Winning students treated to winterfest fun in Big Cypress Education by Eileen Soler - February 20, 2013April 13, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Ahfachkee School students packed bleachers at the Herman L. Osceola Gymnasium to cheer, pound their feet and wave signs heralding peers as the best. But there was no athletic game on the morning of Jan. 31. It was the school’s Second Quarter Awards celebration for children who are
Ahfachkee senior accepted to prestigious Citadel college Education by Eileen Soler - February 20, 2013April 13, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Tylor Tigertail said he was told too many times to count that he would not amount to much. The Ahfachkee School senior is proving those people wrong. "To anyone who said I was not smart enough or tough enough to be among the few, the proud, the elite
Lorelei goes to Washington, D.C. Education by Eileen Soler - February 20, 2013April 13, 2015 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Very few people received an invitation to the Jan. 21 inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama. But one former Jr. Miss Florida Seminole from the Big Cypress Reservation was invited through a coveted spot among high school scholars worldwide at the High School Presidential Inaugural Conference. And when
Ahfachkee School students turn values into artwork Education by Eileen Soler - February 20, 2013April 13, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — A teacher’s desire to use visual aids in the classroom has evolved into an awe-inspiring student art project. "There was no intention of becoming big," said Jarrid Smith, Ahfachkee School’s Seminole Government and Leadership teacher. "When it all began, I told the students that I had no way
Storm’s art makes impact at Museum Community by Eileen Soler - January 28, 2013April 9, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — When Tribal member Thomas M. Storm Sr. makes art he does more than create – he recreates. His tools vary: pencils, paint, ink, pastels. His theme is consistent: the historic bravery of Seminole ancestors. "It’s what runs through my blood," Storm said. More than a dozen works by Storm, all
Safari trip showcases nature’s creatures Community by Eileen Soler - January 28, 2013April 9, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Lions, tigers and bears – not exactly, but during winter break camp on the Big Cypress Reservation children did get eyes full of vultures, deer, wild pigs and buffaloes during Wildlife Adventures day in the ‘Glades. The two-hour event, hosted by the Big Cypress Wildlife Department and the
Food and fun make a happy Big Cypress New Year Community by Eileen Soler - January 28, 2013April 9, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Tribal members and staff welcomed 2013 like a huge, happy family – with lots of laughs, food and fun on Jan. 3 under the big chickee on the Junior Cypress Rodeo grounds. "Today is about community appreciation," Big Cypress Councilman Mondo Tiger said. "It’s a fun way to
Snowbirds make Big Cypress RV Resort home Community by Eileen Soler - January 28, 2013April 9, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — When Ted and Judy Beatty, of Ontario, get tired of Canadian cold, they pack their things into a compact house on wheels and drive thousands of miles to their home away from home – Big Cypress RV Resort. "We’ve been coming here for nine years just to miss
Ahfachkee School pays it forward Education by Eileen Soler - January 28, 2013April 13, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Liberty Robbins, 9, said she couldn’t imagine if a hurricane swept through her school and destroyed everything in sight, but she knows how she’d feel if someone came to help. "I’d feel very grateful," said Robbins, a fourth-grader at Ahfachkee. From November through mid-December, the entire fourth-grade class led
Tiny muscles get big workout at Big Cypress Get Fit Day Health by Eileen Soler - January 28, 2013April 9, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Flexibility, agility, endurance and strength are necessary for physical competition – and for healthy growing for the littlest warriors at the Big Cypress Preschool. "We want to instill the love of fitness, and we want to give the children a different environment for learning it other than school,"