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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2015)
S MOKE S IGNALS MAY 1, 2015 15 'This is totally about the kids' FLAG continued from front page KDQJWKH7ULEDOÁDJZLWKWKHPRQ- ey split evenly between academics and athletics. Johnson drew support from board member Ken Onstott, who said hanging the Tribal flag could be “semi-divisive,” but Johnson’s proposal also received incredulous comments from others in the au- dience. Johnson said in a later phone interview that the contract was something he mentioned as an idea. “I just kind of threw it out there just as an idea,” Johnson said. “Personally, I think that Old Glory there, the United States of America ÁDJSUHWW\PXFKFRYHUVHYHU\ERG\ KHUHDQGWKDWVKRXOGEHVXIÀFLHQW … Some part of me is, you know, if we starting hanging that flag in there, then what other group is JRLQJWRZDQWWRKDQJDÁDJ"$UH we going to hang a German flag LQWKHUH"$UHZHJRLQJWRKDQJD 6ZHGLVKÁDJLQWKHUH"$UHZHJRLQJ WRKDQJD6SDQLVKIODJLQWKHUH" And that is why I kind of believe WKDWWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVÁDJFRYHUV us all, I think, fairly well.” According to a recent interagen- cy agreement between the Grand Ronde Tribe and the Willamina School District, 267 out of the dis- trict’s 852 students – 31.4 percent – identify as Native American. Forster said some attendees at the April meeting, as mentioned by Johnson, wondered why the 86ÁDJLVQRWVXIÀFLHQWWRFRYHU every student attending district schools while others countered that the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is a sovereign Indian nation, one of nine federally recognized in Oregon. Forster said he personally has no RSLQLRQRQWKH7ULEDOÁDJUHTXHVW “It’s the board’s decision,” he said. Elsewhere in Oregon, school dis- tricts near Tribal sovereign nations with substantial populations of Native American students display the nearby Tribe’s flag in their facilities. In the Pendleton School District, where 22 percent of the students self-identify as Native American, WKH8PDWLOOD7ULEDOÁDJKDQJVLQ the high school gym and at Sun- ridge Middle School. A spokesper- son said the district hopes to have WKH8PDWLOODÁDJÁ\LQJLQDOOÀYHRI its elementary schools by the end of this school year or the start of next. In Madras, the Jefferson County School District serves 2,900 stu- dents, 33 percent of whom self-iden- tify as Native. “We do hang the Confederated 7ULEHVRI:DUP6SULQJVÁDJLQRXU facilities,” said Superintendent Rick Molitor in an e-mail. “The &7:6ÁDJLVIRXQGLQRXUVFKRRO board of directors’ board room, our gym at Madras High School and it ÁLHVDORQJVLGHWKH$PHULFDQÁDJDW the front, in the gym and in every classroom at the Warm Springs K-8 Academy.” Although the Tribe does not pay property taxes on trust or reserva- tion land, it does monetarily sup- port the Willamina School District in many other ways. The interagency agreement between the district and Tribe allocates up to $20,000 to the Wil- lamina School District annually for the purpose of funding a school GLVWULFWSURMHFWIRUDVSHFLÀHGFDO- endar year. Tribal Council recently approved an $8,300 donation to purchase and LQVWDOODWUDFNDQGÀHOGVFRUHERDUG at the high school. During the most recent round of Willamina school bond elections, full-page ads supporting the mea- sures appeared numerous times for free in the Tribal newspaper, Smoke Signals. A full-page ad costs $435. Since 1997, the Tribe’s philan- thropic arm, Spirit Mountain Com- munity Fund, has awarded nine grants worth $577,875 to the Wil- lamina School District. The most recent, $50,000 awarded in 2011, helped fund a six complex classroom/ multipurpose building on the school district’s Oaken Hills campus. In March, the Tribe’s Dental Clin- ic staff examined 211 Willamina students during the Give Kids a Smile Day event. Half of the stu- dents who were screened for cav- ities, had their teeth cleaned and UHFHLYHGDÁXRULGHYDUQLVKZHUHQRW Native Americans. The Tribe also has provided a Tribally created curriculum on Grand Ronde history that is being taught to fourth-graders in the school district and Tribal employ- ees teach Chinuk Wawa language classes at the high school, helping Native students satisfy their sec- ond language credit requirements. Because of the Tribe’s interest in working collaboratively in govern- ment-to-government relationships, WKH*UDQG5RQGH7ULEDOÁDJQRZ ÁLHVDWWKH6WDWH&DSLWROLQ6DOHP and at the University of Oregon in Eugene and Western Oregon Uni- versity in Monmouth. “This is totally about the kids,” Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno said. “As a lifelong resident of Willamina, it’s not about the Tribe purchasing a relationship with the school district, it’s about the kids.” Johnson said that he wants to meet with Tribal representatives to discuss the relationship between the Willamina School District and the Tribe and to better understand ZKDWÀQDQFLDODLGWKHGLVWULFWFDQ apply for from the Grand Ronde Tribe. He added that he did not ZDQWWKHSRVWSRQHPHQWRIWKHÁDJ decision to be interpreted as being anti-Tribe or anti-Native American. “I think that what we wanted to do, the reason we did not vote on it, is because we wanted to kind RIGLVFXVVWKLVDQGNLQGRIÀQGRXW some more information of what’s out there,” he said. “It was just put to us as a vote and we hadn’t heard anything about it. We didn’t know anything about it until we got our board packet. We hadn’t heard any inkling that this was going to maybe come about. That’s the reason we tabled it, so we could ÀQGRXWVRPHPRUH,VWKHUHPRUH schools that have Tribal flags in WKHLU VFKRROV" :KDW SURFHVV GLG WKH\JRWKURXJK"<RXNQRZNLQG of check all of our avenues to make sure that whatever decision we go with that we’re doing it correctly on correct information. … I just want to make sure that we’re doing the right thing.” Fasana, who made the original request, is a graduate of Willamina High School and parent of a current student. “I was extremely shocked and disappointed in the board’s reaction to my request,” she said. “I look forward to providing the board with information that may address their questions or concerns. I am hopeful we can reach a resolution to the matter at the next board meeting.” The May 12 meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the district library. Q 7KHFRPPXQLW\LVLQYLWHGWRDIUHHHYHQW 6WULGHLQ+HU0RFFDVLQV WULG GHLQ+ +HU0R RFFDVVL 6DWXUGD\0D\ QG G ² DP – Sign-up at the CTGR Tribal Gym During registration enjoy free T-shirts while supplies last. ² – Stride in Her Moccasins will start (less than 5km walk) ² – Prizes for best costumes, fastest times, snacks at the CTGR Tribal Gym Interactive game “In Their Shoes” set- up during registration for community members to better understand issues facing our community. 3DUWLFLSDQWVDUH HQFRXUDJHGWRGUHVV XS0DOHVGUHVVDV IHPDOHVIHPDOHV GUHVVDVPDOHV DNDPXVWDFKHVDUH HQFRXUDJHG Questions or concerns contact: Anne Falla 503 879 1660 or Kendra Steele 503 879 1921 7DNHPLQXWHVRI 7DNHPLQXWHVRI\RXUWLPHWRVKRZ\RXU 7DNH PLQXWHV RI \RXUWLPHWRVKRZ\RXU FRPPXQLW\VXSSRUWDJDLQVWGRPHVWLFDQG FRPPXQLW\VXSSRUWDJDLQVWGRPHVWLFDQG FRPPXQLW\ VXSSRUW VH[XDOYLROHQFH VH[XDOYLROHQFHE\ZDONLQJLQWKHRWKHU KDOYHVVKRHV WůĞĂƐĞƚĞůůƵƐǁŚĂƚLJŽƵƚŚŝŶŬ ĂďŽƵƚĞƋƵĂůĂĐĐĞƐƐƚŽKKdĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚŝŶŐŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚŝĞƐ͘ tĞ͛ƌĞůŝƐƚĞŶŝŶŐ͘ KKdŝƐĐŽŶĚƵĐƚŝŶŐĂƐƚƵĚLJĂŶĂůLJnjŝŶŐǁŚĞƚŚĞƌŵŝŶŽƌŝƚLJͲ ĂŶĚǁŽŵĞŶͲŽǁŶĞĚďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐŚĂǀĞĞƋƵĂůĂĐĐĞƐƐƚŽ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚŝŶŐŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚŝĞƐǁŝƚŚŝŶKƌĞŐŽŶ͛Ɛ ƚƌĂŶƐƉŽƌƚĂƚŝŽŶĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚŝŶŐŝŶĚƵƐƚƌLJĂŶĚǁŝƚŚKKd͛Ɛ ŽǁŶĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ͘dŚĞĨŝŶĚŝŶŐƐǁŝůůŚĞůƉƵƐŽƉĞƌĂƚĞƚŚĞ ĨĞĚĞƌĂůŝƐĂĚǀĂŶƚĂŐĞĚƵƐŝŶĞƐƐŶƚĞƌƉƌŝƐĞWƌŽŐƌĂŵ͘ ,ĞƌĞ͛ƐŚŽǁLJŽƵĐĂŶďĞŝŶǀŽůǀĞĚ͕ ĂƐŬƋƵĞƐƚŝŽŶƐĂŶĚƐƉĞĂŬƵƉ͗ x sŝƐŝƚŽƵƌǁĞďƐŝƚĞ͗ǁǁǁ͘ŽĚŽƚĚďĞƐƚƵĚLJ͘ŽƌŐ x ĂůůŽƵƌŚŽƚůŝŶĞ͗ϱϬϯͲϲϲϬͲϴϴϲϱ x ŵĂŝůƵƐ͗ŝŶĨŽΛŽĚŽƚĚďĞƐƚƵĚLJ͘ŽƌŐ KƌĞŐŽŶĞƉĂƌƚŵĞŶƚŽĨdƌĂŶƐƉŽƌƚĂƚŝŽŶ Ad created by George Valdez Paid ad