HEBRON – The Hebron Community Baptist Church will celebrate Old Home Sunday at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at a program presented by Meredith Robinson and Bob Hanby, both former Hebron Academy teachers, who spent a year in the village of Shishmaref on an Alaskan barrier island in the Bering Strait.

They will present photos of their stay and artifacts they collected. Traveling from Maine and taking their two dogs, Halle and Lucy, the couple taught and lived among the 600 native Alaskans in the isolated community, 150 miles by plane from Nome.

Many of the natives speak Inupiak and still rely on caribou for their food. Aiding the 128 students in the school, Robinson was coordinator of the 21st Century Grant for kindergarten to adult learners while Hanby taught math, science and writing in the high school.

The couple will describe their life in Shishmaref, dangers arising from the extreme cold, the absence of local doctors, the dark of winter and polar bears. No doubt they will also recall an Alaskan Christmas, unique in many ways, and their contact with the youngsters. Also expect to learn about the ways in which modern American life has influenced the culture in that remote region.

Robinson is a graduate of Hebron Academy and St. Anselm’s College. Hanby hails from Harrington, is a graduate of Bowdoin College and teaches science at Edward Little High School.

The public is welcome to attend the service and bring a box lunch. Desserts and beverages will be provided. Meredith Dallesandro will lead the service, which will feature special music.