Category: School Story

‘Chevak’s Long-Term Investment in Growing Staff from the Community’ by Superintendent Jeanne Campbell

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“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. Continue reading ‘Chevak’s Long-Term Investment in Growing Staff from the Community’ by Superintendent Jeanne Campbell

‘Nikolski School Reopens After 14 Years!’ by Superintendent Mike Hanley

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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

‘Nome-Beltz Middle High School Celebrates Indigenous People’s Day, Highlighting A Local Civil Rights Hero’ by Rosa Wright and Sam Jordan

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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. 

Continue reading ‘Nome-Beltz Middle High School Celebrates Indigenous People’s Day, Highlighting A Local Civil Rights Hero’ by Rosa Wright and Sam Jordan

‘Kelp in Cordova Classrooms’ by Skye Steritz

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In Prince William Sound and several other regions in Alaska, kelp farming is a budding, regenerative industry, adding to the vibrancy of working waterfronts. I am a fourth grade teacher at Mt. Eccles Elementary School in the Cordova City School District and also a kelp farmer. My husband and I started Noble Ocean Farms in January 2020. From the start, I was determined to find ways to weave my passions of education and ocean science.

Continue reading ‘Kelp in Cordova Classrooms’ by Skye Steritz

‘AK Students’ Passion for Trees Contributes to Rainforest Reforestation’ by ACSA Staff

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On a fall ride to school in 2022, a 4th grade student from Fronteras Charter School named Solei noticed that many trees were being cut down to make way for new housing. It bothered her, and after lots of discussion about it with her family, she decided to ask her principal if she could raise awareness about deforestation and also raise money to help with planting new trees. Continue reading ‘AK Students’ Passion for Trees Contributes to Rainforest Reforestation’ by ACSA Staff

‘Sandwich Project Brings Together Community Around Student Food Security’ by Carmen Pell

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Totes of weekend food await to be transported to the nine schools supported by the Sandwich Project.

In November 2018, a Palmer High School (PHS) student, Zoe Nelles, was struck by a realization that her peers may not have weekend food security. Zoe took the initiative and reached out to a PHS teacher for help, and from there the PHS Sandwich Project began. In the beginning stages of the project, Zoe would make PBJ sandwiches in her home and used donated non-perishable food items to fill the bags. The first week 7 food bags were delivered to students on a Friday afternoon. Zoe continued to spear head the program for 2 years, through the spring of 2020, when she graduated.

Through generous grants from the Mat-Su Health Foundation, The Food Bank of Alaska, and The Palmer Community Foundation, an affiliate of The Alaska Community Foundation, the project continues to grow each year. This grant money was used to buy not only food items, but also to buy structural supplies to sustain the program, such as shelving and bins to properly store items as well as a freezer and refrigerator for perishable items. Continue reading ‘Sandwich Project Brings Together Community Around Student Food Security’ by Carmen Pell

‘A Historic Moment for the Nuniwarmiut School Basketball Teams’ by Peter Hawkins

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The Mekoryuk Herders boys basketball team huddles as they prepare for the first basketball games held at their school since 1998.

On Friday evening, January 13, 2023, the Nuniwarmiut School gym was full of lively basketball fans; entire families of lively basketball fans. The aroma of freshly popped popcorn and the sound of basketballs being dribbled filled the air. These fans had come to watch boys basketball as Nightmute, Toksook Bay, Chefornak and Mekoryuk squared off for a weekend of round robin basketball. Any observer would have sensed nothing unique about this scene. These fans knew, however, that this was indeed an historic event. Continue reading ‘A Historic Moment for the Nuniwarmiut School Basketball Teams’ by Peter Hawkins

‘Delta Elementary School Honored for Second Time as a National Blue Ribbon School’ by Principal Milt Hooton

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Principal Milt Hooton and DES students

This year, Delta Elementary School (DES) in Delta Junction, Alaska was honored as a National Blue Ribbon School for the second time. This was a very special honor for us because of the effort we put in over the last few years to not allow our school to simply survive the challenges the pandemic presented, but to thrive. It was a hard earned and well deserved recognition of the blood, sweat, and tears we all shed under some very difficult circumstances. Continue reading ‘Delta Elementary School Honored for Second Time as a National Blue Ribbon School’ by Principal Milt Hooton

Denali Elementary Named 2022-23 ESEA Distinguished School by Principal Becky Zaverl

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“We come to school every day to learn, take responsibility for our actions and treat everyone with love, kindness, and respect.”

Denali Elementary was recently named ESEA Distinguished School for 2022-23 and we are so excited about it!  We have 300 students preK through 5th grade & are located in Fairbanks, the 2nd largest city in Alaska.  Our school is located right in the downtown area so the majority of our students are within a mile and walk to school, even when it’s 25 below zero! Our student population is very diverse. We have 27% of our students who are 2 or more races, 15% Alaskan Native, 30% caucasion, 15% hispanic, 6% african american, 4% asian and 3% pacific islander. About 60% of our students receive free or reduced lunches. 

We have a motto here at Denali, “We come to school every day to learn, take responsibility for our actions and treat everyone with love, kindness, and respect”. This motto of spreading love, kindness and respect was given to us from an Alaskan native Artist and carver, Bert Ryan in the late 1990s, who, alongside our students, carved our very own totem pole which stands in our playground today.

Continue reading Denali Elementary Named 2022-23 ESEA Distinguished School by Principal Becky Zaverl

‘Culture, Collaboration and Creativity!’ by Shelli Franckowiak, 2022 Alaska Elementary Art Teacher of the Year

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To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, 4th and 5th grade artists at Fronteras Spanish Immersion Charter School in Wasilla, AK created a 160 foot long alfombra de aserrin (sawdust carpet) on our school’s front sidewalk.

Sawdust Carpets (Alfombras de Aserrin) are one or more layers of colored sawdust laid on the ground as decoration. Sawdust carpets are traditionally created in Mexico and Guatemala and are used as part of Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration, welcoming Good Friday and Easter processions of religious icons carried through the streets. Although sawdust carpets take days to design and create, it takes only minutes for them to be happily and reverently destroyed by the shuffling feet of participants in religious processions. Continue reading ‘Culture, Collaboration and Creativity!’ by Shelli Franckowiak, 2022 Alaska Elementary Art Teacher of the Year