Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, Oklahoma State University’s College of Education and Human Sciences Mixed Reality Lab recently completed a pilot program that brings digital design technologies to Native students at tribal schools, including CPN’s Child Development Center after-school program.
The U.S. Department of Education awards millions of dollars for the Native American Career and Technical Education Program each year. In 2021, Citizen Potawatomi Nation received funds as one of 39 federally recognized tribes, tribal organizations and Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded schools to advance educational and career opportunities for Indigenous peoples and their communities.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Department of Education began composing lesson plans about Potawatomi history in 2021. The first one tells the story of the Potawatomi Trail of Death.
During this episode, we’ll hear about Oklahoma’s Ida’s Law as it goes into effect and a new lesson plan on the Potawatomi Trail of Death for K through 12 students. We’ll also listen back to an interview with a Potawatomi Navy member who served during WWII to celebrate Veteran’s Day.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation veterans have a legacy of service to their country and Tribe. For Michael John Kennedy, his giving spirit lives on even after his passing in late May 2021 through a newly formed memorial scholarship.
The CPN Department of Education is developing a resource for teachers anywhere who would like to incorporate Potawatomi history into their classroom and aims to provide ready-made, vetted lesson plans for teachers to use in their classrooms.
Among eight finalists, Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member and special education teacher Sandra Bradley received recognition as Shawnee Public Schools’ 2021 Teacher of the Year.
CPN member Addison Taylor & science partner Mayzie Burke won the chance to send their experiment to the International Space Station. They advanced to the finals competition in their age group. After presenting for the last time on Dec. 6, 2019, they found out they won in Jan. 2020.
Based on current climate models, CPN member and geophysics student Jacob Pratt estimates the arctic will see ice-free summers by 2035 due to rising global temperatures. With advances in remote sensing data, he is working on new methods to identify bottomfast sea ice.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member and former Navy pilot Paul Wynns believes his growing business, Flex Air, “can change the face of aviation.”