S moke S ignals
september 15, 2014
9
Tribe hires Reeves as new curriculum specialist
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
The Tribe hired Tribal member
Mercedes Reeves, 25, as its new
curriculum specialist on Aug, 7, fi ve
days after she completed her one-
year Master of Education teach-
ing degree from the University of
Oregon.
Reeves wasn’t exactly an un-
known quantity. She has long
participated in Tribal programs.
For three years, two during her
undergraduate years at Western
Oregon University and for a year
after, she worked at the Tribe’s K-5
program.
Last year, for her student teach-
ing requirement, she taught the
pilot year of the Tribe’s fourth-
grade Tribal history curriculum at
Willamina Elementary School.
“She played an important role in
teaching the pilot year,” said her
supervisor, Bryan Langley, the
Tribe’s Higher Education man-
ager.
Reeves and others provided class-
room feedback to Trinity Minahan,
former curriculum specialist, who
was instrumental in developing the
fourth-grade curriculum. Minahan
then modified the curriculum to
improve its effectiveness in the
future.
This was the Tribally-devel-
oped curriculum, the fi rst Indian
history curriculum to meet state
standards.
Reeves’ experience made her a
great choice for the curriculum
specialist position recently vacated
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Mercedes Reeves is the Tribal Education Department’s new curriculum
specialist.
by Minahan, Langley said.
“Before student teaching,” said
Reeves, “I knew I belonged in the
education fi eld, but since student
teaching I have realized that it’s
exactly where I’m meant to be and
there isn’t any other type of work
that I’d rather be doing. I may not
be working with children directly
anymore, but I still feel like I am
contributing to their education
and creating material to empower
them.”
She said it was a “tough decision”
to give up the opportunity to have
her own classroom. “But once I
started to think about the bigger
picture and the role I could play
Land & Culture Department
Oral History Project
In honor of our Tribal Veterans, the Tribe would like to memorialize their
stories for our future generations.
Who:
All Tribal Veterans and their families
What: We would like to record your story for inclusion in the Tribe’s
cultural and historical collections.
Where: We have dedicated a room at Chachalu for recording oral
histories. It is set up for both audio only and video recordings.
Additionally we have mobile audio equipment for those who
wish to participate but are unable to travel to Chachalu.
How:
Contact Reina Nelson at 503-879-2226 to schedule a time to
record your history.
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Land and Culture Department
Chachalu: Tribal Museum and Cultural Center
8720 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347
Phone: 503-879-2226
Fax: 503-879-2126
E-mail: landandculture@grandronde.org
empowering our youth, I knew I
wanted this position,” she said.
As she enters the position, Reeves
already is thinking about develop-
ment of the eighth-grade curricu-
lum. “My major goal is to continue
Trinity’s hard work and distribute
the fourth-grade Tribal history
curriculum all over Oregon and
give educators the support they
need to teach this material and be
successful. And also, of course, to
create the eighth- and 10th-grade
Tribal history curricula, and have
it be just as great as the work that
Trinity produced.”
Before this year, Reeves said,
she hadn’t realized just how much
Oregon’s education system is lack-
ing in regards to Native American
curriculum and teaching youth
about local Tribes.
“Many students see Indians as
people of the past,” she said. “With
this new position, I am looking
forward to changing that percep-
tion.”
As a teacher, Reeves said, she
could be busy with many problems
at once. “When I was teaching, I
had to write an e-mail, tie a kid’s
shoe, comfort a crying child, eat my
lunch on the fl y and read 28 other
children a story, all at the same
time. OK, not really all of that at
the same time, but some days it
sure felt like it.”
Now, she says, she is challenged
to be at a desk most of the day.
“When you’re teaching, multi-task-
ing starts to become the air you
breathe. So, once I started this po-
sition I had to learn that it’s OK to
be at a desk working on one thing
at a time.”
Ongoing work is to keep the
fourth-grade Tribal history cur-
riculum moving all over Oregon and
support educators in successfully
teaching the material.
“As I start to think about the
eighth-grade curriculum I want
to take it in a new direction,” she
said. Her goal is to integrate Grand
Ronde’s history into other subjects,
not just history and social studies.
“There’s a wonderful opportunity
here to incorporate Tribal history
into math, science, music, art and
language arts,” Reeves said. “The
more you can incorporate culture
into a classroom the better, and if
we are able to create an authentic
and meaningful curriculum then
we should be doing it.
“By developing this Tribal his-
tory curriculum, we are presenting
teachers with material that will
empower their students and create
analytical thinkers.”
As she enters this position, she
very clearly sees the contributions
she can make.
“I bring a fresh and new out-
look and vision of what education
is becoming and what it can be.
Through my program at the Uni-
versity of Oregon, I was taught
various tools and resources to in-
corporate multicultural education
into the classroom with culturally
responsive pedagogy. I think I also
bring creativity and fun ideas to
the table.”
She is enjoying learning about
the history of her Tribe. “Since I
didn’t grow up around the Tribe
there’s so much I don’t know, so
this position is also teaching me a
lot,” Reeves said. “I hope to learn
how to extend my enthusiasm and
get other educators excited about
the movement in multicultural
education.”
Reeves grew up in Roseburg and
now lives in Salem. n
Public Safety Ordinance
Open for Comment
The Tribal Council, in consultation with the Tribal Attorney’s
Offi ce, is considering adoption of amendments to the Public Safety
Ordinance. The proposed amendments were given a First Reading
at the July 23, 2014, Tribal Council meeting.
The primary purposes of the proposed amendments are to (1)
transfer enforcement authority for public safety violations to the
Tribal Police Department; (2) incorporate provisions for permitting
concealed carry of fi rearms on Tribal lands; and (3) incorporate a
process for obtaining retraining and protective orders. The proposed
amendments may also include minor technical (i.e., typographical,
housekeeping) modifi cations.
The Tribal Council invites comments on the proposed amendments
to the Public Safety Ordinance. For a copy of the proposed amend-
ments please contact the Tribal Attorney’s Offi ce at 503-879-4664.
Please send your comments to the Tribal Attorney’s Offi ce, 9615
Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 or by e-mail to
legal@grandronde.org.
Comments must be received by Sept. 15, 2014. n