Since its inception in the 1970’s, the Alaska Sea Week program promoted schoolwide thematic teaching about Alaska’s ocean and coasts, field trips, and an annual school and community celebration of the many ways Alaskans depend on, and contribute to, a healthy environment. This emphasis on getting kids outdoors to learn about their local environment is now well established as an effective way to engage students in science, an integrated approach to Science-Technology-Engineering-Math (STEM) education and other cross-disciplinary learning. The emphasis on place-based learning is an effective way to be responsive to the cultural diversity of Alaska’s students.