Harley Sundown, 9th- and 12th-grade history teacher at Scammon Bay High School in Scammon Bay, uses more than textbooks and maps to teach history. He infuses his classes with local Yup'ik culture, by such means as bringing local Yup'ik elders into the classroom to teach students about Yup'ik history and the importance of respecting older generations. Mr. Sundown's own life supplies considerable bicultural educational material which he uses to bridge American and Yup'ik cultures for his students. His familiarity with both cultures also equips him to use both the Yup'ik and English languages to teach his curriculum. He is also known in his small rural community for having formed a Yup'ik dance group.
1994 University of Alaska System, B.A.
