On Oct. 14, OH students celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a day off of school, but this is not the only way students can help honor Indigenous culture.
Spreading awareness about our country’s history and the people who were a part of it is important to make Indigenous students and members of our community feel represented.
“I think it important to highlight Indigenous Peoples’ Day because it allows us to acknowledge the lives of the people who were here originally,” said Assistant Superintendent of Equity and Engagement Dr. Jadon Waller.
One way Waller acknowledged Indigenous people in her work is by doing land acknowledgements before events. A land acknowledgment honors the Indigenous people who originally occupied the land being used.
“Typically, when we do events, we actually do land acknowledgments beforehand because we want to recognize that we are on the land that was stolen from Indigenous people,” explained Waller.
Along with events, it is also extremely important to acknowledge Indigenous people inside the classroom at OH. There are resources shared with teachers that they can use to say brief statements honoring Indigenous people.
“We created lessons for K-12 for teachers as resources if they would like to engage with students on the history of Indigenous people,” said Waller.
There are many ways teachers can celebrate Indigenous people in the classroom. For example, Social Studies teacher, Jacqueline Wojtyszyn does, “bell work activities, [and] discuss[es] them in US History, Ancient History, and World Cultures.”
Spreading awareness and honoring different cultures in the classes at OH is great for students who might not feel represented in other places in society. It also educates students who might not know a lot about Indigenous culture.
Wojtyszyn said, “[the education] makes them feel more accepted and that they appreciate the recognition.”
Although there are not many Indigenous students at OH does not mean they should not be represented. Everyone is welcome to celebrate this special day for Indigenous students.
Waller explained, “If there is a way for me to celebrate this day if I’m not an Indigenous person then to me that means that I’m going to take time to learn more about the history I’m going to possibly engage in some of the activities that they have.”
My name is Andrea and this is my first year as a 42Fifty staff reporter! I am a senior at OHS and am involved in many honor societys. I am so excited to write many stories this year.
