Normalcy? What is that? For the PNA 8th grade, it means settling in to routines, doing homework, participating in sports or other extracurricular activities, recycling chores for the school, taking math tests, staging a scavenger hunt for EKers, heading to the woods...

Do kids these days know what it means to work hard and persevere even when the end goal seems intangible or impossible?  The PNA 8th graders certainly do, though they may not have always thought so.. Two years ago, when they were in 6th grade, they wrote a proposal...

The  Middle School Retreat at Solid Rock Camp is an essential part of setting the stage for a successful year of middle school. This three day experience early in the year prepares us for all the learning and work we will do together in the coming months, as we build...

​ As we close the second week of school, students have settled into routines and started digging into academic work. But at PNA we make this transition with care. In these first weeks of school it is critical that we take the time to build a community of learners and...

Wow!  What a great start to the new school year! Middle Schoolers did quite a bit all together in this first week as they were (re)acquainted, learning the new building and schedule.  The start of a new school year in a new building offers students the opportunity to...

After working extremely hard to get the Abbott Loop Community Church to support an access site from their property, we ended up needing to look elsewhere.  Hoping for a strong partnership with the Anchorage School District, we then worked to open an access site from...

Learning: it’s what we are all about. Every lesson, experience, and interaction we have with our students is a learning moment, a chance to inch closer toward our goal of “exceptional learners and independent thinkers.” Spring trips are a unique and important...

I’ve always been a fan of museums. When I travel for work or recreation, I try to visit at least one local museum wherever I go, and I am always thrilled and inspired. Seeing the actual Emancipation Proclamation, an original Gutenberg bible, Thomas Jefferson’s study,...

Here in Alaska, when the sun shines, we try to get outside.  Last week was no different. The melting snow has given way to the soggy ground that we hope to develop in Ruth Arcand Park making it easier to envision the plans that we have been working on all winter....

While the standardized tests from the Education Records Bureau (ERB) have been the focus of our mornings this week, projects have been the focus of the afternoons. AUCTION PROJECTS In the science lab, two beautifully built benches (Trevor Howell) are being exquisitely...