Washtucna grad named to Kodiak Hall of Fame

WASHTUCNA — Darcy Blauert Gagolich, a graduate of Washtucna High School, will be inducted into the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 75th Hall of Fame class.

Gagolich, the daughter of Washtucna’s Fred and Timmie Blauert, earned the distinction from a 31-year career of teaching life skills to students at Kodiak High School.

“We’re very proud of her,” Fred Blauert said.

The induction is scheduled for July in Washington, D.C.

Gagolich began working for the Kodiak School District in Kodiak, Alaska, in 1987 as a new graduate from Eastern Washington University. She quickly began to develop a Future Homemakers program. The program took on the title of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America in 1999; a nationwide program providing career and college preparation for students interested in consumer sciences including the culinary arts.

“When she was in the FFA (Future Farmers of America) here, they would cater meals for annual meetings of groups like the Washington Wheat Growers Association. She took on to that, and it was her background for her teaching,” Fred Blauert, a former Ag Teacher at Washtucna and Former Adams County Fair Board member and President said, adding his daughter spent a lot of time at the fairgrounds with her volunteer work.

He said she ended up in Alaska in a roundabout way.

“She graduated from Eastern in December, so there weren’t a lot of teaching jobs at the time,” said Blauert. “She subbed in Spokane District 81 and Medical Lake and a couple other places. Then she went up to Alaska to house-sit for a former Washtucna resident, and worked in fish processing.”

Blauert said his daughter was hired when a job opened up at Kodiak High School, and she came home to gather her belongings.

“We bought her a Chevy S-10 with a canopy and she loaded up her worldly possessions. And she drove up to Alaska alone, and loaded onto the ferry boat,” Blauert said. “She bought a house and married a charter fisherman. When they come to visit, they bring down an ice chest full of fish, and return with the ice chest full of lamb and pork.”

Glagolich teaches a variety of classes at Kodiak High School, and carries on the tradition of having her culinary students cater fundraising dinners for local organizations.

In 2010, three of Glagolich’s students placed second out of 40 teams at a national Family, Career and Community Leaders of America culinary competition.

Like teachers across the nation, Glagolich has had to turn to online teaching due to COVID-19, with students uploading photos of their culinary creations online.

“We are trying to keep it really simple and do something they can incorporate into their family meal. We are having to adapt to our time right now,” Glagolich told Kodiak Daily Mirror reporter Derek Clarkson.

Glagolich has had to make her own adaptations to spending time with her family here in Washtucna.

“She was going to extend her spring break and come down and help with lambing in March,” Blauert said. “But she would have had to travel through Seattle, the hot spot. So she decided to stay home.”