The mood is buzzy as we make the walk from the local Tlingit tribe’s cultural center to Wrangell’s Reliance Harbor. Sixth-grader Devin Aleksiev is already wearing his life jacket, which he demonstrates he can put on even if it’s already buckled.
“It’ll hurt like heck on your wrist if you have a watch on,” Aleksiev says, pausing to take off his watch. He says he likes everything about culture camp and is happy to be here.
“Just wasn’t happy when I woke up,” he adds, wryly.
About 15 middle schoolers (entering sixth through eighth grade) are participants in Wrangell’s 2021 Culture Camp. The camp has a STEAM focus — that’s science, technology, engineering, art, and math, helping Wrangell kids build cultural knowledge and learn about careers in the community.