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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2023)
Spilyay Tymoo Coyote News, est. 1976 August 23, 2023 - Vol. 48, No. 17 August – Shatm – Summer - Shatm PO Box 489 Warm Springs, OR 97761 ECR WSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRT STD Warm Springs, OR 97761 District report as new school year starts soon An important question in a re- cent survey among students of the Jefferson County 509-J School District asks, ‘Do you feel like an important part of your school’s community?’ Reading the an- swers, as considered by race- ethnicity, the Native American students of the district have the most positive responses. Another survey question asks, ‘Do you enjoy school most of the time?’ Again, the Native students have the most positive responses— all good news from the recent 509- J Performance Indicators Dash- board student survey. “The personal and human con- nection is a big reason why students feel like they belong,” said Jay Mathison, 509-J district superinten- dent. At the Warm Springs Acad- emy, for instance, “Having Culture and Heritage there can make the students feel more at home.” And clearly, feeling good about being at school is one of the keys to improving attendance. Tribal Council met with the superinten- dent, the 509-J board and Warm Springs Academy principal for dis- cussion as the new school year is soon beginning. The performance numbers First of all and very noticeably: The 2022-23 school district Perfor- mance Indicators Dashboard data still reflects the impact of the covid. The pandemic abruptly inter- rupted the 2019-2020 school year, for which attendance numbers do not apply. And the data for the following three school years, through 2022- 23, shows the lingering impact of the early 2020 shutdown. An example is the overall regu- lar attendance rate for Jefferson County School District among stu- dents in kindergarten through the second grade, very formative years that can have long-term or perma- nent results. Warm Springs Academy Princi- pal Lonnie Henderson explained that some years ago, grades k-2 were more recreation-oriented for the students. This has changed, and k-2 are now education-oriented; so a student who is absent, even dur- ing these early grades, loses impor- tant learning time. For k-2 students of the district, before the pandemic, the ‘regular attender rate’—meaning no more than 12 absences during the year— was at 72 percent. When in-school classes for the most part resumed in 2020-21, the regular attender rate had fallen to 57 percent; then dropped again the following school year to 43 percent; followed by improvement last year to 52 percent—still an overall k-2 student attendance loss of 20-per- cent from pre-covid years. This is a serious issue—for 509- J and nationwide—because atten- dance is among the most important factors in whether a student will graduate and move on, Mr. Mathison said. See Schools on 5 Tribes refute state delegation of authority to the Grand Ronde The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has treaty-pro- tected fishing rights in the lower Columbia River and its tribu- taries, including the Willamette and Sandy rivers. Willamette Falls in particular is a very im- portant treaty-reserved fishery of the tribes. The tribes also have treaty-protected rights to hunt on unclaimed lands in west- ern Oregon, as tribal ancestors had done since time immemorial. Earlier this month, the Or- egon Fish and Wildlife Commis- sion voted to approve an agree- ment negotiated between state Fish and Wildlife and the Con- federated Tribes of Grand Ronde. The agreement claims to delegate certain state of Or- egon rights to the Grand Ronde tribe to co-manage fish and wild- life resources in areas protected by the Treaty of 1855 of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The state commission voted to approve the agreement de- spite the strong objection of the Warm Springs tribes, along with the other treaty-tribes of the Columbia River: The Yakama, Umatilla and Nez Perce tribes. “We are very disappointed,” said Jonathan Smith Sr., Warm The treaty tribes are presently evaluating the commission ac- tion, and determining the best response. Springs Tribal Council Chair- man. The tribes are presently evaluating the commission action, and determining a response. Councilman Smith and other tribal leaders believe the state Fish and Wildlife Commission “rushed’ its decision regarding its delega- tion of authority to Grand Ronde. The decision has the poten- tial to harm the tribes’ relation- ship with the state in serious ways that are not entirely clear. Warm Springs Council mem- bers, tribal fish and wildlife offi- cials, and members who regularly fish at Willamette Falls regret the state action, and the failure to engage in a timely and meaning- ful way with the Warm Springs and other treaty tribes of the Columbia River. The Warm Springs Council is committed to addressing the affront to tribal sovereignty in the manner that is in the best interest of the tribal members, and generations into the future. Classroom construction at the Academy D.McMechan/Spilyay Construction crews this sum- mer are working on the addi- tion to the Warm Springs Acad- emy. The work will last through the fall and early winter, as the construction completion date is in the spring. The project will add six new early-learning class- rooms. The plan at this point fore- sees the completion date in the spring of 2024, said Jay Mathison, district superinten- dent. The project—part of the $24 million district bond levy of 2021—is also adding an addi- tional parking lot at the school. The Academy construction has a budget of about $4 million. The Confederated Tribes and school district built the Academy cooperatively in 2013-14, after the membership voted 3-1 in favor of the school. The tribes and 509-J then shared equally the $10.7 mil- lion construction cost. The Academy was originally built to accomodate up to 750 stu- dents. It was apparent soon after that more space would be needed for classrooms, as some areas had to be temporarily re-purposed for some student activities. The new classrooms will help address the space needs at the school. Construction crew at the Warm Springs Academy. For dedicated staff at W.S. Clinic IHS Regional Office recognition for team effort during covid Along with his co-workers, Edison Yazzie was part of the Warm Springs Indian Health Ser- vice clinic team during the worst time of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the time of the highest stress, because no one yet knew anything about the virus except that it was very dangerous. And this was especially true for people in the health care field, who had to rely more than ever on co- workers and friends on the job. “We all helped each other,” Mr. Yazzie says. “We all tried to help lift each other, and keep the moral up.” Edison worked as the equip- ment repair and maintenance per- son at the clinic during covid. “I got to know everybody,” he says. “I could see how tired they were. It was a tough time. Some- times, maybe I tried to make people laugh, I don’t know.” His co-workers appreciated his attitude, how he kept things in per- spective, looking forward to bet- ter days. Experiences growing up, in the difficult boarding schools in Arizona, must have helped give him the strong and in time always positive view of life. D. McMechan/Spilyay Edison Yazzie, now working at transitional housing, with his IHS Award for Heroism, for his work at the clinic during covid. As the covid pandemic has calmed down, the people Edison worked with referred his name to the Portland Area office of the In- dian Health Service. And this month Cpt. Marcus Martinez, di- rector of the Portland Area HIS, awarded Edison with Director’s Award Covid-19 Pandemic Hero- ism. Edison, now working at the tran- sitional housing center, was surprised when he heard about the IHS award. “I guess it meant a lot to everyone,” he says of the co-workers who nominated him. “I want to thank the staff at the clinic for how they helped out here during the pandemic,” Edison said. He is one of among a number of people at the Warm Springs clinic who earned recognition awards for their work during covid. The Case Management team at the Warm Springs clinic, for in- stance, earned Portland Area IHS Award for Fostering relationships; the Warm Springs office of ac- counts receivable team, and the Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center Team 1 each earned the IHS Portland Area Director’s Award. More on the teams and individu- als, whose dedication during the pan- demic helped to save lives and keep people healthy, on page 4.