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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 1976)
3 School to Use New Units Next Year Many of you have been wondering what kind of facilities we are going to be using next year. The money has been released from the Commis sioner s office for rental of modular units, which will be located east of the present auditorium. They are in the process of adver tising for bids of modular units to accommodate 250 students for housing, cafeteria, recreation, and teaching classrooms. We will still retain the Gym, Academic III, lower portion of Vocational Arts, Auto Shop, the cold storage in the caf eteria, Administration Building, Club Building, and the Clinic. The modular buildings are nothing like you’d picture them to be. If you have ever been at Chemeketa and seen their facilities, this is some thing like what we will be using. They are really nice buildings. The whole thing will be like a giant jig-saw puzzle. The buildings will be shipped in on trains and somebody will have to put up the pieces. The facilities will be a lot better than what we are using now and are only temporary. This is only part of the first step* in getting our new school. We have come a long way but we’ve still got a long way to go. W e’ve still got The House, The Senate,*and the President to convince that we need a new school. We’ve stuck it out this far and we’ll make it the rest of the way. We have got to for the future of our Indian people. I read somewhere that the Federal Government will educate the Indians as long as the river flows and the grass grows. Well, we still got a lot of grass left. School starts Sep tember 13, 1976 at 8:00 A.M. Have a nice summer. Good-luck and Best Wished to the class of “ Nin- teen Hundred and Seventy-Six.” Vicki Penn From the Superintendent TO PARENTS, STUDENTS AND FRIENDS In this last issue of Chemawa American for this year I wish to express my appreciation to parents, students, staff and friends who have supported Chemawa Indian High School for what it represents - the education of Indian youth. This year Chemawa will graduate fifty stu dents. Congratulations! This school year was a most challenging year at Chemawa. We went through a period where it was extremely bleak. We thought that the doors of Chemawa were about to close permanently. However, with the leadership of the Area Office, Advisory School Board Members, Northwest Indian leaders, staff and students the tide was turned com pletely around to that of total support of Chemawa Indian High School that it was decided that the old worn out red buildings be replaced. “ Chemawa is on a long journey,” as Olney Patt, Sr. once mentioned, “ seeking partners to get new facili ties for Indian youth from the Pacific Northwest.” Indeed it was a most challenging year. The long journey has just started when the House Appropriations Committee, in its wisdom, saw fit to recommend that 5 million dollars be appropriated to start the initial phase for the total replacement of present facilities. In the interim period between now and when the replacement facilities are constructed the students will be housed in modular units for class rooms, recreational, homeliving, kitchen and dining room facilities. The modular units to be erected will be pleasant, comfortable and ade quately meet our needs on a tem porary basis until the total replace ment facility is completed. Our estimated projected timetablè for completion is calculated to be at least three years. It may be such that the temporary facilities may be an inconvenience; however, looking back to the first of this year we can only conclude that we have made a lot of progress at Chemawa. Out plans for the summer quarter are finalized. We will begin our summer quarter on June 6, 1976 and end July 30, 1976. Our .first quarter will start September 13, 1976 and this year due to the late starting date we will not have the one week break between the first and second quarters. These are a few changes that we are making. We will keep you informed if there are further changes that might be necessary. Best wishes for a nice summer. Edward Lonefight Superintendent
