AUGUST 15, 2002
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A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe
www.grandronde.org
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A New Era In Tribal Education begins
New $6.8 million campus will house all of the Tribe's education programs.
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The Future IS NOW Tribal Education Director Marion Mercier greets guests at the Open House for the Tribe's new Education
Campus. Mercier thanked the Tribal leadership past and present, her staff and the staff of other Tribal programs that helped make the
dream of a new campus a reality. The Open House took place in the new gymnasium that his complete with a full-scale high school
basketball court, workout room, locker rooms and a performance stage.
By Peta Tinda
The new Grand Ronde Tribal
Education campus is for many, like
a dream come true.
With over 30,000 square feet of
space, the new campus is large
enough to meet all of the Tribe's
educational needs for the foresee
able future.
To a lot of Tribal members, it is
more than a building. It represents
the perseverance of the education
staff as well as the Grand Ronde
Tribe's dedication to education and
the future of the Tribe.
"Our Tribal Council is very gen
erous and supportive of the educa
tion division. This building is a trib
ute to their dedication to education.
It's very much a worthwhile invest
ment," said Tribal member Marion
Mercier, Tribal Education Director.
Gene Evans, Director of Commu
nications for the Oregon State
Board of Education, agrees.
"This is a tremendous asset to the
teachers and students," said Evans.
"A nice building is a visible illustra
tion of commitment. We here at the
board of education certainly applaud
that commitment."
The new campus lies just west of
the Tribal Governance Center in
Grand Ronde.
The campus is four buildings, each
with a specific purpose. There is the
adult education building, which
houses new classrooms, a library
and a small business center. There
is the pre-school and early child
hood building, which has a modern
playground and brand new class
room equipment.
The youth education building is
likewise brand new, with a computer
lab and recreational room for the
kids. The new gymnasium is a
thing of beauty, 13,000 square feet
of polished maple with a full color
Grand Ronde logo on the floor at
half court. The gym has a conces
sions area out front, two team lock
ers rooms and fully equipped weight
room. Light from the two large sky
lights reflect on the four coats of
urethane protecting the floor.
All of the classrooms have new
furnishings, tables, chairs and com
puters. The education building of
fers the latest in technology, engi
Eucation continued on page 6
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Tribal Youth Experience The Big Apple
Gary Guzman and Raymond Duran visit
Tomanowos, come away feeling it is sacred.
By Peta Tinda
"The meteorite was a lot bigger
than I thought it would be," said
Grand Ronde Tribal member Gary
Guzman, age 16, after spending
three weeks New York City with
Raymond Duran as part of an in
ternship program with the Ameri
can Museum of Natural History.
"It was a really fun experience.
I won't forget it," said Guzman.
The meteorite is Tomanowos,
otherwise known in the dominant
culture as the Willamette Meteor
ite, and is the largest ever found
in the United States. It is now the
centerpiece of the Cullman Hall
of the Universe in the museum's
Rose Center of Earth and Space.
Tomanowos was revered by many
Tribes. Native people believed
that it had healing powers and
that it represented the union be
tween the sky, earth and water
when rainwater would collect in
it's many basins. The meteorite
has long been considered sacred
and a source of good medicine.
The interns, too, felt a sense of
power when near the meteorite.
"We were pretty quiet around
it,' said Guzman. "Mostly I
thought about how it was sacred
to us and how we used to have
it."
Tribal Youth Education Spe
cialists Dustin Harmon and Rich
ard Sohappy accompanied the in
terns on their journey.
"With this trip we wanted to
broaden their horizons," said
Harmon. "And I think we did
that. It was good for them to see
other people and other's points of
view. I also thought it gave them
more confidence. Like Raymond
realized that he could make it in
a city that has millions of people."
While in the Big Apple, the in
terns worked on presentations for
Interns continued on page 5