Explorers program kicks off school year with new twist Education by Eileen Soler - September 30, 2015 Something newfangled took children and teens by surprise during the first Police Explorers Program meetings of the school year at Big Cypress, Brighton, Fort Pierce, Immokalee, Hollywood and Tampa reservations. "We are evolving," said Seminole Police Department Officer Michele Harbin at the Sept. 9 meeting at Big Cypress Community Center. "And
Music room adds Hard Rock ‘stepping stones’ Education by Eileen Soler - September 30, 2015 HOLLYWOOD — Robert North sees rock ‘n’ roll possibilities inside the Hollywood Boys & Girls Club music studio. Two top-notch, complete drum sets fill the floor; a row of electric and acoustic guitars, including two Fender Stratocasters, line a wall. Among the periphery: two keyboards, a xylophone, several amps, yards of
Bullying beaten on PECS b-ball court Education by Beverly Bidney - September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 BRIGHTON — Dunkers, high fliers and trick dribblers of the Court Kingz basketball team challenged Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School faculty to a game Sept. 18 and shared their anti-bullying message with students while they were at it. Principal Brian Greseth led a team of 10 teachers and aides, but while the
Hollywood preschoolers load up on books Education by Beverly Bidney - September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 HOLLYWOOD — Hollywood Preschool welcomed the new school year with a Scholastic Book Fair to help equip students and parents for a year of reading and learning. The fair, which ran from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, raised money for new books in the classrooms. "After the last one in March,
PECS school year kicks off with new gym, media center Education by Eileen Soler - September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 BRIGHTON — Open house for students and families of Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School featured a doubleheader celebration for the Brighton community and the entire Tribe. "It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen so many good things open up out here in our cow pasture," said Chairman James E. Billie before
Teens taste campus life Education by Eileen Soler - September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 TALLAHASSEE — Two weeks of cramped quarters, strict schedules and cold pizza gave 56 Florida teens a genuine taste of college life at some of Florida’s leading institutes of higher learning. "The dorm was good. The food was not so good. Being without parents? No problem," said Kyle Alvarado, 17, of
Ahfachkee School new principal to bring big changes Education by Eileen Soler - September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Students at Ahfachkee School weren’t the only ones to start the 2015-16 school year at new desks. New principal Guy Cooper, uniformed on opening day Aug. 17 in khaki pants and blue polo shirt, greeted students with fresh optimism and a pleasant but firm attitude. One by one and
A Native American in Paris Education by Eileen Soler - September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 When Braudie Blais-Billie refers to home it begs the question "which one?" Blais-Billie, 22, can call "home" a few miles from the Hollywood Reservation, a flat in New York City where she attends Columbia University and an apartment in Paris where seven recent months of academic immersion added up to an
AlterNATIVE: How a Native-to-Native nonprofit is decolonizing education Education by Braudie Blais-Billie - September 2, 2015October 7, 2015 In 2013, a classroom full of Columbia University undergraduates started a nonprofit that could change the way Native American students connect across the nation. AlterNATIVE Education is a peer-education and mentorship initiative aimed at bridging the gap between Native American high school and college students. Its humble beginnings in the Columbia
Education incentives awarded to Brighton, Big Cypress students Education by Eileen Soler - September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 McKayla Snow, of Brighton Reservation, always looks forward to a guaranteed rush of personal pride she receives every summer thanks to the Tribe’s Education Department incentive awards. "It’s not just me who feels it. It’s every student who hears their name called and then hears everyone cheering for them because they