“I would encourage kids to go [to school]” I’ve done that with all three of my kids.”

Mrs. Titell has the following preferences:

Schools: Alice is willing to visit all SSD schools. As a NANA employee, she prepares food for students at Baranof and Sitka High School.

Days: Alice is available to go into the classroom M-F. She would be happy to make weekly visits to the classroom. Alice kindly requests that she be given advance notice to plan and schedule her visit.

Times: Alice is limited by her work schedules to entering the classroom after 2 p.m.

Areas of Activity

Storytelling: Alice is a wonderful storyteller. In interviewing her, she was very strong at relating each topic mentioned to a story about personal experiences.

Field Trips: Alice is willing to help with field trips. She is still very active, in fact last summer she hiked to the top of Harbor Mountain in the pursuit of berries.

Panel Discussion: Alice is willing to enter into a classroom with other elders or cultural bearers. Some topics she is comfortable talking about are: Alaska Native Art, Tlingit Kinship, Canneries, and Alaska Native Sisterhood.

Regalia/Art Demonstrations: Alice is very talented when it comes to regalia construction. She has made regalia for herself, her children, and other community members.

Role in the Classroom

Teacher Assistant: Alice would be willing to assist in academic projects for Elementary aged children (priority for Baranof Elementary School).

Cultural Instructor: Alice is willing to teach students how to construct regalia. She enjoys working with young kids and feels strongly that smaller groups work better because she can devote more attention to each student.

Prior Experience: Alice spent spring 2008 entering into Pacific High School to help with regalia making. She made weekly visits and worked with two students to complete a regalia project. She enjoyed the experience greatly and looks forward to future classroom visits.

Cultural Expertise

Tlingit Dance Groups: Alice is currently a member of 3 dance groups. First she joined the Noow Tlein dancers; she is also active with Sheet’ka Kwaan,  and the Naa Kahidi dancers. 

Regalia Making Skills:

Artistic Talents: Alice credits Cheryl Samuels for teaching her how to weave raven’s tail. She is now mentored by Teri Rofkar at the South East Alaska Indian Cultural Center (SEAICC). Alice was introduced to beading through her mother. She also spent a great deal of time working with Esther Littlefield. She loves to bead. Alice is a student of Chilkat and cedar weaving.  Alice was recently elected to the SEAICC board.

Northwest Coast Certificate: Alice is enrolled in the Northwest Coast program through University of Alaska Southeast. Her final project is weaving a raven’s tail robe, once she completes that she will receive her certificate of completion.

Education and Life Experience

Education:

Alice attended school in Sitka, AK. She attended Sitka High until her Junior year when she completed her GED at Sheldon Jackson. The Bureau of Indian Affairs helped Alice financially when she decided to enter a certificate program at the San Diego College of Business.

Work Experience:

Alice has extensive experience working in the food industry. She currently works full-time for NANA Corporation. She makes sack lunches for Baranof Elementary and hot lunches for student’s at Sitka High. Before that she worked at SEARHC hospital in the kitchen as a Diet Aide.

The majority of her work experience was at SEARHC/PHS hospital. Alice started working in the Kitchen, transferred to Communications, then to the Outpatient department as a ward clerk and finally returned to the Kitchen before retiring.  Alice spent one summer working for Sitka Tribal Enterprises. She was a dancer and also a clerk in the Community House store.

A Brief Biography

Alice is a member of the Gaanaxteidee clan originating in the Klukwan area. Alice was born in Juneau and moved to Sitka at a very young age. She calls Sitka home  and chose to raise her three sons here. Her son Michael moved to Kenai and is employed as an electrician. Her other two sons still reside in Sitka. Larry is a CNA at SEARHC hospital; his long term goal is to complete the Registered Nursing program. Her other son Chad followed closely in her footsteps. He attended a Culinary program through AVTEC; Alice relies on Chad for her subsistence needs. Alice’s “baby” is a 1 year old cockapoo named Benji. He was a present to her when she retired from SEARHC hospital. The two of them enjoy hiking harbor mountain with her in the summer time.
 
In Alice’s free time she enjoys picking berries. Her favorites are: mountain berries, blueberries, soap berries, and cranberries. She also stays busy working on regalia projects. Presently, she is contracted to make a button robe and dance vest. She is also working on her raven’s tail robe and most importantly a pair of raven’s tail leggings for Chad which will be unveiled at Celebration 2008 in Juneau, AK.