Since 2017, TTCD has been funded by the Alaska Native Education Program to develop and deliver year-round, place-based educational programs that are culturally relevant for Tebughna School students.
Our curriculum includes lessons on soil health, watershed ecology, plant anatomy, to the salmon lifecycle, and is intended to increase STEM-aptitude and interest or participation in STEM careers or post-secondary education among students. A complete set of STEM lesson plans can be found on our Educational Resources page.
Students participate in a combination of activities conducted in the classroom and out in nature, getting hands-on experience with local conservation projects and learning lessons such as relationships between moose and willow, how invasive species impact salmon, and how to identify medicinal plants.
Including students in conservation projects has created an avenue for youth voices in large community projects, such as the planning and implementation of the Tyonek Garden, and the development of the Tyonek Area Watershed Action Plans. Students are encouraged to put their lessons into action by voicing their opinions on their priority resources and conservation concerns.
Students have been an integral part of seeding, maintaining and harvesting from three Lettuce Grow hydroponic towers in the Tebughna School. With each planting, students are offered an opportunity to learn more about plant anatomy, lifecycles and nutrition. Younger grade students plant the hydroponic towers with an eye toward delicious snacks in the future, while older students design experiments meant to hone observation skills and orient them to the scientific method. Learn more about how the hydroponic towers are part of the [Tyonek food system](link to hydroponics page in the Food section).
Each year, TTCD staff partners with ADFG to install an annual Salmon-in-the-Classroom project, making it a key component of the STEM curriculum. Students reared a batch of salmon fry over the winter, getting a hands-on perspective of the salmon lifecycle, habitat, and conservation concerns. In May 2024, with a permit from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, salmon fry raised in Tyonek were released into Cheney Lake in Anchorage.
The summer reading program is co-sponsored by TTCD and the Tebughna Foundation. Students are encouraged to read anything from science and nature books to cookbooks and recipe cards, and can take their pick from a variety of books with Alaska Native stories. Children’s picture books have been labeled to include Dena’ina names for each plant and animal in the story. Books are available at the Boys and Girls Club, the Indian Creek Health Clinic, or at a tiny library in the Tyonek Garden!
TTCD employs youth interns in the Tyonek Garden during the growing season! Youth interns are involved in all aspects of the garden operations from soil health management, production, weed mitigation, harvest, food safety, packaging, marketing, and sales. Student interns work flexible schedules (18 hours/week) during the summer months to prevent conflict with traditional subsistence practices. The internships are opportunities for students to build and apply STEM related skills related to biology, chemistry and math. Interns are encouraged to return in subsequent years to build on skillset and begin teaching newer employees.
If you are a youth living in Tyonek over the summer and are interested in an internship at the Tyonek Garden, contact Cayley Eller at [email protected].
Other youth employment opportunities are available on a variety of natural resource management projects. Youth Conservation Technicians work alongside scientists and biologists and assist in temperature and stream flow data collection, minnow trapping and invasive species eradication. The diverse topics interns are exposed to provide real-life opportunities to build and apply STEM skills related to biology, chemistry and math.
If you are a youth living in Tyonek over the summer and are interested in a Youth Conservation internship, contact Nicole Swenson at [email protected]
Follow us on social media for additional project-specific opportunities.
