Hundreds of elementary schoolers gathered in the Tanana Middle School gym last weekend to participate in the second annual Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Elementary Native Youth Olympics, or NYO.

With instructions and guidance from volunteers with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Native Games Club and high school students, the athletes competed with their schools in various events from NYO Games.

“It’s a strong cultural event that’s good for our kids. It really focuses on the aspects of sports that are really important: leadership, sportsmanship, perseverance, camaraderie, things like that all play a big part in NYO,” Chane Beam, FNSBSD executive director of Teaching and Learning, said.

More than 275 kids participated in the two-day event, with third- through fifth-grade

See Full Page