sagel, Sitka,
Family Engagement, STEPS Grant
