EDITOR’S NOTE: Longyearbyen, capital of the Svalbard Islands, entered its annualprolonged period of darkness on October9,2001.The sun was not due to rise againuntil March 8, 2002.During the five-month-long period of perpetual night,people livingin the northernmost human settlement see only stars, snow and ice. In this part of theworld, however, there are four students from the Tibet Autonomous Regionjoint-venture school.