Local kids given a 'Head Start'; program graduates 11 students

This year's Head Start class graduated another set of students on Tuesday, the latest batch since Wrangell's program began in 1985.

The program finished with 19 students this year. Five days a week, they spent mornings preparing for grade school from September until May.

"We have 11 graduating, and the rest are coming back to Head Start," explained Sandy Churchill, Wrangell's program director. Federally funded through Central Council Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA), the program is made possible by four staffers and volunteers from the community.

The graduation and awards ceremony took place on Tuesday evening at the Nolan Center.

"They are going to be dancing with their drums," Churchill said. "Last month we made traditional deer skin drums."

Students have also learned some Tlingit and Spanish verses, and the graduation took on a Mexican theme in honor of the country's Cinco de Mayo celebration.

This included crafting homemade maracas from plastic Easter eggs and spoons.

"It was actually a science experiment," Churchill explained, that taught students how sound works. They'd filled their eggs with different materials-from cotton fluff to beans-to determine what sorts of noises are made.

The purpose of the Head Start program is to build better students by developing their social-emotional skills while preparing them academically.

"Not only are we working with children, we're working with the whole family," Churchill added. This extends to providing support for food, housing, education and other social services. "We have the resources to reach out and help those in need."

The program is not necessarily limited to low-income households. Applicants are measured on a point system involving several different criteria. Those interesting in enrolling their preschool-aged children can call CCTHITA at 1-800-344-1432 and ask about Head Start.