‘ECHO in Action: Miss Alaska Advocates for Education’ by Suparat Prasannet

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Serving as Miss Alaska has given me a unique kind of access. I get to spend time in the places where Alaska’s future is being shaped every day: our public schools. Over the past several months, I’ve had the privilege of listening to educators, students, school leaders, and families across our state. The more I see, the more I’m convinced of something simple: Alaska has strong schools because we have strong people. But many schools are working hard to meet rising needs while navigating uncertainty in resources and planning.

My Community Service Initiative as Miss Alaska is ECHO: Equity, Curriculum, Hope & Opportunity. In rural Thailand, my parents grew up in poverty and had to leave school early to survive. My mom had to drop out in the third grade, and my dad left school in middle school, both to work on a farm so their families could make it. Education wasn’t an option: it was a luxury they couldn’t afford. They worked hard, but hard work alone doesn’t always create opportunity when basic resources are out of reach. Continue reading ‘ECHO in Action: Miss Alaska Advocates for Education’ by Suparat Prasannet

‘The Our Alaskan Schools Blog Completes its 7th Year’ by Sam Jordan

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The ‘Our Alaskan Schools’ blog wraps up its 7th year this month, sharing 20 new diverse and fascinating stories from across Alaska’s public education system.

Fun fact: OAS was born from a conversation with nationally known education speaker Jimmy Casas who shared his advice that if we aren’t telling our story, no one else will. We now have over 200 stories that speak to the brilliance, creativity, and uniqueness of public education in Alaska. Continue reading ‘The Our Alaskan Schools Blog Completes its 7th Year’ by Sam Jordan

‘Alaska Blueberries as an Alternative pH Paper’ by Adrian Suladay

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In Alaska, learning often begins with what is right outside our door. Our land, culture, and environment provide endless opportunities for meaningful, hands-on education, and in our science classroom, Alaskan blueberries have become an unexpected but powerful teaching tool.

This year, students at Tok School in the Alaska Gateway School District explored how locally harvested Alaskan blueberries can serve as an alternative to traditional pH paper. What began as simple curiosity quickly turned into an authentic scientific investigation that blended chemistry, environmental science, and cultural relevance.

Continue reading ‘Alaska Blueberries as an Alternative pH Paper’ by Adrian Suladay

‘Free Training to Support Body Confidence & Prevent Eating Disorders in Alaska Youth’ by Molly McManamin

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Across Alaska, the adults who work with young people, teachers, counselors, coaches, and mentors, see firsthand how hard growing up can be. Between social pressure, body expectations, diet culture, and the constant comparisons fueled by social media, many youth are struggling silently. Too often, early signs of disordered eating go unnoticed until the situation becomes extremely serious.

The Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance (AKEDA) wants to change that narrative. With a mission to provide help and inspire hope, AKEDA is a nonprofit founded in 2019 to address the need for education, advocacy, and support for Alaskans affected by eating disorders. Today, AKEDA continues to expand its programming and outreach across the state. Continue reading ‘Free Training to Support Body Confidence & Prevent Eating Disorders in Alaska Youth’ by Molly McManamin

‘Advocacy and Learning: The Positive Statewide Impact of AASG’ by Francis Meyers

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Once a semester, hundreds of student council leaders from across the state come together at the Alaska Association of Student Government’s conference. This conference, dubbed AASG, is always a blast to attend–with the 300+ delegation engaging in workshops, fun individual challenges, and spirited competitions between the six Alaskan regions.  Continue reading ‘Advocacy and Learning: The Positive Statewide Impact of AASG’ by Francis Meyers

‘Growing Artists in the Mat-Su Valley’ by Anna Folsom

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Palmer High’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Visual Arts students participated in the Palmer Arts Council Fall Studio Tours, engaging directly with the vibrant local arts community. This was the first year of studio tours and it was a great success for artists and visitors alike. Community members were invited to visit different artists’ studios, observe their creative processes, and experience art-making in real time. Multiple art mediums were demonstrated in painting, metalwork, charcoal drawing, fiber arts, sculpture, ceramics and pottery. Artists opened their studio doors willingly, and over 200 people participated in the tours. Continue reading ‘Growing Artists in the Mat-Su Valley’ by Anna Folsom

‘How Shared Leadership is Raising the Bar for Alaska Schools’ by Superintendent Robyn Taylor

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In Petersburg School District, we’re seeing how empowering teacher leaders, working in partnership with school leaders, makes a lasting difference. Through our partnership with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), we’re building a culture where teachers lead learning, support one another, and grow together. This shared leadership structure has improved collaboration, strengthened instruction, and is helping us retain great teachers — all of which are essential in a small, rural district like ours. Continue reading ‘How Shared Leadership is Raising the Bar for Alaska Schools’ by Superintendent Robyn Taylor

‘Nunalleq Digital Museum – An Accessible Resource for Learning about Yup’ik Pre-Contact History’ by Prof. Charlotta Hillerdal

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We live in a changing world. This could not be more obvious to the Yup’ik communities that were hit by the aftermaths of Typhoon Halong on October 12th – with disastrous consequences to people’s homes and lives. In the sorrow that follows this, it has become apparent what immediate threat climate change poses to the Yup’ik way of life.

In Quinhagak, the storm not only attacked boats and fish racks, water and sewage infrastructure, but also the ancestral site of Nunalleq, an Old Village dating back c 500 years, to a time before Europeans came to Alaska. It brought destruction to parts of the historic site, displacing thousands of artifacts on the beach.

Fig. 1. Wooden figurine on the beach, eroded from the Nunalleq site after Typhoon Halong, October 2025. Photo by Rick Knecht.

Continue reading ‘Nunalleq Digital Museum – An Accessible Resource for Learning about Yup’ik Pre-Contact History’ by Prof. Charlotta Hillerdal

‘Reviving Tradition: Building an Ulux̂tax̂ Aleut Canoe in False Pass’ by ACSA Staff

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False Pass, or Isanax̂ as it is known in traditional Aleut, sits on the eastern of Unimak Island in the Aleutian Islands region of Alaska. This past spring a remarkable project unfolded in that blended tradition, education, and community spirit. Thanks to a grant from the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Community Development Association (APICDA), False Pass School welcomed two professional carpenters to lead a hands-on boat-building initiative. The goal? To construct an Ulux̂tax̂, a traditional two-person Aleut canoe, and in doing so, reconnect students and families with a vital piece of their cultural heritage. Continue reading ‘Reviving Tradition: Building an Ulux̂tax̂ Aleut Canoe in False Pass’ by ACSA Staff

‘History Has Never Not Been Important’ by Stephanie Meek

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Stephanie Meek is the 2025 Alaska James Madison Fellow

History has never not been important. Today is no exception. Students need history to understand the present as much as they need it to understand the past. The skills taught in history, specifically what we like to call “thinking like a historian,” teaches students to not just think critically, but it teaches them the purpose and importance of doing so. Learning history teaches students about contextualization, analyzing sources, continuity and change over time, cause/effect, how to make comparisons, and how to effectively develop an argument. All these skills transcend the discipline and are essential to all other areas of studies/subject matter. Today, students have more access to unverified resources than at any point in history and history classes provide students the skills needed to evaluate information (consider origin, purpose, content) and come to evidence-based conclusions. History reminds us that we are all connected and because of that fact, there is an intrinsic value in looking at multiple perspectives. All these components of learning history are why it is important for students to learn it. Continue reading ‘History Has Never Not Been Important’ by Stephanie Meek