Many of you may think that Talent Search is only some that happens during the summer here in Bethel, but we are actually available to the students during the school year too. If you are having problems with homework, send us an email and we will try to help. If you need someone to talk to, I guarantee that we will be the best listener out there. If you just want to say “hi” we will be there to say “hi” back.

We can also help you with any questions you may have on college, financial aid or different careers. We want to help you succeed in whatever it may be that you want to do.

Amy
talent_search@bethel.uaf.edu

Ah, it’s great to be back to the wonderful work world. Okay, maybe great is a strong word, but you have to love the paychecks again! Alot has happened since I last updated this blog. First of all, did this summer fly by fast or what. I remember when we had our first group of campers come in on June 10. Thirty 11 & 12 year olds who some were away from their families for the first time sounds like a challenge but I’m proud to say we didn’t have to send anyone home for being homesick though We had a great bunch of students throughout all 5 of our camps. We had about 160 students from over 20 villages throughout the delta. Students had fun going on field trips, having guest speakers, shopping and I can’t forget kayaking. Oh yeah, they did also learn a little about college and different careers! Some of the high school students even had the opportunity to do some job shadowing with Yuut Yaqungviat. I promise I’ll get some pictures posted in the next few weeks so you all can check out the fun we had.

Well, I’m going to sign off for now, but I promise this year I’ll be updating this thing more often. ~Amy

I wanted to get this blog started while I was still teaching the robotics classes for the first 4 weeks of students, but didn’t have a chance to do it then. I did create a detailed blog on my own school webpage and you can view and reply to lots of blog entries and photos there. I will continue to add more items like the radio station interviews, more photos, and movies in the near future. The web address for me at my school is www.anoka.k12.mn.us/ovms.mr.keeney

I would really like to have my Talent Search robotics students keep in touch with me to tell me how they liked the summer camp this year. I also want you to tell me how your school year is going once school starts in the fall. It would be nice to know how many of you are doing robotics at your school. I would be glad to give you any suggestions or help with problems you might have in the future. I will be adding more things about robotics to my school website in the future that might help you, or so you can find out about my FIRST LEGO League teams this year.

My website has a link to email me, or you can email me directly at paul.keeney@anoka.k12.mn.us

Have a great rest of the summer!
Paul

Wow! Has it really been almost a month since I’ve updated the Talent Search Blog! Things have flown by so fast. We just finished up our second camp. The kids have been learning about robotics, science, writing & reading, career exploration and of couse what would the Talent Search camps be without KAYAKING! Weeks 1 & 2 were filled with 29 students each from 16 different villages (including Bethel). This past week we had KYUK come over and do a story on the Robotics class. I’ll post a link to the mp3 file when we get a copy. The students are having a blast and once I get all of the kinks worked out I’ll start having some fun to! I don’t have alot of time know, but next time I’ll add some pictures for you to check out!

Hi Everyone,
I hope you all have been having a good summer. I’ve been busy getting the Talent Search College Camps lined up for all of you lucky students! We are excited to be offering some of you the opportunity to work with Robotics. The rest of you will be focusing on Rockets. Even the younger students will have the opportunity to experiment with some rockets. We are also lining up visits from various townspeople to come and talk to all of you about their jobs and their education that got them to their jobs.

Students that were accepted to the June 10-15 camp will be receiving a call next week to let them know what flights they will be on. I also want to remind you to fill out the Summer Food Service Program form. These forms will give us the added benefit of receiving USDA funds to guarantee that you get some great food to eat.

I hope everyone is excited about coming to Bethel and living in the dorms!!!!!! I can’t wait to meet you all. ~ Amy

Thank you to all the applicants that applied for our Summer College Camps.  The final application deadline was this past Friday (April 29).  I am happy to say that we have received over 200 applications.  Unfortunately this means that there will be a few people that will not have a chance to attend our camps this summer.  The 11 & 12 year olds sent in a total of 120 applications.  I’m excited to see that there are so many eager students in the YK Delta that want to come to Bethel for a week to learn about college.  Letters letting you know if you were accepted into the camps should be coming out within the next couple of weeks.  If for any reason you cannot attend now please let us know as soon as possible because we have a waiting list of eligible students that would love to take your place:)  If you don’t get accepted this year, don’t be discouraged.  Apply again next year and you will receive priority on your application for the 2008 Talent Search Camps.  Thank you all and I wish we could bring you all to Bethel for this wonderful opportunity.

Hi Everyone,

Just a reminder that the Priority Deadline for the Talent Search Applications is this Friday, April 13.  Applications postmarked by this date will be given priority for acceptance into the Summer Camps.  The official deadline is April 27.  We have received quite a few applications for the 11 & 12 year old new students camp, but we still have plenty of openings for the other camps.

It’s that time of year again for everyone to start thinking about their plans for the summer. We are hoping your plans include applying for the Talent Search sumer camps! I’m excited to try to bring you something new and different. I’m always looking for ideas, so for those of you that have attended a past camp, why not give me some ideas on what you liked or didn’t like. Also if you have any ideas for future camps your ideas are welcomed. We want to make sure that you are getting the best experience that you can while staying at KuC in Bethel.

For the first time this summer we are going to try to have some Robotics activities and the High school students will be to choose from Rocketry or ROBOTICS!

Here’s a link to the Talent Search Application .

If you have any questions, please contact us! You can comment on the blog or you can email us at: talent_search@bethel.uaf.edu or give us a call at 1-800-478-5822 ext 559.

I would like to take this time to introduce you all to the new Project Director for the Talent Search program. Me! I’m Amy Gronke and new to Bethel and Alaska since September, but have been thoroughly enjoying my time here. Before moving here, I spent the past 2 years at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming doing community enrichment programs. I grew up on a small dairy farm in Northeast South Dakota. I went to college at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. Here I got my BS in Environmental Management and MS in Biological Sciences. I’m excited to be here in Bethel working with the Kuskokwim Campus on a program as great as Talent Search. I look forward to interacting with all of you. Keep checking back for more posts as the year continues on!

KuC Talent Search Program - Recruitment – KuC hosts over 200 students at the Bethel Campus each summer. Students participate in career and academic pathway exploration as well healthy lifestyle activities. Advanced students participate in Rocket Science curricula with TCUP faculty; instructors Dan Solie and Bob Brown.

These students are nutured and hopefully leave the campus with a positive ‘first’ college experience.  Watch as Drs. Brown and Solie nurture our students through their first ’serious’ rocket experience.

click here to download

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

Click image below to view 12MB video.

click here to download

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.

Click Image below to view.

click here to download

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.