An average of 287 youth and 153 adults participate in our Intergenerational Programs each year.
Seniors And Sitka Sound Youth (SASSY) sponsors many programs that provide a link between
the community's elders and our students.
Oral History Project:
The Oral History Project is a collaborative effort between Sitka High
School English students and senior volunteers; each year for the past eight years seniors have shared
their stories with students and an oral history book is published. (Oral History Books can be purchsed
at White's Pharamcy in Sitka or click here to purchase one.)
Verstovia Visits with Local Seniors:
Each week during the school year third graders from Mrs. Clayton's and Mrs. Esquiro's classes
leave class to visit with seniors from the Pioneer Home and the Long Term Care Unit at
Sitka Community Hospital. These visits provide a chance for both ages to make friends.
For one hour each week community members here in Sitka volunteer to befriend an at-risk Verstovia
or Blatchley student who needs a strong positive role model in their life. This program currently adds
approximately 200 hours per month of volunteerism and help to adolescents in our
community. This year marks the 8th year of the program and the highest number of mentors yet, 37 pairs.
There are always more kids on the waiting list than adults we can find to be mentors. At a time in our
community with a push to find constructive and meaningful activities for youth, specifically teenagers, the
mentor program each year becomes more and more instrumental in helping at risk kids in our school district to succeed
in a variety of ways.
Each Monday and Tuesday after school at Verstovia Elementary School, Sitka High School volunteers share their knowledge while tutoring 3rd, 4th
and 5th graders. Approximately 30 Verstovia students atttend these sessions each week. The focus of the sessions is mostly
math and spelling. Most of the kids who attend are ones who wouldn't get their homework done at home and have all
been teacher referred.
School Based Service Learning
The last two years have been giant leaps into the service learning arena with the establishment of Quest Taught Curriculum
strategies. 5 Teachers in the Sitka School District, during the current school year have used these strategies (learned
in a training sponsored by Sitka Learn and Serve in the spring of 1999) in their classrooms. They have produced invaluable knowledge
to the students. Ms. Torres's class raised money, interviewed Native elders, researched, cleaned and donated money for the clean up of the
Russian Cemetery which had been vandalized, as well as the replacement of the sign for the cemetery. Mrs. Dick's class participated in the
historic totem raising this fall by researching Native American medicine men and the local plant life they used as well as attending the totem
raising to culminate the information learned. Mrs. Orbison uses the Quest strategies while preparing her class for and during the Oral History Process.
Approximately 147 youth have participaed in Quest strategy classes this fall alone.
The activities we are busy preparing for are:
March 2 Dr. Seuss's Birthday--Read Across America
Baranof Elementary Room Read! time pending
Birthday Party for Dr. Seuss at Baba Jaga's 11:00 a.m.
Family Pajama Party at Baba Jaga's 6:15 p.m.
March 22 Mentoring Program Activity (open to Mentee&Mentor Pairs ONLY)
April 8-15 National Volunteer Week Recognition
Web Page lasted edited 3-1-2000 bs
