TRIBAL MEMBER NEWS
Siletz Youth Inspires Native
Infant-Toddler Play Group
Antoinette Washington, also known
as “Noni,” was the inspiration for the
founding of the Native Intant-Toddler
Play Group in the Portland area, loeated
at Portland State's Native American
Community Center.
When Noni was about 3 years old.
Tina Baldemero (Nonie’s stepgrandma
and guardian) wanted a place where
Noni could play with other American
Indian young children. Tina gathered
together a few people who shared her
vision and they all went to work.
They recognized that families with
infants and toddlers often felt isolated
and unsupported, and they wanted a
playgroup for children to provide a
community that would create a circle
of care and opportunity for the multi-
generational nurturing of our young
Native children.
Through the work and efforts of
Tina, Chuck Hunt, Susie Kirschner,
PSU’s Native Community Center and
student group (UISHE), and other com
munity volunteers, the playgroup be
came a reality.
Parents, grandparents, and families
began bringing their babies, toddlers
and small children once a week to meet
in a specially designed developmental
and Native cultural play area. The
Antoinette "Noni" Washington
playgroup meets every Wednesday
from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
In May 2007, the playgroup sponsored its first Children and Family Pow-
Wow at PSU’s Native American Community Center. It was an overwhelming
success with so many families and children attending.
A special moment was taken to honor Noni/Antoinette, since she was the
initial inspiration for this wonderful playgroup. You can see Noni (above) decked
out in her new regalia in which the Siletz Culture and Heritage Fund provided
assistance to purchase the necessary supplies and materials for Tina to make her
regalia. (Thank you, Selene Rilatos and Clay Arden, for your help with this.)
Thanks to all the wonderful people who through their grassroots efforts have
made this playgroup possible.
14
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Siletz News
•
July 2007
F Salem Stampede Basketball Camp
i
Coming to Siletz
July 7,2007
Siletz Valley School Gyms
10 a.m. - Grades 3-6
Noon - Lunch
1 p.m. - Grades 7-12
3:30 p.m. - Fun Game
5 p.m. - Barbeque
I
For more information, contact Jen Metcalf at 541-444-8267.
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Wisdom Attends
NASA Institute
by Tiffany Wisdom
The NASA Pre-Service Teachers
Institute was held at the NASA Johnson
Space Center in Houston, Texas. Dur
ing this week of intense learning, I
made new friends, developed new cul
tural and standard-relevant lesson
plans, and toured the space center.
Professors from the Aerospace
Space Academy, San Jacinto College,
and the NASA Education Staff taught
us (26 college students) inventive ways
to introduce science, math, and tech
nology to our students.
Teachers today are faced with align
ing every lesson with state and national
standards and making them fun and
interactive. Resources were given,
such
as
http://mathforum.org,
www.netlabs.net, www. busy teachers
cafe.com, and www.nasa.gov.
I came back with new lesson ideas,
a free digital camera, jump/flash drive,
and memory card. NASA funds the
entire trip and awards stipends for all
students accepted into the program.
Did you know that, “In public
schools with high Native American
enrollment, only 16 percent of teach
ers are Native American?’’* American
Indian students all over the country
need you as their role model and mentor
- the one you never had growing up.
The NASA PSTI is looking for fu
ture minority teachers. They accept stu
dents going into their senior year or
who have just graduated from a school
of education. If you are going to col
lege to become a teacher and are inter
ested in attending the NASA PSTI,
please contact me at tiffany.wisdom@
yahoo.com or log on to http://
research.nianet.org/psti/index.html.
You can go to the NASA site that
is closest to you (California, Texas,
Virginia, etc.) for the one- to two-week
program. If you are in another field of
study, NASA also is recruiting for acad
emies, fellowships, and internships.
NASA also provides opportunities
for school-age children. Log on to
www.nasa.gov/education for all the
information on elementary to pre-
doctoral programs with NASA.
I would like to thank my profes
sors - Lynn Beets, Jackie Boyd, and
Tiffany Wisdom at Apollo Mission
Control (National Historic Land
mark) at the NASA Johnson Space
Center in Houston, Texas.
Tiffany Wisdom and Leland D.
Melvin, astronaut, at the NASA
Johnson Space Center. Mr. Melvin is
going into space Dec. 6. 2007 (visit
www.nasa.org to see the launch).
Dr. Russell Blackbird - for their sup
port. Thank you, God. for keeping me
safe through all my journeys and praise
you for the wonderful people you put
in my life. May God bless my family
and my friends.
Hvm'chi-
Tiffany (Stuart) Wisdom
Teacher Candidate, c/o 2008
Haskell Indian Nations University
(www.haskell.edu)
National Indian Education Assoc.
Board of Directors member
www.niea.org (NIEA Conference
2007 - Honolulu. Oct. 25-28)
* Manuelito. Kathryn. 2003. Building a
Native Teaching Force: Important Consid
erations. Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearing
house on Rural Education. ED482324. Quot
ing C. Billy, A Personal Story: Race and Educa
tion, Tribal College Journal of American In
dian Higher Education 11 (Winter 1999): I0-I I.