Temperature in Wasilla, high 32°F, winds 5 mph

During my school visits the past two days, I’ve noticed that the schools are more than the place young people attend to learn. These buildings serve as community centers, a place for families and students to gather and take part in activities outside of school hours.

At Willow Elementary, the roller skates in the storage room roll once a month when the Lions Club sponsors a skate night in the school gym. The ice skates get use on the hockey rink at the school, and there is a school cross country ski club which meets after school hours. Driving into Larson Elementary, the school sign announces the school’s progress in their Idita-Math Trail competition and that movie night is coming up soon.

Of course, the schools serve as institutions of learning, too. Willow Elementary students also complete an Idita-Math Trail. First graders explained that their class’s progress along the Idita-Math Trail, which goes down one side of a hall and up the other side, is based on the students doing their math homework every night. And, if someone doesn’t do the math homework, it slows the team’s progress. Sounds like a fun way to encourage students to practice their math skills!