Boozhoo Oshki Ogimaag Community School Families and Community Partners!

This week our Ojibwe Word of the Week is two words and these two words are special to us as these words together are the name of our school!

At Oshki Ogimaag Community School, through the pillars of our school's mission we are cultivating new leaders. With our focus on environmental education, we teach our young scholars responsible stewardship of the natural environment which is deeply connected to our mission to teach based upon traditional Anishinaabe teachings and contribution to the wellness of future generations. Whether we are planting, hiking through the forest, or visiting another part of the natural environment, Miss Kat and Ms. James and/or other Community Members are often reminding students to take care of the environment because the environment takes care of us. Students are reminded of their Ancestors and how their Ancestors cared for the land we walk on and the woods we hike through. Students are taught to respect Mother Earth because everything is alive and has a spirit, and we care for the natural world to preserve it for future generations. This is just one aspect of how we teach our students to be leaders.

Ms. Cherie James is another reason the phrase "new leader" holds great significance for us right now! Ms. James is our Interim Director and our school's New Leader. Ms. James grew up in Grand Portage and is an enrolled Grand Portage Band Member. Ms. James spent most of her teen years in Duluth and graduated from St. Scholastica. Ms. James worked at American Indian Magnet her first year of teaching and taught History at Harding High School in St. Paul, MN for 30 years before returning to her home in Grand Portage. In her teaching roles, Ms. James served as the American Indian Options Coordinator for 6 years, she served as the Social Studies Department Chair multiple times, and taught International Baccalaureate History for the last 12 years of her time at Harding.

Ms. James comes from a family of educators and she places great importance on family. Ms. James loves spending time with her nephews, attending their basketballs games, hiking, and enjoying time outdoors with them. Ms. James' brother Roger, a Grand Portage Naturalist and educator himself, offers his time to our students, teaching them about the natural environment, and Ojibwe language and culture. On her lunch breaks or a quick break at the end of the school day before meetings, Ms. James can often be seen going for a run, to spend a little time in nature and care for her physical and mental wellbeing.

Ms. James serves as a role model to our students and staff. She acts with integrity, shows empathy for others, has a passion for education, has a strong work ethic and sense of justice, treats everyone with respect, and finds the work she is doing to be extremely meaningful, believing that the children and families deeply deserve to have this school where they can be immersed in Ojibwe language and culture and traditional teachings.

Miigwech to Ms. James for stepping up into this tole!

As part of our Environmental Education goals with Osprey Wilds, students observed the lifecycle of butterflies.They observed the eggs, then the larva stage where the caterpillar is very hungry, the pupa or chrysalis stage (the cocoon) and the reproductive stage when a beautiful butterfly emerges! Students released the butterflies this week!

Learning from Elders and Community Members is integral to our program. We are filled with gratitude that we have so many Community Members that share their time and gifts with our students at Oshki Ogimaag Community School on a regular basis!

This week Amanda Anderson presented to students and many other First Responders visited Oshki Ogimaag with their vehicles; we had Yoga with Miss Carly, ribbon skirt making with Ms. Brittany Anderson, Susan Ferguson from North House Folk School was here for Woodworking, Miss Tess Bailey (Grand Portage Community Nutrition Educator), Ms. Emily Derke (Grand Portage Agricultural Coordinator), Mr. Erik Redix (Grand Portage Ojibwe Language and Environmental Education Coordinator) support our cultural and environmental education programming through educating students, guiding us in activities such as gardening and Sugarbush (among many others) and collaborating with Ms. James, Miss Kat, Ms. Jeana and Ms. Ryden to provide students enriching educational experiences that serve the mission of our school.

On Wednesday students went to Sugarbush to take down the taps. Educators reenforced the importance of caring for the trees that provided us the sap. Students made observations and wrote in their nature journals.

The Last Day of School is Friday, May 31st!

We will celebrate all that our students accomplished this year! Open to all!

• 11am Awards Ceremony
• 12pm Open House Lunch
• At around 1pm we will head over to the marina for fishing - our Last Day of School tradition!

We hope to see you there!

Student work was displayed for visitors to see and students demonstrated how to use the tools they used to create their work. Each student gave a short presentation on their work and what they enjoyed about woodworking. It was an awesome night! Miigwech to Susan Ferguson from North House Folk School and to Miss Kat for guiding the woodworkers and facilitating this enrichment class!

Oshki Ogimaag Community School Board Meeting for May has been rescheduled to Tuesday, May 14th, so as to not conflict with the Grand Portage End of Year Awards Banquet on May 15th.

OOCS May Board Meeting

Date: Tuesday, May 14th

Time: 4:30pm

Please: OOCS Conference Area

May

• 14 - OOCS School Board Meeting at 4:30pm, Location: OOCS Conference Area
• 15 - JOM Awards Banquet 5:30pm
• 27 - No School, Memorial Day
• 31 - Last Day of School! Fishing and End of Year Feast and Celebration!

Tuesdays

• Reading with Elders Tuesdays 12:30-1pm