“My hope is that their accomplishments will inspire the youth to follow them into education careers.”
In July of 2006 I disembarked from a seven-seat airplane with my dog onto a short runway which is now called the old airport in Chevak, Alaska. People hustled about, laughing, chatting, picking up and dropping off items and people. Being from Pennsylvania, I was enthralled by the whole experience and left speechless until approached by a woman who introduced herself as Lillian Olson. “Are you a new teacher?” she asked. “Let me direct you.” Like the old airport moved to the other side of the village as a new airport, Lillian Olson has moved from Executive Secretary (24 years) to teacher (9 years) to Chevak School’s first Cup’ik Principal in FY25.
Chevak School has been encouraging local staff to become teachers for many years. In 2008, the administration work with the University of Alaska to create a program where a cohort was formed with local staff. The professor of each course would come out and work with the staff a few days to orientate them with the syllabus, resource materials, and the platform for engaging in the class via internet. Initially, this cohort was quite large. Now, it has dwindled to three people who are planning to do their student teaching internship in the FY26 school year. These ladies have struggled over the years keeping up with classes, subsisting to store food for the family, and working full time during the school year.
Lisa Unin was serving as a Type M Cultural Arts teacher when I first met her. She showed me how to make a qaspeq without cheating, meaning without a sewing machine. She taught me how to Eskimo dance. She enriched my experience in Chevak as she has and is doing with the students during her 38 years of service to the school.
Cora Charles was an elementary paraprofessional when I first met her. She was often called to step up as a long-term substitute teacher when a new teacher from the outside, as it is referenced to anyone who did not come from bush Alaska, abandoned his or her position midyear. After 27 years of service as an aide, Cora was moved to the Cup’ik Immersion wing as a type M certified teacher. Cora welcomed me to her fish camp. She and her sister taught me how to cut and smoke fish.
Cora and Lisa were part of the original cohort. Others have worked independently over the years toward a certified teaching degree. Monica Friday recently obtain her master’s degree in education and worked under her first teacher contract this FY25 school year. Alfred Ulroan returned to school after being out for many years and is planning on doing his student teaching internship in the FY26 school year. Twila Chayalkun, like Monica, earned her Master’s in Education, completed her student teaching internship in FY2023. She is in her second year teaching elementary school. Charlene Joe is currently enrolled in classes while working full time and caring for her family. She is keeping the Grow Your Own Teacher project alive.
Over the years of my service at Chevak, two students graduated with education degrees. They each taught one year and left the career. One is now a fire fighter, and one is working at University of Alaska, Anchorage. Recruiting and retaining people to serve the children in Chevak, Alaska is an ongoing challenge. Out of twenty-nine type M, A, or B certified teachers/administrators, eleven are Cup’ik.
Local teacher recruitment and retention started in Kashunamiut School District back in 2008 or ’09. There was a grant that recruited and supported local people in taking college courses to obtain a degree in education. Initially, the library was packed. Slowly, people started to drop out of the program until only a handful were left. Those remaining plugged away one, sometimes two courses a semester. At times, they would skip a semester or two, until only three remain. In addition to these three, the district encouraged two other staff members to pursue a degree in education. All of these candidates worked fulltime, took care of their families, and maintained their subsistent practices. The inner drive of these staff members to finish what they started is commendable. I am honored to work with them.
Monica Friday has fourteen plus years of service in Chevak School. She has served as a special education aide, a Cup’ik Immersion aide, a type M certified MS/HS Cultural teacher, and as a Cup’ik Immersion teacher before she did her student teaching internship in FY 2024. Monica completed her bachelor’s in Early Education and went on to obtain her master’s degree in Education and worked under her first teacher contract this year.
Lisa Unin has thirty-eight years of service in Chevak School. She served eighteen years as an aide and twenty years as a type M certified teacher of Cup’ik language, arts, and history. She is finishing her classes this spring and summer and will be doing her teacher internship in the next school year.
Cora Charles has thirty-one years of service in Chevak School. She was an elementary aide for twenty-seven years before moving to the Cup’ik Immersion wing as a type M certified teacher. I remember Cora stepping up on more than one occasion to serve as a long-term substitute to fill in due to a teacher abandoning his or her position.
Alfred Ulroan served the school in the office at the school and the district office before I finally convinced him to get into the Cup’ik Immersion classroom as an aide. He had at least enough credits for an associate’s degree and I nicknamed him Mr. Math to encourage him to get a degree in education. Even though he moved to his wife’s village, I am so happy and proud that he is continuing with his education. He plans to do his internship next year.
Twila Chayalkun started her career in Chevak working at the KCUK radio station. She worked as an aide for six years and a long-term substitute for half of a year. Twila completed her internship in FY2023. She is in her second year teaching elementary school.
Last but not least, Lillian Olson is the first Cup’ik principal. She started her service here in the Kashunamiut School District office as executive secretary where she served from FY 1991 to FY 2014, twenty-four years, as a teacher for nine years, a Resource Coordinator for one year during her principal internship, to this year first ever Cup’ik principal. You don’t know what you don’t have until you get it. Principal Olson has a way of interacting with the staff and students that is uniquely Cup’ik. She is respected by the students not just as their principal but as their elder. Even in the most difficult of circumstances, children will come back to her and apologize if they are disrespectful in a disciplinary action.
I have worked in this district for sixteen years. It humbles me to witness the commitment that these community members have for the children of Chevak. My hope is that their accomplishments will inspire the youth to follow them into education careers.