It鈥檚 5:30 on a dark, drizzly Thursday evening at the Makah Community Hall in Neah Bay, Washington 鈥� the type of night that would keep most people cozied up at home.
Outside, waves are crashing against the jagged rocks that define the Pacific coastline, and the forested foothills of the Olympics are hidden behind thick fog.
But tonight is a big night, and Neah Bay students and their families are streaming in the doors one after another, faces lit up with an excitement that only grows as the fifth-graders spot their UW mentors in the crowd.
鈥淜aila!鈥� exclaims one student as she darts across the hall, dressed in a purple Alternative Spring Break聽(ASB) T-shirt and a construction-paper graduation cap she fashioned herself.
Tonight is the ASB family celebration. After a week of hard work (and tons of fun), Neah Bay students get to show off their digital storytelling projects and introduce their families to new friends from the UW over Indian tacos.
Alternative Spring Break
Each spring break, dozens of UW students volunteer through , which was founded in 2001 to connect Huskies with educational and service opportunities in rural and tribal communities across the state. This year, thanks to generous sponsor support, each of the 14 locations was able to host on-site family celebrations to wrap up the week.
鈥淭he community celebration is so important,鈥� says Neah Bay project facilitator Meaghan Ferrick, who鈥檚 working toward her Ph.D. in the . 鈥淭his is where relationships form. We get to build relationships with fifth-graders over the course of the week, but it鈥檚 really nice to be able to get to know the people of Neah Bay and show our appreciation to the school and the community for letting us be here.鈥�
Telling our stories: Imagining our futures
This year鈥檚 theme was: 鈥淭elling our stories: Imagining our futures.鈥�
It was inspired by Neah Bay Elementary School Principal Alice Murner, who suggested her students envision a future and an education that would allow them to come back to Neah Bay and contribute to their community.
鈥淲e thought, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 brilliant!鈥�,鈥� says , director of the Pipeline Project. 鈥淚t鈥檚 informed our entire project. Each of the kids is imagining a pathway to their career.鈥�
Fifth-grade teacher Seth Vanzant was equally instrumental, says Stickler. 鈥淗e was so invested in making this work for his fifth-graders and allowing the UW students access to his students throughout the week,鈥� she says. 鈥淗e has been amazingly supportive.鈥�
Marking milestones
It all started with a canoe journey.
For Neah Bay鈥檚 Makah tribe, canoe journeys play an important role in their culture. Canoe makers would hollow out red cedar logs, then soften and shape them with water and fire-heated rocks.
Then they observed weather conditions. When the moment was right, tribal members set to sea for hundred-mile journeys, each stop marked with a celebration.
The tradition is alive today.
Each Neah Bay student鈥檚 journey 鈥� realized on paper, with crayons 鈥� is also marked by milestones: learning how to swim and how to read, losing a tooth, celebrating a birthday. Mapping out where they鈥檝e been helps them set the course for their future.
But there鈥檚 a big difference between knowing you want to be a scientist and knowing the steps you need to take to make that happen. A key part of this year鈥檚 ASB project was bridging that gap.
Exploring career paths
Neah Bay students interviewed the UW students 鈥� each of the seven represented a different field of study, from engineering to history to premed 鈥� about their personal journeys. They interviewed teachers and nurses at the school. And they absorbed every bit of information shared by guest speakers from the community who popped by class throughout the week: the superintendent, fishermen, a carver.
Next they got into groups, each representing a different career path, and started work on their short films outlining that journey.
Lydia Heberling, a Ph.D. student studying Native American literature at the UW, was the leader of the business group. They decided to explore two tourism-focused entrepreneurial ventures: a horse ranch and a hybrid ice cream鈥揷offee shop.
鈥淓ven though none of the community members they heard from were in tourism, the kids were still able to extract the idea that if you want to successfully run a business, you have to be responsible with your time and be self-motivated,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey took a set of ideas away.鈥�
The Neah Bay students storyboarded, scripted and finally shot their films using iPhones and microphones attached to bendable tripods.
They also fashioned props to aid in their productions. The art team created a jumbo-size painting tray and matching paintbrush; the business team made a small-scale horse ranch; the science team procured goggles and a white lab coat.
When they were done filming, the students reviewed the footage and started picking their favorite shots.
Then they crafted film posters that would eventually line the walls of the Makah Community Hall at the celebration dinner.
Visiting the UW this summer
This June, when the ASB students finish editing the short films, the fifth-graders will come to the UW for a tour of campus and, of course, a film screening.
Neuee Vitalis, a teacher at Neah Bay Middle School and the mother of fifth-grader Ada, says many students have never been off the reservation, let alone to Seattle.
Some of them will be the first in their families to pursue higher education, and some may never have been exposed to the idea of college before.
鈥淔or the students to have experiences outside of Neah Bay is so valuable,鈥� says Vitalis.
鈥淎s a Husky and a teacher, I look at the trip to the UW as an early opportunity to get students thinking about their futures. I think everybody should at least try college and have the experience of getting out in the world and knowing what鈥檚 out there beyond this beautiful place we call home.鈥�
It takes a village to raise a child. People watch out for each other鈥檚 kids, and as a parent, I really appreciate the UW students鈥� coming out and spending their spring break investing in my community and my kids. 鈥� Neuee Vitalis
The 天美影视传媒 extends special thanks to our generous campaign sponsors, whose underwriting support is expanding student experiences like Alternative Spring Break throughout the academic year.
