Anvil City Science Academy has a new principal

Anvil City Science Academy is starting the school year under new leadership. Ayden Wickman is a musician, a cat owner and ACSA’s new principal. He’s excited for the year to come and looks forward to learning about the school’s traditions and the community around it.
Wickman is from upstate New York and comes to Nome after four years in Savoonga as a middle school teacher. Before that, he taught middle school back east. Moving to Savoonga in 2022 was the first time he had ever set foot on a plane. 
After four years as a middle school math teacher in upstate New York, Wickman started to feel antsy. He got home from work one day and was browsing job websites when he saw an advertisement to teach in Alaska. “Without telling my wife, I clicked apply, and a day later I got an interview,” he said. He got offered the job – in Savoonga, on St. Lawrence Island – the day after that.
He and his wife decided to make a go of it, just for a year. They ended up staying four. He taught middle school math, 6th grade social studies, was a tech lead, a team lead and a principal intern.
In Savoonga, there is a mentality that everyone contributes. “There’s this attitude that what needs to get done just gets done,” said Wickman. “I found myself leaning into this leadership role more and more of just like, ‘Hey, I can help with this, I can do this, I can do that.’”
After being encouraged by coworkers, he decided to give administration a shot. Wickman said it takes a different set of skills than being a teacher. If he has the right crew, he can influence the whole school to be a place where kids feel accepted and like they belong. “We’re here because we all want to improve ourselves and improve the future of the country, of Alaska, of Nome,” he said.
Wickman holds a bachelor’s degree in childhood education and two master’s degrees – one in instructional design and one in educational leadership. He earned his Master’s in Educational Leadership from University of Alaska Southeast.
It was in this program that he met Nome-Beltz Assistant Principal Holly Harlow. Harlow showed Wickman and his wife around Nome one Christmas when they were passing through to head back to New York for a visit. That tour got them hooked on Nome. 
“It opened our eyes to see what Nome could actually be,” he said. “It’s really nice having these creature comforts.”
A philosophy of Wickman’s is stability – for students, for other educators, for the school community. He describes his leadership style as leading with “high warmth and high expectations.” Kids will learn better if they know what to expect when they walk into their classrooms. “People behave well, and people feel safe when they know what is expected of them and what is expected of the environment,” he said.
Wickman understands that Anvil City Science Academy is a unique school with traditions. “I also want to make it a fun place. I want it to be encouraging and inviting,” he said.
“Another thing that I really like to try this year is to have more teamwork with the other two schools in our district,” he added. “I’m really looking forward to working with the admin team of the elementary school and Beltz.”
ACSA’s principal position is a hybrid principal/teacher position, so Wickman will also be teaching middle school math. “I’m looking forward to it because I get to keep one foot in education,” he said. “I get to live and breathe those practices that I truly believe in.”
ACSA’s annual campout is coming up, and Kawerak, Katirvik Cultural Center and Norton Sound Health Corporation’s Behavioral Health Services will be coming out to do cultural activities with the kids, connections he wants to continue to build upon in his tenure. “This year, our focus is the world around us,” he said. “We’ll go out and just be in the land and experience that education outside.”
Outside of education, Wickman and his wife have two cats named Fiske and Bodhi and a betta fish named Striker. He enjoys playing music and would love to join a band if one is looking – although he can’t promise he’ll have loads of time.
What does Wickman want community members to know? He’s excited. “I think it’s going to be a great year, possibly the greatest year of all time,” he said. “I’m here for you. I’m here to work with the people of Nome. I’m here to further kids’ education, and I’m here for a good time.”