The SILKAT BSSD Legacy Cohort

ANGIE BUSCH ALSTON lives in Brevig Mission, AK and teaches High School Social Studies, Language Arts, Art, Academic Decathlon, and anything else her students need to earn the requisite credits for graduation.  She and her husband have taught in the Bering Strait School District for thirteen years.  They began their Alaska Bush career in Shishmaref and have spent the last eight years in Brevig Mission.  Angie is particularly interested in the Inupiaq language and the role schools can play to support Inupiaq revitalization.

Angie created Core Practice Module C and Cultural Arts Units for Grades 10 and 12.

ROBIN CHILD lives in Unalakleet, AK and is the districtwide itinerant arts integration facilitator for the Bering Strait School District. She works with students from preK through 12th grade to bring the arts into the everyday classroom, helping students forge connections between core content areas- reading, writing, social studies, math, and science- through hands-on, creative experiences. She strives to draw upon the rich cultural knowledge, subsistence tradition, and unique landscape of the Bering Strait region as a foundation for teaching in and through the arts.

Robin created Core Practice Module B and Cultural Arts Units for Grades 3 and 5.

MEGAN ELLIS  lives in Unalakleet, AK and teaches middle school language arts. Prior to teaching in Unalakleet, she taught in Savoonga and Elim in the Bering Strait School District. She has also taught in Virginia and Massachusetts, to grades that range from kindergarten through high school. The work done through SILKAT has made her work in BSSD more meaningful and has given her the opportunity to better connect with her students and communities.

Megan created Core Practice Module F and Cultural Arts Units for Kindergarten and Grade 11. Megan worked with Elim Kindergarten teacher Samantha Marchant to do a trial run through of the K unit. 

SANDY KING lives in St. Michael, AK and teaches high school English to grades 9-12. She has been teaching in the Bering Strait SD for the last 5 years. She has also taught in Oregon and Japan. She was excited to join the SILKAT project because it combines her passions or different cultures, art, and teaching.

Sandy created Core Practice Module G and Cultural Arts Units for Grades 8 and 9. 

STACEY PANIPTCHUK lives in Shaktoolik and teaches . . . 

Stacey created Core Practice Module E and Cultural Arts Units for Grades 2 and 4.

AMY VINLOVE lives in Fairbanks, Alaska and is a faculty member in the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Education. She co-directs the SILKAT project with Joan, and prior to joining the School of Education faculty in 1999 taught elementary school in Fairbanks. 

Amy created Core Practice Modules A and D and the pre- and post-assessment forms for all the modules, and oversaw the creation of all the core practice modules.

JOAN HORNIG lives in Fairbanks, Alaska and is a faculty member in the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Education. She co-directs the SILKAT project with Amy, and prior to joining the School of Education faculty in 1999 ...

Joan created the Cultural Arts Units for Grades 1, 6 and 7 and oversaw the creation of the Arts & Culture units.