In the Iditarod world, more than half of the remaining mushers have reached the coast! Your students might notice that mushers are staying an extra long time at the White Mountain checkpoint. “It’s a race!” “They’re so close!” “Why aren’t they running?” That’s because every musher must take a second mandatory 8 hour rest in White Mountain before the final push to Nome. In the standings and on the GPS tracker, it only shows one 24 hour and one 8 hour resting period to be checked off; however, those resting periods can be taken at any time during the race. It’s all part of the strategy game for when a musher chooses to take those rests. I flew from Unalakleet to White Mountain this afternoon, so I’ll get to see the difference between the White Mountain rest period vs other times I have seen the mushers rest throughout the race.
Today I visited with Teri Paniptchuk, a native to Unalakleet who teaches a bilingual/bicultural class at the local school. She invited me to watch her high school students practice for the Native Youth Olympics (NYO). Students were practicing for the events of: One-foot High Kick, Toe Kick, One-hand Reach, Alaskan High Kick, and Seal Hop. The events are based on the traditional contests Alaskan Natives created to develop abilities crucial to everyday life. And guess what? The games started just two years before the Iditarod! For more information, go to: https://nyogames.com/.
Even though it is spring break, I was able to tour the school and see some of the traditional projects Teri’s students are working on, such as sewing, basic and intricate beading, using fur to make hats, creating traditional tools, and so much more. The school is known as the “Home of the Wolfpack”, which you can see throughout the building, including the full mounted wolves in various places. You can also find many different words translated into the local language of Iñupiaq, such as colors, phrases, and locations. I also found two Iditarod bulletin boards!
Lesson Idea: What makes your town unique? Think of your history, agriculture, buildings, food, festivals, outdoor activities, etc. What sort of artifacts could your students make that would represent the uniqueness of your town? Depending on the time you have, students could make a list, draw artifacts, compare/contrast with a town in a different part of the world, or even make artifacts. “Well, Mrs. Hamilton, how does this relate to the Iditarod?” My answer: in every way! The Iditarod travels through numerous small Alaskan towns where locals have a deep pride in their history and traditions and those locals want to share that with everyone who comes to visit their town! Sometimes, in order to better understand a different culture, we must first pinpoint what makes our own so special.
I’d love to hear how you’re using the race right now in your classroom! Send me a message at emailtheteacher@iditarod.com
