Following the August 6, 2016, annual CVSA Board discussions, a meeting was set up with Archbishop Schwietz and his staff to get clarification about the roles and duties of each organization as well as future land use of the school, camping, and gravesite areas. We began with a prayer.
While The Copper Valley School Association was formed with an intended purpose to provide educational and cultural programs for its members and the Native peoples of Alaska, it has been helping with the upkeep of the graveyard during each reunion. Last year, CVSA expended $5,000 to clear brush, put in a gravel pad, and place artifacts at the site. These funds came from part of its earnings made up of membership fees, memorabilia sales, raffles, and donations. During the 2016 Reunion, $4,586 was raised, part of which covers the annual reunion.
Copper Valley School closed in 1971 as a school, was later leased out during the construction of the Alaska Pipeline, and burned to the ground in August 1976. The remaining debris and old building materials became a Brownfield site.
According to Andy Angiak, Annual CVS Reunions began in the 1980’s, and a dream was born, “Perhaps it could function as a fifth-year high school, a healing center for those in pain, a place for spiritual renewal or some other purpose… to make a difference in the lives of those who would most benefit.” And, there were many more ideas.
CVECC stands for Copper Valley Educational and Cultural Center. Chuck Akers, Renee Nickleson, and Elizabeth (Sipary) Kruzick were appointed by the Archdiocese in recent years to work with the Church on the land and gravesite matters at a time when discussions were headed in a direction to form a trust. They ended up being one of the primary contacts regarding local concerns about contamination issues and communicating with the EPA.
They also worked to keep up the graveyard, identified those buried, monitored approved subsistence users and reported trespassers from time to time with the help of the local community. During contamination clean up, plans for the future were put on hold. The Archdiocese ended up paying about $3 million to clean up the former school site and out buildings.
The local community had always been a part of the CVS story, from actual student attendance and volunteer workers, to basketball competitions and team member sharing, weekly religious services, and participating in fundraisers such as Sr. Ida’s Spaghetti Feeds. Student assistants would get a tutoring on proper place setting, which side to serve, and what phrases to say before members from the local community arrived to buy dinner.
The various ideas and historical information were re-shared during the meeting as well as the need to carry on the CVS legacy through Scholarships, Educational and Cultural Activities and/or Center, maintenance and upkeep of the gravesite and memorial wall, management and use of the land. CVSA, CVECC, and the Archdiocese of Anchorage plan to meet again. A search for particular records will be conducted first so that we have accurate data about the size of land pieces and other pertinent facts.