Letters to the editor
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Kids learn joys of running
A shout out of thanks to the Homer Foundation for their grant support, to Marcee Gray at Haven House and to the volunteer mentors/coaches for making it possible to introduce a new generation of elementary school aged boys to the joys of running.
An inaugural program, titled “Let Me Run,” based at West Homer Elementary, kicked off two months ago and culminated in a 5K run on the Spit Bike Path on Mother’s Day. The enthusiasm and high energy of the boys (and the “Girls on the Run” participants who ran with them) was palpable to all who were there during a day that featured cold rain and temperatures that barely cracked 40 degrees. Kudos to all those involved, including the many supportive parents!
Randy Wiest, board secretary
Kachemak Bay Running Club
Trip gives students memories to last a lifetime
West Homer Elementary would like to sincerely thank the KLEPS Fund, the Girl Scout Travel Fund, and the Opportunity Fund at the Homer Foundation for helping make our 6th-grade trip to Seldovia such an incredible experience.
This unforgettable trip celebrated an important milestone as students completed elementary school and prepared for middle school. During their time in Seldovia, students explored tidepools, hiked local trails, built shelters, created art inspired by the natural beauty of Kachemak Bay, and cooked lunch over a beach fire. They also spent time learning and connecting with students and community members in Seldovia through shared activities and new friendships.
For many students, the adventure of traveling across the bay by boat and spending time immersed in a new community created memories they will carry with them for years to come. The experience inspired curiosity, creativity, confidence, and teamwork while helping students feel more connected to the people and places that make our region so special.
We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of these organizations and for their investment in experiences that enrich the lives of young people throughout the southern Kenai Peninsula.
Abigail Ross and Kylie Shuneson
6th grade teachers at West Homer Elementary
In search of Alaska’s silence
The shop near my London flat sells Scottish salmon under a light that makes it look fresher than it is. I buy it. It is fine. Now and then they carry Alaska salmon, and I notice the price first, the distance second: thousands of miles and a markup riding along with them. I usually put it back. Paying a stranger to ship me something I once had for free feels like pretending. Up there the sea was close enough that the fish still tasted of where it came from. I miss it, and the closeness that made it ordinary.
I spent a decade in Alaska and only understood its gift after I left. London is loud in a way I never had to think about, a constant hum of traffic and other lives pressed against mine. I did not know I had been carrying Alaska’s quiet inside me until the noise here made it impossible to find. I miss stepping outside on a dark winter morning and hearing only my own breath, the snow swallowing every other sound. That silence was not empty. It was the point.
I will be honest about the hard part. It is strange to be homesick for a country that feels, from a distance, as though it is coming apart. Some mornings I am relieved to read the news rather than live inside it. And yet the missing does not negotiate with the headlines.
The salmon I can almost buy back. The quiet I cannot. From five thousand miles away, some days that ache is the only piece of home I have.
Ray Morgan
Armed Forces Europe
