Michael Angaiak

As principal of Anne Wien Elementary, a rural K-6 school in Fairbanks, Alaska, Michael A. Angaiak has reinvested his passion for teaching into effective instructional leadership that champions student-centered teaching practices. In Angaiak’s school of 377, around ⅓ of the student body are Alaska Native. As a Yup’ik man himself, Mr. Angaiak is uniquely positioned to address the needs of his community and does so effectively and with heart. During his five-year tenure, Angaiak has successfully built an authentic school culture united around the community mantra, “Work Hard, Play Fair, and Take Care of Each Other.” As a supervisor, he encourages all teachers and staff to live up to this mantra by developing models of shared leadership that empower all stakeholders to become proactive and collaborative problem-solvers. Before becoming an administrator eight years ago, Angaiak was already a natural leader. During his 13 years as a classroom teacher, he built community partnerships to meet essential needs of students and families and gained vital insight into the importance of early childhood education. At Anne Wien, this insight led Angaiak to pilot the Kindergarten Jump Start early literacy curriculum with great results; Anne Wien held its first Jump Start program this past summer. Angaiak holds a B.A from the University of Notre Dame, a Teaching Certificate from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and a M.Ed. from the University of Alaska-Anchorage.