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