Wainwright, Alaska

On my first full day (7/25/2014) at work, I took the school vehicle out to see Wainwright.  Wainwright has the reputation of being a good and clean village.  It is on the North Slope of Alaska so it has oil money.  There is a hotel and restaurant run by the Olgoonik Corporation.  Having a restaurant in a remote village is a huge benefit.  I have eaten there three times since my arrival, good food but expensive, so I will have to limit my dinning out to once a week at the maximum.  The dinners consisted of teriyaki flank steak, chicken stew one night and roast beef stew, and pan seared salmon the other night.  Oh and the big plus of dinner, a full salad bar.  Breakfast with biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, fruit, French toast, and fruit.  They did not have grits and redeye gravy.  It has been cool (32- 43 degrees) since I arrived.  I have experienced rain, snow, and a short glimpse of the sun.  My house and the school sit on a mile strip of land between the Arctic Ocean and the Wainwright Lagoon. 

My house

The High School

 The Elementary School

 Wainwright Lagoon 

The lagoon

Down Main Street.  My house on left, school on the right

Lagoon

Arctic Ocean

Village view

Day 4 (Full) (7/28/2014) – Got up at 5:00 AM today had a nice light breakfast and a cup of espresso enriched coffee.  Around 6:00 AM, I looked outside and it was foggy and appeared to be overcast.  I can see the main entrance of the school from my house and there were about 10 people standing on the porch.  All I could think was, I hope they are this early during the school year.  When I walked over at 7:00 AM the group was still on the porch, they were adults not students.  They were smoking away, right under the tobacco free zone sign.  Oh well, I introduced myself and asked them not to smoke on the porch and went inside.  I guess the porch is the hangout spot.  Kids using the Wi-Fi all day and adults enjoy a dry covered place in the morning. 

When I was reading about the school system, they said long johns were not necessary for work because they kept the buildings warm.  They do not keep building warm they keep them HOT.  I have turned my thermostat in my office and the main office down to 65 and it is still burning up.

Plan for the day – go meet people in the village.  Mayor, Olgoonik Corporation Chairman, Traditional Council President, Police chief/VPSO, and whoever else may want input into the way the school runs and interacts with the community.