The Wrangell sentinel., 1928-07-05
ALASKA SCHOOL SERVICE MATERIALLY FACILITATED
 BY RADIO MESSAGES
Over Half of the Indian Schools of Alaska Now Have Radio Stations And This Summer Will See the Balance So Equipped.

balaLee DO Equipped.
 Late listeners of KoN0 on Tuesday evening heard a rery unusual pro gram. probably one of the most unique ever broadcast by a Pacific Coast station Al an hour when a few radio stations that were still on Che air were giving dance music KoMO gave a complete college commence ment program for the special benefitI of the graduating class from he h. dustrial Collage in the far Northwest ern part of Alaska The hour used 15:15 am, might be explained ItI corresponds to 9s15 p.m. at White Mountain. the village not far from Nome and the location of the White Mountain Eskimo Industrial School In educational circles the event was quite a special one due to the fact that the graduating class of native Eskimos was the first ever to be graduated in the history of Alaska. These native Eskimos have completed course which corresponds to the Junior College in the States. It has taken years of work to give native Eskimos the same educational adyan- 1 tages as are enjoyed by the children of the United States. Owing to this l fact the commencement exercises at-' traeted the special attention of John J. Tigert, head of the United States Board of Education at Washington. D. C.. who unable to be present at the exercises enlisted the cooperation of KoMo to relay message direct to the graduating class
 Not only John J. Tigert but Jona= than Wagner. head of the Alaska Di- vision of the United States Bureau of Education, participated in the pro- gram by greeting Alaska's first Es- kimo graduates Jonathan Wagner. however. having his headquarters in Seattle, was able to come to KOMO's' studio and talk direct to the listening audience at White Mountain The message prepared by John J. Tigert was telegraphed across the continent just prior to the program and was then read by KOMO,s announcer. Completing the program Fred Lynch of the KOMO staff and formerly of Juneau, Alaska, furnished the music for the occasion
 This commencement program for White Mountain Industrial school was an aftermath of a series of sue cessful Alaskan School Teachers In stitute programs conducted during the winter by KOMO with the coope- ration of the Alaska School Service division of the United States Bureau of Education.
 Reports have been received from all parts of Alaska indicating that every school equipped with radio has been able to receive weekly messages from their chief, Superintendent Wagner. It is estimated that over half of the schools in Alaska now have radio stations and this summer will see the balance equipped.
 Furtherest away on the coast of civilization in point of distance of the Alaska schools regularly receiving programs was Point Barrow. On the other hand more remote in point of time required to reach it was the mountain village of Shunagnak in the Endicott mountains, 400 miles from the Arctic Ocean, The schools located at these points as well as many further south had no trouble keeping in touch with their chief due to the weekly programs over K0MO. According to Superintendent Wag- her the work of the Alaskan School Service has been materially facilitat- ed due to the opportunity presented by KOMO to communicate regularly with all teachers by radio messages. The time it took for communication prior to the radio programs required as much as from three to six months but now it is almost instantaneous.