Newspaper articles - Digitizing Molly Hootch on www.Alaskool.org

ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS

Legacy of Molly Hootch series:

Every child in Alaska would have the opportunity to attend high school in his or her own community, under terms of a 1976 out-of-court legal settlement named after the young Eskimo girl for whom the lawsuit was filed. The result, in Bush communities throughout the state, has been a construction boom and educational scramble to make good on the promise. Daily News staffers and photographers toured the Bush and scoured Juneau to examine the changes "Molly Hootch" has wrought.

"Bush Schools Cause Building Boom" - By Jeanne Abbott, Sept. 13, 1980
In the biggest construction boom since the trans-alaska pipeline, the state’s far-flung Bush regions are getting spanking new high schools for their village children—but the $133 million effort is getting decidedly mixed reviews.

"Kids Take Off- Away From New Schools" Under terms of a 1976 out-of-court settlement called "Molly Hootch," each child in Alaska would be able to attend high school in his own community. Since the agreement, named after the Eskimo Girl for whom the lawsuit was files, villages throughout the state have received new high schools. Daily News staffers toured rural areas to examine the changes resulting since the decision.

"Aniak: Urban Methods Lead to Strife" Education in the Bush got a big boost with the 1976 "Molly Hootch" settlement guaranteeing every student a high school in his or her own community. But all has not been sweet. Some schools have faced urban strife in a rural setting.

"Toksook Bay: Success Story in Rural Education" Bush schools springing up since the 1976 Molly Hootch settlement might do well to notice what some programs- like the one at Toksook Bay- do right. Here is the report.

"Growing Pains and Legislative Changes Face Bush Schools" A court decision called "Molly Hootch," named after the Eskimo student for whom the suit was files, has had a great impact on schooling in the Bush and resulted in the construction of new high schools in some Native villages.

"Additional $133 Million Asked for Bush Schools" The "Molly Hootch" decision has caused an upheaval in rural Alaska education, giving Native the opportunity to have high schools in their own villages. The conclusion to the "Molly Hootch" series examines some of the effects the decision may have on Alaska in the future years.

$100 Million Construction Appropriation: Hammond Signs School Bill
June 10, 1978

Village Schools Almost Complete 11 Years After Suit
by Sheila Toomey, June 3, 1983

Who Changed Our Lives: Ranking the History Makers
by Geoff Kennedy and Joel Southern, January 3, 1999
Who since statehood has most affected Alaska's history? The Alaska Public Radio Network posed that
question to a group of historians, journalists and politicians. Their answers appear below--beginning in a tie.

On the Edge: Do Bush Schools Measure Up series:
By Wendy Hower and Kristan Kelly
6-day series of stories from Jan. 21-26, 1996