Each high school student carried a piece of home with them: butterflies glued to the top of a graduation cap; coin-sized photos of grandma and great-grandma dangling from a tassel; a borrowed kuspuk worn underneath a gown.

More than 200 people attended a special graduation ceremony for six Western Alaska graduates from Kipnuk, Kwigillingok and Quinhagak on Monday at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. A hundred more watched a virtual livestream of the event, cheering on the Class of 2026 from afar.

When the Western Alaska graduates rose from their chairs to face the crowd, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta community stood behind them. Gathered in the audience were not only immediate family members, but also aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, friends visiting from out of town and a mix of teachers and counselors.

Seniors Cadence Mesak and Patty Fox anxiously adjusted their caps, gowns and hair in a mirror in preparation for photos before the ceremony. They wore the official school colors of Kipnuk’s Chief Paul Memorial School, blue and white.

Atop her cap, Mesak had adhered blue and purple butterflies, a reminder of her mother, who passed six years ago. She said she plans to likely stay in Anchorage after graduation and was considering enrolling in trade school or joining the U.S. Air Force.

Still, she felt the pull of home as she prepared to walk across the stage.

“It’s good, but also hard,” Mesak said. “We are always homesick. I wish we got to graduate at home, too.”

For most, a school is a place to learn, Kipnuk principal Allen Hutson said during the opening remarks. For Western Alaskans, schools are the heart of the community, and a place where residents gather for feasts, weddings, funerals, Christmas plays and sporting events, he said.

Then, during these students’ senior year, everything changed, Hutson said.

In October, the wind and water of ex-Typhoon Halong devastated communities along the Bering Sea coast, displacing more than 180 students from the region. Upon their arrival in Anchorage, some evacuees had just a week to adjust before enrolling in new schools.

“You walked into unfamiliar hallways, carrying uncertainty, fear and challenges that most people will never fully understand, but you showed up anyway,” Hutson said. “And through it all, you adapted, you built friendships, you found your place, you kept moving forward, even when life changed around you. That takes strength.”

By the end of this week, nearly 2,500 Anchorage School District students will have graduated. In total, seven Western Alaska students graduated in Anchorage. Five of the Lower Kuskokwim seniors attended Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School. One attended West Anchorage High School, and another went to Raven Correspondence School.

[Community support helps Anchorage high schools’ Class of 2026 succeed]

While the Western Alaska students were given the option to walk at those graduations, faculty also wanted to arrange a more intimate ceremony that honored the “way things are done back home,” said Jaime Galvan, director of Indigenous education at the Anchorage School District.

“Graduation probably wasn’t something that was on their mind when they originally got here,” she said. “But to know what they’ve gone through, and to be able to finish high school and have this huge accomplishment, I think, is extremely important.”

Traditionally, the whole village would come to celebrate the students, Galvan said, and she hoped community members would show up for the kids.

Almost every seat was filled in the auditorium on Monday. As they awaited the start of the ceremony, family and friends signed posters with messages of congratulations for the seniors such as “Yay, you made it!” and “Piniqamken,” which means “You are my strength” in Yup’ik.

Before receiving their diplomas, each student distributed a bundle of five red roses to individuals in the crowd who helped them finish school — part of a decade-long tradition started in Kwigillingok.

Senior Charlie Paul rose from his chair and handed one of the roses to his grandmother, Martha, who sat just a few rows back. The pair held each other in a long embrace.

Martha Paul said the ceremony was emotional as she and other family members filtered through the mass of people to the back of the room to greet the new graduates. Her niece, Erica Sharp, and nephew, Miisaq Paul, also received their diplomas Monday evening.

Martha’s family typically goes subsistence hunting together this time of year, she said, with three boats moving in pursuit of seals and birds. While she still longed to return home, she viewed the rose ceremony as a small semblance of normalcy.

“I have my family, they are home,” she said, clutching her rose.

Charlie’s mother, Natalia Paul, came to join her in line for cake. Natalia moved to Anchorage two years ago with Charlie, but said he did not adjust well to the city. He returned to Kipnuk for his senior year, excited to graduate back home, she said.

Then the storm struck. During the school year, Charlie struggled with flashbacks that only eased when he returned home briefly to pick up some of his belongings, Natalia said.

“(What happened) breaks the mind,” Natalia said. “I’m proud of them. They adjusted slowly, but they’re doing good. They’ve got a whole life ahead of them.”

Native Vote 2026

The U.S. Senate campaign for Mary Peltola (Yup’ik) on Tuesday launched its first television advertisement of the election cycle, a statewide spot emphasizing her deep ties to Alaska communities and her background as a commercial fishing boat captain.

The 60-second ad, titled “We Stick Together,” features families, fishermen, and residents from across Alaska speaking about Peltola’s connection to the state and her commitment to putting Alaska first. The campaign said the ad will air statewide on television as well as on connected TV and digital platforms.

One speaker in the ad says, “Mary’s had her boots on the ground, on the riverbanks, in the mud, just like all us Alaskans. I think she gets it.”

The campaign said the ad comes as many Alaskans continue to struggle with rising prices, declining fish populations, and concerns about outside interests influencing policies affecting the state.

According to the campaign, more than 4,500 Alaskans have signed up to support Peltola’s Senate bid, with supporters represented in every borough and census area across Alaska.

“Mary knows the struggles facing Alaskans because she’s lived them,” said Alaskans for Mary Campaign Manager Elisa Rios. “While Dan Sullivan continues to sell out Alaska to his special interest backers like Big Pharma and Lower 48 corporations who are jacking up prices on Alaska families, Mary has been on the ground with her boots in the mud working with communities across the state rallying Alaskans to defend our way of life.”

Rios added, “Alaskans will elect Mary this November because she’ll always be an independent voice for the state who will stand up to the rigged system in DC and put Alaska first.”

WATCH “We Stick Together” 

SCRIPT:

ALASKAN ONE: When I think of an Alaskan I think about somebody who has a genuine connection to the land and the people and the experience of living and growing and raising a family. 

ALASKAN TWO: Alaskans we stick together, no matter what.

ALASKAN THREE: We’re all tough, we’re gritty, and we work together to solve the problems in our community, no matter what your background is.

ALASKAN FOUR: Mary Peltola will listen to working families, she will listen to small farmers and fisherman.

MARY PELTOLA: Every Alaskan I have ever known no matter how young, no matter how old, no matter where they’re from, deeply understand the importance of making sure our kids and grandkids and all the generations after us have the same kind of abundance that we had. We can get back there if we’re all working on this together. 

ALASKAN FIVE: I think she gets me. 

ALASKAN SIX: Mary’s had her boots on the ground, on the riverbanks, in the mud, just like all us Alaskans. I think she gets it. 

ALASKAN FIVE: Mary knows us Alaskans. She’s going to put us first. 

Related

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – As Memorial Day weekend approaches, Anchorage residents and visitors are adjusting their travel plans as gas prices near record highs.

At Westchester Lagoon on Monday, Nancy Podgorski searched for spring shorebirds, something she plans to do this Memorial Day as well.

“This is just the best time of year to go birding in Anchorage,” Podgorski said.

Due to the cost of travel, Podgorski won’t make it back to Homer for the Shorebird Festival this year.

“It was disappointing to be honest because last year we went and it was so fun and it’s such a great activity and there’s lots of festivals around,” Podgorski said.

“The jump from $3.89 a gallon to $5.19, and who knows how much higher it’s going to go, that’s really significant for people that are retired on a teacher’s retirement budget,” Podgorski said. “It’s like … that’s the difference between eating ramen noodles and not eating ramen noodles.”

Alli, an Anchorage resident who recently moved from Maryland, is planning a Memorial Day visit to Denali before cutting back on travel.

“We are going to do a trip to Denali. So, it’s early in the season, but we’re so excited,” she said.

She said it’s her last trip for a while.

“The gas has been a shock and we’re feeling it,” she said. “I think after this trip, we’re probably going to stay local in Anchorage for the summertime.”

Tourists are also noticing the high fuel costs. Tony Broussard, visiting from Florida, said he was surprised by Alaska’s gas prices.

“I would have maybe thought, because I’m originally from Louisiana, and, you know, in oil production areas, you’d think would be a little… less,” Broussard said.

The Alaska average as of Monday is $5.29 per gallon, just under $2 higher than last year, according to AAA.

“I think the gas prices is definitely something that I will consider when we’re doing trips,” Alli said.

Despite the high costs, many plan to make the most of it.

“There’s plenty of things and hiking to do in the area, but definitely is painful to fill up my car,” Alli said.

“And you know, gas prices are $5.19 a gallon now we’re staying put. But when you’ve got a beautiful lake and we go birding all the time,” Podgorski said. “We have our binocs, our camera, we’re ready to go.”

“We’re just enjoying the day,” Broussard said.

With summer approaching, the question for many drivers isn’t just how much it costs to fill up. It’s how much longer it will stay this way.

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