Traditions of Welcoming

It’s summer: the time of new beginnings for our volunteers. We’d like to share two small traditions that have become cherished parts of the season.

At the Nome airport on the day of a new arrival, KNOMers gather, holding a “Welcome to KNOM” banner, to greet our newest staff member. The photo you see at top is one of the very first sights they see of Nome; we hope it’s a welcome sight, especially since the trip can take 18-24 hours from the Lower 48.

Newly-arrived volunteer Laura Kraegel next to the height wall inside KNOM’s volunteer dormitory. Photo: David Dodman, KNOM.

Soon thereafter, new volunteers will likely add themselves to the “height wall,” a part of our KNOM dormitory that, in the past decade, has seen KNOMers record their name, height, and service years. It’s become a de facto yearbook of our volunteer program.

The latest addition to this record is our newest volunteer: Laura Kraegel, pictured adjacent to her own name on the height wall. You’ll meet her (in more detail!) in the August issue of our newsletter.

The KNOM Volunteer Height Wall — The “height wall,” a relatively recent tradition in the KNOM volunteer dormitory and a *de facto* yearbook of our volunteer program. Photo: David Dodman, KNOM.

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