Thank you to everyone who signed the petition, shared with friends, and donated!  Thank you Senator Murkowski for writing and sending a letter of support for our appeal to the Department of Education!

Unfortunately the Department of Education denied our appeal and will not reinstate our funding. Their stated reason is upsetting. They say our work, “violates the letter or purpose of Federal civil rights law; conflicts with the Department’s policy of prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence in education; undermines the well-being of the students these programs are intended to help; or constitutes an inappropriate use of federal funds. Specifically, in support of my conclusion, you state in your approved grant application ‘Additionally, students, teachers, and community members / culture bearers from the communities we work in will serve on the steering committee.’”

With out this grant, See Stories is losing ⅔ of our organization’s budget, and won’t be able to continue the AHA program next year. Despite this setback, we are looking back on the past two years with gratitude and awe for all of the amazing people we have gotten to work with! 

Over SIXTY educators from every region of the state have participated in AHA. We are deeply grateful for the incredible team that made the program possible: archivists and steering committee members Angela Schmit (UAF), Becky Butler Gallegos (UAA), Karen Gray (State of Alaska), Anjuli Grantham (Alaska Historian), Amy Valentine (Anchorage Museum), Heather McClain (Anchorage Museum), Monica Shah (Anchorage Museum), Sarah Asper-Smith, and Hanna Sholl. Each brought invaluable expertise and heart to this work. Roben Itchoak also served as lead co-instructor for the AHA course alongside Megan McBride, guiding participants with dedication and care.

We also thank our program evaluators, Caleb Billmeier and Kate Hohman Billmeier of Wellspring Consulting, for helping us reflect and grow. And finally, we are immensely grateful to our instructors — Kanesia McGlashan-Price, Chelsea Jolly, Andrés Javier Camacho, and Rafael Bitanga — for sharing their knowledge, creativity, and passion with students and educators across Alaska.

And we are celebrating the incredible work we have done together!

AHA is connection, rejuvenation, and building a network of support. 

AHA is decolonizing archives, ethics in documentary filmmaking, culturally responsive and trauma informed teaching practices. 

And the impact speaks for itself:

“The process taught me much more than filmmaking. I learned a great deal about my village community’s history and culture. I can’t wait to use this process of learning with my students.” – Teacher from Yupiit School District in Western Alaska

“I feel motivated, inspired, and ready to help my students tell their stories through the powerful media of filmmaking.” – Daniel Greenwood, Anchorage School District teacher.

“The biggest change I saw while teaching the SeeStories Digital Storytelling course was a new sense of pride and connection to culture for me and my students. For me, it opened my eyes to how powerful storytelling can be in bringing together traditional knowledge and modern learning. For my students, I noticed a huge boost in their confidence and interest. They got excited about learning family and community stories they hadn’t heard before, and as they shared these stories, they felt prouder about who they are.” – See Stories Teacher AHA ’24 cohort

As our Director, Marie Acemah, shares: “By creating this network of teachers and students creating films and stories and curriculum about our state, We support students to experience themselves as history makers, as civic engagers, and as changemakers in the community, and active members of a democracy.”

We are so proud of the results of our AHA course among the participants. Teachers participating in the Anchored Histories professional development course noted growth amongst their students, and feel increased preparedness to advocate for inclusive classrooms after completing the training. Teachers also reported increased awareness and skills around trauma-informed and culturally-responsive best practices, as well as exhibiting growth in all areas related to utilizing archival and primary source material. 

These results remind us why this work matters so deeply and why we must find a way to keep it going. Even though our federal funding has been denied, the transformation we’ve seen in classrooms across Alaska shows us what’s at stake. With your support, we can continue nurturing these stories, these connections, and this vital network of educators and students.

Today we are writing to ask for a donation from you to help us ensure we keep our staff.

Without our staff, our relationships and programs take a huge hit. If you have worked with us you know that we always strive to operate with love and care for everyone. Now is your moment to love and care for us as we continue to meet our mission and grow through the challenges we face. Even $10 makes a difference, and recurring donations are most helpful! 

 

Donate to See Stories here! Any donation makes a difference.

And you haven’t seen them all yet, check out the incredible films made by teachers in 2024 and 2025! And the student films featured in our Youth Virtual Film Festival here!