NEW PRINCIPAL APPOINTED TO LEAD GROUNDBREAKING TLINGIT SCHOOL PROGRAM

A groundbreaking Tlingit school program established by Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) and the Juneau School District (JSD) in 2000 has a new, award-winning educator as its principal.

The JSD tapped Molly Yerkes to lead Harborview Elementary’s Tlingit Culture, Language and Literacy (TCLL) program, which expanded from K-5 to grades K-7 this year and will add grade 8 in 2025.

Yerkes, who has served as the principal of Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School since 2010, was named the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals (AASSP) Principal of the Year for Southeast Alaska in 2024, an award she also won in 2020.

AASSP sponsors regional and statewide Principal of The Year recognition awards to honor the educational leaders who play such a pivotal role in student success.

She will be an extraordinary asset to TCLL educators and students enrolled in the program, said SHI President Rosita Worl.

“We were well aware of Molly’s accomplishments in the field of education, and we are thrilled to have her lead the TCLL program. Her philosophy includes integrating cultural knowledge and practices into education. We could not have asked for a better fit,” Worl said.

Yerkes, who holds three master’s degrees, also has a strong background in language acquisition, which is a good fit for TCLL, through which educators instruct students in the Tlingit language, Worl said.

BIOGRAPHY
Molly Yerkes has been an educator in the Juneau School district for 25 years. During her tenure, she has been committed to building capacity not just at her school, but across the district. This leadership has contributed to expansion of arts education through the Margaret A. Cargill Artful Teaching grant, implementation of educator cohorts to effectively incorporate place-based learning in the classroom, and school leadership strategies that have demonstrated positive outcomes for student performance. Yerkes’ background is in English as a second language and language acquisition programs; this expertise in serving students from diverse backgrounds has informed her practice in school leadership, where she has developed staff capacity to serve students with a wide range of needs. Yerkes’ performance has been recognized at both the local and statewide level. She has twice been awarded Region V Principal of the Year by the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals, both in 2020 and 2024, and she was awarded the prestigious Milken Education Award in 2011. Yerkes grew up in Juneau and has committed her career to ensuring that all Juneau students are provided the opportunity to achieve academic success.

ABOUT TCLL
The Tlingit Culture, Language and Literacy Program (TCLL) is a place-based, culture-based “program within a school” where the Tlingit language and culture are integral to daily instruction and celebrated. TCLL in the Juneau School District (JSD) is one of three optional programs open to all students, along with Montessori Borealis School and the Juneau Community Charter School. TCLL was established by SHI and the JSD in 2000, and it proved so successful, the school district assumed funding for the program.

A study in 2013 found that the incorporation of traditional tribal values of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian directly contributes to Alaska Native student success and fosters an environment to grow leadership skills, self-confidence, and creativity. SHI’s goals are to build a thorough language immersive program within TCLL, increase teacher fluency in Tlingit language, and develop TCLL into an autonomous Optional Program in the JSD.

In 2023, SHI secured funding from the Alaska Native Education Program to expand TCLL from K-5 to grades 6-8 by the 2024-2025 school year. The program has also received support from the Douglas Indian Association, Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, Hoonah Heritage Foundation and Tlingit and Haida Central Council. For more information, visit the TCLL website.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts social scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.

CONTACT: Kathy Dye, SHI Communications and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com; Molly Yerkes, TCLL principal, molly.yerkes@juneauschools.org.