Smoke Signals
MARCH 15, 2008
Oregon Superintendent off Public Instruction
addresses Indian Education conference
Castillo says Native students doing better, but room remains for improvement
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Oregon Superintendent of Public
Instruction Susan Castillo praised
Native American educators for the
improvement of Native students in
state schools on March 6 during the
33rd annual Oregon Indian Educa
tion Conference held on the Tribal
campus in Grand Ronde.
Castillo, head of the state Depart
ment of Education, said that Native
American students' scores have "im
proved considerably" in reading and
math at the fifth- and eighth-grade
levels over the last five years.
"They have made steady progress
over time," Castillo said during her
lunchtime speech.
However, she said that high school
graduation rates among Native
American students in Oregon have
been "somewhat fiat" and that the
dropout rate, although better than
a decade ago, is still too high.
She said Oregon Native Ameri
can high school students scored 14
points over the national average
in reading and five points over the
national average in math when
taking the SAT test.
"But only 272 (Native) students
took the exam in Oregon," Castillo
said about the college-prep exam.
"We can do better.
"The trend is positive and you're
making a difference in the lives of
students you serve. We are on the
right track."
The Oregon Indian Education
Conference, "Walking in Two
Worlds: Integrating Culture and
Education," featured 30 breakout
sessions on March 6 and a general
assembly and business meeting
on March 7. About 120 attendees
stayed at Spirit Mountain Lodge
and were transported to the Tribal
gymnasium and Education Build
ings for the conference.
Among the breakout sessions,
which covered diverse educational
topics affecting Native American
and Alaskan Native students,
was "Dig Deep: Canoe Families in
Your Community" by Grand Ronde
Cultural Education specialist and
Tribal member Travis Mercier.
Other breakout sessions were
"Language Immersions in the Grand
Ronde Community" by Tribal Cul
tural Resources Education Coordi
nator Tony Johnson and "Enhancing
Educational Success" by Tribal
member Jackie Leno Grant, chair
woman of the Oregon Indian Coali
tion on Postsecondary Education.
Among other topics Castillo cov
ered during her 30-minute speech
before conference attendees was the
lack of a Native American special
ist within the state Department of
Education.
Pat Darcy (Siletz) asked Castillo
why, since Oregon Tribes have a
government-to-government rela
tionship with the state, there isn't
a Native American specialist in her
department.
Castillo firmly laid the blame
on the state Legislature and Gov.
Ted Kulongoski for not
funding the position or
making it a priority.
"We need to have
a fully funded posi
tion there," Castillo
said. "We need a re
ally strong, united
voice" directed at
state legislators and
the Governor's Office
to make it a reality,
she said.
"We had some really
good Tribal lobbyists
working with us dur
ing the last legislative
session," Castillo said.
"They tried to help us
with this. It looked like
we would get it until
the very end."
Castillo also com
mended Grand Ronde
Tribal Scholarship
Coordinator Luhui
Whitebear (Chu
mash) who, along
with her brother,
Mt. Hood Communi
ty College freshman
Che Butler (Siletz),
raised the issue of Native mascots
at Oregon schools.
Castillo complimented them on
their "passion and persistence in
tackling this issue." She said the
state Department of Education was
in the process of seeking more input
from Oregon Tribes before it "moved
ahead decisively" on the issue.
"My hope is that next year I will
have definitive answers on how to
move ahead," Castillo said.
Whitebear told Castillo that she
was concerned about a backlash
from their effort, saying that some
I
if
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Member Chris Bailey, Youth Education high school lead, shakes hands with Susan
Castillo, Oregon Department of Education's Superintendent of Public Instruction, after giving
her a necklace after she spoke during the 33rd annual Oregon Indian Education Association
Conference March 6 in the Tribal gymnasium.
schools were singling out Native stu
dents and asking them their opinion
on Native-themed mascots.
Castillo said that she was
not aware of the backlash, and
thanked Whitebear for informing
her about it.
Castillo also said she supports
efforts to incorporate Native Ameri
can culture and history in Oregon
school curriculums, citing the
department's effort to promote the
teaching of indigenous languages
and allowing that knowledge to
meet the Oregon college require
ment for learning a second lan
guage in high school.
Castillo also encouraged conference
attendees to contact their congressio
nal representatives to fight for more
Title VII (Indian Education) funding,
which she said was "flat."
"If you know a personal story, tell
it to them. It makes a difference
and they'll fight for every dollar,"
Castillo said.
Before Castillo spoke, Siletz
Tribal Elder Darelle "Dino" Butler
delivered the conference's keynote
speech. D
Johnson named Indian Educator of the Year
Grand Ronde Cultural Educa
tion Coordinator Tony John
son (Chinook) received the Indian
Educator of the Year award at
the 33rd annual Oregon Indian
Education Association Confer
ence held March 6-7 on the Tribal
campus in Grand Ronde.
Johnson has been working
for the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde since 1997.
"Ultimately, I assume I re
ceived the award for my work
with the Chinuk Wawa lan
guage," Johnson said.
Johnson, 37, attended the Uni
versity of Washington in Seattle
and Central Washington Univer
sity in Ellensburg, Wash., earning
a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in
metal smithing and a minor in an
thropology. He holds an American
Indian Language teaching license
in the state of Oregon.
"It was absolutely shocking,"
Johnson said about winning the
award. "It was a genuine sur
prise. In terms of things I've been
awarded in the past, it is hugely
Tony Johnson
significant
to me."
Johnson
cited two
influences
his father,
Gary, who
worked for
many years
in Indian
education
in Johnson's
home commu
nity of Willapa Bay in southwestern
Washington state, and Yakama
Tribal Elder Virginia Beavert, a flu
ent speaker of the Yakama language
and a role model for Johnson.
"We've been long-term friends and
she has won the equivalent award in
Washington," Johnson said. "I used
to joke with her that I'd like to win
an award like that when I'm in my
80s. ... It was truly an honor."
In addition to Johnson, Grand
Ronde Scholarship Coordinator
Luhui Whitebear (Chumash) was
named Outstanding Volunteer of
the Year.
Whitebear, 28, has been work
ing for the Tribe for five years in
May. She has a bachelor's degree
in ethnic studies from Oregon
State University.
Other award winners at the
Indian Education Association
Conference included:
Wanda Nukusuk (Cherokee),
who lives in the Coos Bay
area, was named Outstanding
Indian Elder of the Year.
Sarah Meade (Coquille) was
named Outstanding Indian
Student of the Year.
Cathy Russell, who works for
the Lincoln County School Dis
trict, was named Outstanding
Administrator of the Year.
Lillian Yasana (KlamathMo
doc) was named Higher Educa
tion Student of the Year.
Among 12 2008 Pepper Me
morial Student Achievement
Award winners were Grand
Ronde members Katherine
Warren and Jessica Stryker.
They received $200 awards to
continue their education.