Virginia Oliver, Tlingit language teacher at Wrangell High School, was honored by Sealaska Heritage Institute as a distinguished educator during its Culturally Responsive Education Conference in Juneau last week. Oliver, seen here presenting to a student during last year's academic achievement awards at the high school, was unable to attend the conference.
Sealaska Heritage Institute has honored 10 educators from throughout Alaska and Washington for their culturally relevant lessons.
Among those is Wrangell's Virginia Oliver, who teaches Tlingit language in the Wrangell School District.
She was one of seven given the Distinguished Educator Award, "which recognizes educators who intentionally weave cultural knowledge throughout their lessons and classroom and use approaches that reflect Native students' identity and values through place-based and culturally relevant practices, while reinforcing students' capabilities of extraordinary academic achievements," read a statement issued by Sealaska Heritage Institute.
"We know excellent teachers are indispensable to our society, but how often do we tell them so," said Rosita Worl, president of the institute, in the statement. "These awards are our way of saying that we see and appreciate the difference they are making in people's lives."
The awards were distributed at Sealaska Heritage Institute's Culturally Responsive Education Conference last week in Juneau. Oliver was unable to attend since she is still recovering from ankle surgery.
She has been teaching Tlingit at various grade levels throughout the district since 2016. Since the early 2000s, she worked with teachers in multicultural classes, German language classes and different grade levels to educate students in the Native culture.
She began teaching Tlingit at the urging of former Tlingit and Haida Johnson O'Malley students who "rallied the Wrangell School Board to have Tlingit brought into the school," Oliver said. "(The board) said, 'Well, there's no one here that speaks it.' And (the students) said, 'Yes, there is. Our Johnson O'Malley teacher does.' They worked through Lu Knapp and Indian Education at the school district to bring me in. I've been teaching ever since."
Along with teaching a class at the high school during the school year, Oliver also teaches an adult class at the WCA carving shed at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is made possible from a federal grant from the American Rescue Act. She'll also be teaching kindergarten through fifth grade students on Fridays next year.
Schools Superintendent Bill Burr said her reach has gone beyond the borders of Wrangell.
"When I have spoken with organizations in Southeast in search of expanding the school district's support of Native language or culture, the conversation inevitably turns to Ms. Oliver's impact on the peoples of the Southeast," he said. "Whether it is her lessons to our students, the productions of Native stories or the lessons heard on KSTK, she is a resource for all of us."
In the statement about the recipients of the distinguished educator award, Sealaska Heritage Institute described Oliver as "a beacon for youth in Wrangell looking to learn more about their culture."
Other distinguished educator honorees are Marnita Coenraad of Juneau; Naomi Leask of Metlakatla; Jennifer McCarty of Metlakatla; Jill Meserve of Juneau; Donna May Roberts of Shelton, Washington; and Charlie Skultka Jr. of Sitka. Naomi Michalsen of Ketchikan and Darren Snyder of Juneau were awarded as community educators and Dr. X'unei Lance Twitchell of Juneau was honored with the distinguished leadership award.
The students are the reason Oliver keeps teaching.
"It's an honor to have received that (award)," she said. "But I believe the honor goes to the children that take the classes and continue to learn. It provides me an opportunity to teach. I'm really honored by Sealaska to have considered me for this. I was surprised and grateful."
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