This year the Talent Search Rocket Camp built six 7ft rockets that were successfully launched. Watch and see it happen.

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By Daria

Marshall, AK

The activity I enjoyed the most this week was when we went kayaking. It was the first time for me to kayak by myself so it was an exciting experience. My group, the “Chosen Ones,” went to Hangar Lake with Ryan and John. First, we rode in the two vans over to Hangar Lake. Second, Ryan handed paddles out to us and demonstrated how to use them. He said the paddles were called “feathered”, which means the blades are not straight. You have to grip the right side then twist the paddle a little to use the left side. When I first learned how to use the paddle, I thought it would be really difficult because I didn’t know how. However, when I actually tried it out, it turned out to be quite easy. After he demonstrated how we use our paddles, he talked to us about keeping our balance if we are close to tipping over. Ryan showed us that if we try to balance with our heads, then we would tip over. He said that we should not use our upper bodies and heads, but our lower bodies and hips. Ryan also showed us how to move our hips if we were about to tip over. After he was done showing us how to move our hips, he pulled all of us out one by one and tested us to see if we could keep our balance. Finally, we were on our own!

One of the funniest things that happened in Hangar Lake was when Ben from Hooper Bay tried to splash me with his paddle and tipped over. It started off when we I was going towards him and he said he was going to splash me. I told him that I was not going to splash him, but he tried to splash me anyways. While he was trying, I looked away and all of a sudden, I heard someone hollering. I looked back and I noticed that he fell in. I laughed like a hilarious, hyper hyena floating on the kayak.

After we finished kayaking, we followed our team leader John to shore. While I was floating closer and closer to shore, John started walking over to me and intentionally tipped me over. Before we came back to Campus, John told us that we were allowed to swim until we get ready to go home.

Kayaking was my favorite activity this week because I never kayaked on my own before, so it was a new experience. Ryan also told us that learning how to paddle and keepour balance is similar to life. He said that we have to work to keep our kayak from tipping over. It is like high school and college; we have to find the right path in order to accomplish our goals in life and to keep ourselves up and going. I will use what I learned for the rest of my high school years, and hopefully also in college.

Here is a special report by Talent Search own Channel 15 News.

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By Tatiana

Russian Mission, AK

One of the Talent Search activities I enjoyed the most was the wellness fair. We learned about family violence, sexually transmitted diseases, diabetes, and how the use of tobacco can affect our lives.

I enjoyed the wellness fair because I learned a lot. People from YKHC talked to us about those important things. Thanks to them for taking time off to come and talk to us.

When we talked about tobacco I felt sorry for all those people in the Y-K Delta who smoke or chew. A lot of people in our region get cancer and die.

I think there is too much violence going on. People drink and start causing trouble. If there are kids in the house, they get scared. Seeing all that violence will affect their lives forever.

Alaska has the highest percentage of people Type 2 diabetes. We need to slow down on eating junk food and start exercising more. If you eat too much junk food and don’t exercise, your blood sugar will go up and you will have a high risk of getting diabetes.

There are also a lot of people in Alaska who have some type of a sexually transmitted disease. The most common one is Chlamydia. You need to wear protection if you decide to have sex. Chlamydia can spread even if you use a condom, so you need to be very careful.

The best part of the wellness fair was learning about diabetes. I enjoyed it the most because I learned that I need to stay healthy. If I don’t stay healthy, I know what can happen to me, and I don’t want that. There are too many diabetic people in Alaska.

The wellness program was great. I think that they should go to every village and talk to all the teenagers.

Name: Andrea

Hometown: Emmonak

Hobbies and Interests: basketball, going in my room and listening to music

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: kayaking, swimming, going to Pinky’s Park and playing ball.

Name: Michael

Hometown: Kwigillingok

Hobbies and Interests: My hobbies are basketball, football in the winter, bike riding, swimming, hunting and ski-doo riding. I am interested in becoming a pilot.

Best Parts of Talent Search So Far: The best parts of Talent Search were kayaking, the water fight, meeting new friends and hanging out with them.

Name: Jeremy

My Hometown: Napaskiak

Hobbies and Interests: Basketball, knee boarding, blasting stunts with my freestyle bike, kayaking, playing football and swimming

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: Going kayaking

Name: Sophianne

Hometown: My home town is Marshall on the Yukon River

Hobbies and Interests: I like hanging out with my friends, helping my family do stuff, going to the sandbar, and finding something to do whenever I am bored.

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: My best part of Talent Search so far was learning new things in my classes and meeting new people.

Name: Stephan

Hometown: Emmonak Alaska

Hobbies and Interests: My hobbies are basketball, boat riding , swimming, bike riding, and kayaking I’m interested in becoming a pilot some day.

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: My favorite part of Talent Search is working in classes and meeting new people.

Name: Pete

Hometown: Hooper Bay

Hobbies and Interests: Playing b-ball and football

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: Going kayaking was the best.

Name: Misty

Hometown: Hooper Bay, Alaska

Hobbies and Interests: My hobbies are joining N.Y.O, playing ball, hanging with friends, going to the dances, helping at home, playing with my dogs, and making new friends.

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: The best part for me so far was the Wellness Fair because it taught me a lot of stuff. I liked family abuse class because it taught me a lot about different kinds of abuse.

Name: Kisha Kimberly

Hometown: Chevak AK
Hobbies and Interests: Writing, and finishing high school then, going to college at UAA.

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: The best part of Talent Search was the water balloon fight where we all got wet.

Name: Olivia

Hometown: Kuinerraq

Hobbies and Interests: Some of my hobbies are going Kayaking and playing basketball.

I’m interested in learning new things.

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: The best parts so far has been meeting new people, stealing my friend’s sandal, and going to classes.

Name: Jessica

Hometown: Lower Kalskag

Hobbies and Interests: volleyball

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: kayaking

Name: Tyler

Hometown: Kalskag

Hobbies and Interests: My hobbies are playing basket ball and pool.

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: My favorite part so far was playing basketball at Pinky’s Park and making new friends.

Name: Bianca

Hometown: Tununak

Hobbies and Interests: basketball

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: working

Name: Mary  

Hometown: Bethel

Hobbies and Interests: Reading, riding my bike, sleeping over at my cousin’s and friend’s

houses, camping outdoors, and skating (even though I’m really bad at it).

Best Parts of Talent Search So Far: Going kayaking, meeting new people, taking college

classes, and staying at the dorms.

Name: Darrel

Hometown: Emmonak

Hobbies and Interests: I like playing Basketball and meeting friends

Best Part of Talent Search So Far: I had fun playing ball at Pinky’s Park, and going kayaking and about rocket’s   

Name: Mark

Hometown: Newtok

Hobbies and Interests: Playing basketball and traveling

Best Parts of Talent Search So Far: Kayaking and meeting new friends.

Name: Peter    

Hometown: Toksook Bay

Hobbies and Interests: My hobbies  are  playing  ball  with  friends  and  going  silver fishing. I  like  to  go  bike  riding with friends,  too. 

Best Parts of Talent Search So Far: Having  fun,   kayaking, meeting  new friends, and Learning.