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ELECTION DAY, SEPT. 9
september 1, 2023
Grand Ronde
Education Summit
draws record
attendance
Graduated
By Dean Rhodes &
Katherine Warren-Steffensmier
Smoke Signals staff members
T
he Grand Ronde Education
Summit returned to Spirit
Mountain Casino’s Events
Center on Friday, Aug. 25, and saw
record attendance with more than
250 educators registered to attend.
The summit, now in its seventh
year, seeks to educate educators
about the history of the Confeder-
ated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
The summit opened with an
invocation delivered by Tribal
Council member Brenda Tuomi
and welcome from Tribal Council
Secretary Michael Langley follow-
ing a welcome announcement from
Curriculum Specialist Cheyanne
Heidt.
“Education and continuous learn-
ing is something that my grandfa-
ther preached the importance of
and I feel it in the very marrow of
my bones,” Langley said. “… I can’t
help but look at this program in
front of many of you today and look
at the results of the investments
we have made in education as a
Tribe. Look at those biographies. I
am so proud of our youth who have
Mawich teacher
Christina Lacaden
gets a hug from
Paisley Smith,
5, during the
graduation
for the Tribe’s
Early Childhood
Education Program
Mawich and Shayim
preschool classes
held at Uyxat
Powwow Grounds
on Thursday,
Aug. 17. Nineteen
children graduated.
@SmokeSignalsCTGR
@ctgrsmokesignals
@SmokeSignalsCTGR
See SUMMIT
continued on page 10
2023
Annual
Contest
Powwow
pullout
edition
inside
Packed powwow
Tasina Bluehorse participates
in grand entry of the
2023 Grand Ronde Contest
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Powwow at Uyxat Powwow
Grounds on Friday, Aug.
18.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Emergency Services employees honored for saving a life
By Dean Rhodes
Publications coordinator
W
ILLAMINA — On Saturday, May
20, a man estimated to be in his
60s went to Spirit Mountain Casino,
probably hoping to have the time of his life.
By 11:32 p.m., he was laying on the floor of
the main tables game pit, suffering from sud-
den cardiac arrest and hoping that someone
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
would save his life.
And, according to Tribal Emergency Services
Chief Steve Warden, the odds of him surviving
were not good. Well, at least based on Warden’s
years of experience.
“In almost 50 years of public safety, I’ve
See HONORING
continued on page 8
Grand Ronde Emergency Services Firefighter/Paramedic Geovanni Jacobo, left, receives a certificate
from Emergency Services Chief Steve Warden during a ceremony at Station 28 in Willamina on
Thursday, Aug. 17. Jacobo and five other Emergency Services personnel were honored with
certificates and engraved commemorative pens for saving the life of a man who went into cardiac
arrest at Spirit Mountain Casino on May 20.