Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
March 18, 2015
Page 3
Cultural Night at Academy
A Head Start farewell after 32 years
L eah Henry has worked
with a couple of generations
of Warm Springs youth. She
started working at Head Start
almost 32 years ago.
She has a picture of her-
self from the 1980s receiv-
ing her Child Development
Associate certificate. In the
picture are young Head Start
students. One of the children,
a 3-year-old, would grow up
to be the mother of Leah’s
grandson.
“I never would have
thought at the time that this
child would grow up to my
grandson’s mom,” Leah was
saying the other day.
She decided to retire from
Head Start last week. The
Early Childhood Center staff
held a retirement part for
her. She’ll miss her co-work-
ers, she says, “And I’ll really
miss the children, and the
families.”
Leah thought about retiring
on July 5, which would be the
thirty-second anniversary of
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
MayAnne Mitchell gives Leah Henry the certificate of
appreciation for 32 years of service. The Pendleton
jacket was a gift from her co-workers.
her joining Head Start.
But circumstances were
such that she decided to re-
tire on March 11. She’s going
to use her free time helping
her 18-year-old granddaugh-
ter raise Leah’s new great
grandson, who is 3 months
old. And she is focusing on
staying healthy.
Leah started working at
Warm Springs Head Start in
1983, when the War m
Springs founder program
Coty Soules was the director.
“She gave me a good work
ethic,” Leah says. “She taught
us how to work with chil-
dren.”
Coty also taught her teach-
ers to encourage parents to be
advocates for their children,
a philosophy Leah still lives
by. “We have to speak up for
our children,” she says.
Leah mentions one of her
memorable accomplishments:
“I’m a college graduate be-
cause of Head Start,” she says.
She took classes at Central
Oregon Community College,
and graduated in 2002, walk-
ing with her classmates at the
graduation ceremony. “I
didn’t graduate high school—
I got my GED—but I’m a
college graduate,” Leah says.
Leah was a Head Start
teacher for many years. Her
most recent job at ECE was
as the family-child service
coordinator.
The first Cultural Night
and Fair at the War m
Springs Eagle Academy is
set for this Thursday,
March 19.
This is an opportunity
for students and families
to learn about the culture
of Warm Springs.
A light dinner will be
served at 5 p.m., with ac-
tivities until 7. There will
be a dance performance at
7 p.m.
Head Start closing for week
Head Start at the Early
Childhood Education Center
will be closed Monday
through Friday, March 23-27
for spring break. This will
also be a time when workers
will be replacing the heating,
ventilation and air condition-
ing (HVAC) system at ECE.
The system had not been
working properly for some
time, requiring closure on
some days this past winter.
Spring break Fun Camp coming up
Warm Springs OSU Ex-
tension, Family and Commu-
nity Health, and 4-H are host-
ing a Kids Fun Day Camp
next Wednesday, March 25,
during spring break.
The camp will be from 10
a.m.-3 p.m. This is for ages
8-12. Please arrive early to
complete paperwork. There
is a limit of 15 youth. To learn
more call 553-3238.
Dave McMechan
April training, seminar on abuse prevention
A nationally known ex-
pert on child abuse pre-
vention will visit the Con-
federated Tribes in April.
Corey Jewell-Jensen,
M.S., will provide training
for the local professionals
who work with children
and families. This will be
at Kah-Nee-Ta on April 10
from 8:30-5 p.m. A semi-
nar for the public will be
from 6 to 9 p.m. that day.
Jewell-Jensen is the co-
director of the Center for
Behavioral Intervention in
Beaverton. She has
worked with adult sex of-
fenders for over 25 years,
and has provided training and
consultation to numerous or-
ganizations include law en-
forcement and child advo-
cacy.
She has testified as an ex-
pert witness in state and fed-
eral courts, received crime
prevention awards and was a
featured guest on the Oprah
Winfrey Show.
One in four girls, and one
in seven boys will be sexually
abused before their 18 th birth-
day. “By taking the time to
lea about sex offenders, you
will be joining a growing num-
Activities bus:
(Continued from page 1)
The Tribal Council has
been working on a perma-
nent solution to funding the
activities bus. Councilman
Carlos Smith is an advocate
of having the school district
fund the bus.
There is a question at the
school district about whether
the district could fund just a
ber of parents and profes-
sionals who are becoming
better educated about child
molestation and the ways in
which we can stop this
crime.”
The April 10 training and
seminar is titled, “Protecting
You Child: Advice from Child
Molestors.” There is some
graphic content, as the pre-
sentation includes videotaped
interviews with convicted sex
offenders, and graphic discus-
sions about sexual crimes.
Participants with personal
history of abuse are encour-
aged to have support avail-
2132 Warm Springs St., Warm
Springs - ph. 541-553-1597
Call 541-
615-0555
4202
Holliday St.
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back in service
Warm Springs activities bus,
without also providing buses
to Metolius, Ashwood and
other outlying communities,
said school district superin-
tendent Rick Molitor. There
is no funding for that many
buses, he said.
Tribal attorney Howie
Arnett reported to the Tribal
Council that in his opinion
able. Children and teens
should not attend.
To register to attend the
professional training or the
parent presentation, please
contact the Warm Springs
Community Counseling
Center at 541-553-3205.
If you have questions,
please contact Sonia Amlin
at the center.
The training and semi-
nar are sponsored by
Community Counseling
and the Portland Area IHS.
Transportation options are
available. April is Child
Abuse Awareness Month.
KWSO.org
there would be no legal rea-
son why the school district
couldn’t fund the activities
bus for Warm Springs.
The number of students
from Warm Springs who at-
tend the high school is signifi-
cant—about one-third, Arnett
said. The distance is also rela-
tively far from the high
school to Warm Springs, jus-
tifying the activities bus, he
said.
In past years the Johnson
O’Malley Committee pro-
vided funding for the MHS-
Warm Springs activities bus,
but Johnson O’Malley fund-
ing is no longer available for
this service.
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541-475-2370
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‘We would like to thank all our
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4202
Holliday St.
Call 541-
615-0555
ph. 541-
475-3157
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915 SW Highway 97 - Across the Madras Truck Stop