NCS
Alayna Sky Rose Bevis
Kennedy Pierson
Nixyaawii Community School
Aftin Ruckman
Grace Moses
Layla Sohappy-Niemeier
Malaya Stanger
Kaiwan Clements
Mersayus Hart
Mission, Oregon
Class of Mahalie Weaskus
Izabelle Sigo
Kyella Picard
Aaron Barley
2023
Sophie Bronson
Dylan Abrahamson
Photos of Native high school and college graduates are inside this issue, starting on Page 12A.
Graduation Ceremony
6 p.m. June 2, 2023 Cayuse Hall Wildhorse Adamay Frank-Guerrero
Saint Schimmel
Zada Sampson
Sistine Moses
Skyler Ness
Kaydence Gregg
Diamond Greene
Georgie Jones-Hoisington
Melanie Hull
Enoch Crane
Sheviann Pierce
A Huff Post story about the controversial hunting of bison at Yellowstone features members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. See the story on Page 22A.
Four NCS tracksters, with their coach, Weyekin Wildbill, qualified and competed in the Oregon Class 1A track meet at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon. For more go to Section B.
Confederated Umatilla Journal The monthly newspaper of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Section
A
JUNE 2023
Pendleton, Oregon
Volume 31, Issue 6
Ecotrust honors Youth Council
Consultant to assess K-8 school
CTUIR member Gabe Sheoships also recognized PORTLAND, Ore. – The Youth Leadership Council for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and tribal member Gabe Sheoships are recipients of the 2023 Ecotrust Indigenous Leadership Awards. The Indigenous Leadership Awards (ILAs) are a celebration of the wisdom, determination, and continuum of Indigenous leadership throughout the Pacific Northwest, including British Columbia and southeast Alaska. Since 2001, 60 outstanding Indigenous leaders have been recognized for their unwavering dedication to uplift the environmental, cultural, economic, and social conditions of their communities and homelands. Continued on Page 4
Young fancy dancer Marilyn Spencer shows off her fancy dancing skills during the Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day Powwow hosted by Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center on May 5, 2023 at the MIssion Longhouse. More Powwow photos in Section B. CUJ photo by Dallas Dick
By the CUJ MISSION – The addition of kindergarten through eighth grades at the Nixyaawii Education Center will take a step forward this summer after a consultant is hired in June, according to Modesta Minthorn, director of the Department of Education for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. “K-8 has always been a focus of the Tribes. By the end of June, a consultant should be hired and we’ll be rocking and rolling,” said Minthorn. Currently, the Education facility includes Head Start and daycare on the south side with Nixyaawii Community School, the 9-12 high school, on the north side. The 64,000 square foot building includes the CTUIR Language Program, a gymnasium, cafeteria, and other adult classrooms, as well as administrative offices. A request-for-proposals (RFP) was distributed this spring to determine the feasibility of adding K-8. “We are currently reviewing proposals to hire a consultant, to see if we should or could add the other grades,” Minthorn said. “The focus is to get an assessment to determine in the community will be able to support it, to see if there are enough kids.” More than 500 Native American students attend Pendleton 16R schools with a high percentage of those students at Continued on Page 21
INSIDE THE CUJ Softball and other sports are inside in Section B. Here Avery Quaempts, shortstop for the Pendleton Buckaroo softball team, takes a cut at the ball. The PHS girls won their quarter final game to make it to the final four, but lost 11-10 in eight innings in the quarterfinals to Number 1 Hensley on Tuesday, May 30.
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation 46411 Timine Way Pendleton, OR 97801
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