Smoke Signals 7
OCTOBER 15, 2011
Tribal youth crowned
Junior Miss Oregon Queen
Tribal youth Ayana Buxton, an 8-year-old
third-grader at St. John's
Lutheran Church in McMinnville, was
crowned Junior Miss Oregon Queen
2011-12 by Dream Girls USA on July
11.
Ayana will represent Oregon in the
2012 National Dream Girls USA pag
eant to be held in June in St. Louis, Mo.
She also will be featured in the 2012
American Dream Model magazine. .
Ayana performs community service
at Osprey Memory Care in McMinnville
and helps raise money for St. Jude's
Children's Hospital, works with Pen
nies for Presents and is involved in the
Kit Kat Recycling Club at her school.
She is the daughter of Tribal mem
ber Robert Buxton and granddaughter
of Duane and Tribal member Jeanna
Buxton.
"The Dream Girls motto is 'Don't
Just Dream It, Do It!'" says Jeanna. "This is not a glitz pageant. They seek
real girls with big goals. Show your personality plus! Keep it real and be
yourself! This can be the key to your success. A contestant is judged on
real beauty. Nothing fake is allowed. We, her family, are so proud of her
and wish her the best." H
Recycle Center moved
The Recycle Center has been moved temporarily to 9675 Grand Ronde
Road. For more information, contact Tribal Facilities Manager Michael
J. Larsen at 503-879-2407. D
- Mb a
Ayana Buxton
Plankhouse celebration set
The Tribe will celebrate the one-year anniversary of the opening
of Achaf-Hammi the Tribal Plankhouse from 1 to 10 p.m. Sat
urday, Oct. 15, in the Plankhouse near the Tribal Powwow Grounds
off Hebo Road.
There will be a dinner followed by a giveaway, and a full day of
sharing, visiting and celebrating the Grand Ronde community.
All are welcome to attend.
For more information, contact Tribal member Bobby Mercier at
503-879-2076. B
Fischer started working for the
school in the dorms as a matron
ELLEN continued
from front page
forged her way through and made
it. She's a real dedicated employee
and we really appreciate what she
does for the school."
However, Fischer says she has
not "really done much since I re
tired. That's why I wanted to go
back to Chemawa. I was involved
with the kids. I liked being there."
Fischer started working for the
school in the dorms as a matron,
she said.
"I went back to college and got
a degree in Special Education in
1990, and then worked in the Spe
cial Ed Department," she said.
Being somebody who knows the
school, the staff and students as
she does, Fischer seems a perfect fit
for the position. Still, she said that
when she was selected, "I was very
surprised (to get position)."
Tribal Council supported Fisch
er's efforts with a letter to the
school, a requirement of the appli
cation process.
Fischer said she appreciated the
support.
"I did go in and thank the council,"
she said. "They get all the complaints,
but never get compliments for what
they do; or very rarely. I thought that
would be very nice to let them know
that I appreciated it."
"We know that she will represent
us well as she has a deep passion
and commitment for the children
of Chemawa," said Tribal Council
member Kathleen Tom.
In addition to the business of
budgets, the board this year also
will be working with a new Parent
Committee, a five-member board
that will advocate for the students,
Fischer said.
"When Ellen was there," said
Claymore, "she always was a wom
an with integrity and always very
professional. I'm looking forward to
working with her as a school board
member."
Fischer has lived in Grand Ronde
for the last 25 years. B
Oosasfcsir pirasGke
Photo by Michelle Alalmo
Malinda Rial is tended to by Spirit Mountain Casino Security Officers
and First Responders Julia Boswell and Jeff Hanas during a Fira
BrigadeSecurity Mass Casualty Incident drill at tha casino on Tuesday,
Oct. 1 1.The drill's scenario involved a pickup crashing Into the
Playworld building, rupturing a natural gas pipe, releasing gas and
causing an explosion in tha kitchen area of tha building. Rial was a
volunteer who played an injured passenger in tha pickup and other
volunteers had injuries of varying degrees from tha kitchen explosion.
Also, REACH, an air ambulance helicopter based in Corvallis, flew in
to take part in the drill and teach tha fire brigade members and first
responders about their services.
Writing competition
seeks Native entrants
The 201 1 Native Women & Youth in Ag Annual Writing Competition,
sponsored by the Department Agriculture and Intertribal Agriculture
Council, is seeking essays from Native youths on "What Should Indian
Agriculture Look Like 25 Years From Now?"
The competition is open to Native youth in ninth through 12 grades
in the fall of 2011, as well as high school graduates between May and
August of this year. Entrants must be members of a federally recog
nized Tribe.
Essays can be three to six pages in length, include three to five sen
tences about the author, be typed with one-inch margins and double
spaced, have 12-point font and three to five sources.
They will be judged on creativity, quality of sources and grammar,
spelling and punctuation, organization of information, length and
documentation of sources.
Entries must be accompanied by a separate sheet containing the
student's name, address, phone number, e-mail, school and Tribal af
filiation. Three finalists will be announced in November and provided with a
paid trip, including one chaperone, to the 2011 Intertribal Agricultural
Council annual meeting to be held in Las Vegas, Nev., Dec. 5-9. Final
ists will receive other special prizes and be required to read their essay
at the awards luncheon.
Entries must be postmarked by Nov. 4 or e-mailed to Native Women
& Youth in Ag, do Vicki Hebb, Executive Director, P.O. Box 217, Cherry
Creek, S.D. 57622, orVicki.hebbindianaglink.com, RE: NWYIA essay
contest.
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CULTURAL GATHERINGS
NOV. 5: YONCALLA POWWOW AND CULTURAL GATHERING. Yoncalla High School,
292 5th St. YONCALLA, OR.
NOV. 19: RESTORATION CELEBRATION POWWOW. Chinook Winds Casino Event Cen
ter, 1 777 N.W. 44th St. LINCOLN CITY, OR. 1 -800-922-1 399, ext. 1 230.
NOV. 22: 28th CTGR RESTORATION CELEBRATION. Former Grand Ronde Middle
School. GRAND RONDE, OR. 503-879-1418.
DEC. 3: LCC POWWOW. Lane Community College Gym (Bldg. 5), 4000 E. 30th Ave.
EUGENE, OR.
If you or anyone you know has information on cultural events happening, Smoke Signals would
be glad to list it in our Cultural Gatherings. Please e-mail newsgrandronde.org or write to
Smoke Signals, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347.