Michael Fanelli

1 week ago | wshu.org | Michael Fanelli

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:The town of Whale Pass, Alaska, is remote and tiny. It has fewer than a hundred year-round residents and no grocery store. But in the past few years, it's gotten a new distinction. It offers certified Taekwondo as a school sport. That's all due to the passion of one 12-year-old boy, and as Michael Fanelli reports, it may wind up saving the school from closing. DOMETRIUS HILL: Ready. Go.UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: One, Sir. Two, Sir. Three, Sir. Four, Sir.

1 week ago | wbur.org | Michael Fanelli

HomeRadioHere & NowInside Alaska's only certified Songahm Taekwondo dojoWhale Pass is such a small town, it doesn’t have a grocery store. But it does have Alaska’s only certified Songahm Taekwondo dojo. That could draw more students to the local school, which is in danger of closing from under-enrollment. Michael Fanelli reports. This segment airs on June 3, 2025. Audio will be available after the broadcast.

2 weeks ago | boisestatepublicradio.org | Michael Fanelli

Whale Pass is such a small town, it doesn't have a grocery store. But it does have Alaska's only certified Songahm Taekwondo dojo. That could draw more students to the local school.

2 weeks ago | ctpublic.org | Michael Fanelli

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

1 month ago | alaskapublic.org | Michael Fanelli

School just let out for the day, and students in the tiny Southeast Alaska community of Whale Pass quickly hustled to change into their taekwondo uniforms. They then gathered on a blue mat in one of the school’s two classrooms and turned their attention to a big-screen TV. Through a projected Zoom meeting, Senior Master Dometrius Hill began to lead the taekwondo class — from Texas. Within minutes, the internet connection started to break up, and Hill’s voice became garbled.