Page 4
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
COCC
graduates
June 22, 2016
Working toward new
education agreement
The 2016 graduation ceremony
at Central Oregon Community
College included the
Commence Speech, made this
year by Mable Jackson (right).
Among the graduates was
Merlin Tom (below), 3.6 gpa
and two degrees. The COCC
Class of 2016 included 43
Native American students.
Photos courtesy Gina Ricketts/COCC
Leanne Wolfe at COCC Commencement (left); and
(above) at the COCC Multicultural Ceremony the
night before graduation: Mabel, COCC Native
American Program Coordinator Gina Rickets, and
the Tribal Councilwoman and Culture and Heritage
director Valerie Switzler (from left).
The Confederated Tribes,
BIA and school district 509-J
are working this summer
toward a new inter-agency
education agreement. The
agreement is a multi-year
agreement that guides the
district education services to
the tribal youth.
The current agreement,
reached in 2011, expires this
summer, and the Education
Committee, the community
and Tribal Council have been
developing a new proposal.
The
proposed
new
agreement contains provisions
with specific goals and
measures of accomplishment,
said Ardis Smith, teacher and
Education
Committee
member. This is intended to
address some vague terms of
the existing agreement, she said.
The
proposed
new
agreement, for instance, would
provide
for
greater
infor mation sharing as to
student
perfor mance,
attendance, drop-out rates,
expulsions and suspensions.
Some other proposed changes:
The school district board,
the Tribal Council, BIA agency
superintendent, and invited
guests would meet three times
each year. The purpose of
these meetings would be to
evaluate how the agreement is
working, address possible
amendments,
promote
collaborative communication,
and work toward a yearly joint
education report.
The draft agreement
suggests that the school district
board hold their regular
meeting one-third of the time
in Warm Springs, as about a
third of the district students are
tribal members.
Proposed MOU
COCC student pursuing career in film
Amanda Henderson is just fin-
ishing her second year at Centra
Oregon Community College. She
plans to transfer to Portland State
in the fall, where she’ll major in
Film.
Amanda graduated from Ma-
dras High in 2013, and thought
that going immediately into the
workforce would be boring. She
loves to experience and learn new
things, so higher education was a
must.
“I’ve always been interested in
film,” Amanda was saying recently.
“There is something amazing
about bringing a person’s imagina-
tion to life.
“A film is a story for everyone
to see and experience with others.
Siting in a movie theater with com-
plete strangers—yet you all have
this moment in life where you are
there to share a journey. Film has
the power to change people’s lives
because, at its core, it is storytelling.
I am a sucker for a good story.”
Throughout her life Amanda
has been told that many of her
dreams were wrong, or that they
would fail. But she persisted, and
has gone farther in life by ignoring
their opinions.
Still, there were times it seemed
like those people were right. Even-
tually, she found more motivation
and the stubbornness needed to
ensure that her dreams would come
true.
Her favorite quote is from ac-
tor Tom Hiddleston who said,
“Never, ever, let anyone tell you
what you can and can’t do. Prove
the cynics wrong. Pity them, for
they have no imagination. The sky’s
the limit. Your sky. Your limit.”
Amanda lives by that mantra.
When asked if she had an idea
for a first film, Amanda happily ex-
plained that multiple ideas are lined
up. Her ideas ranged from exciting
chronicles of superheroes to a story
about brothers growing up on the
road. Although Amanda has plenty
more stories in mind, she plans to
release them in film rather than
confine her creativity to words on
a page.
“College can happen, even if
you take time off. College isn’t that
scary, and there’s a 60-year-old in
one of my classes, which is cool.
“You don’t have to have your
whole life figured out. Change ma-
jors if you don’t feel like being a
foreign relations major anymore…
STRIVE for Native students
Summer Training to Revive
Indigenous Vision and Em-
powerment— STRIVE—is a
residential summer program for
Native American high school
students in Central Oregon.
STRIVE is from July 15-17
at the COCC Bend Campus.
Students take culturally appro-
priate classes from college pro-
fessors in a variety of subjects,
and work with successful Na-
tive college students.
It is open to students with at
least a 2.0 GPA in high school,
incoming freshmen through se-
niors. It’s free for all students.
For information contact Gina
Ricketts at COCC 541-318-
3782.
be that Film Studies major or un-
declared major. Join that Gamers
club or Native American Student
Union. Meeting other people with
similar interests makes the experi-
ence less nerve racking. You will
spend countless hours, weeks,
months and years in college learn-
ing new things, so why not enjoy
the time here.”
At college, she says, there are
important numbers to add to your
phone are:
Campus Safety, just in case you
need their help. Your advisor’s
number and email, so you can talk
to them when scheduling classes
comes around. And the Financial
Aid office.
“Read the syllabus,” Amanda
says. “It is important to understand
and handy to keep with you. Col-
lege is a time to experience new
things and to learn more about who
you are as a person.”
We expect to see Amanda on
the Red Carpet in a few years—so
get your autograph now!
Tribal scholarship
requirements
To students plan going to college:
Some of the tribal scholarship
requirements include:
1. Apply for FAFSA.
2. Submit a copy of your high
school diploma and official tran-
scripts or GED with test scores.
3. Acceptance letter.
4. Tribal scholarship application
is due July 1 annually.
For more information or assis-
tance please stop by Higher Educa-
tion Office, Room 306, Top floor
of the Education building or call
541-553-3311.
Here are some other provi-
sions, as set out in the draft
agreement:
The cultures and languages
of the Confederated Tribes are
unique, and the school district
and the BIA have the respon-
sibility to act together with the
tribes to ensure the survival of
these cultures and languages...
The Confederated Tribes
possess a special status that rec-
ognizes distinct cultural and
political rights, including the
right to continue separate iden-
tities. The traditional languages
of the Warm Springs, Wasco,
and Paiute people are an inte-
gral part of their cultures and
identities and form the basic
medium for the transmission
and thus survival of the tribe’s
cultures, literatures, histories,
religious, political institutions
and values.
There is convincing evident
that student achievement and
performance, community and
school pride and educational
opportunity is clearly and di-
rectly tied to respect for, and
support of the Native lan-
guages, and is needed for the
full academic and human po-
tential...
Curriculum: The school
district and tribes will collabo-
rate to create and implement
k-12 historically accurate, cul-
turally embedded, place-based,
contemporary, and develop-
mentally appropriate Native
American curriculum, assess-
ment tools, and instructional
materials that are aligned with
the Common Core State Stan-
dards and state standards...
The input of tribal member
parents, students and commu-
nity will be encouraged through
the tribes’ Education Commit-
tee...
Native Club: The school
district shall sponsor a Native
Club for all students in grades
6-12 who desire to participate.
The district will provide
data on minor and major re-
ferrals, expulsions, suspensions,
attendance, number of stu-
dents below, at, or exceeding
benchmarks or grade-level
quarterly to the tribal Educa-
tion Committee....
The above are just some of
the provisions in the proposed
agreement. You can read the
full text by contacting the Edu-
cation Committee, 541-553-
3290.
The next school district
board meeting is coming up on
Monday evening, June 27.
See page 8 for more school
district discussion.
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