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

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.

The biggest challenge was to find a teacher with the experience and skill to not only teach children that had only been homeschooled, but to start up a school from scratch. We found that individual in Lynette Hull, a teacher in Allakaket out in western Alaska. Lynette was familiar with rural Alaska and had homeschooled each of her own children. She quickly embraced the community and the children in Nikolski and they, in turn, have welcomed and supported her as she has settled in there. She recently stated that “This is a community where the men are happy, the women are strong, and the children are cherished. The kids here love to explore and play outside while keeping me in the loop on everything they are doing. They love to help in any way that they can, and I often take them up on that and let them take my dog out for walks. The adults here have continually looked out for me to make sure that I have everything that I need. It is really a wonderful community and feels like it has been a great fit for me.”

In addition to Lynette, we are fortunate to include Tatyana Hillhouse, a local mom with Head Start experience. She has been a tremendous support to our teacher and loves to help the kids succeed in whatever they try.

In a recent visit, it was encouraging to see the healthy relationships that have developed in a relatively short period of time. Lynette is helping the students begin to develop a sense of pride in themselves and their school. They are currently working to agree on a new mascot. With wild horses, cows, sheep, reindeer, and bison on the island, and with all of the natural wildlife there, the choices for the kids seem a bit daunting. We are looking forward to ordering new school gear once the decision is made. In addition, we have one of the local adults express an interest in filling a vacant seat on our school board. It will be great to have a voice representing Nikolski again on the board after a long absence.

Opening a new school in the Aleutians has been really exciting and encouraging for people on the island and throughout the Aleutians. We look forward to helping our kids excel academically, personally, and socially as we take on this endeavor for many years to come.