For Mc Kerwin Niño Acdal, Alaska was a dream that started in childhood.
Growing up in the Philippines, he imagined the snow, the mountains, and the adventure of life in the north. In 2021, that dream became real when he arrived in Chuathbaluk to serve as principal of Crow Village Sam School. The first time he set foot in the community, he knew he’d made the right decision in coming here.
Mc Kerwin brought with him more than a decade of experience in education, including work as a special education teacher and lecturer. But what he found in Alaska was different: professional development opportunities that were immediate, intentional, and supportive. His district encouraged him to raise his voice, ask for what his school needed, and provided the training to help him lead. By 2023, he was recognized as an Alaska Reading Ambassador, a role he advocated for and one that has brought tangible improvement to his students and their community.
For Mc Kerwin, the work has never been just about academics.
As the longest-serving teacher many in the village have known, he has built trust in a place accustomed to transient educators. He joins families for berry picking and moose hunts, accepts invitations to birthdays and local meals, and brings his own food to share in appreciation. He sees himself as both learner and contributor, someone who is not only teaching in Alaska but also exchanging stories and traditions as a cultural ambassador for the Philippines.
His teaching style mirrors that blend of cultures. He uses project-based learning to connect math to real-life canteen transactions, science lessons to riverbank explorations, and journaling to the quiet details of the natural world. The result is a classroom that feels alive with relevance and wonder. He’s hosted outdoor science and math classes, studying the structures of plants or using natural life to practice addition and multiplication.