Annie Hunter reports that, "In Kindergarten we read the story, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and the students found it very interesting. We then did some activities around the same theme. The students made bridges using blocks and toy goats, and they used a gorilla for a troll. I showed the students a video tape of the story which they really enjoyed. Then we play acted the story. We had a lot of fun.

In math we made red circles in various sizes and decorated them for mobiles. We used glitter, paper punchers, and dots to decorate them. They are displayed in our room.

We checked and recorded the height and weight of the students. I plan to do this again with each student several times over the school year to check for growth. In the future I also plan to use dinosaur and insect thematic units with my students."

By Annie Hunter

Interview by Jon Boots

First and Second Grades

The 1st and 2nd grade classes have a new teacher named Barb Sandlin. She comes from Alakanuk where she taught for four years.

In Barb's class the students are working on improving their reading skills, spelling, and math skills. The students are also making a book called "All About Me From A to Z". It will take them all year to finish the book. When they are finished they will give it to their parents for a present.

In science the students are learning about baby animals and writing stories and drawing pictures of them.

Janice Olsen is teaching third and fourth grade this year instead of first and second grade. The whole class has just started a brand new reading series by Heath Company. All of the kids are really enjoying the variety of stories in the book. For writing, the kids have started daily journals, and the whole class has been writing in cursive. The math this year is the same as last year, except it is a little bit harder. The third grade is reviewing their addition and subtraction, and the fourth grade is starting on numeration. Janice Olsen's third and fourth grade class won't be doing any big projects to start with, but later on they will start a unit on bears.

Fifth and Sixth Grade

Besides doing the regular hard academics, Tom Andrew's class is trying some fun stuff this year. Right now they have time during the day to use their creative learning skills to make things they see in our daily lives. They do this with clay.

This year they will also be learning Elementary Spanish and continuing the Young Astronauts II program. Both learning programs are delivered to the school by satellite. The Young Astronauts program is a NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration) learning tool to learn about space. This year's program focuses on Earth.

We hope to have a good year this year, as always, said Tom.

Tassie Fitka

Junior High School

Although Guy is officially the Jr. High teacher, he is teaching high school Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1, Human Biology and Health. In the Jr. High he teaches math to the seventh and eighth graders as well as spelling, geography and science.

Generally he is focusing on providing opportunities for students to prepare themselves for whatever their own individual lifetime goals are. Certain prerequisites are necessary no matter what the endeavor and so he feel it is important for him to stress them. Examples are the basic mathematics tools for computations and general geographic knowledge of place and region.

In the morning, Richard teaches freshman and sophomore English, and 7th and 8th grade English. In the afternoon he teaches a high school wood working class, and a 7th and 8th grade native crafts class.

Richard says it's been an excellent year so far. He knows the kids and they know him and they work good together. There haven't been any problems since he got back. He also had a good feeling when he came back to Marshall from his summer vacation. When people walked up to them and welcomed them back, it made him feel at home and very welcome. That's why he feels Marshall is a great place to live and work, and he's looking forward to a great year.

Richard's freshman and sophomore English students are reading The White Dawn by James Houston. It's a story about some men who are shipwrecked and rescued by Eskimos. The 7th and 8th grade English class is reading short stories. His high school shop class is taking safety tests before operating the power tools and heavy machinery. And his 7th and 8th graders are making wooden ladles(ipuuns). Later they hope to make little model sleds.

Frank teaches Language Arts and World History in the morning, and Journalism and Russian Language in the afternoon.

In Language Arts his students are producing the sixth edition of Summertime Tails plus reading and doing much journal writing on subjects of concern both to them and the community. In World History they recently finished a three week unit on Africa and presently are studying Canada.

In the the afternoon his students are working on the school paper in Journalism, and in Russian they are practicing their alphabet and doing some basic grammar. They are also learning to write the Russian language in cursive.

Nick's Classes

Nick Isaac is the Yupik instructor here at Marshall High School. Nick has been teaching with the school for 20 years. He started in 1975. The Yupik instructors before him were Alice Fitka and Clara Shorty.

H.S. graduates have to know how to speak, read, and write at least some of the yupik language in order to graduate, according to Nick. Yupik is required for all elementary and high school students, according to district policy.

This week Nick and his students have been studying their vocabulary for the word search they learned last week.

All of his Yupik students enjoy having the class, says Nick, and most of them don't give him a hard time.

Lois Moore

Our Librarian

Clara Shorty both works as our librarian and helps some of the teachers teach the kids in Math, Reading, and Language Arts.

During the first part of the morning Clara works with Janice and Barbara's classes and helps the students with their work.

Later in the morning she works with Richard's class in grades 6,7, and 8. Here she helps the students work on Language Arts. The students are using text books and they usually read the stories together and then answer questions on the stories.

In the afternoon Clara first works with grades 5 and 6 in Reading. Then later she works in the library with various elementary grades and the Kindergarten. Finally, she spends an hour in the library working with the books themselves.

Donna Best is the Special Ed. teacher here in Marshall.

She started teaching in 1980 after she finished college. She got her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Special Education.

Donna teaches children of all ages, grades and ability levels as well as a wide variety of subjects. She has a classroom upstairs beside the computer lab here at Marshall School. Students ranging from preschool to high school come to her class to work on different subjects. Textbooks are rarely used in her class. She uses a number of materials to meet the students' needs.

Right now Donna is trying to find out where the kids need extra help. Then she will help them learn what they need to learn. And yes, they do give her a hard time sometimes, but she says that you need to have a great deal of patience.

Patience is the key to being a good teacher.

Olga Soolook is the elementary computer teacher. On her normal workday she works with students from grades K-8.

Her first computer class includes grades six through eight, and they are working on math problems.

Later in the morning she works with Janice Olsen's third and fourth graders on the computers, helping them with their math or reading skills.

After lunch Tom Andrew's class goes to the computer room and she helps them work on either their math or reading.

Later Janice Olsen sends up the other half of her third and fourth graders and they work on their math or reading.

During her last class she works with first and second graders in the same subjects.

The only new thing that has happened in the computer room is that she switched from "At Ease" to "Fool Proof". But Olga says that she wants to switch back to "At Ease."

Gail Fitka is the only full time Teacher Aide and Special Ed. Aide here at the Marshall School. She assists the students in the elementary school who need help especially with their work in Mathematics and Reading. She also helps the children reach the academic goals they have set for themselves to get into high school. She helps the children in their other subjects too and also those who have special needs.

Gail says she plans to continue working here for a long time so she can help school children learn what they need to know to succeed later in life.

Vera Weiser is our new counselor here at the Marshall School. She is also the new counselor for Pilot Station. It is her first time counselling and she thinks it is great. She's wanted to be a counselor since high school.

Vera is an Athabaskan Indian from the village of Minto which is located about 100 miles northwest of Fairbanks. She attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Education.

After she graduated she taught in Beaver and Angoon. In Angoon she taught grade 7-12 Social Studies, and in Beaver she taught all grades and courses offered.

Vera is married and has two boys, Julian who is 3 years old, and Martin who is 10 years old. Her husband Josh is the third grade teacher in Pilot Station.

Elena Sergie (head cook)

Elena Sergie is our new head cook here at the Marshall School. Elena was born and raised in Pitka's Point with her family. She started as a head cook at Pitka's Point School in 1969 and retired in 1993. She cooked breakfast and lunch for 45 students and staff at Pitka's. Pitka's Point is a lot smaller than Marshall.

She plans to work at the Marshall School for 2 to 3 years. She says that working here is not much different except there are more students to cook for and a lot more to do in the kitchen.

Elena likes everything in our school--the students working, teachers teaching, everyone doing what they are assigned to do.

During the coming year she is planning to improve the breakfast and lunch menu for the school. She is going to think about how to change it and talk it over with the principal and the other cook. It would be a new change for the school and she thinks the students would like it.