Kent Sabbatical Spotlight #6: Ashley Pearson 

Every summer, our faculty members have the unique opportunity to travel the world and immerse themselves in enriching experiences, thanks to the Kent Summer Sabbatical Program! This program was created and endowed in 1999 by a generous gift from the Kent Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. E. Robert Kent, Jr., P’89, GP’20 and Josephine Kent Lemken, 1989, P’20. 

Earlier this month, the faculty members who traveled this past summer shared highlights of their trips with their colleagues at a special sabbatical showcase. Every week for the next eight weeks, we will share an article highlighting each teacher's experience. From exploring the written word in Rome and trekking through Acadia National Park in Maine, to walking around the pond made famous by Monet's paintings and participating in a tea ceremony in Japan, our faculty are so grateful for these remarkable and memorable experiences.

Kent Sabbatical Spotlight #6: Ashley Pearson 

Through the Kent Summer Sabbatical Program, Ashley Pearson, K-8 STEAM Director and Middle School STEM teacher, explored Alaska, a goal of hers since she first visited the 49th state in 2011. 
    
Ashley’s trip began in Anchorage, a primary location for arranging day trips that cover a wide range of Alaskan history. She traveled to the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation for an up close look at moose, caribou, brown bears, and the other native wildlife, the Independence Mine State Historical Park for a step back in time to when gold mines sprung up around the territory, and a ride on the Alaskan Railroad to Seward, the gateway to the Kenai Fjords and mile 0 of the Iditarod Trail. Later in her trip, Ashley took a second railroad trip, which included the White Pass and Yukon Railroad, otherwise known as “The Scenic Railway of the World.” The White Pass and Yukon Rail was built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush and is listed as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. From the train you can see the original Klondike Trail of ‘98 worn into the rocks, in what was referred to as “a permanent tribute to the thousands of souls who passed this way in search of fortune.”

One of the most impactful stops for Ashley in Anchorage was to the Alaskan Cultural Heritage Museum, a living cultural center that promotes active observance of Alaska Native culture and traditions. “One exhibit that especially caught my attention was about the Alaskan reformation schools, as our seventh graders learn about this in history class and I have had the opportunity to visit the Carlisle Indian School in Carlisle, PA with them,” Ashley said. “I collected many pictures and shared them with Middle School history teacher Monica Recht for additional primary sources for seventh graders to look through during this unit”

After leaving Anchorage, Ashley cruised the Inside Passage from Whittier, AK  to Vancouver, BC with stops in Hoonah, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. She then traveled to Whittier, a “city” where, due to its isolated location, harsh weather, and military history, the small population of people live in one building, the Begich Towers. The Begich Towers house a self-contained environment where residents can find shelter, amenities, and community all under one roof, including essentials like a clinic, store, and school connected by tunnels.

Ashley viewed incredible natural wonders throughout her trip, but was especially impressed with the Hubbard Glacier and her whale watching trip! The Hubbard Glacier, North America's largest tidewater glacier, was a wall of icy blue and white that extends over 76 miles and towers about 400 feet above the water's surface. During her whale watching trip in Juneau, Ashley had the privilege and luck to see two whale breeches and a bubble feeding, where several humpbacks will surround their meal before rising up at once to feed. 

Honnah was another stop for Ashley that was a cultural goldmine and natural beauty. Icy Strait Point is Alaskan native owned-and-operated, with all profits directly supporting the community of Hoonah, Alaska’s largest native Tlingit village. Icy Strait highlights Hoonah’s history of being one of the largest and longest operating salmon cannery in Alaska. While wandering around the town of Hoonah, Ashley met a local native totem artist who spoke about the traditional totems that are placed around Hoonah, how totems are carved, for what reasons, and what stories they may tell. She additionally experienced the beauty and skill related to totems at Saxman Totel Park, where 25 totems are authentic replicas of original poles that were left in abandoned villages as Native Alaskans moved into more populated cities. Here, she met another carver who explained that totem poles are generally left to fall in order to be reclaimed by nature as a part of their storytelling life cycle. Ashley learned that totems originally marked a clan house and were used for navigation along the water. When the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples found wealth in fur trading, there was more of a focus on the artistry of the totem. The poles became symbols of cultural and economic wealth that tell stories about the people and legends of the land.

Ashley learned so much about Alaskan culture and history, and how much they value storytelling. “I plan to weave storytelling and artifact creation similar to totem poles into a project for seventh grade,” Ashley said. “I would like to weave Native land rights into the 8th grade Advocacy Project as this is something that Alaska and Vancouver, BC are well ahead of Maryland in working towards.”