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MARCH 1, 2016
Honors in Education 2014-15
By Leslie Riggs
Education Manager
It has been an incredible seven months. I
started in this position in February 2015 and
my feet have yet to touch the ground. It has
been a lurry of activity that does not seem to
be letting up anytime soon.
To say that I have enjoyed myself would
be an understatement. I am surrounded by
a group of individuals doing, in my opinion,
some of the most important work of the Tribe.
Education changes lives. It has most certainly
Leslie Riggs
changed mine for the better and I am grateful
for all of the opportunities the Tribe affords
for those who are here, those who came before and those who are
yet to come.
I am not going to say too much. I am going to let the people doing
the hard work speak for themselves. However, I want to take this
opportunity to say hayu masi (many thanks) for all of the great work
that has been done and how thankful I am to have such wonderful
people working in Education.
Part-Time College Program – 2015
Educational Opportunities Abound
By John Harp
An opportunity for lifelong learning – that
is a primary objective of the Part-time College
(PTC) program.
The PTC program is available to all Tribal
members aged 18 or older, regardless of resi-
dence or inancial need.
The PTC program supports Tribal members
while they attend college-credit classes, usually
on a part-time basis. The program also can be
used by students pursuing graduate degrees.
Coursework is generally through regionally
John Harp
accredited non-proit community colleges and
universities – providing an opportunity for per-
sonal and professional development that leads to self-suficiency, economic
independence and lifelong learning.
Recently, the maximum funding levels available in this program were in-
creased. Using Tribal funds, this program supports participants with payment
of tuition, fees, textbooks and required supplies.
Qualiied applicants enrolled at a two-year college are eligible for up to $1,600
per term or $2,400 per semester. Undergraduate students at four-year colleges
and universities are eligible for up to $2,400 per term or $3,600 per semester.
Graduate students can receive up to $3,200 per term or $4,800 per semester.
For the 2014-15 academic school year, there were 365 student enrollments
by 204 individual Tribal members living in 15 states. The PTC program had
a successful completion rate in excess of 90 percent during the past year.
When eligible, many program participants will coordinate beneits with
the Tribe’s other Higher Education programs, and this coordination between
Education Division programs helps ensure the most comprehensive support
possible to participating Tribal members. Career Information Services and
educational counseling and advising are available to all program participants.
Applications to the PTC program can be submitted at any time throughout
the school year, but the completed application packet must be received no less
than before the start of any school term.
For more information on the Part-Time College Program or to receive an
application packet, please contact John Harp at 503-879-4591 or at 1-800-422-
0232, ext. 4591, or by e-mail at John.Harp@grandronde.org.
Family Services
The initial year of the Family Services pro-
gram proved very successful. Modeled after
the Self Enhancement Inc. organization, which
helps at-risk youth reach their academic and
personal potentials, the Family Services coor-
dination team of Audra Sherwood and Elaine
Lane-Raven sought to discover and eliminate
barriers to students and families in local aca-
demic settings.
Family Services staff met families in their
homes to identify what obstacles lay in their
children’s way of academic excellence. Rela-
tionships were built and parental input was the
Audra Sherwood
building block of the individual service plans
that were put into action.
Staff was able to assist families in numerous ways, including:
• Acting as liaisons for IEP meetings;
• Advocating at local schools for speciic student and/or family needs;
• Coordinating medical and mental health care for the child;
• Providing transportation services as needed;
• Providing training for family in areas of need and interest;
• Encouraging family participation in their child’s education;
• Providing tutoring nights in conjunction with Youth Education and Delphian
Honors S In moke
Education
Issue
S ignals
School, including a cultural component to
each night with the help of Joe and Alice
Martineau;
• Bringing educational activities into the
home;
• Providing special needs equipment for school
and home use;
• Ensuring families were aware of community
services available to them;
• And creating a lending library of books and
trainings.
Relationships with the local Willamina
School District also were forged and reinforced
Elaine Lane-Raven
through meetings, student observation in the
classrooms, collaboration, and a strong and consistent presence within the
school.
Highlights of partnering with school administration and staff included:
• Providing needed equipment for Life Skills classroom, including a commercial
stove/oven for students to practice cooking skills;
• Working with Disabilities staff to assist in purchase of items to help Tribal
students with special needs;
• Hosting training for WSD and Education staff to speak to speciic needs,
challenges and strategies for working with local youth;
• Helping WSD staff identify with parental points of view to aid in healthier
discussions to support student success;
• Contributing to design a memorandum of understanding with the Sheridan
School District;
• And two interactive literacy concerts at Willamina Elementary.
Speciic needs of the community that were revealed in the assessment process
also were vetted for solutions, including Elders and other relatives as parents,
literacy deiciencies and poor school attendance.
By collaborating with Polk County Family & Community Outreach, the
Family Services team have sent Elders to local trainings, put them in touch
with inancial, legal and emotional resources, and will be providing an eight-
week training and support group beginning in October.
A partnership with StORytime Oregon brought signiicant changes into the
Grand Ronde community in the area of literacy, including the installation
of 14 Little Libraries around the Tribe, the production and giveaway of 350
books written in the Chinuk Wawa language and three local literacy concerts
for children.
To date, the Little Libraries have been stocked with more than 2,300 books,
most of which have been donations from the community. A waiting list has
been created for those who did not receive the Chinuk Wawa books for when
the subsequent order arrives and discussions of future books to be created
are in the works.
Family Services staff members also have researched diligently to ind a
tracking system to aid Education staff in monitoring student attendance and
progress. This system will allow staff to see trends and make interventions
as necessary to ensure students receive the best services possible while in-
creasing outcomes.
Goals for next year include analysis of tracking system data to ensure ef-
forts are producing expected outcomes, strengthened cooperation in Sheridan
schools, exploration of strategies to increase math scores for students and
provision of services to more students and families.
By continuous work with students, families, schools and Tribal and outside
partners, the Family Services program’s ultimate objective is to bridge the gap
between home and school while continuing to meet families where they are.
Full-Time College – Bachelor Degree
By Bryan Langley
The Full-Time College program provides
funding for members of the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde who are attending college on
a full-time basis in pursuit of a bachelor’s de-
gree. There are no residency requirements, so
Tribal members across the country can access
the program.
Tribal Council has generously supported
the Higher Education program enabling us to
increase the maximum funding limit to $4,000
per term or $6,000 per semester.
To be eligible for funding, students must have
Bryan Langley
completed high school or have completed a
GED, applied for federal inancial aid by com-
pleting the FAFSA, been accepted for admission into an approved accredited
institution, be an enrolled Grand Ronde Tribal member and applied for at
least one scholarship.
Students are required to meet a minimum academic standard of earning a
2.0 GPA and full-time status per term. If students meet the academic standard
they are eligible to receive the funding each year up to a maximum of 15 terms.
Tribal funding is not intended to cover all cost for attending college. Members
are encouraged to apply for other scholarship opportunities. Members can
contact Mercedes Reeves for more information on scholarship opportunities.
Tribal members interested in the Bachelor Degree program should contact
Bryan K. Langley, Higher Education manager, at 503-879-2276 or bryan.
langley@grandronde.org for more information or to obtain an application.
Every year we have Tribal members who have completed their college de-
gree and are ready to enter the workforce or move on to an advanced degree.
This year was no different as we celebrated the accomplishments of 18 Tribal
members who earned a bachelor’s degrees.
Degrees earned ranged from business to accounting to social work to the
arts. Tribal members earned degrees from colleges in Oregon, Washington,
California and Iowa. The mission of education is simple, get educated, and
that is just what our members are doing.