School Choice Celebration at Alaska Native Heritage Center to Celebrate Learning Options, Essay Contest Winner

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Jan 15, 2024, 04:00 ET

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Jan. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a challenge all parents face: Finding the best school fit for their child. On Monday, Jan. 22, a free community fair will kick off School Choice Week in Alaska, celebrating all sectors of K-12 education and offering support to families exploring their options.

The state's flagship event for National School Choice Week 2024, the Alaska School Choice Celebration will take place 4-7 p.m. and showcase a diversity of learning options, including homeschool classes, public charter schools, online options, microschool communities, private Christian schools, and extracurricular activities such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and youth chorus. Through educational booths and inspiring guest speakers, the fair aims to empower families to navigate Alaska's school landscape and advocate for the choices that work best for their child.

Event speakers will include Alaska State School Board member Pamela Dupras, Clark Middle School teacher Sharon Gibbons, Anchor Lutheran School principal Dr. Matthew Baxter, parent Evelyn Dutton, Mat-Su School Board member Jubilee Underwood, and Alaska School Choice director Leigh Sloan.

The free event will be fun-filled, offering free snacks and activities, and featuring live student performances. Students are invited to participate in an essay contest on "Why I Love the Way I Learn" and the winner will be awarded a $100 cash prize with an opportunity to read their essay at the event.

This year's event marks the third annual School Choice Week fair in Anchorage. Fairs will take place in more than half the nation's states during the Week, drawing attention to each state's distinct learning options. Options in Alaska are as unique as the state, from public charter schools to onlinelearning and a unique Correspondence School Allotment Program used by many homeschoolers and students in remote areas.

The Alaska School Fair is planned to coincide with the fourteenth annual celebration of National School Choice Week, which will feature tens of thousands of school choice celebrations across all 50 states, including more than 60 large-scale events. Close to three dozen landmarks and notable buildings will light up in yellow and red to honor the Week, including the JL Tower in Anchorage.

"In these polarizing times, school choice helps us anchor education to what is most important– the ever changing needs of real students and real families," said Leigh Sloan, founder of Brave Nation and the Green Room Learning Community.

The Alaska School Fair is hosted by Alaska School Choice, a coalition of Alaskan community members who believe that education funding should follow each Alaskan child to ensure the highest quality education.

The Alaska Native Heritage Center is located at 8800 Heritage Center Dr.

Families can learn more and RSVP for the free event at alaskaschoolchoice.com.

National School Choice Week (NSCW) informs, inspires, and empowers parents to discover the K-12 education options available for their children, including traditional public, charter, magnet, online, private, and home schooling. Every January, tens of thousands of schools, organizations, and individuals plan unique events and activities to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options in their communities. The Week is a project of the nonpartisan, nonpolitical National School Choice Awareness Foundation.

SOURCE National School Choice Week