College Gate Elementary School students now have about 70 new classmates. Their families were forced to move to Anchorage, after last month’s storm ravaged their homes and communities.
Most of them come from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, Western Alaska communities where the tundra seems as vast as the ocean — compared to the mountains, trees and tall buildings that crowd the Anchorage landscape.
But some of the new students say their new school still feels warm and familiar.
A good fit for Native families
On a recent weekday, the morning at College Gate started just as it did back home, with the Pledge of Allegiance, recited in the Yup’ik language, or Yugtun.
When College Gate began its Yup’ik immersion program eight years ago, it had just one kindergarten class and added a new grade every year. Now, it’s a tight-knit family that just got bigger. And you won’t hear anyone here at College Gate complain…