For Thanksgiving this year a bunch of the Shaktoolik teachers went to Anchorage. We spent our time shopping, eating, and seeing the second movie in the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire. We went to the city center and saw Christmas Carolers at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. There were even reindeer visiting.
Snow covered Shaktoolik on the way home. See my house next to the water tank?
The gym at school is finished and is finally opened! We had out first home volleyball game against Elim and Savoonga. We are also able to have open gym nights for the community too. I even played a night- women’s basketball.
The ocean is frozen! The sea ice is really neat. Usually it is smooth, but we had a heat wave (up to 40 degrees!) and the ocean thawed and refroze. It’s pretty chunky and looks like a million ice bergs now. We have had fun climbing out on it!
When the ice first Froze; nice and smooth.
Another day, with a little more snow on top.
The 4pm moon over the frozen river.
We had our staff Christmas party on the Saturday before school let out for break. Wedid a secret santa and we also did a white elephant present swap. It was the first time using the MPR (cafeteria) and the kitchen. We had a great potluck meal and lots of fun.
My classroom decorations.
We had our school program as well. All of the grades performed, songs, skits, poetry or videos. Here is the 6/7th grade play as well as a majority of the school singing christmas carols in Inupiaq. The high school created some great videos. Check them out here: A Shaktoolik Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol: A Silent Film
In the christmas spirit, there was a “ladies night” at Shaktoolik Store. We got 30% off! It was packed!
I learned how to bead ornaments out of seal skin. Lots of fun!
Playing in the snow a few days ago. Me on the river, Other teachers and I playing on the sea ice, and walking around town. 3:00 pm, about to lose the sun! Those 4 hours of daylight fly by fast! The winter solstice is here (Dec 21) , and now we will gain daylight; there will be 12 hours of light by March 21st.
Merry Christmas!!!
thesubarcticsoup 
(I would love one of those seal skin ornaments for my tree!…..)
So great to see you and talk with you on skype tonight.
Love from all of us back home and Merry Christmas!
Thank you for a look at life in Shaktoolik, God bless and Merry Christmas from Livengood.
Merry Xmas! Thanks for posting all of your adventures, I love reading them. Stay warm 🙂
enjoyed all your pictures,em, and it was such fun seeing you on skype love, gram