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marymatt718 wrote:Hello all you Newbies!
This is a totally SHAMELESS plug, but what the heck. This forum is to share information and opinions, right? Well, here's mine!
I am writing this to ask you all to consider applying for one of our two positions still open in Togiak, which is a secret jewel in the Bristol Bay area of Alaska. I am a teacher here, not an administrator or a human resources person, so I can tell you, straight up, what a great school we have here.
We are seeking another elementary teacher for either first grade or Kindergarten (we had two positions open and the one person hired can do either, so you have a choice, too) and we need a Counselor. I am part of the Togiak Teacher Welcome Committee and I want to sing the praises of our little community and school. The following is an excerpt about Togiak that is included in our Welcome to Togiak packet:
"Togiak, the village proper is a fishing village of about 820 people, not a pretty little fishing village for tourists, but a working fishing village where the residents spend a lot of sleepless hours during the summer fishing season supporting their families. The tundra around it is stunning; you will probably arrive when the Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) is in bloom.
Togiak is considered a Bush community, part of the off-the-road system. If you aren’t familiar with Alaska, that means there are no roads connecting Togiak to anywhere else. The only way to get here is by plane or boat.
Togiak School has about 225 K-12 students, is almost 100% Yupik, and is the largest school in the Southwest Region School District.
The pet-friendly teacher housing is about a quarter of a mile from the school (two buildings, Building B and Building C, with four 2-bedroom units each, shared laundry facilities in each building). The non-pet unit (Building D, four 2-bedroom apartments with in-unit laundry) is across the parking lot from the school. Rent is $900 for each unit. If you have a roommate, you each pay $450. This includes all utilities except phone, satellite TV and Internet, which you must arrange for and pay for yourself. There are no units smaller or larger than these two bedroom units here in Togiak.
The teacher housing is fairly new and is spacious and comfortable. The two pet-friendly units were constructed in 2005 and the non-pet unit was constructed in 2010. Each apartment has 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a “mudroom,” and an open-concept kitchen/living room combination. The apartments are furnished with basic furnishings such as a couch, a chair, end tables, beds, some dressers, and very few lamps. The kitchen is furnished with a table and four chairs, but no dishes, cooking supplies or small appliances. There is a stove and a refrigerator in the kitchen and a chest freezer in the mudroom. The non-pet apartments, which are newer, have their own laundry facilities and the pet-friendly units have shared laundry facilities on the bottom floor between the two apartments on that floor. Everything else will be for you to bring…all linens, dishes, food, cookware, kitchen utensils, small appliances, etc. (Thank Heaven for Amazon!!)"
So what makes us so special? Well, I'm biased so you're going to have to take this with a grain of salt, but here goes:
1. The weather. Yes we can have some REALLY cold days, but basically the weather is very pleasant. There is a possibility of up to 100 inches of snow, but that hasn't been the case for the past two years. We're probably due, but the teacher housing is within easy-walking distance of the school, so it's not a big deal. If it's really bad out (icy or snowy), our Principal tends to come by several times in the morning to pick up teachers who might not want to walk. You will need a pair of ice cleats, but Amazon has those.
2.We are on the water, so we get nice breezes most of the time during "bug season," so you aren't eaten alive every day. The water also tends to keep our temperatures more bearable during the winter...no 60 below here. The coldest I've seen it here in two years is a 34 below windchill.
3. The tundra is beautiful. We are tundra, so there are very few trees, but we are surrounded by mountains and the views are gorgeous.
4. The kids are awesome. Yes, there are always a few problem kids (and problem parents!), but mostly they're just regular kids. We re starting to raise our expectations and we'd really like you to consider being a part of that. (However, if you are going to buy into that tripe that they can't learn to read or do higher math or any of those other empty claims, please go elsewhere. We have been with these kids and we have seen them meet or exceed the expectations we set, so we keep raising the bar, and expect that of you too. No preconceived notions please!)
5. The staff is awesome. There are about 20 teachers here, and 20 different personalities, but we all work well together and we respect each other. You will not find a more generous and welcoming set of teachers anywhere (I did say I was biased!) We are the only school in our district that even has a welcoming committee.
6. The pay is decent. Okay, it's not on the level of North Slope, but we do actually get sunrises (which are glorious) in the winter, and sunsets in the summer. It is a reasonable salary, and hey, money doesn't buy happiness. It's still a better salary that most of the lower 48. I know, I moved here from Texas, and I was in a high-paying district in Texas (Houston).
7. We are a delivery hub, so mail and cargo service is very dependable. We also have not one, but TWO stores in our village. The smaller one actually has a hardware store section. Our AC was named Store of the Year for all the AC's in the entire state of Alaska this past year.
8. Free salmon! Our Vice Principal has a permit to set out a net near a spawning creek, so, if you help, you can stock up on fresh Alaska salmon. He usually sets up a schedule for those who want to go and help. (You learn to clean salmon at our District's New Teacher In-service, which is pretty awesome.)
I could go on, but I'm afraid the Forum will reject my post if it gets too long. Just, please, when you are looking at Alaska, don't just look at the high-paying districts or the tourist area villages. Consider our little hidden gem of a village. It's not perfect, but what village is? It is a pleasant little community in a pleasant area of southwestern Alaska. No drama, just nice-living. Contact our Superintendent, Dave Piazza, or our Assistant Superintendent, Steve Noonkesser, in our district office. Select us on your ATP application, AND email, AND follow-up with a call. If you aren't what we need this year (a K-1 teacher and a Counselor) at least watch us for the future. We want good teachers, and we think you might be overlooking us because we don't have the drama attached to our location that others do. Honestly, if you are looking to go to the Alaska Bush, I can't imagine a better school than ours! (Biased, yeah, but really!)
D. M. Matthews
Togiak School
Togiak, AK
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