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Introducing Mystery Class #5 Homer, United States (Alaska) 59.6425 N, 151.5480 W   Hello from Homer, Alaska, located along Kachemak Bay! We are the students and teachers of Fireweed Academy, in Homer, Alaska. A sixth grade student named Alex recently described Fireweed as, "A community of learning and very hands-on." Our School  There are seventy, 3rd through 6th graders that go to school here. Our teachers are Kiki, Kris, Kim, Stephanie, and Kim. Kim and Kiki teach Language Arts and Social Studies. Math Bowl ‘08 Stephanie and Kris teach math and science. Everybody teaches Art, Physical Education, and Music. Stephanie also teaches the students Spanish! Our mascot is the Gryphon. Do you know what a Gryphon is? The Gryphon is a mythical creature with the head, forelegs, and wings of an eagle, and the hindquarters and tail of a lion. Fireweed Academy: Home of the Gryphons! This gryphon is a torn paste paper collage made by our students Our Activities We build knowledge from our heads and the world not from textbooks. Local Explorations Maybe that's because we use a theme immersion approach to learning. Our current theme is "Conservation." Sunrise on the Playground Sunset over Kachemak Bay In the photo below, we are participating in "Pass The Handsqueeze", which is an icebreaker activity and/or a math data collection activity. Kids love it and always want to add on to it - Here is a link to the basic activity if you want to explore it any further >> Pass the Handsqueeze! Students and staff participated in a mask-making workshop. The masks are made from leather and are molded using plaster molds of the makers face. Next we painted them with acrylics. They are intended to express some of the personality of the maker. In the photo below, we were just having fun with the masks after they were made. We also performed a dance in the masks. We have a guest PE instructor choreograph a dance with students each fall to perform at our fall fundraiser. Some of the fine results of our mask-making workshop In the fall we have a beach campout. One of the favorite activities is a raw egg toss down on the beach at low tide. Ready . . . set . . . . . .Toss! Some of our students also compete in the "Math Bowl". This is a district wide math competition. Students work in teams of 3-5 students in a problem-solving section (solve as many "problem of the week", multi-step style questions in one hour as they can, 10 questions), a lightening round, (a head on, fast paced competition of math knowledge, skills and speed), and also a Math Skills section. There is a "Grand Champion" (most points won), 2nd place, 3rd place, a correct answer sign award (kids are pretty creative with this) and a Team Spirit award. There are usually around 100 to 140 kids participating. Speaking of Eggs . . . and more Our favorite meal is Breakfast Burritos and here's the recipe: Breakfast Burritos Ingredients: 5 pounds pork sausage 5 dozen eggs Grated cheese Tortillas Fry 5 pounds of pork sausage in several huge cast iron skillets until done. Drain most of the grease and add 5 dozen eggs. Cook until done. (Hint: It helps to crack the eggs into a blender and pour into a container at home the night before. We have also frozen the blended eggs in zip-lock bags for extended trips) Sprinkle with grated cheese. Spoon into tortillas that have been warmed over the campfire and serve with salsa. We eat lots of fish (mostly halibut and salmon), crab, clams, and game (moose, deer…). Here is a halibut taco recipe. These tacos are very popular here! Made us hungry thinking about it. Enjoy! Halibut Tacos Ingredients: 1 lb. Halibut Fillets 2 cups Cabbage, shredded 2 Tomatoes, diced Shredded cheese (Jalapeno is good) 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup cilantro Taco Seasoning (1 package, or ¼ cup) 2 tbs. Olive oil, as needed 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice 1/2 tbsp. Lime Juice Taco shells, Hard or soft Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro and 2 tbsp. of the taco seasoning; Set aside. Marinate halibut chunks in oil, lemon juice, lime juice and remaining taco seasoning then fry halibut, over medium heat, for 4-5 minutes or until flakes easily with fork. Layer remaining ingredients in your choice of taco shells and top with sour cream mixture. You can also serve with salsa and/or taco sauce.   Our City and State Now we'll tell you a little about our city and our state. Alaska is the largest state in the U.S. with an area of 586,000 square miles. Our tidal shoreline is estimated to be an amazing 47,000 miles. This is more than that of the other 49 states in the U.S. combined. Our entire population according to the most recent census is 683,478. We are part of the "Pacific Rim of Fire." This is the seismically active area along the margins of the Pacific plate. In fact, we can see several volcanoes from where we live including Mount Augustine, Mount Illiamna, and Mount Redoubt. Many of us have experienced eruptions and volcanic activity, as Augustine erupted in 2005. Mount Redoubt erupted in 1989-90 and is rumbling again! This photo shows an ascending eruption cloud from Redoubt Volcano as viewed to the west from the Kenai Peninsula. The mushroom-shaped plume rose from avalanches of hot debris (pyroclastic flows) that cascaded down the north flank of the volcano. A smaller, white steam plume rises from the summit crater. Check out the current activity for Redoubt and other volcanoes >>   Image courtesy of R. Clucas, April 21, 1990 Homer is located at the southwest tip of the Kenai Peninsula on Kachemak Bay. We are 225 miles from Anchorage, Alaska, the nearest major city. We have a population of about 5,000 year-round residents, although it grows each summer. Our economy is based on tourism, fishing and seafood processing, private enterprise, and the arts. The school district has some amazing features. The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District covers approximately 25,600 square miles, which is larger than the entire state of West Virginia. 2,827 students are transported 7,725 miles daily on school buses throughout the district. Homer was founded in 1896 by gold seekers, and named for one of these early adventurers. His name was Homer Pennock and he was said to be of questionable character! Coal mining was also very important at the turn of the century and helped to develop the town even further. The original town was at the end of the Homer Spit, but it burned down when an exposed coal seam caught fire. Homer became a city in 1964. On the Spit Speaking of "the spit", do you know what one is? A general definition is that it is a narrow point of land extending into a body of water. Our spit is about four miles long, extending into Kachemak Bay. Many people feel that Homer is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We have incredible views of rugged mountains, snowcapped peaks, glaciers, volcanoes, and fjords. Across the bay from us are the Kenai Mountains. With one sweep of the eyes, you can view several glaciers and active volcanoes at the same time. Our climate is considered to be mild in terms of where we are located in the world. We have even been called "the banana belt of Alaska". It is actually pretty nice, with temperatures typically in the teens and twenties in winter. We get enough snow that we can enjoy skiing, snowboarding, sledding, and all the winter sports. In fact, there is still snow on the ground right now! In summer, the average temperatures are in the fifties and sixties. Occasionally we get even warmer. As you may have noticed with our photoperiod data, we are heading towards the extremely long days of summer. We are already experiencing over 15 hours of daylight! At this time of year you can be skiing at 9:00 in the evening while enjoying the sunset. Our Country Our country is the United States, although our state is the second youngest state in the United States. Alaska was one of the last states added to the United States. In January 1959, President Eisenhower made Alaska the 49th state, followed 7 months later by the addition of the 50th state, Hawaii, in August 1959.   Would You Like to Know More About Us? We have loved being a Mystery Class! If you would like to know more about our school, please visit our website.