Mrs. Howard has the following preferences:

Schools: Liz expressed an interest in working at: both high schools as well as Blatchley Middle School; she has worked with Pacific High kids before and really enjoyed that experience.

Days: Liz retired eight years ago but she keeps busy volunteering at different organizations in Sitka. The only day she cannot arrange a classroom visit is Thursdays—when she baby-sits for her grandbaby. Liz is interested in making monthly visits into the classroom.

Times: She has a very flexible schedule. Liz has no time constraints and is willing to visit classrooms any time throughout the school day.

Grandkids: Brian Howard—2nd Grade; Hayden Howard—Kindergarten.

Areas of Activity

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

Story Telling/Panel Discussions: Liz often tells her grandkids stories about what it was like for her growing up in Sitka which includes experiences: working in the cannery while underage, being one of the first students at MEHS, living across from the military base during WWII [air raid drills, evacuation to the Mountains, etc.). And also the experiences that her grandmother had as a 13 year old wife. She also recounts the impact that TB had on her family. And how her family chose the Presbyterian religion over Russian Orthodoxy.

Food Gathering/Food Demonstration: Liz and her husband still gather subsistence food. Herring eggs are one of their favorite meals. Glen harvests herring eggs while Liz prepares them. She is willing to share the process with students.

Role in the Classroom

Mentor: Liz is a member of the Presbyterian church. In her early days, her and Glen used to mentor the students that were homesick. She describes them as “very shy” but after you gained their trust they would open up. 

Assistant to the Teacher: Liz would like to help out where she is needed. She is open to going into a classroom to assist where she can.

Prior Experience:  Liz and her husband Glen have previously worked with students from Pacific High on an Elder Biography project; it was an experience that she truly enjoyed and would love to do again. In fact, Liz is still in contact with some of the students that they worked with during that project. It was an opportunity to build lasting friendships with the young students.

 Cultural Expertise

Tlingit Language: Not fluent in language; but able to understand Native speakers.

Caretaker: Her collection of Tlingit artwork continues to grow; she is the current caretaker of a Teikweidee dance staff; she also has been given many items from people in the community including a vest from her granddaughter Dionne Jackson.

Tlingit Values: Liz feels that our two most  important values include carrying on the Tlingit language as well as our subsistence way of life.

Tlingit Kinship: Liz uses real life stories to talk about traditional kinship. Her grandmother had an arranged marriage at the age of 13 to a man that was much older than her. Her role was to take care of her husband as his health began to decline.

Education and Life Experience

Education:
Liz attended Elementary school here in Sitka. When she entered 6th grade she moved over to Mount Edgecumbe High School. MEHS had just opened it doors. In fact, when she was there, they had veterans and students staying in the same dormitory and both attending MEHS.

Liz attended Sitka High School until her Junior year when she married her husband Glen Howard. They moved into a house near SHS. Liz would often care for the teacher’s children while they were at work.   

Work Experience:

Liz worked at the Senior Center for almost 30 years. She spent 26 of those years as the Director. When she started there were not many Alaska Natives that visited the Senior Center. Her ability to understand and communicate in Tlingit  appeals to many.

Liz retired over 7 years ago but she still works on-call for the Senior Center. She is very active in the community, volunteering with a number of organizations. She has volunteered at: SEARHC hospital, Sitka Raptor Center, and Sitka Tribe of Alaska.

A Brief Biography

Liz spends the bulk of her time volunteering with different organizations. As such, she was honored as Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s Tribal citizen of the year in 2007. When asked why she spends so much time helping people in the community Liz says “she really enjoys visiting with others.” Whether it is running people to doctor appointments, driving them from the grocery store and back home again, or translating a survey into Tlingit for an elder—Liz is always happy to help out.

Liz has a large family who are also a priority in her life. She has 6 children; 17 grandchildren; and 4 great grandchildren. They are scattered across the country spanning Massachusetts to Texas to Sitka but that doesn’t mean they are not close. Every summer their family plans a camping trip near Sitka. Her and Glen enjoy being out on the water.

For family members in town, Liz has Wednesday dinners at her house. The time she spends with her grand/great grandchildren is something she values greatly.

Liz Howard is a member of the following: Presbyterian Church, Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp #4, Lady Elks, Emblem Club, Legion Auxiliary, Women of the Moose, and a board member for the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center.