On November 15th, the Valdez High School Library, in partnership with the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive and local Alaska Native elders and cultural ambassadors, hosted an Alaska Native Culture Appreciation Day to celebrate Native American / Native Alaskan Heritage Month. VHS Library Associate, Pamela Verfaillie, approached her principal, Peter Baksis, with the idea and was told “sure – go for it. I’ll support you.” So she did.
One Gilson Middle School student claimed this was “the best class I have ever taken”.
After many years of showcasing artwork for Youth Art Month at the 5th Avenue Mall on temporary display panels, an idea emerged to have a permanent student art display in the mall. This was forged from a partnership between Simon Holdings (5th Avenue Mall management) and the Anchorage School District. The mall has provided a space that has been unoccupied for years, next to JCPenney on the first floor, as an in-kind donation, making this a win-win for both the mall and school district. It was during our first installation in the new space for Youth Art Month that the name for the space was suggested. The MK Student Art Gallery is named after Mary Kaye Denkewalter, a long-time former art teacher in the Anchorage School District who passed away a few years back. Continue reading ‘ASD Student Art Takes Center Stage in Public Art Galleries’ by Leah Maltbie
After 14 years of having our school closed in Nikolski, The Aleutian Region School District is really excited about once again having enough children in the community to re-open. Nikolski is located on the western tip of Umnak Island just west of Unalaska. It is thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the world dating back 8,500 years.
In October of last year, the community let the district know of their desire to get a school back in place and their willingness to do whatever was necessary to help make that a reality. They have been great partners in the effort by providing teacher housing as well as the community center to work as the school building. Without the passion and commitment of the community, there would have been no way we could have put everything in place so quickly. Continue reading ‘Nikolski School Reopens After 14 Years!’ by Superintendent Mike Hanley
On a snowy October 15th, 2024, afternoon, students at Nome-Beltz Middle High School filed into the school gym, gathering to collectively celebrate Indigenous People’s Day. The assembly brought together students and community members to share stories, give advice, and empower Nome Nanook youth.
3D Model of the rural Alaska school building design
Senior design projects are an engineering students’ rite of passage, a chance to apply four years of classroom knowledge to a real-world project. We, as civil engineering students, could choose any type of structure in any location. While our classmates decided to focus on projects within the city of our university, Columbia University in the New York City, our group decided to turn our focus to rural Alaska.
As global climate change has worsened, thawing permafrost, and advancing waters have slowly eroded the coastline, washing away critical infrastructure and threatening homes along Alaskan rivers. This is particularly true for Newtok, a small village located on the Ningliq River in Southwest Alaska. In 2003, an agreement for managed retreat was made for townspeople to resettle by river to higher ground several miles away in Mertarvik. It wasn’t until 2019 that the first residents arrived in this new town, even though there is no functioning sewer system and part of the school has been torn down for safety concerns. As a complete greenfield development, Mertarvik requires all new infrastructure to be built, including an air landing strip, a landfill, an evacuation center, and a school. Continue reading ‘How Columbia University Students’ Design of an Alaskan School is Informed by Climate, Culture & Community’ by Angelina Wu & Charitie Ropati
“It was a marvelously bright spring day- a perfect day to take my 8th graders on a bike ride along our city’s outstanding greenbelt. The trails were finally free of the sloshy slush and we were a week away from their graduation. What could be better than soaking up our final days together than hopping on our bikes and letting that fresh Alaskan spring breeze hit our skin as we meander the rolling hills to the song of babbling brooks nearby? Of course, I should’ve known that we wouldn’t be the only ones delighted to be out and about…”
Seven Alaska Youth Recognized as Local Community Heroes
With a heart to serve others, young Alaskans are changing lives and making their communities better. From advocating for legislation in the U.S. Congress to supporting their peers, and raising awareness and funds for causes important to them, youth across the state are having a positive impact on Alaska.
GROUP OF INDIGENOUS SOUTHEAST ALASKA EDUCATORS PRESENT COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE MODEL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI
Through funding provided by the Goldbelt Heritage Foundation and based on a Sealaska Heritage Institute Community of Practice approach, a group of Southeast Alaska educators recently traveled to the Reimagining Teachers and Teacher Education for Our Futures conference at the University of Helsinki in Finland. They presented findings for a Community of Practice approach to strengthening educational practices that makes Indigenous language and pedagogies a central component to the classroom. Continue reading ‘AK Indigenous Educators Present Research at University of Helsinki’ by Anya Nelson and Luke Fortier
The land of the midnight sun and the study of nocturnal animals, such as bats, isn’t what you would expect at your typical summer camp—however, this unique combination made for a memorable experience for students and members of the Yakutat community.
