IPS-English EDUCATION-US: Seminole School Thriving In Florida
 
Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2007 18:51:37 -0800

 
Mark Weisenmiller

OKEECHOBEE, Florida, Dec 27  (IPS)  - Elementary school children
in U.S. public schools are preparing for their winter 
holiday vacations, but at a charter school here on the Seminole Indian Tribe of 
Florida's Brighton Reservation, the children are enjoying their education so 
much that some of them want to keep on attending classes throughout the 
holidays.


The first Native American charter school east of the Mississippi River opened 
here in late August. Pemayetv Emahakv (pronounced Pema-yata Ema-hag-
ah) charter school has 145 students. The name means ”our way” in the 
Seminole's native Creek language. Classes extend from kindergarten through 
the fifth grade.

Casino proceeds were used to build Pemayetv Emahakv. The school took two 
years to build and cost 10 million dollars. The Seminole Tribe of Florida's 
seven casinos create revenues that are estimated at one billion dollars -- and 
that figure is expected to increase in 2008. The Brighton Reservation is 
comprised of 38,000 acres and about 500 tribal members live in the area.

On Nov. 14, Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Mitchell Cypress, chairman of 
the Seminole Tribe of Florida, signed a 25-year deal allowing the Seminoles 
to operate baccarat, blackjack, and slot machines. In return, the state of 
Florida will receive a percentage of the seven casinos revenues, which will 
range from 10 to 25 percent. The state will also receive a guaranteed annual 
minimum payment from the Seminoles of 100 million dollars in the first year 
of the deal, 125 million dollars in the second year, and 150 million dollars in 
the third year.

Gaming money has financed many aspects of the charter school. Each student 
has access to a laptop computer. Every child receives an Apple iPod to be 
used as a learning tool -- free of charge and courtesy of the school. The 
cafeteria -- which can seat about 50 at a time -- serves food that is approved 
by the tribe's nutritionist. Fresh produce, some of which is grown on the 
reservation, is available in the cafeteria. Breakfast and lunch are
provided free 
to each student every day.

Ten-year-old Layton Thomas, a fifth grader, told IPS that Pemayetv Emahakv 
is better than other schools that he has attended ”because we have better 
teachers and we get to learn Creek and we get a better lunch. I have friends 
that don't attend the school, but would like to.”

Daniel Nunez Jr., an 11-year-old fifth grader informed IPS that he liked the 
charter school ”because we're going to use microscopes and laptops and I like 
everything about the school except Reads/Write [the name of a supplemental 
reading and writing course].” When asked if learning Creek is hard, he looked 
incredulous and replied, ”It's easy.”

Such was not the case for his father Daniel Nunez Senior, supervisor of the 
Senior Citizens Centre on the reservation. ”I want him [Daniel Jr.]
to take full 
advantage [of the Creek language courses taught at the school] because I was 
never taught the language growing up. Everybody was speaking either 
English or Spanish when I grew up and nobody spoke Creek.”

Russ Brown, Pemayetv Emahakv's principal, gave IPS a tour of the school. In 
front of the school are three flags: the U.S. flag, the red and white flag of 
Florida, and the black, red, and yellow flag of the Seminole Tribe. Every 
morning before classes start students recite both the Pledge of Allegiance to 
the U.S. flag and the Creek Pledge. This year is the 50-year anniversary of the 
tribe's sovereign nationality.

The highlight of the tour is a visit to the arts and crafts room.
On the back of 
each student's chair are wooden etchings of the tribe's eight clans: panther, 
bird, deer, otter, snake, bear, big wind, and town. The instructors are 
employees of the tribe's cultural department.

Upon overhearing the instructors' and students' overlapping conversations in 
the room, Brown said, ”they are speaking Creek.”

The Creek language has 19 letters -- most of which resemble the modern 
English alphabet when written -- but their sounds are different.

The discouragement of Seminole Indian children learning and speaking Creek 
by the American federal government ”began about in the 1950's. But nobody 
here wants the language to die out,” Shelly Walker, Tribal-Wide Cultural 
Education Co-ordinator, who teaches Creek at the school, told IPS.

”We work with the students as long as it takes. Sometimes it takes awhile for 
the students to learn that in Creek, for example, the letter ‘p' has a ‘ph' 
sound mixed together,” she said.

What does the future hold for the Seminole Indian charter school? IPS asked. 
”Actually we're in the middle of discussing that now. We have a community-
based meeting set for Jan. 11 of next year to discuss that,” Brown said. ”What 
the community decides it wants done is what we will do.”



*****
+ RIGHTS-US: Native Americans and Immigrants Share Common Struggle
(http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38388)
+ Education: The Key to Development (http://ipsnews.net/new_focus/education/index.asp)


(END/IPS/NA/DV/CR/IP/ED/MD/C2/IN/MW/MJS/07)


 
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