Tribal Scholars Program/Focused Pathways Program

🎒 𝑻𝑶𝑫𝑨𝒀'𝑺 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑨𝒀 🎒
𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙙, be sure to stop by today or Thursday to pick up the backpack of your choosing!
𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙙, you can still stop in this Friday between 12 and 4 to apply, but be sure to bring your child's KIC number with you. Save time by filling out your application and bringing it with you; download the form at www.kictribe/info/BackpackApp.

✨Backpack pick up! ✨

🎒Today and tomorrow! 🎒

If you missed the deadline you can come on Friday from 12pm-4pm to sign up and pick up a backpack.

Backpack Applications are due tomorrow by 5pm! 🎒
Email me or stop by our office at 615 Stedman St.

Reminder about our backpack giveaway, completed applications are due by Friday, August 4th! Find the application at https://kictribe.info/BackpackApp.

TSP Application 2023-2024 School Year.pdf Shared with Dropbox

Attention Tribal Citizens, it is backpack giveaway time again! Please read eligibility requirements and contact Kayla Williams with any questions at (907) 228-9235 or [email protected].

Apply by August 4th and be entered into our giveaway. Link to application, kictribe.info/BackpackApp

🎒 Backpacks are arriving! 🎒
This is Kayla’s favorite time of the year! We can’t wait to see all of your smiling faces! 😍

📣 Keep an eye out for the flyer announcement coming soon!

Reminder!
Tomorrow is the last day to sign up! Come pick up an application at 615 Stedman St!

Let us assist you this SUMMER! Stop by or call the KIC Education & Training Department at 615 Stedman St. For more information contact Kayla Williams (907)228-9235 or [email protected]

This coming Saturday!

🎉𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗨𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦!🎉
Please join us in celebrating the 2023 High School and Middle School Graduates. The celebration will be held at the Ted Ferry Civic Center, Saturday May 13 at 2:00PM.

*𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝟭:𝟰𝟱!

𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙. 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑢𝑠 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑓 𝑤𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑'𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙.

🎉𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗨𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦!🎉
Please join us in celebrating the 2023 High School and Middle School Graduates. The celebration will be held at the Ted Ferry Civic Center, Saturday May 13 at 2:00PM.

*𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝟭:𝟰𝟱!

𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙. 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑢𝑠 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑓 𝑤𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑'𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙.

Leah Cranfield from KIC’s Behavior Health department collaborated with Terry Roberts, from the Ketchikan Volunteer Fire Department, to present the Red Watch program to our Tribal Scholars.
Leah taught on the dangers of alcohol abuse and how to identify dangerous levels of intoxication. She had the students think through life-threatening scenarios (that unfortunately have probably happened in real life).
Terry then took the Tribal Scholars through CPR training and instruction on using an AED.
Our Tribal Scholars are now card-carrying CPR-trained individuals!
Gunalchéesh, Leah and Terry!

We had an incredible opportunity to observe a seal processing and learn some cultural knowledge. Chevy Horval, from KIC’s Victim Services Unit, worked hard to make this amazing experience happen. Chevy invited her mentor, Christy Ruby to come share with our youth. Christy Ruby is a seal/sea otter hunting expert and Native artisan. She has been featured in National Geographic and is a wealth of knowledge! These amazing women not only put together this demonstration, but they were the ones to go out and hunt the seals themselves! Likoodzí!

The Tribal Scholars were taught about hunting and boat safety; tools needed for processing; what parts of the seal are used for food; food safety; how to process the seal; how to render the fat; the process for tanning the hide; the nutrition properties of seal meat; and how to cook the meat. Whew! So much good stuff!

For Science the Tribal Scholars took a field trip to the local Museum to check out the “Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline” exhibit. The Tribal Scholars had been learning about dinosaurs found in Alaska, and this exhibit was perfectly timed for opening! It wa VERY cool!

For Valentine’s Day, Riley Boss from the KIC’s Victims Services Unit came by and discussed healthy relationships with our students. We talked a lot about “Love Languages,” how we receive affection and understanding what that means to others.

Let’s take it a ways back…
We greatly appreciate all the hard work that Sgaal has been putting into teaching the Xáad’kil language. Teaching the Tribal Scholars has been his first formal classroom in Ketchikan, and he’s doing a wonderful job!

We wanted to do something special for our Haida teacher. We also wanted to honor his service as a marine. Through the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, we requested a flag be flown over the Pentagon in honor of Sgt. Harley Bell-Holter. The flag was then sent to us along with a certificate thanking Sgt. Holter for his service to a grateful nation.
We were aiming to present the flag on Veteran’s Day... but true to Alaskan form, a postage mistake delayed the package by a month or two. The students waited anxiously for the flag’s arrival. They were eager to honor Sgaal, but they also managed to keep the secret all that time! Impressive for a group of exuberant teenagers, to be honest!

Mission accomplished! Sgaal was surprised and very touched.

We’ve been SO busy! Incoming photo dump and updates! 😁

The delayed start is for Tribal Scholars as well. Be safe, everyone!

Due to inclement weather and snow in the forecast, the Ketchikan School District will have a two hour delayed start tomorrow - Monday, February 27, 2023

All-in-all it was a very informative day. And the students were very happy to get back to the heated van.

Ah yes! Grey currant. Also the berry lovingly called “stink currant.”

Student documentation, false lily of the valley berries, and puffballs!

Forest Fieldtrip with Ms. Morgan! Beautiful (and cold) day! Looking for birds and traditional foods!

Remember that beautiful Hudson Bay Tea the students harvested last Fall? A grateful Mrs. Pickrell has been using it to chase the nasty colds away! Gunalchéesh!

This year we have been immensely blessed to have Harley Holter share regularly with our students. Displaying an undeniable passion for the Haida Language and culture, Harley is bringing the students into a rich understanding of our ancestors. Proposals are in the works to see this encompassing class recognized as a Social Studies credit. Not only would it meet graduation requirements, but also makes headway in the journey to language revitalization.

Have some catching up to do!😬
We are, once again, joined by UAS professor Barbara Morgan. She is graciously collaborating with KIC to provide a stellar (stellar? Haha… AK bio joke) science class for our students. Currently, the students are learning about cells and other elements that pertain to the body.

Halloween was full of costumes, sugar, and Devil’s club! Merle Hawkins joined the Tribal Scholars and shared her knowledge of the incredible medicinal plant, Devils Club. In addition to sharing its many uses, Merle also lead the students in the activity of making beautiful Devil’s Club bead necklaces. They look phenomenal!

Field Trip to the Muskeg today! The rain held off long enough for it to be a fair event… even though some still got pretty cold and there were a few sinking incidents. We harvested Hudson Bay tea, to chase off illnesses, as well as the odd low bush cranberry.
The muskeg is one of our most valuable resources here in southeast Alaska. So many useful plants and valuable medicines can be found here. It takes 60-100 years for the muskeg to recover after it is damaged. So those who love to recreate by driving their atv’s and snow machines, please keep this in mind and drive responsibly.

Monday was “Indigenous Peoples Day” all across the state of Alaska! The Tribal Scholars continued their sharing of knowledge by participating in the Unversity of Alaska Southeast’s day of presentations. They made some INCREDIBLE posters! Very well done. Very informing!