UNALASKA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

With one week until classes start, Unalaska's teachers are back at school Monday, training and preparing their classrooms.

Superintendent John Conwell said the Unalaska City School District has filled all eight of its teacher vacancies. That includes the high school science position, which David Gibson resigned over the summer to accept a job with Unalaska's Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services.

State ferries resumed sailing Sunday after an 9-day strike that affected thousands of travelers and freight shipments across Alaska.

That includes all passengers booked on last week's M/V Tustumena run between Homer and Unalaska, which was canceled due to the strike.

"Unfortunately, we did have two teachers and their families planning to take the ferry," said Superintendent John Conwell of the Unalaska City School District.

When the school year ended Thursday, Unalaska students said goodbye to longtime teacher Galena Roraback.

She's retired from the Unalaska City School District after 27 years as the high school's world language instructor. Before that, she spent 11 years as a teacher in the former Soviet Union.

Roraback was honored at this week's City Council meeting, where she received a standing ovation.