KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The first village graduations were held Friday in Port Lions and Ouzinkie. Here Ouzinkie students queue up for the procession. Three pre-schoolers, three kindergarteners, an eighth grader, and two high school seniors celebrated graduation in Ouzinkie. (Photo Casey Kelly/KMXT)
The villages of Port Lions and Ouzinkie celebrated graduations on Friday. KMXT’s Casey Kelly was there, and filed this report.
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(Pomp and Circumstance)
Four seniors graduated from high school at Port Lions School Friday. Greg Lukin, Randy Boskofsky, D.J. Kewan, and Chelsea Robustellini each received their diplomas and are off to life after high school. Boskofsky has lived in Port Lions his whole life, and has gone to the same school since pre-school.
(Boskofsky 1:04s“…every teacher by name, so.”)
He says it’ll be a little scary not being in high school anymore, but he plans to continue getting an education.
(Boskofsky 2:22s“…experience in two of the fields.”)
To help him with the cost of attending college, Boskofsky received a 2-thousand dollar vocational education scholarship from Kodiak Electric Association, and another 2-thousand dollar scholarship from the Kodiak Noon Rotary. Each of the Port Lions graduates received at least two scholarships. First year Village Principal Kendra Bartz says she couldn’t be more proud of them.
(Bartz 1:18s“…a wonderful job, I think.”)
Over in Ouzinkie, three pre-schoolers, three kindergarteners, an eighth grader and two high school seniors celebrated graduations. Ouzinkie Principal Jake Parrett is also in his first year, although he taught in Larsen Bay last year. He says village graduations are a meaningful time, when everybody in the community comes together.
(Parrett 1:21s“…it takes a village I guess.”)
The graduating seniors were Wylder Clarion and Flora Shanagin. Clarion has gone to school in Ouzinkie almost his whole life. He attended Mt. Edgcumbe High School in Sitka last year, but says it was nice to come back home to graduate.
(Clarion 1:11s“…more meaningful here too.”)
He plans to attend Kodiak College, then University of Alaska Anchorage. He’s not sure what he wants to major in yet, but says he’s thinking about going into the military after school. Clarion says an older brother that died in a car accident last year inspired him to think about going into the service.
(Clarion 2:20s“…just a smart thing to do.”)
Clarion says he faced many challenges growing up in Ouzinkie, which became more apparent to him when he did an exchange program to Anchorage earlier this year. He says he wants to inspire other members of his family, just like his older brother did for him.
(Clarion 3:24s“…someone to look up to.”)
More village graduations are scheduled for the coming days, with Old Harbor, Karluk and Larsen Bay planning ceremonies this week, and Ahkiok and Danger Bay scheduled for next week. Kodiak High School graduation is scheduled for Sunday June 1st at the Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium.
I’m Casey Kelly.
(Pomp and Circumstance:20s…fades up then ends.)
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