Girls On The Run program to wind up Sitka season with five-kilometer run on Saturday, May 11

The Sitka chapter of the international Girls On The Run program will host its end-of-season event, a five-kilometer (3.1-mile) run at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 11, at the Sitka Sound Science Center. The event promotes empowerment for girls and education about domestic violence.

The Sitka event is hosted by Sitkans Against Family Violence (aka, SAFV), which teamed up with Sealaska and other groups to host similar events throughout Southeast Alaska. According to the Sealaska Girls On The Run site for Southeast Alaska:

What is Girls on the Run? Girls on the Run International is a life-changing empowerment program for girls (ages 8-14). The program combines training for a 5K (3.1 mile) running event with healthy living and self-esteem enhancing curricula. Our programs instill self-esteem and self-respect through physical training, health education, life skills development, and mentoring relationships.

It is a fun curriculum based on extensive educational research and “on the track” testing academic evaluations showing “statistically significant” improvement in girls attitudes about body image, eating attitudes, and self-esteem.

The 12-week program (24 sessions meeting twice a week for 1-1 1/2 hours) combines self-esteem enhancing life-lessons, discussions, and running games in a fun and encouraging, girl-positive environment where girls are free to express themselves and build confidence. AWARE (Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies, a group in Juneau) offers this program in Juneau through AWARE and throughout Southeast Alaska in partnership with WISH (Women In Safe Homes, a group in Ketchikan) and SAFV.

The goal of Girls on the Run is to empower girls early in their lives to find strength, courage and self-respect from within and draw upon it as they face the challenges of adolescence and adulthood.  We all know being a girl is a big job, and to be the healthiest and happiest girl possible we need to come together with other girls to learn, live, dream and RUN!

We at AWARE Inc, believe that interpersonal violence can and must be prevented.  We believe that by unplugging ourselves from the girl box (disconnecting from the messages that limit and minimize girls potentials) and tapping into our full and complete selves: we are working with girls to empower them, their potential and self-confidence, we are taking steps towards violence prevention here in Juneau.

On Tuesday, May 7, SAFV staffer Brian Sparks joined Girls On The Run coaches Dianna Twaddle and Kym Johns and a couple of the runners on the KCAW-Raven Radio Morning Edition interview, where they discussed Saturday’s event and what it means for the girls to complete the five kilometers.

Sitka Bike Rodeo, National Bike to School Day put spotlight on kids’ cycling and safety

A Sitka student clips the strap on his bike helmet after riding his bike to school during the International Walk (and Bike) to School event in October 2008. Now there is a new and separate National Bike to School Day, this year on Wednesday, May 8. (Daily Sitka Sentinel photo by James Poulson).

As the temperatures warm up, two events this week will highlight kids’ cycling and safety in Sitka — the Sitka Bike Rodeo on Saturday, May 4, and the second annual National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 8. These two events will help kick off National Bike Month (May) in Sitka.

The Sitka Bike Rodeo is an annual event sponsored by the Sitka Rotary Club and U.S. Coast Guard-Air Station Sitka. This year’s bike rodeo takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Coast Guard hangar. The target audience for this event is children age 14 and younger (though it may be below the level for experienced pre-teen cyclists). Kids need to bring their bike, a helmet and a parent to this event, which will happen rain or shine. Here’s what to expect — bike safety checks, bike skill events (Demon Driveway, Crazy Crossroads, Rock dodge, How slow can you go, Circle and balance, and more), helmet fitting, bike registration, discount helmets, hot dogs, healthy snacks, and refreshments. The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) also is helping with the event. For more info about the Sitka Bike Rodeo, call Jeff Budd at 747-4821.

On Wednesday, May 8, schools all over the country will encourage students to hope on their bikes for National Bike to School Day. Some schools will offer special events and prizes during the day. So far no Sitka schools have signed up to host events, even though many other Alaska communities are hosting bike rides to school. But it’s not too late to organize one. To encourage safety, parents are encouraged to ride their own bikes with their kids as they head to school.

Since it’s spring, here are a few bike safety rules for the kids:

• Wear a properly fitting bike helmet (click here to learn how to fit a helmet). Not only is it a good way to protect yourself from head injuries, Sitka has a youth helmet ordinance that requires all children age 18 or younger to wear helmets when they ride bikes, trikes, skateboards, scooters and similar vehicles.
• Right on the right side of the road, with traffic not against it. Older kids (age 11 and older) and adults should avoid riding their bikes on the sidewalks, especially downtown where there are lots of walkers (a bike can seriously injure elders who doesn’t hear the bike rider coming up behind them).
• Wear bright clothes and make sure you have a working solid white headlight and flashing red taillight on your bike, especially if you ride when it’s dark. Wear a reflective vest or arm bands/leg bands, and put reflective tape on your clothes and/or bike frame so it’s easier for drivers to see you on the bike.
• Know the rules of the road, and follow them. Stop at all stop signs and stop lights. Ride in a safe, predictable manner so cars know where you’re going. Use hand signals for all turns. Yield to traffic when appropriate.
• Check your bike before riding it, especially the ABCs — Air (tires have the right amount of air), Brakes (the brakes work and will stop your tire so it skids on the pavement) and Chain (make sure the chain is the right tension and there are no damaged links, oil if necessary).
• For more bike safety rules for kids, click here.

Sitka Sound Science Center offers one-week summer camps for kids

Registration is open for several one-week summer camps for kids hosted by the Sitka Sound Science Center.

These camps cost $85 per week and they cover a variety of topics for students in grades 1-3 and grades 4-6 (the grade the student will enter in the fall). The cost includes a daily snack. Each camp lasts five days and meets for three hours each day.

Here are more details about each camp:

June 17-21

• Ooey Gooey (Grades 1-3, meets 9 a.m. to noon) — Explore all things slimey, squishy and amazing, from fish and tide pool critters to paints and kitchen science.
• Make, Create and Fascinate (Grades 4-6, meets 1-4 p.m.) – Design and create towers, bridges and other simple machines.  Building a machine can be a craft project, creating a building can be an artist work of beauty, and ingenuity is in everyone.  Campers will use a variety of “ingredients” in their building and crafting.

June 24-28

• A Swirl of Art and Science (Grades 4-6, meets 1-4 p.m.) – The Sitka Fine Arts Camp is partnering with Sitka Sound Science Center for a joint camp.  Visiting artist Zina Deretsky, a science and technology illustrator and board-certified medical illustrator, will be co-teaching along with Sitka Sound Science Center staff.  Arts and sciences are not as different as some people think, campers will get a chance to flex both sides of their brain in this fun week of learning and creating.

July 8-12

• Under the Sea (Grades 1-3, meets 9 a.m. to noon) — Dive in to the huge variety of things found beneath the waves.  Campers will build a model submersible, follow coordinates like a navigator, and learn about Sitka’s local whales, tide pools, and more.
• Animal Olympics (Grades 4-6, meets 1-4 p.m.) — We know that our salmon can travel long distances, but just how far is their lifetime marathon?  Whales are big, but how big?  What is the fastest bird? What Olympic-class gymnasts and weightlifters can be found in the wilds of Sitka?  Find out.

For more information and to register for the camps, click this link and use the online registration form. If you have questions, call the Sitka Sound Science Center at 747-8878.

Ruffle your feathers and join the annual Parade of Species on Friday, April 19

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Channel your inner eagle, urchin, bear or ladybug by wearing your Tongass-inspired costume during the Sitka Conservation Society‘s 12th annual Parade of Species on Friday, April 19.

Gather at 2:30 p.m. at Totem Square, and the parade starts marching down Lincoln Street at 3 p.m. The parade finishes at the Rasmuson Student Services Center on the Sheldon Jackson Campus, where participants can check out several Earth Day-related booths.

Prizes will be awarded in these categories — Best Use of Recycled Material, Most Creative, Most Realistic, and Best Local Animal. Wear a Tongass-inspired costume, enjoy a nice walk through downtown Sitka, then join us for family friendly games after the parade at Rasmuson Center on the Sitka Fine Arts Campus.

Kids wanting help building costumes can join the Alaska-Way-of-Life 4H club for a pair of recycled costume-making classes from 4-6 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday at the Karsh Classroom at the Sitka Sound Science Center. Some materials will be provided. Classes are free and open to the public.

On Monday, April 15, three staff members from the Sitka Conservation Society discussed the Parade of Species and other Earth Day/Week events on the Morning Interview on KCAW-Raven Radio. Photos from the 2012 Parade of Species can be found on the Sitka Conservation Society page on Facebook.

For more information, contact Tracy Gagnon of the Sitka Conservation Society at 747-7509.

Running of the Boots raises funds for Sitka Local Foods Network

It’s time to dig your XtraTufs out of the closet and gussy them up. The 18th annual Running of the Boots begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Crescent Harbor shelter.

So what is the Running of the Boots? It’s Southeast Alaska’s answer to Spain’s “Running of the Bulls.” Sitkans wear zany costumes and XtraTufs — Southeast Alaska’s distinctive rubber boots (aka, Sitka Sneakers). The Running of the Boots raises funds for the Sitka Local Foods Network, a non-profit group that hosts the Sitka Farmers Market and advocates for community gardens, a community greenhouse, sustainable uses of traditional subsistence foods and education for Sitka gardeners. The network also has a representative on the Alaska Food Policy Council.

The Running of the Boots is a short race for fun and not for speed, even though one of the many prize categories is for the fastest boots. Other prize categories include best-dressed boots, zaniest costume, best couple, best kids group and more. The course involves a run from Crescent Harbor to the corner of Katlian and Lincoln streets and back, with a short course for kids looping around St. Michael’s Cathedral.

The entry fee for the Running of the Boots is $5 per person and $20 per family, and people can register for the race starting at 10 a.m. Costume judging starts about 10:30 a.m. There is no longer a lip synch contest after the race. Prizes will be awarded right after the race so folks will have time to get to the free Season’s End Celebration food booths on Lincoln Street, which are being sponsored by the Alaska Cruise Association and the Greater Sitka Chamber of Commerce.

Local merchants have donated bushels of prizes for the costume contest, including a flightseeing trip for three from Harris Air and a new pair of XtraTufs from Russell’s. Honeywell, the maker of XtraTuf boots, is helping sponsor the event and all prize winners will be provided with a new pair of XtraTuf boots (Honeywell is providing 50 pairs of boots). The Sitka Local Foods Network will host a Sitka Farmers Market booth with fresh veggies for sale. The booth will be able to take debit cards, WIC vouchers and Quest cards.

“This is a really fun way to advance the Sitka Farmers Market and our other Sitka Local Foods Network projects,” Sitka Local Foods Network Board President Kerry MacLane said. “This is a must-see annual change-of-the season tradition in Sitka.”

To learn more about the Running of the Boots, contact Kerry MacLane at 752-0654 or by e-mail at maclanekerry@yahoo.com. Historical information about the race (through 2005) can be found online at http://www.runningoftheboots.org/, and info about the Sitka Local Foods Network and more recent Running of the Boots events (2008-11) is online at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org/ (type Running of the Boots into the search bar at the top of the page).

• 2012 Running of the Boots flier (feel free to print a few copies and post them around town)

UAS-Sitka Campus offers one-credit outdoor recreation class in Fall 2012

Want to play outdoors and earn college credit? The University of Alaska Southeast-Sitka Campus is offering a one-credit outdoor recreation class during the Fall 2012 term.

This class, PE-103-T11, will be taught by certified health and PE instructor (and Sitka High School graduate) Ashley Norman. The class meets every Saturday from Sept. 1 through Dec. 15 at times and locations TBA. There is a $173 cost for the class, which earns one college credit.

Students of all fitness levels are encouraged to take the class, which is designed to build an appreciation for the great outdoors through physical activity. It also will give students an adequate background in a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, golf, lawn activities, outdoor survival, water safety and more. Activities will be adapted and, based on student ability, alternative activities will be available.

So far this class has not hit the minimum number of registered students to hold the course this fall, so more students are needed to guarantee it takes place. To learn more, call the UAS-Sitka Campus at 747-7700 or go online to http://www.uas.alaska.edu/sitka/ and click “Register Online.” The Fall 2012 term starts on Aug. 30, so register soon.

Sitka National Historical Park to host Founder’s Day celebration on Saturday, Aug. 25

The Sitka National Historical Park will host a Founder’s Day celebration on Saturday, Aug. 25, with lots of naturalist activities for the whole family, including the launch of the park’s Junior Wilderness Rangers program. Here is the park’s press release:

In recognition of the 96^th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service, Sitka National Historical Park will offer fantastic naturalist programs for the whole family this Saturday, August 25th.  Founder’s Day celebrations will include a ranger-guided walk along the Totem Trail for youth ages 6 to 11, the debut of the Junior Wilderness Rangers program for those ages 8 to adult, and will finish off with cupcakes offered on our front seaside porch to celebrate the National Park Service’s 96^th birthday. We have a supportive group of rangers from the National Park Service to help youth get started on their Junior Wilderness Rangers programs and/or to become young naturalists. We invite everyone to stop by and join in the fun!

Ranger-Led Youth Naturalist Walk

11:30 a.m.

Ranger Samantha Cox will meet with local youth on the front seaside porch of the Sitka National Historical Park visitor center to begin the Youth Naturalist walk. This program will teach youth how to observe nature, encourage curiosity, and identify common Southeast Alaska plants.

Wilderness Ranger Program Debut

1:30 p.m.

Students can kick-start their school-time brains for a seriously fun and educational wilderness exploration certification program with the debut of the brand new Wilderness Ranger Program.  Rangers will introduce the program, hand out the Wilderness Explorer booklets, and help youth and adults alike to complete them.

Birthday Cupcakes

2:00 p.m.

Join park staff for “birthday cupcakes” sponsored by Alaska Geographic in honor of the National Park Service’s 96^th birthday.