The new Kivalina school opened last week, a month behind schedule. The residents are still waiting for the grand opening ceremony, but the students are enjoying classes in the new building, as well as the spacious gymnasium.
“The children are so happy and excited, and so am I,” resident Janet Mitchell said.
The construction of Kisimigiugtuq School started in the summer 2020 and was scheduled to wrap up in September. The school was scheduled to open on Oct.19. Getting permits and adjusting to weather conditions caused a delay, said Kathy Christy, the Northwest Arctic Borough School District’s capital projects manager.
“It was a time-consuming process to assure that the school complex satisfied all the codes and requirements for safe operation,” she said.
The school site is 8 miles inland from the village, and the remote location prolonged the construction, Christy said. Additionally, she said the crews needed to provide new reliable phone and internet service to the site.
The water, wastewater and fire protection systems required state permits. At one point, power surges overloaded the panel controlling backup power for the fire suppression system, and the occupancy permit could not have been issued until the engineers and the contractor resolved the problem, Christy said.
The crews still need to add safety surfacing to the playground, complete final site grading and fencing, as well as install art. Most of the unfinished details will be completed this winter and next year.
A storm also required the school to delay the projected opening date, Christy said.
With stormy weather battering the village last Monday and Tuesday, Mitchell said, the principal canceled the first two days of school.
“The good thing is, the principal is a careful man,” she said. " We were good with that.”
When the storm was over, students hopped on the buses on a warm Wednesday morning with a drizzle in the air.
“There is excitement in the air for the first day of school, on their first bus ride ever,” Mitchell wrote in her Facebook post. “First day of school at Kisimiġiuqtuq Hill and the students are all excited! Wide awake, no sleepy!”
Every morning, the students are riding for about 30 minutes to get to the new site. The walk to the bus stop is short, but parents try to accompany the children to keep them safe from loose dogs in the village. They also make sure no one misses a bus, Mitchell said.
“This morning, we caught the student and took her up with us in Rep’s truck. Her mom was grateful,” Mitchell said. “It’ll take some getting used to. They will all adjust soon.”
Parents make their children dress warmly, just in case the bus stops for any reason on its way to or from school. Mitchell said she is also concerned about the open area up the mountains where wolves have been sighted.
To make sure the rides go smoothly, the first responder Replogle Swan Sr., Mayor Austin Swan Sr. and Dolly Helen rode behind the bus during the first week.
“We are naturally in ‘awareness’ mode as responders,” Mitchell said. “We have been doing this forever, making sure we all take care of each other.”