Tuesday\u2019s Board of Education meeting lasted more than four hours, including changes in the makeup of the board and votes on a few key issues.<\/p>\n
One of the items on the agenda was the name augmentation of Gastineau Community School, adding the Tlingit name \u201cSay\u00e9ik\u201d to the school. This word, meaning \u201cSpirit Helper,\u201d was the original name of the area, Douglas Indian Association (DIA) Officer Barbara Cadiente-Nelson said.<\/p>\n
The name augmentation is part of a healing process revolving around racial atrocities in the city\u2019s past against Alaska Natives. In 1956, the city paved over a Tlingit burial ground on that site in order to build a highway and the school. In 1962, the city of Douglas burned down the Douglas Indian Village to make way for a harbor.<\/p>\n
Then, just five years ago, the city inadvertently unearthed graves on the site during a renovation process at the school. Since then, the city and DIA have worked together to begin a journey of healing and reconciliation for the future.<\/p>\n
The original plan<\/a> was to add Say\u00e9ik to the end of the school\u2019s name, but as DIA Board Member Paul Marks sat through Tuesday\u2019s meeting, he started thinking differently. Cadiente-Nelson was also present and said Marks came and talked to her multiple times throughout the meeting, asking why they couldn\u2019t put Say\u00e9ik at the beginning of the school\u2019s name.<\/p>\n \u201cHis concerns about it not having that prominent place were that, first, it was the original name of the locale,\u201d Cadiente-Nelson said, \u201cand second it really speaks to the essence of that place having to do with it being a Native burial ground. Third, it was the sense of the definition or the characteristics, the meaning of that name that would be more relevant and more important to students and to community.\u201d<\/p>\n When Cadiente-Nelson spoke to the board, she brought up the idea, and Marks followed her with his testimony of why he felt the Tlingit name should go first.<\/p>\n The board members approved of the idea, voting to list Say\u00e9ik first so that the school will now be called Say\u00e9ik Gastineau Community School. Cadiente-Nelson said Wednesday afternoon, as Alaska Day celebrations took place throughout the state, that this was an appropriate day for this name change to happen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe restored an original place name that was given to the locale by its first inhabitants,\u201d Cadiente-Nelson said, adding that that\u2019s something to be proud of.<\/p>\n The board also voted to submit its Six-Year Capital Improvement Plan to the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development for State Maintenance Grants. The projects detailed in the plan focus on leaking roofs at schools<\/a> throughout the district.<\/p>\n Now, City and Borough Engineering and District Maintenance staff will begin to prepare grant applications for Dzantiki Heeni Middle School and Say\u00e9ik Gastineau Community School roofs. The estimated costs of those roof repairs are $2.4 million and $1.4 million, respectively. The school district also estimated that Riverbend Elementary School will need a partial roof replacement valued at $1.4 million at some point in the future.<\/p>\n Changes on the board<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s meeting was the final one for longtime board member Sean O\u2019Brien, who chose not to run for re-election this fall. O\u2019Brien talked about the importance of listening and digging to get thoughts from those who don\u2019t show up at board meetings but still have important feedback.<\/p>\n