Thank You, Cool Bus
Dear Editor: Sitka Sound Science Center thanks Laura Rogers and the Cool Bus Team for their generous donation of rides for Sitka Sprouts families during one of our final preschool Sprouts programs this spring.
Our community programs are constantly enriched by community supporters, and Laura is a standout example. She’s a warm and comforting presence behind the wheel, and the kiddos really appreciated the chance to ride up to Xóots Elementary and see the school that some of them will be attending in the fall. Thank you, Laura!
Sitka Sound Science Center
Education Staff
Support Ceasefire
Dear Editor: On Monday, Palestinians in Rafah took to the streets to celebrate reports that Hamas had agreed to a temporary ceasefire deal, crafted by the Israeli government. Israel responded by escalating its bombing of Rafah and announcing plans to invade the city. The Israeli military seized the Rafah border crossing, a crucial passage for humanitarian aid.
Israel has vowed to push forward with a large-scale military operation in Rafah. A ground invasion of Rafah would mean death on a mass scale.
Even the U.S. government, who has armed and defended Israeli genocide in spite of the international demand for an immediate ceasefire, has said that it cannot support a ground invasion of Rafah. The Biden administration has repeatedly called the planned invasion of Rafah a “red line” — one the Israeli government has now crossed.
In light of Israel’s determination to push forward with a large-scale military operation in Rafah despite U.S. objections, President Biden announced plans to pause the delivery of 3,500 bombs to Israel (Sitka Sentinel, May 8).
However, according to the New York Times yesterday (https://tinyurl.com/5n7cxbu7), the Administration is still allowing most other weapons to be sent to Israel and officials emphasized that no final decision has even been made on the bombs that are currently in limbo.
Please call President Biden and members of Congress to demand that they do everything in their power to stop arming Israel and insist that the Israeli government accept the ceasefire deal.
Closer to home, add your support to a permanent ceasefire and end to Israeli genocide by attending the weekly Sitka Voices for Peace vigil, Saturdays, noon-1 at the roundabout.
“The second that we start deciding that ‘never again’ means only ‘never again’ for some people, I think that we’ve lost the teachings from people who have survived genocide.” –Bella Jacobs, Jewish student protester at Pitzer.
Cindy Litman, Sitka
Plant Sale Thanks
Dear Editor: On May 3 and 4, Pacific High School held our annual plant sale fundraiser. For the first time we were able to hold the sale in the school’s new greenhouse. The day was warm and the community support equally so. Crowds of people turned out to purchase seedlings grown by Pacific High students in our spring garden class, and to tour the new greenhouse. PHS students expanded their skills by tallying people’s orders, ringing them up, and discussing different plant’s attributes.
The money raised during this fundraiser ensures that PHS can continue to do the important work of connecting students with their food and building self-sufficiency. In our Garden to Table Program, students learn to cook healthy homemade meals through our culinary class, using PHS garden-grown produce that students plant and harvest themselves on school grounds. Students earn their food handler’s cards and learn food safety and nutrition. In our garden class students learn to grow food here in Sitka’s harsh climate, an important skill for our future generations to carry forward. Students also mentor Xoots Elementary students in planting and harvesting Lingit potatoes.
Pacific High School would like to thank all the community members who have supported our Garden to Table program, whether through Plant Sale purchases, donations or volunteering time, and even those who simply dropped off their spare pots for us to use!
A very special thanks to our partner organization Sitka Conservation Society, for hosting PHS’s school garden coordinator position and to Chandler O’Connell for continuing to find funding for our program.
The greenhouse would not be complete without the volunteer efforts of Micah and Barry Maxwell, Joel Hanson, Brian McNitt and Brant Brantman. Barth Hamburg navigated the technical details to help launch this vision. Outer Coast College and AmeriCorps provided scores of volunteers to haul compost materials, sift soil and build greenhouse beds. Tammy Young and David Kanosh share the Lingit potato origin story with PHS and Xoots Elementary students every year, and together with Sitka Tribe of Alaska and the U.S. Forest Service, we caretake this special potato variety year after year. Thanks again, Sitka, for your support of PHS and our Garden to Table Program!
Andrea Fraga
School Garden Coordinator
Pacific High School
AmeriCorps Volunteer
Dear Editor: My name is Alan R. Doulphus from San Francisco, California. In January 2023 when I was finishing up two early childhood development certificates from the City College of San Francisco, I received an email from a Sarah Lawrie asking if I was interested in coming to Sitka, Alaska, to serve with AmeriCorps.
“What – serve whom!?” I thought. At that time, I was ready to take the California teacher certification exam. Plus, after working remotely, writing three children’s books, and while traveling for 27 months, I was ready to settle down. However, Alaska was on my list of places to visit, and the thought of my living there to serve with AmeriCorps was very intriguing. Thus, I began to research and weigh this option for new adventures, opportunities to help others, and to learn more about myself.
I began looking into everything I could. First, I read the email from Sarah 10 times to wrap my head around AmeriCorps, the service, and how long it will be – one year, 1,700 hours. There were also multiple videos in the email, and I watched every single one twice. Then, I watched every YouTube video, read every first page internet search article, and found that this was a place that I would like to try. I fell in love with Sitka initially through my research. There were so many trees, trails, ocean views, mountains, and new adventures and people to meet. I could not resist, I had to try to get there.
I interviewed for two positions with AmeriCorps, ultimately accepting the Sitka Parks and Recreation Division position. I knew I had the skills that could create something special. I started working in the parks and rec field as a camp counselor when I was 15 and I have worked almost every summer since then for San Bruno and San Francisco counties. I went from camp leader to building supervisor to coordinating my own camps over time. All this successful work history led me to Sitka Parks and Rec where I have now served over 185 days and over 1,300 hours.
Serving has been nothing short of amazing. I meet new people every day and help plan big and small community events. I also get to travel, lead activities in my afterschool program, hold open gym times, roller skating and more! Sitka Parks and Rec is a phenomenal place to serve. I am fortunate to have been granted this opportunity. Serving here has had its challenges though, such as the high cost of living, having short dark winter days, and being far away from family. I have learned that what helps me to overcome these challenges is to get outside and observe. When the days are hard and the rain is more ice than water, and my glasses are fogged up so I can’t see anything while riding my bike home after a long day – I pull over to wipe them dry and take a long look around. I then smile! I love taking in all the beauty here. I look at the mountains, the ocean, the trees, the eagles and ravens and remember how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful place, and to serve this awesome country. Sincerely,
Alan R. Doulphus, Sitka
