Santa Delivering Gifts, courtesy of Frank Kelty

The Ballyhoo Lions Club held their annual winter raffle in the end of December to fund the Operation Santa event that they put on each holiday season. The Operation allows Santa and his elves to provide gifts for children in outlying communities across the Aleutians. Lions Club Members successfully sold all 600 tickets during the month of December and the drawing for the winning tickets was held on December 20^th in the Grand Aleutian Hotel Lobby. The raffle included thousands of dollars’ worth of cash prizes. 

Bridget Savage

December 16^th- 20^th

The 5^th and 6^th Grade selected Bridget Savage as Student of the Week for the following reasons:

• Bridget has really begun to come into her own during the first semester of 6^th grade. Starting the year in a quiet and reserved way, Bridget knew what was needed to be prepared for middle school. As the months have gone by, Bridget has really begun to participate in class discussions, adding well articulated and accurate points to our class’ learning showing that she is more than ready for the challenges she will face the rest of this year. Great work Bridget! –Mr. Good, 6^th Grade

MOTA Treasure Hunt

The newly-renovated Museum of the Aleutians hosted a treasure hunt for Unalaskans to learn more about the history of the Aleutian Islands as they searched for clues among the brand new exhibits. It was the third annual treasure hunt they have put on, and this year was special because of all of the changes the museum has undergone recently.

Collections manager Ingrid Martis explained that their aim was to introduce younger children (up to 12 years old with accompanying adult) to the history of the Aleutians, and let them see the newly designed exhibits for the first time since not many kids have visited yet. "The exhibition is incredibly interactive and has a lot of hands-on learning activities." This year's treasure hunt was very well-attended with roughly 60 attendees of all ages. Martis says, "We hope we provided both fun and inspiration to learn more about our island."