And at an assembly on May 26 Homer Middle School Principal Glen Szymoniak bid farewell to students as he prepares to take on the role of an assistant superintendent for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.

West Homer Elementary School third graders explored homesteading by researching Homer's historic buildings; interviewing homesteaders; making butter, jam and bread; and quilting. They traveled to Halibut Cove to speak with longtime Alaskans Clem and Diana Tillion and interviewed local homesteaders Laura Barton, Tepa Rogers and Bob and Carol Moss.

At Homer's former post office, a log structure located on Pioneer Avenue, students Jerry Beasley, Alexander Romanko, Emily Scheff and Dylan Zharoff discovered that only five people could fit into the tiny space. Since it once provided service to a population of 100, residents had to line up outside and wait their turn for mail delivery.

"Homesteading was really hard work," Katie Crumrine said. Classmates Mikaela Estrada and Rachael Doan agreed as they recalled Rogers' stories about washing her clothes by hand and the distances she had to travel by sled.

But classmate Quinn Daugharty had a different perspective.

"It was fun," he said. "You got to make all your own food and toys and be outside a lot."

For the students, the fun came at a party that brought the homesteading unit to a close. They entertained the individuals they had interviewed with homemade rhubarb pies and ice cream and live music for square dancing.

Seventh graders at Homer Middle School — all 117 of them — recently completed CPR training organized by Skip Richards, EMS coordinator for Chugachmuit, a consortium that services Native people of the Chugach region.

"Their parents and the community can be proud of how well they learned the skill sets and especially of their academic performance," Richards said. "They showed real interest in learning about cardiovascular disease, how to recognize it, treat it and most importantly, how to prevent it."

The training was a cooperative effort, with materials and time donated by South Peninsula Hospital. Also helping make it a success were CPR instructors Sue Brooks, Sue Hecks, Samantha Cunningham and Debbie Haakenson; Kachemak Bay Lions Club; Homer Elks Lodge 2127; Homer Electric Association; Tech Connect; and the Kenai Peninsula EMS Council. Seventh-grade instructor Duncan Wanamaker donated class time for the students' training.

In HMS science teacher Hal Neace's class, students put their knowledge of structural engineering skills to the test by constructing wooden toothpick bridges that had to meet minimum size, load and other very specific requirements.

Total mass of each bridge could not exceed 40 grams, the span between bridge posts or supports had to be a minimum six inches and height and width had to be within a certain range. Katie Miller was the first place winner, setting a new school record with a bridge that held an impressive 196.25 pounds. Eric Weifurter came in second, Addison Miller claimed third and Esther Lowe took fourth place.

Linda Rourke, HMS art instructor, pointed out that Miller, who is known for her artistic abilities, exemplified a quote from historian Eugene Ferguson: "Pyramids, cathedrals and rockets exist not because of geometry, theories of structures or thermodynamics, but because they were first a picture — literally a vision in the minds of those who built them."

Amid the excitement of the last day of school, HMS Principal Glen Szymoniak bid an emotional farewell to students by explaining his decision to become assistant superintendent in charge of the district's human resources, information services, planning and operations, and charter schools. He also will coordinate the district's involvement with the 2006 Arctic Winter Games.

"I think the most important job for the district is making sure the very best teachers are in front of the kids," Szymoniak said of his new responsibilities.