The Southern Kenai Peninsula is home to several villages of Russian Old Believers. In their public schools, which follow their own calendar, Old Believer culture and bilingual education run throughout the school day.
With 42 schools spread across a sprawling region encompassing a diverse array of communities, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is one of the most unique school districts in the U.S., according to its superintendent.
Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force, set himself on fire, participating in a tradition of self-immolation as protest.