The Kirby Krew!: A Note from Air Force One - (Governor Walker Part Deux)

I’m a visitor here to this little island of Kivalina.

Originally from the Midwest, I have only been in Alaska since late July. As a matter of fact, I’ve only been in Kivalina for barely 4 weeks. It’s been one heck of an adventure so far. Through first hand knowledge, I’ve come to use words like subsistence and survival as easily as revetment and relocation. The words have true meaning now that I live and teach here on the shores of the Chukchi Sea. The village is welcoming. The scenery is breathtaking. The atmosphere has been electric.

Having taught in Minnesota for 14 years, I have experienced my fair share of First Days of School. This year at McQueen School, it felt good to be the new guy again. I didn’t think it would ,but the second day of school ended up topping the first.

On Thursday August 20^th my combined class of 4^th and 5^th graders had just about reached their limit of policies and procedures. Our mandatory coverage of the school rules that are somehow forgotten each summer was taking its toll. On a moment’s notice we had lost our access to the school cafeteria with a special group of local and state officials set to commandeer our cafeteria/gymnasium. Our Youth Leaders delivered lunches to the classroom in an orderly and timely manner and we enjoyed some second day fellowship while sharing a meal. But the five to ten minutes of free time that our kids live for after lunch was missed. By mid afternoon I sensed the need for a break.

Giving specific instructions about expectations and boundaries, I decided that a walk along the frontage road would have to replace our scheduled half an hour of physical education time in the gym. We put on our sweatshirts and headed out for a walk. We weren’t quite to the end of the revetment when Bering Air flights converged on our small runway. I new right then that we’d be some of the first to unofficially welcome the Governor’s delegation to Kivalina.

Moments later a motorcade of dignitaries on ATVs slowed down enough for me to identify, among others, the Borough Mayor, Reggie Joule. Thanks to Wikipedia, I recognized Governor Walker and was happy that although weather had delayed their initial flights, he was now safely in Kivalina as well. It was then that I had an idea and I hurried my students back in to the classroom.

Without skipping a beat, we threw lined paper stationery up on the Smartboard. I passed out good writing paper to the students and we began to compose a formal letter to the Governor of Alaska. The students were energized by their walkabout and actually seeing the Governor. The brainstorm of ideas was focused and we put down a basic framework for how we wanted to welcome him to Kivalina. Each letter gave a short bio of the author and some went on to ask a few questions of Alaska’s highest ranking politician. We talked about a formal letter having proper greetings and salutations and signed them with our official payroll signatures.

I briefly scanned through them as to avoid any embarrassment or breaches in security. There was nothing for me to find. The 4^th and 5^th graders did a fantastic job. Without a plan, I hurried down to the office and asked Principal Zoe if she approved of what we had already done and then I asked her to deliver the goods. She did so with delight.

A couple of hours passed while Governor Walker finished the business of his much-anticipated trip to Kivalina. At about 4:30 he emerged from the gymnasium and was off to catch his flight home. While walking past, Zoe stopped the Governor and pointed at me and said, “Governor, this is the teacher that had his class write those letters.” At which point Governor Walker turned back around, came towards me and showed his appreciation with a firm handshake and some kind words.

I thought that might be the last I heard from him. I hoped that maybe we would receive some response from his office, maybe a typed form letter from a personal assistant, stamped by an intern.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Yesterday, I received a large manila envelope in the mail. Inside there were 23 individually addressed Thank You cards for every one of my students and one for me too. Governor Bill Walker personally replied to each and every letter with the kind personal touch one would expect from our own grandparents. He actual pointed out the fact that the notes were written while he was aboard Air Force One, flying with the President of the United States from Washington D.C. to Anchorage on August 31, 2015.

This afternoon, I had an opportunity to pull each student up front, one by one, and read through the returned photocopy of their original letters. Then I let them read and share the responses and well wishes from their Governor. The kids were all smiles. They were proud and we clapped for each other after reading every one. The students that took the time to write specific questions were rewarded with many of the answers that they were looking for. Governor Walker told us about his family and his favorite color. He told us about the classes he enjoyed when he was in 4^th and 5^th grade. He said he’d like to visit Kivalina again some day, maybe even during the winter!