For Suzzuk Huntington, education has always been about bridging worlds. The Shishmaref-born educator has spent her career moving between classrooms and leadership roles across Western Alaska. Now, as the Bering Strait School District’s new director of cultural integration, she hopes to bring academics and Indigenous knowledge together.
A key focus of her work is redefining student success in rural Alaska. She recalls the late Father Michael Oleksa once asking district staff what a successful graduate looked like in their own communities.
“All that anybody could ever talk about was them being prepared for college, them being able to navigate city life and the things that would be successful elsewhere. And nobody was able to articulate what those same things would look like to be successful here at home,” Huntington said,
For a district where about 12% of students go on to college, Huntington said it’s essential to also prepare those who stay. Her approach integrates local knowledge into academics; a math lesson might involve sled building, or a science class could study the anatomy of harvested caribou or seals.
Language revitalization is another priority. Using her Inupiaq name and introducing herself in the language reflects that effort. “The whole purpose is to remind ourselves that this should be normalized,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Huntington remains hopeful. “I absolutely feel that having more than 80 percent of our students reaching high student achievement levels is doable,” she said. “And I think it’s doable if we capitalize on the tremendous knowledge that we have.”
