June/July 2013 - Central Council Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

The Office of Children’s Services (OCS) in partnership with Tribal
Family & Youth Services (TFYS) held an event in order to show
appreciation for Juneau’s foster parents. The event was held on Friday
May 31, 2013 at the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. In attendance were
approximately 115 guests, which included 14 foster families.
The Foster Parent Appreciation Night consisted of various children’s
activities including a fish pond, hula hoop contest, and face painting.
Dinner and dessert were served to the families while they enjoyed a
performance by the Yees Koo Woo dance group. During the performance,
children were welcomed to join the dancers and participate in Tlingit, Haida,
and Aleut traditional songs. TFYS and OCS had 13 kids’ pictures taken and
notarized for tribal identification cards.
Entertainment for the evening began with a guitar performance by Betty Marvin
and was followed by a medieval demonstration by the Society for Creative Anachronism
(SCA Group). Door prizes were given away throughout the night with sponsors sors including The Grind
Coffee Company, Pavitt’s Fitness, The Alaska Club, Goldbelt Corporation, Gross Alaska Theater, Augustus Brown
Swimming Pool, Glacier Gardens, Landscape Alaska, TFYS Family, and OCS Staff.
Overall, the event was a success! The children had fun, parents were able to connect with one another, and
families were reconnected to their Tlingit culture.
6
Makayla Huls with
daughter Kiara
TANF Success Story
Teen Mom Graduates from High School
Foster Parent Appreciation Night
Submitted By: Ashley Hunt
Submitted By: Rodney Campbell
Makayla Huls is a tribal citizen of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. Her proud parents are
mother, Jamie Huls, and father, Chester Huls. Makayla graduated from Pacific High
School with her diploma on May 23, 2013, at age 17. She achieved 12 University
of Alaska Southeast (UAS) college credits by completing the “Certified Nurse Aide
Program,” receiving a Certificate of Completion. She went on to pass the written
examination and skills evaluation with the “National Nurse Aide Assessment Program.”
This qualified Makayla to apply for her Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) License with the
State of Alaska. She received her State of Alaska CNA License on May 2, 2013.
Attending Makayla’s graduation ceremony, Co-Principal Phil Burdick stood up on the podium and presented
Makayla with an award given by Pacific High School. She was awarded with a certificate for an outstanding
demonstration of the, “Character Value of Perseverance.” Another speaker was from the University of Alaska
Southeast, who humbly stated that Makayla statistically beat the odds, giving birth to her daughter (Kiara), now
three years old, while she was attending Blatchley Middle School as an 8th grader. The UAS speaker recognized
Makayla in front of her peers, parents, and crowd attending the graduation ceremony. She was presented with
a Certificate of Recognition receiving the, “University of Alaska Scholars Award.” This award is given to the
top ten percent of all graduating seniors from Alaska high schools. It is an $11,000 scholarship to any of the 15
University of Alaska campuses.
Makayla is currently enrolled as a full-time college student with UAS attending the 2013 summer semester. She
will continue to work towards her long-term goal in nursing. The 477 staff would like to congratulate Makayla
for all her education efforts!