Homer Alaska - Letters

As the paperwork for our two "Artist in the Schools" workshops is completed and loose ends are snipped, clipped and tied in a bow, I would like to take this opportunity to thank some important folks that, year after year, with insight, gumption and funding, keep this important program alive. Like most schools, we do not have our own art teacher so it makes programs like this ever more valuable to our students.

Local artist Lynn Naden worked with our K-2 kids creating fabulous Japanese kites. As per usual, the program grew as other volunteers worked with our kids to create Koi Fish, write Kanji style symbols and we even had a Japanese style tea ceremony, complete with sticky rice with coconut milk and fortune cookies. Talk about a great village. Thank you, Lynn.

Our third-sixth graders worked with Native performers and story tellers Jack Dalton and Allison Wardell. Our students were exposed to authentic arts, song, dance and storytelling, learning to tell their own stories and learning about the Native respect for elders. Some of them even "enjoyed" their first taste of muktuk now that was fun to watch. Thank you, Jack and Allison.

Our sincere thanks go to our legislators Paul Seaton and Gary Stevens for continually funding the Alaska State Council on the Arts, to ASCA for supporting the Artist in the Schools program and to Bunnell Street Arts Center for their local administration of the AIS program.

We all know it takes a village to raise a child and all of these people and organizations are a huge part of our "village."

Janet Bowen, administrative assistant

on behalf of the staff and 108 students

of Fireweed Academy