Klukwan School opened Aug. 25 with 17 students in grades K-12, including six from outside the village.
Kathy Carl is again lead teacher, with responsibility for grades 7-12 and special education.
Tiffanie Patton, who previously taught in Hydaburg, is the new K-6 teacher. She has four sons who are attending Klukwan this year.
Carl said the Chatham School District is working to establish a full preschool program at the school this year. A pilot program last year amounted to a “play group” for three students.
“We have a classroom. We have materials. The village donated equipment from a summer play group. The district and village are doing what we can to pull this together to make this happen,” Carl said.
The families of four students have filled out paperwork to participate and two others have expressed interest, she said.
“We’d love to have other students. We don’t want to take away from other preschools, but it’s a long drive into town,” Carl said.
The program will be an outlet for children, offering developmentally-based instruction and a safe place to play, she said. The district is hoping to launch it in mid-September, Carl said.
Tlingit culture and language are a major part of the school’s offerings. All students take Tlinigit language classes twice a week and villagers Jack Strong and Katherine Hotch teach Tlingit song, dance, history and culture each Friday for 45 minutes.
In dance and culture class, students learn stories behind songs they sing and the meaning of different dance moves, Carl said. “The class gives students a cultural perspective on what they’re learning,” she said.
Some students from the school’s classes danced at the village’s cultural camp in performances for cruise ship passengers, Carl said.
“We’re always interested if people want to do other activities with kids like dance, yoga, volleyball or Scouting,” she said.
Besides Carl and Patton, the school has two part-time aides and a USDA-approved lunch program that includes breakfast, mid-morning snack, and lunch.
The school serves the community with open gym at 7 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Klukwan School library is open to the public daily starting at 8:30 a.m., with closure times between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. On Saturday, the library is open 9-11 a.m.
As many as nine students will be riding the bus to Klukwan this year, Carl said.
Patton, who hails from Orem, Utah, said her sons are enjoying the outdoors here and she’s learning a lot about Tlingit culture.