Nora Grace Taylor was born on Dec. 10 in Hong Kong to Barry Taylor and Fransiska Sukarni. Nora was 8 pounds 4 ounces. Fransiska is from Sumatra, Indonesia and Barry is a captain for Atlas Air. When Barry isn’t flying cargo around the world he splits his time between Haines and Cape Coral, Florida. Paternal grandparents Barry and Benetta Taylor of Cape Coral are excited to meet their new granddaughter. Fransiska and baby Nora are working on relocating to the U.S. where they will continue to split time between Cape Coral and Haines with Barry, a proud new father.

Emersyn Philiciann Long-Kohler was born on Dec. 19 in Juneau. She’s the first-born of Jaiden Kohler and Sydney Long-Kent, the daughter of the late Lisa Long of Haines. Emersyn weighed in at 6 pounds, 14 ounces, has lots of dark hair, dark eyes, and long fingernails. She arrived on her great, great grandmother Matilda Lewis’s birthday anniversary. Maternal great grandparents are Georgiana Hotch of Klukwan and the late Meryl Long. Paternal grandmother is Philiciann (Phil) Bennett of Juneau.

Deborah Marshall is in Reno with Dennis Geasan for the winter. She is happy to announce the healthy birth of her grandson, Huxley Sage Cirivello, on Dec. 10, 2020, 7 pounds 14 ounces. Parents Megan Miller and Zac Cirivello are staying home and finding some sleep around the edges, thoroughly enjoying their baby boy. Deborah said, “A bundle of joy at the end of a very challenging year for all. Our hearts are in Haines.” 

Sisters and HHS alumni Riley Erekson of Seattle, Washington and Carlee Young of Fort Collins, Colorado visited their Haines family over the holidays. They enjoyed time with parents Judy Erekson and Lee Heinmiller and sister Keely Baumgartner and her husband Jordan Baumgartner with children Spencer and Parker. The family enjoyed Riley’s fantastic cooking and spent their days playing laser tag, having dance parties, skiing the golf course, hiking on Mount Ripinsky, and participating in the annual Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day. Riley’s partner Matt Stief also traveled to Haines for the visit. Riley is an R&D scientist at Atomo Coffee. It’s a start-up making molecular coffee from upcycled plant-based materials to create a more sustainable cup of coffee with no environmental harm. 

Carlee is a Senior Marketing Director for Madwire, a digital marketing design and software company based in Fort Collins. Carlee’s husband Will Young stayed home in Fort Collins.

Uncle Dan Egolf participated in some of the family fun. Dan, Jordan, and Keely all celebrated receiving a COVID vaccine in the New Year. Aunt JoAnna Egolf missed out on the Haines fun, as she was in Fort Collins visiting son Ben Egolf and wife Emily Egolf for the holidays. They enjoyed hiking and watching NBA games. 

Ben’s brother Will Egolf and partner Jen Hoekstra were in Chicago with Jen’s family for Christmas but enjoyed a second belated holiday with mother Joanna upon their return home to Fort Collins. Recently, cousin CJ Erekson and her husband Dennis Methvin purchased a home in Fort Collins. 

Haines School art teacher Giselle Miller conducted a mini origami unit with all grade levels this week. Students and staff learned the art of folding paper cranes. The cranes will be displayed in strands and hung in both the kindergarten room and the elementary wing of the Haines School as a symbol of hope and healing for the second semester. The cranes are in memory of Jenae Larson, former kindergarten teacher and beloved HHS Alum, and for the healing hearts of staff and students. Within the kindergarten classroom is a small warm light that brightens the space 24 hours a day. The lamp’s light is there to remind everyone that Jenae’s spirit still shines in the classroom. The warm light can be seen through the classroom window facing the Haines Highway.

David Lougee, a former Haines School assistant principal for two years in the early 2000s, died due to complications of COVID-19, according to news reports. Lougee was serving as the superintendent of the Kashunamiut School District. He died on Jan. 10.

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