Hundreds of teachers, administrators, maintenance crews, and other support staff filled the Gerald C. Wilson auditorium on Aug. 29. They color coordinated their outfits by department and school.
They’re all gathered for the Kodiak Island Borough School District’s convocation, which signals the end of a week of in-service days leading up to the school year.
“It’s really our celebration of the start of the school year,” said District Superintendent Cyndy Mika. “It’s our way to realize that we are a collective group of people with one purpose and one goal – and that’s educating our students.”
Nearly every person that works for KIBSD gathered for its convocation. It’s the only time in a year that all the school district’s staff are in the same room and is a sort of pep rally for staff to get excited before the first day of school.
There were speeches, dance performances, and even door prizes for staff.
The theme for the district this year is “Our year, our time,” which is meant to remind staff to work as a team. That includes everyone in the villages.
“All of our teachers from the rural schools were here and we do that every year,” Mika said. “And then those that are still back in the villages, they’re joining us online and so we love celebrating with them.”
Convocation opened solemnly though. Organizers set aside time to mourn a Kodiak Middle School student, Richie Rooney, who died in an ATV accident this summer. He was just 13 when he was found dead at a lake near the Pasagshak State Recreation Area.
His mom, Erica Blondin, is a teacher at Peterson Elementary on the Coast Guard Base and spoke to the crowd.
“I’m here to share that even though we have suffered an immense loss, we still love to talk about Richie,” she said.
Blondin acknowledged that this would have been her son’s ninth year at the district. She asked the crowd to stand if they knew her, her son, or her other kids.
Nearly the entire room stood.
“If you’re still sitting, please look around you,” she said. “This is how many adults in this room have been affected by our loss. It is truly a community loss.”
The keynote speaker was Vince Bustamante, a recent doctoral graduate. His speech focused on a similar theme of building community and trust with students.
“It’s where we’re going to start thinking about our students as actual human beings, and not just pupils that sit at a desk,” Bustamante said.
He also reminded the room how important recognizing diversity can be.
“It’s your role to honor their uniqueness,” he said. “It’s your role to learn about their culture. It’s your role to respect their identities as learners and as people.”
There was even recognition for diversity on the island as part of convocation itself. The Alutiiq Dancers performed as part of recognizing the island’s indigenous people.
Some of the teachers from the Philippines also performed Tinikling towards the end, a traditional Filipino folk dance for the crowd.
Jim Pryor was one of the Board of Education members in attendance.
“It was exciting to see the Alutiiq Dancers and then the Filipino dancers because (they’re) such a big part of our community,” he said.
The Kodiak Archipelago’s population is about a tenth Native and a quarter Filipino.
Pryor said looking forward, he hopes to see improved test scores.
“Plus a good year for our sports teams, right?” the board member said.
Kodiak Middle and High School students return Sept. 3, students entering grades 1-5 start classes on Sept. 4, and Kindergarteners start school Sept. 9.
