A group of Eskimo students from Alaska visited Kingsbury Country Day School Tuesday as part of their trip to check out what life’s like here in the Lower 48.
‘It’s basically a cultural exchange,? according to their teacher, Katie Mecsey, who’s father, Tom Mecsey, is Kingsbury’s head of school.
Nine students in grades 6-9, along with their principal and a teacher, from the Diomede School on the U.S. island of Little Diomede enjoyed the Addison independent school’s hospitality, which included an overnight stay complete with bonfire and s’mores, breakfast and exchanging information about their lives with Michigan students.
The Eskimo students even taught the Kingsbury kids how to play a fast-paced game called ‘Eskimo kickball,? a fun combination of kickball and dodgeball.
Following their time at the school, the Eskimo students visited ‘Whysall Farm,? a local horse farm owned by Addison resident Mary Moore since 1983. There they petted the majestic animals and fed them carrots.
‘They’ve seen (horses) in movies and read about them in books, but a lot of them have not seen them (in person),? Mecsey said.
After the farm, it was off to Great Lakes Crossing to experience a suburban mall and perhaps see a movie.
Given they live on a remote, rocky island populated by less than 150 people in the middle of the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia’s Siberia, this trip was an opportunity for these Ingalikmiut Eskimo students to experience so many new things.
‘We wanted to give them as many first-experiences as possible,? Mecsey said. ‘This is the first time that a lot of the students have been out of the state.?
Outside of Addison, the students visited with their pen pals at Cranbrook Schools, toured the Cranbrook Science Center and went sight-seeing in Detroit’s Greektown.
Prior to arriving in Michigan Sunday night, the students visited to Orlando, Florida (where they rode rollcoasters for the first time) and Washington D.C.
Life here in the Lower 48 is quite different from life on Little Diomede where the villagers depend almost entirely on a subsistence lifestyle and economy in which hunting plays a significant role. Seal, polar bear, blue crab and whale meat are the preferred foods.
Seal and walrus hides are used to make clothing while their furs and skins are traded. The Diomede people are excellent ivory carvers and the city serves as a wholesale agent for ivory.
Although much of their grocery supply is flown in from the mainland, the natives are able to pick berries and grow potatoes.
‘Quite a few fruits and vegetables grow on the island,? Mecsey said.
Little Diomede is located a half-mile from the International Date Line and 2? miles from Big Diomede island, which is part of Russia and contains a military base. Because they’re on opposite sides of the date line, the islands are always on different days.
On a clear day, Siberia is visible from Little Diomede, which is 25 miles west of the Alaskan mainland. Diomede City, located on the island’s west side and incorporated in 1970, is Little Diomede’s only settlement. The whole island is only 2.8 square miles.
‘I’ve been told you can walk around the entire island in one day,? Mecsey said. ‘The farthest commute students have is about a seven-minute walk to school.?
Diomede School teaches kids from pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade. It’s staffed by four teachers and currently has an enrollment of 27 students.
?(The school’s) one of the largest buildings on the island because in the event of blizzards or loss of electricity, everybody comes to the gymnasium to live,? Tom Mecsey noted.
Katie Mecsey, a graduate of Michigan State University, is a first-year teacher at Diomede School. She’s already signed a contract to teach a second year there.
‘I’d been looking for a steady teaching job for a while and I thought if I was going to head out of Michigan to work, I really wanted to go somewhere where not many people had been before,? she said.
‘She’s one that’s been known to take challenges,? said Tom Mecsey. ‘It’s incredibly rugged, but she likes the adventure and she loves the kids.?
Tom Mecsey noted the Eskimos? visit was a great opportunity for Kingsbury students to learn about a different culture.
‘I hope they get an appreciation for what kids in other parts of the world experience on a day-to-day basis,? he said. ‘I think we take a lot for granted and I would like them to see what it’s like to exist in an environment that’s much more hostile than they’re used to.?