"The Windy City"

 Friday, September 28, 2012

Yesterday was our first snow!  I was in the middle class when one of my students yelled out, "Barcus, your first snow!"  I politely told them that it does in fact snow in Chicago but nevertheless it was my first Alaska snow!  We all rushed to the window and watched it snow for a good 10 minutes.  Unfortunately, it wasn't anything substantial but it did give me a good preview of what was to come.  The wind was blowing the snow so it seemed to be falling horizontally :-)  Gotta love Kipnuk wind.  When people from Kipnuk have asked where I am from and I respond by telling them that I am from Chicago they usually ask me if Chicago is really the windy city.  My reply is normally, "It was... until I came to Kipnuk." LOL!  I was amazed that while it was snowing it was beautifully sunny with blue skies.  The students were very excited to tell me all about the snow, what it means, and what I can expect.  They like to take advantage of the fact that every year they have a few new teachers but fortunately, I am usually able to see right through their "jokes".  One of my students told me that during the winter, when there is a blizzard, they have to crawl to school on their hands and knees!  LOL!  That was a little obvious and I was able to see right through that one so I replied with a question, "Do you have to crawl to school on your hands and knees all the way from your igloo?"  Hahahahaha!  They did tell me though that it usually doesn't snow until October and that the ground should start to freeze within the next few weeks which means a few things.  1. NO MORE MUD!!! and 2. they will be able to start driving in the pylons for construction which means we will have our gym back.  BRING ON THE SNOW!

We had our first rewards night for our high schoolers tonight.  Apparently our attendance isn't the best, although comparatively, it is much better than some schools in the district.  Either way, based on attendance, the students were invited to come to school tonight for a movie night.  We brought some snacks and drinks, popped popcorn, and watched a movie with them.  We had a pretty good turn out (there isn't much else to do in Kipnuk on a Friday night) and all of the students seemed to have a really good time.  We are thinking about having a game night or karaoke night in addition to movie night.  The possibilities are endless.