8
S MOKE S IGNALS
JANUARY 15, 2015
Education briefs General Council
Tribe off ers a lifetime of
opportunities to learn
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
The Tribe’s Education Depart-
ment offers educational oppor-
tunities to Tribal members from
preschool through graduate school,
interim Education Department
Manager John Harp said during a
briefi ng of the membership at the
Sunday, Jan. 4, General Council
meeting held in the Community
Center.
Harp said current Tribal students
range from children attending
preschool to a 72-year-old Elder
pursuing a college degree.
The Tribe’s Education Depart-
ment is made up of several divi-
sions – Early Childhood Education,
Youth Education and Post-Second-
ary/Higher Education.
Harp said about 40 children are
currently enrolled in Head Start
and 23 are in the K-5 Chinuk Wawa
Immersion Program. About 15 to 25
Tribal youth in sixth through 12th
grades take advantage of Youth Ed-
ucation’s afterschool offerings and
about 80 students receive tutoring
assistance.
Harp said more than 600 Tribal
members annually are enrolled in
Higher Education, seeking some
sort of post-secondary degree or
certifi cate.
Harp said the Education Depart-
ment added a new position in 2015,
a Family Services coordinator,
whose goal will be to help connect
Tribal families with area schools
to help improve attendance by and
teaching of Tribal students.
Harp said the Tribal Library is-
sued 105 new library cards in 2014
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
John Harp, the Tribe’s interim Education Department manager, gives an
overview of educational opportunities available to Tribal members during the
General Council meeting held in the Tribal Community Center on Sunday, Jan. 4.
and had 6,745 patron visits.
For 2015, Harp said the Edu-
cation Department seeks to hire
a new department manager, ex-
pand its recreation and fi tness pro-
gram and expand its kindergarten
through fi fth-grade program.
“And I hope to get my old job
back,” Harp said about fi lling in as
department manager and returning
to being the Continuing Education
coordinator.
After Harp’s presentation, Health
& Wellness Business Offi ce Manag-
er Tresa Mercier and Certifi ed Ap-
plication Assister Loretta Meneley
briefed the general membership on
the Affordable Care Act and how it
affects Tribal members.
By applying for alternative health
insurance through the act, which
is popularly known as Obamacare,
Tribal members are helping to save
Tribal dollars since the Skookum
Health Assistance Program is not
insurance. By having another fi rst
payer for medical expenses, the
Tribe can make its Contract Health
Services and Skookum funding go
further.
By applying, Meneley said, Trib-
al members in Oregon can either
qualify for the Oregon Health Plan
or obtain health insurance on the
marketplace. With a possible tax
credit depending on income, health
insurance could cost Tribal mem-
bers little or nothing.
“By enrolling in Medicaid, CHIP
(Children’s Health Insurance Pro-
gram) or a QHP (qualifi ed health
plan), we are helping the IHS
(Indian Health Service) and Tribal
providers by bringing precious re-
sources that can be used to care for
others in the Tribe,” Meneley said.
For more information about the
Affordable Care Act and how it
affects your situation, contact Me-
neley at 503-879-1359.
In other action, Eric Bernando,
Sean Gerbrandt and Elder Gladys
Hobbs won the $50 door prizes and
Lise Alexander won the $100 door
prize. Necklaces created by Tribal
Council member Jon A. George and
crocheted items donated by Veroni-
ca Gaston also were raffl ed off.
Duane Wheeler, Jenny Van Atta
and Julie Duncan were elected
to the Elders Committee. Voting
closed at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Grand Ronde Food Bank Coordi-
nator Francene Ambrose reported
that the new food bank at 9675
Grand Ronde Road received 514
pounds of donations during the
recent food drive, including 164
pounds of protein. She encouraged
any interested Tribal members to
volunteer to work at the food bank.
Ambrose can be contacted at 503-
879-3663 or fambrose@marionpolk-
foodshare.org.
Land and Culture Department
employees Jan Looking Wolf Rei-
bach and Brian Krehbiel opened
the meeting with cultural drum-
ming and singing to honor Tribal
veterans, and they were joined by
Jade Unger to sing a blessing song
for the Tribe’s ceremonial hunters.
Ceremonial Hunting Board
Chairwoman Marline Groshong
said about 30 Tribal members
perform the ceremonial hunts that
provide traditional game for meals.
In 2014, the hunters harvested four
deer and three elk, she said. Hunts
occur between January and August,
she added.
Groshong said the animal hides
are kept and made available to
Tribal members who want to use
them to make regalia.
The next General Council meet-
ing will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday,
Feb. 1, in the Community Center.
The meeting, in its entirety, can
be viewed on the Tribal website,
www.grandronde.org, under the
Video shortcut. n
SIXTEENTH ANNUAL TRADITIONAL WINTER
POW-WOW
HONORING NATIVE AMERICAN YOUTH AND STUDENT SUCCESS
A PROGRAM OF THE PCC SYLVANIA MULTICULTURAL CENTER
SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015
Sylvania Campus
Health Technology Building
12000 SW 49th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97219
971-722-4116
• General Public is Welcome
• Free Admission and Parking
• Raffle Prizes
• American Sign Language Available
• Native American Crafts and Food Vendors
pcc.edu/powwow
Doors Open at Noon
Children’s Activities: Noon–9 p.m.
College Fair: Noon–4 p.m.
Grand Entries: 1 and 7 p.m.
Community Dinner: 5:30 p.m.
Master of Ceremonies: Bob Tom (Confederated Tribes of Siletz & Grand Ronde)
Whip Man: Ed Goodell ( Confederated Tribes of Siletz)
Co-Host Drums: Bulls and Bears & Northern Blackhorse
Head Dancers: Harmony Paul & Victor Wilson
Color Guard: Northwest Indian Veterans Association
PCC Sylvania is a non-smoking campus.
Portland Community College is an Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity Institution.
If you have a disability that requires academic adjustments and services, please contact Disability Services as soon as possible for information regarding
eligibility and deadlines to receive services. Some accommodations require several weeks to put into place. Call 971-722-4341 or by Video Phone at 503-928-5875.
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