About
Who We Are
AK Grad provides online courses for credit recovery or original credit for students enrolled in a home school program or registered as a student in a school district.
AK Grad is unique
in that it is an Alaskan home-grown organization based out of the Yukon-Koyukuk School District, and provides original courses developed by Alaskan teachers who have taught in schools around Alaska.
Humble Origins
AK Grad was originally known as the Alaska Independent Distance Education Program, or AIDE for short. The program’s humble origins began in 2002 by Joe Marley, a principal/teacher in Koyukuk.
Joe was an exceptional principal, teacher, colleague, and friend who endeavored to help those around him.
He started designing specialized courses for his students after seeing too many of them struggle with the structure of a traditional classroom setting.
Over the next few years,
after other schools began seeing the success he was having with his struggling students, Joe began offering these courses to the entire district in both asynchronous and blended formats. Over the years, Joe grew the program by finding ways to better support more students online.
Unfortunately, Joe, who was fighting cancer while still teaching, passed away in 2015. Joe made sure to pass along his wealth of knowledge and the successful AIDE program to others in the district. The program gained a name change to AK Grad, and continued to improve upon what Joe had started.
As of today,
the program has implemented a new course management system, with updates on course materials, course offerings, and integrations with more advanced online platforms. In addition, new courses are being written and adopted every year. AK Grad's goal is to continue to provide home-grown credit recovery courses, original credit courses to students in Alaska to help them graduate high school, and provide a flexible alternative to earning high school credit.
Our Instructors
Jennifer Ingman
B.S. Mathematics, M.A.Education
I am an Online Instructor for AK Grad. I grew up in Alaska and have been teaching in the state since 2015. I have always been curious about the world, so it was natural for me to pursue math and science. My goal as a teacher is to make learning math and science an enjoyable experience for my students. In my free time I love being outdoors, either fishing or hiking.
Richard Wilkin
B.A.-History; P.G.C.E.-English; M.A.-Forced Migration Studies; M.A.-International Education
Greetings and salutations! My name is Mr. Wilkin and I am an Online Teacher of English and Social Studies at AK Grad. I've been in Alaska since 2018 after having lived overseas (South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and China) for 17 years. I've been in education for 18 years and have spent time in various roles including teacher, coach, principal, and head of school. I love spending time with my wife and children, outdoor activities, and pretty much all sports. I really enjoy working with students and seeing growth and development. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any queries you have.