Name the Ferry!
Alaska Class Ferry Project
Name the Ferry Essay Contest!
By state law, state ferries are named after Alaska glaciers. Students in 6th-12th grade are invited to submit a name for one of two new state ferries and provide supporting evidence in an essay of 400 to 800 words. The content should include scientific and historical information. One ferry will be named by a student from grades 6 to 8, and the other ferry will be named by a student from grades 9 to 12.
The two winning students will receive an award certificate in their classroom presented by the Governor, Lt. Governor, or Commissioner of DOT&PF. The winning essay will be framed and displayed on the ferry it names. Essays are due March 15.
**Please see the link below for more information and contest rules**
Alaska Marine Highway System
The 11 Ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway cover a 3,500 mile route and provide service to over 35 communities. From the southern terminus in Bellingham, Washington to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian chain, the ferries provide service to Alaska's diverse and scenic coastline. Unlike the 'Lower 48', many of our communities are not accessible by a land-based road system so they are called "roadless" communities. One such community is Juneau, the capital of Alaska. The primary means of travel to Juneau is by air or sea. Therefore, the Alaska Marine Highway makes up a large part of our state highway system and is a route so special that in 2002 it was designated a National Scenic Byway and All-American Road by the Federal Highway Administration. Currently, it is the only marine route with the designation of All - American. The Alaska Marine Highway System connects remote coastal communities and provides them with access to goods and services found in other communities. Without the ferry system, Alaska's coastal communities would have limited options for transportation. (Source: www.FerryAlaska.com)