Small communities strike a chord with principal

As Trapper Creek Elementary school principal Alberta Nordberg said, small schools are inextricably entangled in the webbing of the community.

Nordberg said that's what drew her to Trapper Creek -- the ability to be centrally involved in a community while enjoying a job she loves and living in a beautiful area.

It's not a new idea to Nordberg -- she moved to Alaska from a small mountain town in Idaho, where she taught a consolidated class of second- and third-graders.

"I wanted to come to a small community because I came from a small community in Idaho," Nordberg said. "I like the community and they welcomed me."

She and other school staff share the community -- they share holiday meals, they shop at the same stores in the area, they pull through when others are in need. In short, they are neighbors, and that's part of what gives the area its character.

After three and a half years in the position, Nordberg said she often finds it hard to step away from the community aspect of the school and be objective when decisions such as school closures come up.

"It's hard sitting on the fence, it really is," Nordberg said. "I feel like a go-between or liaison between the community and the district. It's hard sometimes."

Nordberg's ultimate duty is to do what her supervisors -- the district administration -- direct her to do. When that could mean telling community members who shared their holiday meals with you, who you see day in and day out at the neighborhood video store, at the library, at the filling station, that their students will have to look elsewhere for an education, Nordberg said it can be tough.

But back in the classroom, in the day-to-day rhythm of the school, there are plenty of redeeming moments. Being a part of the Trapper Creek school system and community, Nordberg said, is how she'd like to end her education career.

"That was my plan," Nordberg said. "I hope it still is."