GalenaRural Practicum 2009

Renee Moseng, Ann Stone, and Jon Estes

Community and Culture

• Galena serves as the transportation, government and commercial center for the western Interior

• Federal, state, city, school and village government jobs dominate, but Galena has many other jobs in air transportation and retail businesses

• Galena's original residents were Louden, a tribe of the Koyukon Athabascan people

• The population of about 700 people is mixed Athabascan (64 percent) and non-Native (white, Latino, and Asian)

Community and Culture

• Other seasonal employment, such as construction work and BLM fire fighting, provide income as well

• Subsistence food sources for residents include salmon, whitefish, moose and berries

Community and Culture

• Galena was established in 1918 near an old Athabascan fish camp called Henry's Point and was a supply and shipping point for nearby lead ore mines

• In 1920, Athabascans from Louden began moving to Galena to sell wood to steamboats and to work hauling freight for the mines

• A school was created in the 1920s

• In World War II, a military air field was built adjacent to the civilian airport

Community and Culture

• During the 1950s, the the Air Force constructed additional military facilities at Galena and the nearby Campion Air Force Station, in support of Galena's mission as a forward operating base under the 5072nd Air Base Group, headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base

• Improvements to the airport and the local infrastructure provided economic growth for the area

Community and CultureGalena supports

• an Olympic sized swimming pool

• a modern dental and health care facility

• a restaurant

• a rural campus of University of Alaska Fairbanks

• a radio station (KIYU)

• tribal offices for the Louden, and many tribal and youth organizations.

Hobo’s Bar and Grill

Community and Culture

• the Iditarod Sled Dog Race

• the Spring Carnival

• the Yukon Jamboree (fiddle music)

• the Iron Dog Snow Machine Race

• the Yukon 800 boat race.

Galena hosts several special events

local sled dogs

Sidney Huntington’s Great Idea

• The Campion Air Force Station was phased out during the late 70's and early 80's and closed in 1993

• The idea for a boarding school in Galena came from the community, with the powerful backing of Sidney Huntington, a Athabascan elder respected throughout the state who served on the board of fish and game.

• Mr. Huntington and others saw the closure of the Galena Air Base as an opportunity to use the facilities as a site for students living in rural Alaska to get the best possible education.

• The school started in 1997 as Project Education Charter School with 40 students working on project-based education

• The school was renamed the Galena Interior Learning Academy (G.I.L.A.) and offers vocational training in automotive technology, aviation, cosmetology, and culinary arts joined to a rigorous academic curriculum, with 117 students

• G.I.L.A. turned the Air Force buildings into classrooms, student facilities and residential living quarters

• The entire base officially became the property of the school with a ceremony in September 2008

Map of G.I.L.A.

Galena Interior Learning Academy

Educational Culture

• Galena School District promotes the PEAK philosophy

• PEAK Learning Systems helps to make learning by all students a reality through enhanced student motivation, improved curriculum and assessment that is aligned with research supported brain compatible instruction

• The students of G.I.L.A. and the Galena’s local high school, Sidney Huntington, attend classes at both locations

• Bus transportation between the high school and the boarding school is provided by Waldo

Vocational Opportunities

Dorm life at G.I.L.A.

Pedagogy

• G.I.L.A. is a public school that offers vocational opportunities that most rural high schools are unable to provide

• G.I.L.A. host students from all parts of Alaska including major cities like Fairbanks and Anchorage

• Renee says, “Wow, these kids will actually be able to get a good job right out of high school!”

• Renee, Jon and Ann met a former G.I.L.A. aviation student as they boarded their Frontier Airlines flight

• G.I.L.A. has an incredibly low dropout rate

Galena City School and SHHS

Pedagogy• Galena City Schools reflect the cultures of the students

enrolled by offering Indian education programs, Koyukon studies and the Iditarod project

• Interior Distance Education of Alaska is the homeschool support program of the Galena City School District since 1997. IDEA serves 3500 students

• Galena is the “little district that could.” In 1999, the dropout rate was 56%. In year 2004, 85% residential students passed the state and national benchmarks and no students dropped out.

• The school board, the city council and the tribal council were key players in this dramatic turnaround. This is when the PEAK program was implemented.

Pedagogy and PEAK• PEAK is based on six keys related the physical and

emotional environment of a school; educational materials and assessment tools; instructional strategies, style and techniques

• safety

• success

• love and belonging

• freedom and independence

• fun and enjoyment

• valued purpose

Snapshots of Galena

Snapshots of Galena