12
Smoke Signals
JULY 1,2013
Moreland graduates from Chemawa in three years
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signal ittiff writer
Nakoosa Moreland graduated
from Chemawa Indian School on
May 13, a year early, as salutato
rian with a grade point average of
3.8 out of a possible 4.0.
Nakoosa, 17, served on Grand
Konde Royalty, ending as Senior
Miss, for many years.
She favored English, she said,
"because the class is more involved"
rather than math where lectures
are more the rule. "Whatever I do
in the future," she says, "I'll need
good English."
The Chemawa system offered ex
tra classes and Nakoosa took more
classes than she needed - an extra
two each semester.
And the last semester, Nakoosa
was a class short and her family
made sure she got to Chemeketa
Community College every Saturday
morning to pick up that last class.
"She dug in and decided, 'My gosh
I can graduate a year early,' " said
her mother, CeCe Kneeland. "She
was very determined and motivated
to do it. She had a lot of discipline.
And I'm so proud of her."
"I'd heard about students gradu
ating early my freshman year,"
said Nakoosa. "A couple of seniors
graduated a year early, and I de
cided I also wanted to graduate
early. It just made sense to me to
start college early. I told my mom
at end of sophomore year.
"At first, everyone was like, why
would you want to? But then, I
started talking to my family, and
they thought it would be the best
thing for me to do. Just like stabil
ity. It would be better for me to go
right to college."
After an Internet search, she
settled on the University of Minne
sota, Morris campus. "I didn't want
to go to an all-Native college," she
said. "I was at a Native school for
three years, and I wanted a differ
ent atmosphere."
The college, with about 20 per
cent Native students, also was
an old Native American boarding
school, like Chemawa.
Nakoosa was part of a program
called Advancement Via Individual
Self-Determination, with the acro
nym, AVID. AVID students signed
"a contract" promising to graduate
with all the other members of the
program.
"I felt bad about graduating
early," she said. She hesitated to
tell her adviser, who she thought
would be let down by the news, but
Nakoosa said, "She was fine with
it. She wanted to know about my
college plans.
"It was like a college prep course. I
started out freshman year. The class
taught you how to be a good student
with note-taking, problem solving,
how to answer the question without
knowing everything about it."
The school atmosphere this year
was "all about change," she said.
"We got Apple iPads to learn
different ways in the classroom.
We were taught to be more than
we thought we could be, and to get
along with each other."
It was in early summer in 2012
that the school chose 60 students to
& r I
&
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Nakoosa Moraland recently
graduated from Chemawa Indian
School in Salem one year early,
finishing high school in three years.
She was salutatorian of her class.
come back to Chemawa early.
"The idea was to bring the stu
dent body more together, and so
move the school forward in a better
way," Nakoosa said.
Groups formed with tutors. Stu
dents were put together with oth
ers they may not have associated
much with.
"At first, all of us were really
mad," Nakoosa said. "The first day,
everyone was super mad because
we were told that it was about
sports. It was about sports, and
leadership and the educational
side to it."
The program included online
classes, from which Nakoosa chose
Algebra II, maybe the hardest class
she took at Chemawa.
"I passed with a C," she said. "My
last report card was all As and one
C."
Nakoosa said that socially, Che
mawa was not all that different
from public and private schools,
with cliques and peer pressures,
and if you are thinking of becoming
a substitute teacher there, watch
out. In addition, she said, "Rumors
travel so fast there."
For all that, Kneeland said that
though she had some doubts in the
beginning, the school turned out to
have some wonderful benefits.
"Chemawa does offer very unique
opportunities for young Native
American students to interact
together and learn together and
share with one another. I thought
it was a wonderful benefit.
"I'm just looking for her to do well
in whatever vocation or occupation
she does choose," Kneeland said.
"She has it in her that she wants to
get her education and I think that's
wonderful. Nobody can give that to
you, and nobody can take that away
from you.
"She's been such a blessing in my
life. She's the youngest and I'm just
happy and pleased. She has a lot to
offer and she's just been a wonder
ful, beautiful daughter."
Nakoosa is due at the University
of Minnesota on Aug. 28. B
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Tribal Council merlin
Kathleen Tom
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Wawa Pus'Tsnas
Speaking for Children
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kamfor ifca child!
History
I am for the child knowing the history of the
Grand Ronde Tribe
I am for the child knowing their individual
family's history
I am for the child knowing how far Tribes,
including Grand Ronde, have come
XT
To learn about participation opportunities within CTGR CASA, contact Angela Fasana
at503-879-2303orangela.fasanagrandronde.org
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