Students go book shopping at Ahfachkee School Education by Beverly Bidney - April 3, 2020April 3, 2020 BIG CYPRESS — Books about elephants, tigers and other animals took over the Ahfachkee media center as the Scholastic Book Fair, Jungle version, encouraged students to shop for books from March 9 to March 13. The school has two book fairs each year, one in the fall and the other in
Original Ahfachkee building demolished Community News Top News by Beverly Bidney - April 3, 2020April 30, 2020 Built in 1991, the original one-story Ahfachkee School building has been demolished to make way for a larger one. Demolition of both the classroom building and the science classroom building began March 5 by Pirtle Construction Company, which built the middle and high school building. The two buildings were 22,000 square feet
Students learn to live off the land in Ahfachkee’s traditional garden Community Education News Top News Top Story by Beverly Bidney - April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 BIG CYPRESS — Ahfachkee students have realized the fruits, and vegetables, of their labor in the school’s traditional garden and have reaped the benefits in the form of healthy meals. The school’s large garden, which features many traditional Seminole crops, is tended by students with some help from traditional preservation program
Tribal students travel to Hawaii for Close Up Asia Pacific program Education Top News by Beverly Bidney - April 1, 2020April 10, 2020 It took a journey about 5,000 miles from home for a group of Tribal students to understand first-hand how international diplomacy works, and sometimes doesn’t. Twelve students from Big Cypress, Brighton, Hollywood and Immokalee attended the Close Up Asia Pacific program held in Honolulu, Hawaii from Feb. 15 to 21. The program
Native Learning Center offers podcasts, webinars online Community News by Beverly Bidney - March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 HOLLYWOOD — For those sheltering at home and practicing social distancing, there is only so much internet browsing and television watching one can do before cabin fever really sets in. Luckily, the Native Learning Center (NLC) is ready to step in to expand minds through podcasts and webinars on a
Close Up USET postponed until fall Community News by Beverly Bidney - March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 Another casualty of the coronavirus is the Close Up / USET Impact Week program, which had been scheduled for March 16-19. The good news is that it is tentatively rescheduled for Sept. 27-Oct. 1, according to the Close Up Foundation. The cancellation has impacted students and parents who were looking forward to
‘No More Stolen Ancestors’ campaign urges return of Seminole ancestral remains Community News Top News Top Story by Beverly Bidney - March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 BIG CYPRESS — The Seminole Tribe’s effort to get 1,496 ancestral remains back from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) continues after more than eight years of trying. The repatriation effort, led by the Native American Graves Protection from Repatriation Act Committee (NAGPRA), from within the Tribe’s
Egmont Key trip evokes ‘sadness and sense of pride’ for Seminoles Community News Top News Top Story by Beverly Bidney - March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 EGMONT KEY — When about 40 people – mostly Seminoles – braved the cold air and the Gulf of Mexico’s choppy seas to visit an island near the mouth of Tampa Bay on Feb. 29, they were stepping back into a critical chapter in the Tribe’s history. In what was essentially
Indian Country deals with coronavirus Community News Top News Top Story by Beverly Bidney - March 19, 2020March 19, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on Indian Country, including the Seminole Tribe, which has taken numerous steps to protect community members, employees and guests at its businesses. Tribal Council declared an emergency closing of Tribal offices effective March 16 until further notice. Some Tribal businesses are partially operational. Here’s a rundown
First PECS Creek immersion program kids now in kindergarten Community Education Top News Top Story by Beverly Bidney - March 3, 2020March 3, 2020 BRIGHTON — In August 2015 an innovative program began at the Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School with the goal of creating Creek speakers from infancy. With only about 30 or 40 fluent Creek speakers in the Tribe, time was of the essence. Initially, the Creek immersion program was housed in the Creek Language