"Rites of Passage"

Host: Rebecca Sheir

Intro/Newscast/Credits

Becoming a Blue Nose. Chris Linder has crossed the Arctic Circle five times, but only once by ship: aboard the Polar Star, a US Coast Guard icebreaker, where he was taking pictures for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. It was an especially memorable experience, thanks to a time-honored tradition more often associated with Frat Row: hazing. Host 2-way with Rebecca Sheir. 3:00

(4:18 with intro)

Button: "Baby, It's Cold Outside (From Neptune's Daughter)" played by The MGM Studio Orchestra from Hollywood's Best: The 40's

Passing the Test. Since 2002's controversial No Child Left Behind Act, many schools are struggling more than ever when it comes to graduation, especially in rural Alaska. AK's Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock visits Hooper Bay, a school literally rising from the ashes, and speaks with Yupik-immersion teacher Marianne Akusuk and assistant principal Ken Essex about the issue. Pkg. 5:13 (5:54 with intro)

Calendar of Events: "No One Gets Left Behind" by Devotchka from Little Miss Sunshine Original Soundtrack

Break #1: "High and Dry" from Karaoke - Modern Rock - Vol.6

Passing the Bottle. For many teenagers, having that first sip of beer or liquor is a rite of passage... despite dire warnings and angry parents.

Chris Frenier of the Alaska Teen Media Institute takes a closer look at underage drinking, by speaking with Anchorage high school students and visiting ARCH, the Adolescent Residential Center for Help, in Eagle River. Pkg. 4:18 (4:37 with intro)

Raven's Way. For 28 years, Raven's Way in Sitka has offered young people a last-ditch chance to live healthy, substance-free lives. Melissa Marconi Wentzel introduces us to an award-winning program whose combination of traditional substance abuse counseling, adventure-based therapy, and Native cultural activities help develop teens' physical, emotional, mental and spiritual strengths. Pkg. 5:00 (5:34 with intro)

300 Villages. Eagle and Copper Center.

Remembering Ada. Some rites of passage are planned; others change your life without warning. In the 1920s, a young Alaska Native woman was rescued after surviving for months, alone, on rugged Wrangel Island, north of Siberia. AK's Ellen Lockyer visits Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery and speaks with historian Alexandra J. McClanahan to bring us the legendary story of Ada Blackjack. Pkg. 4:35 (4:57 with intro)

Break #2: "Radiant Warmth" by Mari Boine from Radiant Warmth

Passengers' Bill of Rights. Fed up with pesky tarmac delays, Kate Hanni founded the Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights. Part of this Bill has been worked into a bill currently under consideration by the Senate. Host Rebecca Sheir speaks with Hanni, Alaskan Coalition member Schuyler Cox , Senate Commerce Committee Vice Chair Ted Stevens - and visits his namesake airport, to check out the high-flying action.

Pkg. 4:50

Passing to Pilgrimage. Each year, Petersburg High School's aquaculture class raises thousands of pink salmon fry and releases them in a local creek. It's a rite of passage for the fish, and for the students as well, several of whom have gone on to successful careers in science-related fields. Matt Lichtenstein joined the class - along with teacher Jack Eddy and fisheries biologist Troy Thyness -- as they helped 50,000 squirming humpies begin their ocean-bound pilgrimage. 5:35 (6:09 with intro)

Freight Train to Telekenesis. AK's Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock introduces us to another group of teens: a teen band that she thinks definitely rocks.

Pkg. 6:13 (6:24 with intro)