Bering Strait School District (BSSD) is a
school district
A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations.
North America United States
In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...
in northwestern
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, serving approximately 1,700 students in grades K-12 in fifteen isolated villages. All schools in the district serve students of all ages, and most classrooms are multi-age.
The district headquarters are in
Unalakleet, Alaska
Unalakleet ( ; ik, Uŋalaqłiq, ; russian: Уналаклит) is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States, in the western part of the state. At the 2010 census the population was 688, down from 747 in 2000. Unalakleet is known in the ...
.
[DISTRICT REPORT CARD for 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR]
" Bering Strait School District. Retrieved on May 2nd, 2018. "from the school or district at: 225 Main Street, Unalakleet, AK 99684"
Communities
The student population is roughly 98%
Alaska Native
Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...
, including
Yup'ik
The Yup'ik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Central Yup'ik, Alaskan Yup'ik ( own name ''Yup'ik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an I ...
,
Siberian Yup'ik, and
Inupiat. Travel between villages is by air; the nearest road connection to the outside world is almost east to the district office in
Unalakleet
Unalakleet ( ; ik, Uŋalaqłiq, ; russian: Уналаклит) is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States, in the western part of the state. At the 2010 census the population was 688, down from 747 in 2000. Unalakleet is known in the ...
.
The communities in the district are traditional Inuit and Yupik villages which rely on
subsistence
A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing, shelter) rather than to the market. Henceforth, "subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself at a minimum level. Often, the subsistence econo ...
activities such as
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
marine mammals and migratory birds, and gathering berries. Native dance and traditional crafts such as
walrus
The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped, flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in ...
ivory
Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...
carving are still strong. At least four villages practice traditional
whaling
Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution.
It was practiced as an organized industry ...
. There are few cash economy jobs, and the school is often the largest employer in each village.
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
is visible from four district schools with the naked eye, most notably from Diomede School located on the island of
Little Diomede
Little Diomede Island or “Yesterday Isle” ( ik, Iŋaliq, formerly known as Krusenstern Island, , where it is only 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from the
International Date Line
The International Date Line (IDL) is an internationally accepted demarcation on the surface of Earth, running between the South and North Poles and serving as the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific O ...
.
The route of the
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod, is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. Mushers and a team of between 12 ...
runs through six district villages, where it is a major event. Many current and former Iditarod mushers live in the district, and participate in school activities focusing on the history and cultural traditions of
mushing
Mushing is a sport or transport method powered by dogs. It includes carting, pulka, dog scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled, most commonly ...
.
Mission statement
"Achieving excellence by nurturing the whole student in a culturally based learning community that is safe and supportive"
Vision statement
"All students are thriving and contributing culturally ~ locally ~ globally"
Schools
Anthony A. Andrews School(
St. Michael)
Aniguiin School(
Elim)
Brevig Mission School(
Brevig Mission)
Diomede School(
Diomede
Diomede (; Ancient Greek: Διομήδη ''Diomēdē'') is the name of four women in Greek mythology:
* Diomede, daughter of Xuthus. She married Deioneus, king of Phocis, and was the mother of Cephalus, Actor, Aenetus, Phylacus and Asterodia.(Int ...
)
John Apangalook School(
Gambell
Gambell ( ess, Sivuqaq, russian: Гамбелл) is a City (Alaska), city
in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located on St. Lawrence Island, it had a population of 640 at the 2020 United States Ce ...
)
Hogarth Kingeekuk, Sr. Memorial School(
Savoonga)
James C. Isabell School(
Teller)
Koyuk-Malimiut School(
Koyuk)
Martin L. Olson School(
Golovin)
Paul F. Asicksik School(
Shaktoolik
Shaktoolik ( ik, Saktuliq, ; russian: Шактулик) is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 251, up from 230 in 2000. Shaktoolik is one of a number of Alaskan communities threatened by erosi ...
)
Shishmaref School(
Shishmaref
Shishmaref ( ; ik, Qigiqtaq, ; rus, Шишмарёв, p=ʂɨʂmɐˈrʲɵf) is a City (Alaska), city
in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is located on Sarichef Island in the Chukchi Sea, just north of ...
)
Tukurngailnguq School(
Stebbins)
Unalakleet Schools(
Unalakleet
Unalakleet ( ; ik, Uŋalaqłiq, ; russian: Уналаклит) is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States, in the western part of the state. At the 2010 census the population was 688, down from 747 in 2000. Unalakleet is known in the ...
)
Wales Kingikmiut School(
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
)
White Mountain School(
White Mountain)
References
External links
Bering Strait School DistrictBSSD OpenContent Initiative{{School districts in Alaska
School districts in Alaska
Nome Census Area, Alaska
Education in Unorganized Borough, Alaska