Klukwan resident Karlie Spud was featured in Alaska Magazine in a photo in front of the Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center as part of an article on Native run tourism. The article focused on new tours run by Native communities throughout the state. It opened with a half page photo of the entrance to the Heritage Center, with a smiling Karlie welcoming new guests through the doors. The entrance is surrounded by a yellow cedar screen, carved by Joe King, Jeffery Klanott, Jim Heaton and Shori Heaton.
Zbigniew Kalen Rozbicki was born to Ned and Ani Rozbicki on Oct. 10 at 6:36 p.m. at Marin General Hospital in Kentfield, CA. He weighed 7lbs 6oz and measured 21 inches in length. Grandparents are Zbigniew S. Rozbicki, Jacqueline Olson, Jay and Tammy Jenkins and Anita Bohrer. Ani’s 22 year old son Devon Jenkins is a proud brother and is looking forward to visits home from college with his new brother. Birth was smooth and uneventful despite the hospital being short staffed and an overflowing maternity ward full of evacuees from two hospitals in the Santa Rosa burn zone. When Kalen was discharged from the hospital, air quality was at an all-time low, and all the stores were sold out of air filters. Ned ingeniously created his own air filter to clean air coming in to the house until quality improved two days later. Smoke and ash are still falling on the area daily.
Other Haines connections are also dealing with the fires in California. After spending the summer on their sailboat in Haines, Megan and Marcus Thygeson returned to their home in San Rafael. They are currently fine and at a safe distance from the actual fires that have been devastating the area, but have been inundated with smoke and ash. They are happy to let Haines know they are okay.
Shelly Sloper was featured in the University of Alaska Anchorage alumni news as an Alumni of Distinction, receiving the Alumni Emerging Leader award at the UAA homecoming dinner on Oct. 13. After completing a B.A. in Psychology from UAA in 2008, she received an M.A. and Ph.D. in positive developmental psychology and evaluation from Claremont Graduate University in California. She is now a senior evaluation fellow at the Claremont Evaluation Center, making a difference nationwide while working remotely from Haines.
Keegan Palmieri and Sarah Long have returned from a four-day trip to Chicago, where they wrapped up their summer internship that was sponsored by the Public Library Association. Along with library director Patricia Brown, Keegan and Sarah participated in the National Inclusive Internship Initiative and presented on ways Haines has improved its teen library patronage. Highlights included making new friends and enjoying the amazing food of Chicago, especially the traditional deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati’s, which was recommended by wrestling coach, Ben Baird.
While returning from a trip to Colorado, Marley Horner stopped in Seattle, WA and visited high school friends and former Haines residents Mike Rudd and Clifford Wickward. They caught up on the last few years and went to see Bladerunner 2049. Mike is currently working for Washington DOT and Clifford is still working for the HECLA Greens Creek mine. He will be returning to Haines for November and December.
The Haines School’s “Science Rocks!” night on Oct. 11 was the most successful family night in recent memory, 250 participants from 75 families attended the event organized by Kim Cunningham. The local chapter of the National Honor Society, Student Advisory Council (SAC) and middle school students ran nine different science stations and served a lasagna dinner. Entire families moved through the stations, learning about air currents, acoustic sound waves and properties of solids versus liquids. The goal of getting families and kids participating in science and having fun with it was a smash hit. The school plans to have similar events this school year. The next one is scheduled for Jan. 18. Don’t miss out!