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Map of Alaskan Boroughs (Counties)
It's June 7th and the high for the day is
32 ◦F. There are no heated or indoor pools so you learn to swim in the Arctic
Ocean (of course without a wet suit). When the caribou herd starts its migration
in the fall you stop going to class so you and your family can hunt and pack the
meat for the winter. The males hunt and the females prepare the meat and the
hides. You become an expert marksman before age 10 and drive a snowmobile at 70
miles an hour without having a driver's license. Since there are no dairy cows,
traditional Eskimo "ice cream" or akutaq (pronounced
"a-goodik")
is a concoction of various animal fats, fish, and wild berries. The current politics in Kivalina,
AK revolve around relocating the entire community to higher ground,
as the sea is rising so fast that the entire town will soon be
underwater! Wonder if this is a real life example of global
warming…!
The Northwest Arctic Borough is roughly the same size as Indiana with an
estimated population of 7,500 or slightly more than 1% of the entire state. For
the week of July 7th through July 13th 2005, thirty-five middle school and early
high school students from Kotzebue, Noatak, Selawik, Kivalina who were
part of the GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate
Programs) program were selected to spend the week at the University of
California at San Diego (UCSD). For most this was their first experience outside
Alaska and for some outside their local villages.
 Each student completed at least 25 or more hours of community service, passed
a local interview with teachers and administrators, and had room for improvement
in school. The idea of Reach For Tomorrow (RFT) is to improve the attitude,
attendance, and achievement of rising high school students by exposing them to
opportunities for future careers through higher education. GEAR UP students
visited NAS North Island where they learned about the duties of the Homeland
Security Marine and Air Branch.
The group watched law enforcement officers securing our borders in the air and
on the sea. These are career fields not generally known by the public and offer
an expanded venue for each young person. While on Coronado the group toured the
Navy Depot to see civilian workers rebuilding and repairing Navy airplanes using
a wide variety of the latest high tech equipment.
Students lived in college dorms, ate meals at the Canyon Vista dining
facility, and attended a wide variety of academic labs whose roots are
formulated in high school. Artificial intelligence enabled students to see
computers outside of word processing and gaming uses. Upon arrival students
began their week with a visit from the "Mad Scientists" from the San Diego
Science Alliance who brought basic chemistry to each young mind.
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Through the week, the group attended UCSD
physics labs where they experienced a number of
different subsets including: making 2 minute ice cream |
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EVERYONE LIKED
THIS EXPERIMENT |
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Off campus the group visited the Sea Camp Marine Science Lab at La Jolla
Shores to view micro organisms through microscopes and then don wet suits to
swim with the leopard sharks and other aquatic life found off shore in the
Pacific Ocean.
RFT was concerned that the lack of pools in the small villages in
the Northwest Arctic Borough would not yield many swimmers among the students.
Not to worry! These students actively swim in rivers and the Arctic Ocean- and
everyone had a rubber suit and plenty of supervision just in case-
This program is designed to motivate all students to take the tough math and
science classes in high school so that each participant is competitive for the
best colleges. The world of aviation is filled with practical and fun examples
of algebra one, chemistry, physics, and physiology. Each student and adult
chaperon had the chance to pilot a small plane and attend ground school with the
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) as a part of their Young Eagles program.
The group traveled to Brown Field close to the Mexican border to spend a half
day with some aviation pioneers-
Each year adults, especially teachers, ask about something called
"down time"
on RFT programs. The response is always the same- if you want down time stay
home. The chaperons get free time between 11 PM and 6 AM each day. This means
they have to be creative to find some space for themselves during the day.
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Northwest Arctic Borough team leader Oral Hawley was
able to find some time for himself during the flight
activities. |
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The adults had a chance to fly as well as the students
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The San Diego Fire Department cooperated by allowing RFT students to don
their gear and complete their obstacle course training in a completely blacked
out environment as well as travel from building to building on zip wires
The students Team work and
confidence are essential elements for success in industry, so each student
completed the confidence course at UCSD
The day is broken into three distinct blocks- morning activities and labs,
afternoon activities and labs, evening speakers and athletics. Speakers come
from various sectors including the military, college admissions, and business
leaders.
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A favorite is the visit of former Navy Blue Angel Dave
Inman to talk about demonstration flying and preparing
for life- |
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The evening is a time for
mentoring by adult leaders, such as Kotzebue High School principal Dave Mason- |
In keeping with RFT's attempt to bring the unusual to the forefront,
student
athletics included the Brazilian martial arts sport of Capoiera
http://www.kyo-rioku.co.uk/capoiera.htm
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basketball , hip hop dance, attending the Seadogs professional baseball game - note RFT students in the
outfield with players for the National Anthem), rock climbing.
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Capoiera |
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Basketball |
Hip Hop
Dance |
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Baseball |
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Rock
Climbing |
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The USS Midway, a former active duty aircraft carrier, served as a perfect
location to expose students to life at sea as an aviator and crew member. RFT is not a recruiting program for the military,
but it does try and use existing resources already funded by the American people
to expose youth to opportunities for education and training. RFT's "no excuses"
mantra is echoed throughout the week, so all participants get to experience
potential future careers attainable through higher education.
The First Aid and CPR training course permits each RFT student to leave for
home with their basic course completion certificate and card-
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Since sponsors and RFT like to know how this week impacts students, each is
asked to complete a pre and post survey using the online format at the RFT web
site. Before students departed for home, they spent time in the computer lab
with post assessments- |
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These results are posted on the RFT Site Map for pre and
post trip. The students wrote their own assessment after their day at the UCSD
Confidence Course- |
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RFT was excited to offer this program for such an outstanding group of young
Americans in 2005. With its academic enrichment program approved in Alaska for
2006-2007 RFT is able to impact youth throughout an entire year.
The people from Northwest Arctic are Inupiat, and their Values taught to
every child are:
Knowledge of Language
Knowledge of Family Tree
Sharing
Humility
Respect for Others
Love of Children
Cooperation
Hard Work
Respect for Elders
Respect for Nature
Avoid Conflict
Family Roles
Humor
Spirituality
Domestic Skills
Hunter Success
Responsibility to Tribe
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