FAIRBANKS — During the first week of school in August 2010, students in an eighth grade physical science class at Randy Smith Middle School made a startling discovery — racist names on an Alaska topographic map.

Students were moving through various stations, set up by teacher Jayne Naze, outlining the different topics to be covered during the term when student Trent Johns noticed the derogatory place name, “Negrohead Creek,” near Minto, on a U.S. Geological Survey topographic map.

“That’s racist,” he said aloud, garnering the attention of his classmates.

“I first thought he (Trent) was kidding, and I went over to see if it actually was true,” Tayllor Geil said.