Advancing in education from small-town Alaska

Perched on the edge of Lake Iliamna, surrounded by mountains on nearly all sides, the village of Newhalen is a hard place to leave. Thankfully, Ed Lester - a principal in the Lake and Peninsula School District - hasn't had to leave too often to advance his career through UAA.

When he graduated from Newhalen School, Ed knew he wanted to pursue a career in teaching. He cites Lake and Pen figures like Bernie Gurule (later principal of Mount Edgecumbe High School) and Bob Rychnovsky (Newhalen's decades-long basketball coach) for inspiring his career choice.

"I had those guys who I kind of looked up to when I was in school here," he said. "This is where I wanted to be, and I knew I wanted to work with kids and the school."

Ed left Alaska for two years to join the wrestling team at a junior college in Oregon, "but I missed being in Alaska," he said. Studying at UAA felt familiar, even though a single class could outnumber the student population back home. Newhalen is a one-hour flight from Anchorage, and friends and family were always passing through town.

Ed earned a bachelor's in elementary education in 2003 and started his teaching career at Perryville School, the furthest site south in the Lake and Pen school district. After three years, he relocated to Kokhanok School, 20 miles from Newhalen across Lake Iliamna.

While there, he enrolled in UAA's graduate program in educational leadership. Thanks to the College of Education's distance learning options, he completed most courses online, traveling to Anchorage when needed in summers. "It was a great opportunity to get a master's," he said.

After three years in Kokhanok, and with a graduate degree in hand, the district offered him the joint principal position for the schools in Newhalen, Levelock and Pedro Bay. He's overseen at least two schools in the district every year since.

Each day starts early in Newhalen. Ed answers emails before the students arrive, then assists the kitchen crew as they serve breakfast to Newhalen's 55 students. The school day kicks off in the gym, with preschoolers standing alongside high school seniors for morning announcements and the Alaska state song. He'll drop in on classrooms and meet with parents who request a visit. After school, of course, it's time for basketball (he coaches the girls' team, which won state championships in 2012 and 2014).

In a small district, it's not uncommon for a principal to oversee several schools. From his office in Newhalen, Ed will call his other sites throughout the week to check in, and he'll visit them occasionally throughout the year. "Since I grew up in the district and graduated from the district, I have a lot of connections," he said. Many students, in fact, are children of his old friends and classmates. "I really enjoy getting out to our sites."

Serving as a principal, mentor, cook and coach can be demanding, but that's the life of a village teacher. "Our staff, they work hard. There's no way around it," Ed said. "We're a staff of six teachers at [Newhalen] and we have events every week."

Other schools in the district have fewer teachers, but still match that dedication. For road games, they're flying to villages and sleeping on the classroom floor. They're helping students tie their ties at prom. They're building set pieces for the talent show. "They roll up their sleeves because they know it's good for kids."

In a community of 160, where family and tradition are vital, Ed can expect to see his students again after graduation. He takes that responsibility seriously and has tough talks with students starting in junior high about the need to make good choices in life. The job is most rewarding, he says, when he sees those students succeeding several years down the road. "I enjoy watching the kids grow up and watching them graduate," he said.

His hometown career is due, in part, to the College of Education's distance programs that allow teachers to advance careers from their communities. He earned a K-8 math certification through UAA's online program. Most recently, he earned a superintendent endorsement in 2014, again with minimal time spent in Anchorage.

Throughout his career, he said, UAA "made it easy for me to stay out here and work and continue my education."

That's important in a place like Newhalen. "People are out here because they want to be out here, especially in Lake and Pen," he said. "I'm lucky enough that this is where I grew up. This is where I want to be and this is my home. I'm just lucky and fortunate to be able to do that."