Topic Strengths

Bertha is willing to lead  a reading group. She also has experience teaching an etiquette class to students.

  

“Academics is something we really need to stress on
with our Indian kids. Even reaching out to the parents
to provide support by visiting the parents personally
to let them know the power they have as parents
because no one knows their child like a parent.”

Mrs. Karras has the following preferences:

Schools: Bertha is most comfortable with younger children and as such would prefer to go into Baranof and Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary.

Days: As the owner of a Bed and Breakfast, Bertha has some flexibility that allows her to come into the classroom on various days and times. She would be happy  to make trips into the classroom about twice/month.

Times: She would prefer to enter the classroom during morning sessions.

Grandkids in SSD: Cedar Pook—Age 8 and Seth Pook—Age 10.

Areas of Activity

Bertha  prefers to enter into classrooms to help out in the following areas:

Presentations: Bertha would like to present on a number of topics, the majority of those center on “choosing constructive activities, learning the value of respect, and how to build self-esteem.”

Panel Discussion: Panel discussions are something she enjoys participating in. She was part of a panel at the Sitka Boys & Girls club in which she discussed “Things she used to do for fun as a child”

Storytelling: She has a number of stories about her grandparent’s generation. She does a wonderful job of comparing their lifestyle to current times. For instance, her grandparents used to travel to Juneau by a small trolling boat, the Dread Knot. She values history so much, in her parent’s household, Friday nights are designated for story time. She also considers it vital that her family knows their family tree.

Food Demonstration: She can do food demonstrations that involve: seaweed, canning salmon and eggs, salting herring eggs and/or black cod.

Role in the Classroom

 Mentor: She would like to mentor students that attending the elementary schools. She also is a strong advocate for parents and would not mind meeting with parents to provide support. She understands the hardships a parent can face; especially when it comes to academics.

Teacher Assistant: She would enjoy working on classroom projects, this includes breaking into smaller groups when needed.

Cultural Instructor: Bertha is willing to come into the classroom to act as a cultural instructor. If you are interested in having her, please contact me with more information that I can pass onto Bertha. That way she can assess if that is an area she is comfortable providing instruction for.

Prior Experience: Bertha has helped serve lunch at Baranof Elementary School. She also accompanied a 5th grade class on a field trip to the Governor’s Mansion in Juneau, Alaska.

Cultural Expertise

Tlingit Language: Bertha is fluent in the Tlingit language.

Values: Bertha has knowledge in all of the cultural areas: traditional ceremonies, Tlingit kinship, gathering traditional foods, and regalia making. As such, she would be happy to enter into the classroom to give a talk on any of those. However, he passion deals in Tlingit values. She spends a lot of time with kids mentoring them in the value of education, the importance of respect for self and others; particularly when speaking to females. Baptized as a Russian Orthodox, she currently attends the Presbyterian church.

Historian: Bertha has a number of experiences that she can present on. She worked in the canneries from the age of 14 until 29. She also attended Sheldon Jackson which was a private boarding school at the time. She was here during WWII and can tell stories that illustrate: the fear of Japanese invasion, bombing of Attu and Atka, population surge in Sitka, etc. On a side note, Bertha worked for the phone company when it was owned by Martha Kostrometinoff. She can remember when it was finally bought out by the Bell Phone Company.

Education and Life Experience

Education:

In Elementary school, Bertha attended an Indian school where four grades were in one classroom. During the war, her class contributed to the war efforts by knitting sweaters for the soldiers. A true demonstration that the war lessened the importance of education greatly affecting her generation.

Her high school years were spent at Sitka High School and Sheldon Jackson High School. Sitka High School recommended she apply for admission into SJ because she did not pass an entrance exam required for SHS students. Sheldon Jackson was a private school but the cost did not deter Bertha’s parents from encouraging her to apply. She was not let into SJ because the principal of that school falsely believed she was a smoker. Bertha credits Mr. Betcher, SHS Principal, for supporting her and eventually helping her get admitted into SJ.  She attended SJ until her Junior year of high school when she decided to complete her GED. 

Work Experience:

Bertha and her husband are extremely busy operating a Bed & Breakfast throughout the year. In between raising six children, she also worked at a cannery out in Chatham, the finishing room at the pulp mill, as a SNEP bus driver and as a telephone operator.

A Brief Biography

Bertha is an August baby. Just recently she celebrated her 76th birthday. With that said, she is still very active in the community. As mentioned, she spends the majority of her time operating a business with her husband Pete Karras.

She also spends a great deal of time with her family; family always has and always will be her top priority. She has six kids, 13 grandkids, and three great grandchildren. Some days you can catch Bertha delivering newspapers with her grandsons. You may know her daughter, Cass Pook, a member of the Sitka School Board.

Bertha credits her parents with providing her with a great childhood. Bertha feels very strongly in the importance of parental involvement in their child’s education. She sees school as a tool to  elevate a student’s self-esteem.

In her spare time, she makes frequent trips to Curves gym—helping her stay in top shape. She also is an lifetime member of Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp #4.