OK Gang ... so this is our second Kodiak High School graduation experience and, yeah, I realize we're here
to watch some kids we love very deeply finish their high school careers - but - I'm here to tell ya... this is something that all of us have the right to be proud of and to feel good about. The K.H.S. class of 2016 represents not only the small borough of Kodiak but the future of our 
country and, perhaps, the world. No - I don't want to put too much pressure on them but, hey, take a look around. We have seen the seams of the world begin to fray and pull apart. We have seen organizations rise to immense power that we would never have conceived of existing let alone taking over so much territory and terrorizing so many people. So what is the answer to all of that troubling 
stuff??? A world population that understands what it will take for this planet to survive and thrive. A group of young people who have the courage to step up, face the present and the future and who will say ..... "Not on our watch!!! We 
will restore truth, kindness and confidence in the goodness of mankind." All over our country and around the world our youth are participating in ceremonies much like the one we saw in Kodiak and I believe in my heart that the kids we met during this visit are the vanguard of our hope for the future. Morgan's friend, Elinore is but one example. She is an extraordinary young lady - a valedictorian in her class and one of the brightest folks you will ever meet. She is shown in a couple of the photos above and, if you will take a very close look at the footwear of the kids on the right you will notice one that is barefoot!!! It wasn't a "statement" or any kind of display, she simply doesn't like to wear shoes very often!!! Individualism is alive and well among the kids of Kodaik!! But, it's more than that too. We also met a bunch of adults who have looked 
around themselves for a good while, seen things that disturbed them in terms of what was facing coming generations and decided that they had the responsibility to do something 
about it. From businessmen who founded extraordinary scholarship endowment programs to company owners who took young people under their wings to show them how to grow a thriving business; from fishermen who accepted the responsibility for helping a youngster get his life 'on track' to coaches, counselors, advisors and just plain "friends" 
who realize that we are all in this together and we, as citizens, must take ownership of our communities, schools, states and countries if we want them to survive and thrive. The number of scholarships made available to the kids of Kodiak is simply phenomenal and it is clear that these folks are committed to investing in the future - through their kids!!! OK - enough of the somber stuff!! Graduation is about ... Fun!!! Hope!!! 
Family!!! Friends!!! And a lot of other Good Stuff!!! And - although we readily acknowledge prejudice in the extreme ... our great nephew Morgan symbolizes all of the stuff we talked about above. He has a network of friends that is simply extraordinary!!! Morgan will be headed for the University of Alaska at Juneau in the fall and I am confident he will do great. But, before then he has a couple of minor chores to finish up. He is getting things lined up for the upcoming squid - or - anchovie fishing season and it promises to 
be a very interesting summer!! Now, if you're like me, those brief comments might have just zipped on by your 
consciousness. Squid fishing??? Anchovies??? Hey are we talking about summer jobs or ordering a pizza??? Well, lemme tell you, this is some serious - and lucrative - stuff folks. For the last couple of years Morgan has fished along the coast of California with a great guy we have gotten to know over our last few visits. Squid fishing is a huge business in that area and it is demanding, "character building" work for a young man. We have seen some videos from his last few trips and one, in particular, was very intriguing!!! It was a video showing Morgan and a buddy taking a brief break from their chores on the boat to dive into a school of millions of squid!!! Really weird, folks!!! But - within mere minutes they were back on board, dried, dressed and back at work - hard work - pulling in nets and loading the catch. Now - I've 
mentioned that Morgan is a huge outdoorsman and he and his dad have hunted some of the most challenging places on the planet. But he is also in thoughtful, creative young man who is totally capable of carrying out any task he accepts. One we got to see first-hand was his most recent 
project - building a "Jet Boat" -- from scratch. If you have a few minutes, check out this video - Jet Boats in New Zealand- or one of the many others you can find that show this popular - and extreme - sport. As you will see, they feature a very small, powerful boat that seems capable of going
virtually anywhere. Well - Morgan decided that he wanted to build one and enlisted the help of a family friend and expert maritime builder and the rest is (almost) history. The boat is well along in construction and plans are being made as we speak to order the power plant for this incredible vessel. The skills he has developed during this project are simply amazing and the knowledge he has acquired along the way will be incredibly valuable to him in his future endeavors. But, most importantly, he has worked on the project with the support and guidance of some amazing friends and family members. As you can tell, we are very proud of our great nephew but I want to again remind you that we saw this kind of character and drive in a whole bunch of kids in the graduating class of 2016. It reassures us for the future and it restores our faith in youth. We'll be back with more from this beautiful island soon - so - come on back. See ya.
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