Light floating around people in village of Alaska

It was during a basketball b\game during half-time.  My dad was a teacher at that time.  Everyone in the gym left the side doors to either smoke a cigarette or chew tobacco, or whatever.  There were two exits, most went out the right side of the gym.  My dad confronted a roudy person that was causing trouble when just then there was a round white light floating around the people.  I would say it was about five feet across and down to the ground and floating around everyone.  My dad being a teacher in this isolated indian village in Alaska at the time said it was probably a university experiment.  I was 15 years old and did not know anything at that time, having never seen anything at that time.  Later, I did ask him, he did not know.
There was a drunk guy who thought it was the great spirit and started to pray to it.
This is my first experience.
Date is approximate.  We assume that the time of the incident is during the evening, and we have amended the time accordingly.  PD