Alakanuk School in Alakanuk, Alaska on DonorsChoose

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I love these readers because they bring the heart of storytelling into the hands of early readers in meaningful ways. \r\n\r\nThrough this project, I was able to see students laugh and read along with me as we explored and retold them. They would often go up and pick up the book asking to read it together. I also saw them go over and pick up the text for the week and bring it to their tables to read. When students would come in after breakfast or while we were packing up, they would often talk about the text too. It was really fun to see. Building excitement around reading and books is also so crucial in engaging students to think critically. From my experience, these emergent texts provide anchors in students' learning and schema. They allow us to make more connections across texts AND they build vocabulary and word recognition. \r\n\r\nI am so grateful for your donation (and we also enjoyed the read aloud books that were included from another vendor!) We had a fun time reading those together. Thank you all again! Have a great summer.","fullyFundedDate":1744222424800,"projectUrl":"project/emergent-readers-and-take-home-libraries/9244483/","projectTitle":"Emergent Readers and Take-Home Libraries","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Racheal","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8707432"},{"teacherId":8707432,"projectId":8935774,"letterContent":"Thank you! Your donation to our classroom sparked a unit of curiosity and imagination rooted in robotic play. Our Kindergarten classroom came alive in a whole new way! We were able to see how programs could shape a machine's purpose and connected these to goals for solving problems. We saw electricity run in circuits and used them to build movement. Then we saw how a switch could impact the whole circuit. We also were able to explore other types of energy with the solar panels and show that this is a powerful resource in our world. I heard students talking about robots throughout the day and designing them even outside our regular time for the lessons. \r\n\r\nWe live in a rural area where not all the homes have access to electricity and wifi connections, but there are absolutely machines and robotic principles within our community. Families use snow machines, 4-wheelers (we call them Hondas), and fishing boats with motors to do a lot of work. We found robotics is incredibly useful especially as students grow and are out on the tundra and sloughs. Extreme weather impacts machines in incredible ways and it was great to be able to show the students some fundamentals as we saw other ways machines can be used - not just for transportation! \r\n\r\nI also enjoyed this as a teacher. I learned so much about the topic as well and was able to see how I can continue working towards connecting these principles to my students. I also was able to explore how to embed the content into our other lessons and topics. I loved working with these materials with my students. Thank you.","fullyFundedDate":1741373078815,"projectUrl":"project/robotic-challenge/8935774/","projectTitle":"Robotic Challenge!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Racheal","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8707432"},{"teacherId":9535716,"projectId":8389183,"letterContent":"We extend our deepest gratitude to our donors for supporting the Empowering Tomorrow's Innovators: STEM Club for Alaskan Students initiative. Your generosity has provided our students with hands-on STEM experiences, sparking curiosity and creativity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. With access to engaging resources, from robotics kits to coding programs, our students are developing problem-solving skills and critical thinking abilities that will prepare them for future careers in STEM fields. This project has not only expanded their learning opportunities but has also fostered a sense of excitement and confidence in their ability to innovate and explore new possibilities.\r\n\r\nThe impact of this initiative has been truly transformative in our classroom. The STEM Club has created an engaging, student-centered learning environment where collaboration and experimentation thrive. Students who once hesitated to engage with technology are now actively designing and testing their own projects, applying their knowledge in meaningful ways. The integration of STEM activities into our curriculum has increased student engagement, improved teamwork skills, and encouraged a deeper understanding of real-world applications. 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About this school

Alakanuk School is a rural public school in Alakanuk, Alaska that is part of Lower Yukon School District. It serves 229 students in grades Pre-K - 12 with a student/teacher ratio of 15.3:1. Its teachers have had 25 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades Pre-K - 12

229 Students

15 Teachers

9 Anderson St

Alakanuk, AK 99554 View local requests

http://www.lysd.org/

Evidence-based impact

Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.¹

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Alakanuk School Teachers on DonorsChoose

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Alakanuk School Demographics

95%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

93%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Alakanuk School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 5, 2025

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

Alakanuk School

$20,473

raised using DonorsChoose

projects funded

teachers funded

donors

project for basic supplies

projects for technology

project for books

project for art supplies

Alakanuk School has received support from 19 individuals from Alaska and 67 individuals out-of-state.

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season! Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Alakanuk School

About this school

Equity Focus School

Alakanuk School Teachers on DonorsChoose

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Alakanuk School Demographics

Alakanuk School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 5, 2025

Alakanuk School

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.