Three of the Kenai Peninsula’s smallest schools are in the rural communities of Moose Pass, Cooper Landing and Hope. Small populations mean individualized education, multigrade extracurriculars and a distinct social environment. This is the second installment in a five-part series about schools on the Kenai Peninsula.

With 42 schools spread across a land area bigger than West Virginia, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is a good candidate for ‘Most Unique District in America’ according to its superintendent. This is the first in a five-part series about the diversity of schools on the peninsula.

This year marks 60 years since Sterling Elementary School has been a part of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. In commemoration of the anniversary, the school held a birthday celebration, which brought together teachers, families and current and former students.

Two former Kenai Peninsula coaches will soon be inducted into the Alaska High School Hall of Fame. Founded in 2006, the hall of fame recognizes former coaches and players who exhibit high standards and integrity in high school sports.

Martin Media is a marketing company that works with local organizations to improve their online presence through photo and video work. The company recently moved to a larger studio space.

It’s the first week of the month, which means new art installations will be unveiled in Kenai. Gallery-goers can anticipate feeling both thrilled and calmed when viewing a combined total of over 70 pieces of work.

Three of the Kenai Peninsula’s smallest schools are connected to the road system but serve small towns where they become a community hub. As KDLL’s Riley Board learned when she visited the schools, small populations mean individualized education, multigrade extracurriculars and an entirely distinct social environment. Plus, there are 17 offshore oil platforms in the waters of Cook Inlet and six sit idle. Casey Grove, with Alaska Public Media, sits down with investigative journalist Nat Herz to find out why they're still standing.

Sterling Elementary School celebrates its 60th birthday. And the superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District thinks it might be the most unique district in America. This week, we’re airing a series of stories trying to explore that question. We’ll visit the farthest reaches of the district, from fly-in only villages to Soldotna High School, and we kick off that series tonight.

Our guest this week is Mary McCubbins, who organizes the lineup for the Levitt AMP Soldotna summer music series.

Our guest is Robert Ruffner, a Kenai Peninsula resident who recently completed a three-week raft adventure in Bolivia.