By Andrea Holata Instead of sleeping late during the weekend, seniors tribalwide attended all-day College Essay Writing Workshops in Hollywood and Brighton Nov. 9 to help prepare for the college application process. The Education Department sought to help conquer the anxiety seniors may feel when writing essays, filling out applications and taking

By Andrea Holata BRIGHTON — With some dressed in Halloween costumes, Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School students celebrated the end of the first nine weeks Oct. 31 with an awards ceremony. More than 200 awards were given throughout the day to kindergarten through eighth-graders. Students received awards for citizenship, effort, writing, Creek and

By Amanda Murphy HOLLYWOOD — Finding the right college can be a long and difficult journey for students, but the Education Department is making the road a little smoother through its many resources, including the Higher Education College Fair held Oct. 4. The Education Department brought 70 post-secondary institutions to Hard Rock

BIG CYPRESS — Native American stickball was played with heart and soul and plenty of fun Sept. 25 for the first time between Seminole and Miccosukee Tribal students. Nearly 100 students from Miccosukee Indian School in Miami and Ahfachkee School on the Big Cypress Reservation converged at Ahfachkee’s campus field and

By Andrea Holata BRIGHTON — To inaugurate newly elected Student Council members while expressing appreciation for Seminole culture, a clothing contest was incorporated into the Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School Student Council inauguration Oct. 1. From kindergarten through eighth grade, students took turns modeling their traditional outfits for the clothing contest. Boys dressed in

By Amanda Murphy HOLLYWOOD — Juggling a full university-level course load and raising two children might sound challenging, but Jo Jo Osceola calls it a blessing. “It’s not really a struggle because we are extremely blessed with the Seminole Tribe and the Education Department,” she said. Osceola, of the Bird Clan, is in

HOLLYWOOD — Culture is best learned while young, so the Hollywood Preschool spent a “Fun Friday” Sept. 20 experiencing Seminole culture. About 60 children participated in a rousing game of stickball, a clothing contest, and a skillet and hatchet throwing competition. “We worked with the preschool director to give the kids an

BIG CYPRESS — The sun had barely risen Sept. 25 when Ahfachkee School students, Big Cypress Reservation religious leaders and community elders gathered for prayer at the Herman L. Osceola Gymnasium flagpole memorial. “When the public schools took prayer and the salute to the flag out of the classroom, a group

HOLLYWOOD — Helen Witty knows the pain of losing a child to a drunk driver; in 2000 her 16-year-old daughter was killed while rollerblading by a teenaged driver under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. As a Miami-based program specialist and victim advocate for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Witty puts

BIG CYPRESS — A new program at Ahfachkee School is sweetening everyday education with after-school icing on the cake. On a recent Tuesday, starting at the last ring of the school bell, children relaxed for homework fun with instructional aide Kolisa Franklin, attended art class to create watercolor masterpieces with media