Siletz news /, February 01, 2016, Page 9, Image 9

“Montessori helps my community.” Theresa Smith – Primary Student
From the Montessori Northwest news-
letter in Portland, Ore; originally posted
October 2015
I am a member of the Siletz Tribe in
Oregon and I began college when I was
28 years old. My love of children led me
to major in child and family studies with
a focus on early childhood education and
administration of programs and services.
I also earned a degree in psychology
with a focus on human development. Cur-
rently, I am taking my primary training at
Montessori Northwest.
The Portland Public Native Montes-
sori School was opened in the early 2000s
and it is where I did most of my practicum.
My children were also enrolled there.
We were all saddened when the pro-
gram ended around 2007 due to lack of
funding. When I learned in 2014 that it
was opening again, I left my existing job
to become their educational assistant –
anxious to be a part of the phenomenal
potential it could have for our community.
Only half of Native American popu-
lations earn their high school diploma.
Courtesy photo
Theresa Smith
These statistics are not accurate, however,
for the grown children that attended the
Native Montessori School. Their love of
learning was planted early and although
they come from different family structures
and socioeconomic status, they will all
have the same outcome – success.
I am training at Montessori Northwest
because I want to be a part of this future
success within my community. Helping
bring Montessori into our public schools
is my path to helping my Native American
community succeed.
Sundance Institute selects 4 Native filmmakers for Full Circle Fellowships
LOS ANGELES – Sundance Insti-
tute recently announced the four 18- to
24-year-old American Indian filmmakers
– three from the Southwest and one from
Michigan – selected for the 2016 Full
Circle Fellowships.
This program develops and supports
young Native filmmakers and is part of the
institute’s year-round support for Native
artists at all stages of their careers.
The Full Circle Fellowship Program,
launched last year with support from the
W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is a year-long
program for 18- to 24-year-old American
Indian filmmakers.
The fellowship began with attendance
at the annual Native Forum at the 2016
Sundance Film Festival in January in Park
City, Utah. Throughout the year, fellows
will be mentored by esteemed indepen-
dent filmmakers and creative advisors.
The 2016 Full Circle Fellows are
Megan Babbitt (Diné), Taylor Bennett-
Begaye (Diné), Devin Weekley-Dean (Sagi-
naw Chippewa) and Shaandiin Tome (Diné).
“Through the Full Circle Fellowship
we build on our longstanding mentorship
and support for three generations of Native
filmmakers by focusing on the emerging
fourth generation and ensuring these
young artists have the tools and resources
to share their stories,” said N. Bird Run-
ningwater (Cheyenne/Mescalero Apache),
director of Sundance Institute’s Native
American and Indigenous Program. “We
look forward to a year full of creativity,
collaboration and inspiring experiences
with these very talented artists.”
The 2016 Native American and Indig-
enous Program Full Circle Fellows are:
Megan Babbitt (Diné) is from Flag-
staff, Ariz., and currently is a student at
Northern Arizona University (NAU) as
a creative film and media major with an
emphasis in media production. Her inter-
est in film began when she was 8 years old.
In high school, she founded the Nin-
jacorn Films Workshop. Initially centered
on teaching filmmaking to her siblings
and friends, it has grown into an annual
week-long summer workshop focusing on
film production.
She has participated in her high
school’s Emerging Filmmakers Program,
NAU’s Native American Broadcast work-
shop, NAU’s campus-based broadcast chan-
nel UTV62 and Paper Rocket Productions.
Taylor Bennett-Begaye (Diné) is a
graphic designer from the Navajo Nation
in New Mexico. She completed her associ-
ate of arts in digital arts and general stud-
ies at Mesa Community College in Mesa,
Ariz., and also played on the women’s
soccer team.
Currently, she is finishing her final year
at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo.,
where she will receive a BA in graphic
design and a minor in socio-cultural
anthropology. She also spent five months
studying abroad in Viterbo, Italy, and
exploring eight other European countries.
In her free time she is a designer for
the Survival of the First Voices Festival
and works with Native youth.
Devin Weekley-Dean (Saginaw Chip-
pewa) is from Mount Pleasant, Mich. Grow-
ing up, he attended an all-American Indian
grade school and has been acting since the
first grade in shows at his local theater.
In high school, he developed a passion
for film through a TV and radio course.
With the encouragement of his teachers,
he formed a video production team with a
group of friends that has since gone on to
win a state competition for video produc-
tion by Business Professionals of America.
Shaandiin Tome (Diné) resides in
Albuquerque, N. M. She recently gradu-
ated cum laude from the University of
New Mexico with a BFA in film and
digital media production.
Her work in filmmaking has included
small roles in major motion pictures
and key positions with documentaries
in Montana, Washington, Arizona and
South Dakota.
The Sundance Institute Native Ameri-
can and Indigenous Film Program is
supported by the W.K. Kellogg Founda-
tion, Time Warner Foundation, Surdna
Foundation, Ford Foundation, Native
Arts and Cultures Foundation, SAGIndie,
Comcast-NBCUniversal, and Cindy and
Alan Horn.
Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford,
Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organiza-
tion that provides and preserves the space
for artists in film, theatre and new media
to create and thrive.
The institute’s signature labs, granting
and mentorship programs, dedicated to
developing new work, take place through-
out the year in the U.S. and internationally.
The Sundance Film Festival and other
public programs connect audiences to
artists in igniting new ideas, discovering
original voices and building a community
dedicated to independent storytelling.
Sundance Institute has supported
such projects as Beasts of the Southern
Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The
Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars,
Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide
to Love and Murder and Fun Home.
Join Sundance Institute on Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
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call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)
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February 2016
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Siletz News
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