Living in Alaska with Miss Harth (Slippery Rock Student Teacher)

Living+in+Alaska+with+Miss+Harth+%28Slippery+Rock+Student+Teacher%29

Mackenzie Powers and Gabe Perrotta, Feature Editors

Miss Harth is a Slippery Rock University student teacher.  Recently, she spent eight weeks with Mr. Abe and is currently working with Mr. Kosciuszko.

Have you ever been ice fishing?

-Yes, I went with a friend once. It is different from normal fishing. It is much colder and you have to stay in a hut to keep warm. You can also go dip netting, but you need to be a resident of Alaska.

 

What is the weather like there?

-I’m from the southernmost part of Alaska. It has mild weather there but is still very cold. There is less snow there but it still snows. The average day there is -20 degrees. The record for the coldest day was -100 degrees.

 

Have you ever seen the Northern Lights?

-Yes, I have seen them four times. They are not very common. The lights are very beautiful and I can see why people come to see them, and why the people believe the lights are ancient ancestors.

 

What are the seasons like there?

-We have two seasons, Winter and Construction. Construction lasts about three months. It is after Winter when the roads are being fixed from the ice. You can tell when Spring and Summer come, it gets about 65 degrees at the highest. It can sometimes snow up until May.

 

How often do you see Moose?

-Moose are very common. There are not as many deer and bears as you would think. There are lots of mosquitoes though.

 

What are the most popular foods?

-The most popular foods are Moose, fish, and crab. Fruits and vegetables are hard to come by because of the weather there. Seafood is easy to get because of the surrounding water.

 

Do you get used to the weather there?

-You do get used to the weather there. It is all about your mindset. I would much rather be cold than hot.

 

What sports do you play there?

-We play hockey and football. Hockey is easy to play there because of the frozen lakes, but there are some indoor rinks. We can play football indoors. We sometimes play outside, but you get colder than you would indoors.

 

What are some common stereotypes people from Alaska get?

-We do not live in igloos. We have grass there. We have high-end stores and fast food restaurants. We do not live like the people in the shows you may have seen.