Stebbins and Back Again….
Well this morning one of the St. Michael school staff members Steve gave me a ride on the 13 mile road between St. Michael and Stebbins. I was done shooting where I was and it was time to head off to a different village. It is interesting to go right from one school to the next. Seeing how people do things differently and how the kids behave in the different environments. I think that the students in St. Michael will really respond well to having a new facility to learn in starting next fall. Dan Eide on of my teachers from Valdez High School is now the principal there which I think will be a nice change for the St. Michael school. I think he is very good at what he does. Students look up to him and strive to achieve the expectations he puts out for them. I am excited to see how things will be changing there over the course of the year. Stebbins on the other hand has what looks like a brand new school. The student population appears to be a bit bigger and having the space available in their building is very nice. I shot some video on the drive into town. The Stebbins Native Tribe owns a reindeer heard that grazes on the land between the two communities. I was able to get some video of the coral they have set up for round up which is where they remove the antlers from the animals which they then sell to people in the Asian countries. I was also able to get a few shots from the road looking down on the village. Once I arrived at the school I went from class to class filming in each. I probably won’t use very much of it, but it will be nice to show perspective teachers what it might look like to run a class in the Stebbins school. I also shot the store, the post office, the clinic, some scenes from around town, the beach, and the cliffs just outside of town. Ben Dolgner a teacher who just moved to Stebbins from Little Diomede was kind enough to loan me he 4-wheeler. I took it out and road up on top of one of the mountains just outside of town. Damon Hargraves the person that replaced me in BSSD’s district office told me that it would be a great place to get a nice look down onto the village with the bluffs in the background and the ocean out front. He was right. It was a beautiful ride up to the top. A little bumpy for sure going across the tundra, but really worth it.
I spent the rest of the day shooting around town and in the school before I hopped on Hagelands 207 and flew back to Unalakleet. On the flight back we flew by a rainbow. I was able to shoot some video of it, so I am hoping to snag a still off there to post at a later date.
Tomorrow I will help Damon set up the studio and then fly to Valdez via Anchorage to meet up the the fam. Then its off to Northway to hopefully chase down a moose.
Erin on August 22nd, 2007
Nice picture! I really enjoyed my time when I was in Stebbins. And you’re right, it is interesting to see how places so close vary so much. There is still that isolation factor with just 12 miles between the two places. Anyway – – I miss you! 🙂 “Catch” that moose quickly! Love ya!