Spirit of Youth

Chloe Kincaid has created a program called “Hooked on Books” to encourage reading among elementary school children. Each week, she goes into classrooms to read aloud from a new book with the goal of introducing students to new genres and styles. She then works with the class to brainstorm similar books, which the kids cans copy down if they enjoyed the sample book. Chloe compiles lists of students’ favorite books, and posts them at school, and in public libraries as a resource for others.

Chloe also serves as the Student Body Secretary, Class Foreman of her ceramic class, and leader of her Battle of the Books team. She is heavily involved with her church, and is currently President of her youth Sunday School class.

• Home Town Soldotna
• School District Soldotna
• Award Category Faith-Based Service, Service To Children

Katya Mozalevskaya volunteered with Royal Family Kids Anchorage for one year before starting Royal Family Kids Mat-Su Valley in 2014. Royal Family Kids is an organization that works to better the lives of children who have experienced abuse. Katya is a highly motivated and compassionate member of her community.

• Home Town Palmer
• School District Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
• Award Category Service To Community, Service To Children

Summer Sagoonick is a highly involved member of her community. At the age of 10, she began volunteering to help teach at Vacation Bible School, and has traveled to several villages in the region to assist with this program. She also attended a Covenant Youth in Action training where she learned how to teach VBS as a youth leader. Summer is a role model to her peers.

• Home Town Unalakleet
• School District Bering Strait
• Award Category Faith-Based Service, Service To Peers

Rachelle Persson became a leader at the young age of four when she began tutoring her peers in math. Thanks to her efforts, all of her peers passed their math tests. Today, Rachelle is continuing to tutor others, and has become increasingly involved in the community, helping out with the Traditional Cultural Camp at Junak and the Alaska Cultural Camp. During the summer, Rachelle volunteers at the Kalskag Youth Center as a life skills coach. It her belief that youth become empowered when their basic needs are met.

• Home Town Kalskag
• School District Mt. Edgecumbe
• Award Category Cultural Pursuits, Service To Peers

Noah Sage is a member of the 4-H Trapping Club, and has developed skills in trapping, caring for meat and fur, skinning, and stretching. He uses his knowledge to assist new club members, and has presented at national conferences on the importance of passing on these skills. Exhibiting extraordinary leadership skills, Noah is helping to continue a longstanding tradition of Alaskan trapping.

• Home Town Dillingham
• School District Dillingham
• Award Category Cultural Pursuits

During her time in high school, Denali Schultz became an involved member of the community. She volunteered often, and joined the Native Youth Leadership team in Kenai. While acting as a leader in her community, Denali was also working two jobs to help pay the bills for her family. Denali overcame a number of personal challenges, but continued to give back to her community and to her peers.

• Home Town Soldotna
• School District KPBSD
• Award Category Phoenix

Vadim Yenan has attended a number of district-wide Youth Leadership trainings, and has had an extremely positive impact on his school’s climate, given his strong leadership skills.

• Home Town Savoonga
• School District Bering Strait School District
• Award Category Service To Community, Service To Peers

Jacob Iya is an exceptional student who serves as a Youth Leader at Hogarth Kingeekuk Sr. Memorial School.

• Home Town Savoonga
• School District Bering Strait School District
• Award Category Service To Peers

Kaulani Napoleon organized a donation drive aimed at collecting school supplies for refugee youth in the community. He began by presenting the idea to the Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services program run by Catholic Social Services in Anchorage. After receiving the green light from RAIS, Kaulani began reaching out, organizing, and educating the community. At the end of three months, Kaulani had collected hundred of school supplies from people across the country. The supplies were meticulously organized based on the individual needs of each student.

• Home Town Eagle River
• School District
• Award Category Humanitarian

Carrie Damian played a key role in creating a concept and storyline for a short film about the negative impacts of e-cigarettes on youth. The film aimed to prevent e-cigarettes from making their way Carrie’s hometown of Nanwalek.

• Home Town Nanwalek
• School District Kenai Peninsula School District
• Award Category Service To Peers, Media & Technology

8th through 12th grade students in Port Graham spearheaded a project to raise rabbits that would eventually be used for skin-sewing and tanning hides. The students were involved in the process from beginning to end and used hands-on experience to build scientific and traditional skills. The rabbits were raised and treated with the utmost care and respect.

• Home Town Port Graham
• School District KPBSD
• Award Category Cultural Pursuits, Science & Environment

Sierra Tucker is a participant in the Nome Native Youth Leadership Program and the Alaska Federation of Natives Elders and Youth Conference. Her peers selected her to serve on the First Alaskans Institute statewide Elders and Youth Council in 2015. She was also recognized by the Bering Straits Native Corporation as a 2016 Young Provider.

• Home Town Nome
• School District Nome City School District
• Award Category Cultural Pursuits, Service To Community

Sesika Poleo is a highly motivated student at Clark Middle School. She is an impactful leader, striving to help guide other students who look up to her. Sesika goes above and beyond on school assignments, and helping out at school.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Anchorage School District
• Award Category Service To Peers

Each year, Kenai Middle School celebrates Mix it Up at Lunch Day. This day is part of a national campaign that encourages young people to question norms, cross social boundaries, and foster tolerance by connecting with someone new at lunch. In Kenai, the Mix it Up Activities continue over the course of a month.

Grace Morrow, an eight grade student in Kenai took the lead on organizing this year’s Mix it Up event. She produced a documentary capturing student perspectives. Grace is also a part of a group at school called the Potatoes. The Potatoes do not stand for bullying, and accept people for who they are.

• Home Town Kenai
• School District Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
• Award Category Service To Peers, Media & Technology

Bringing together her passion for music and psychology, Maiya Anderson started a piano lesson program at the senior center in Kenai. The lessons bring joy to the elders in the community, while also helping to bridge a generational divide. Not only is Maiya able to create a strong bond with elders—the program also gives elders the opportunity to share their traditional knowledge and wisdom.

• Home Town Kenai
• School District Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
• Award Category Dreamer

Esau Sinnok serves as an Arctic Youth Ambassador, and is working to inform communities about the impact of climate change on his native village of Shishmaref. Esau is currently attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and is pursuing a degree in Tribal Management with the intention of continuing to act as an advocate for his community.

• Home Town Shishmaref
• School District
• Award Category Cultural Pursuits, Service To Community

North Star Youth Court is a program that provides legal and mediator training for youth in Fairbanks. The organization aims to promote restorative justice and alternative dispute resolution practices. Youth adjudicate misdemeanor cases for 1st and 2nd time offenders, acting as clerks, attorneys, and judges. Participants are between the ages of 12 and 18. By taking on a number of cases, North Star Youth Court is able to alleviate a portion of the burden of work carried by the Juvenile Justice System.

• Home Town Fairbanks
• School District Fairbanks North Star Borough
• Award Category Business & Government, Service To Community, Service To Peers

The Savoonga Youth Leaders work hard to better the lives of those around them. They offer counseling to their peers, host community events, help out with the food bank, and provide a taxi service to elders who need assistance getting to community functions. The Savoonga Youth Leaders are always looking for, and finding new ways to build a stronger community.

• Home Town Savoonga
• School District BSSD
• Award Category Service To Community, Service To Peers

The Hooper Bay RAY Youth Group is working to preserve their community’s traditions through dance, language, and the continued practice of other traditional skills. The group also works with their peers to prevent suicide, as well as drug and alcohol abuse.

• Home Town Hooper Bay
• School District LYSD
• Award Category Cultural Pursuits, Service To Peers

Haley Edmondson is an active member of her community and volunteers her time to better the lives of those in her community, particularly other youth. Her achievements include hosting a fashion show to raise money for Breast Cancer research, raising over $4,000 for the Children’s Hospital, helping to create a nationally recognized “Raise Your Voice” video with the Alaska Injury Prevention Center, and organizing bonding activities with life skills students attending South Anchorage High School.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Anchorage School District
• Award Category Service To Community, Service To Children