Getting to Know Howard Valentine School

Yesterday, I was able to attend the ASC (Advisory School Council) meeting at Howard Valentine, which is the K-12 school that is here in Coffman Cove. I went with the intention of building ties at the school so that the school and library can work in sync in developing or offering programs, ultimately expanding reach.

There were nine people in attendance, including myself, which I actually think is pretty impressive considering the fact that there are only 13 students enrolled at Howard Valentine this year. For anyone who is reading that doesn't have experience in a rural community, this may be hard to conceptualize.  There are two teachers who share the role of instructing all the students in most subjects, which is a tremendous task for which I have so much respect. I was excited to be able to share information about the CILC courses that can be offered over teleconference so that we can collaborate in picking out the ones that will best fit the community.

Another thing that was discussed was the sports programs that will be available to students and the challenges of fundraising for these activities. There is no general funding allotted for sports, so if kids want to participate in basketball, archery, etc., they or their families must raise the money to get the program going. I have heard people in town talk about the fundraisers that the kids put on and that everyone is very generous, but I would imagine that it's tough to fund-raise in such a small community.

An interesting thing that I learned after the meeting was over in talking with the principal is that there is currently legislation being considered that would change the amount of students necessary to maintain a public school. Right now, in Alaska, if there are 10 children in a community, then a school will remain open. The change that was proposed would require that there be 50 students, but that has been compromised down to 25. The principal of Howard Valentine School oversees two other schools- one in Naukati and one in Kasaan. He said that between those three schools, there are 50 students. This is a very interesting and important thing to consider: what would happen to these small communities if the schools closed?

Overall, it was good for me to meet more people in the community and learn a bit more about how the school system here functions.