Month: November 2025

‘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