First off I have to apologize for two things. First is that this blog has been slightly delayed. We've been running around like crazy and by the end of the night I have 14 students who want to check their facebook and by the time I have my computer to myself....I would rather sleep. Second is my spelling/grammar has been pretty sketchy. The only excuse I have is sleep deprivation.
OK Day 3!
We woke up refreshed in the Circle of Nations dorms. They are so nice!! I WISH my college dorm room was as nice. I had a smart roommate and we got a room without neighbors....which meant the bathroom was ours!
That morning RJ Rabbithead from Circle of Nations offered to give us a tour of the campus. Our students got to see pictures of their students doing different activities throughout the year. We also learned about morning and weekly rituals that they perform, like "smudging." Our students also got to see pictures of Powwows and the regalia that the students make at Circle of Nations. None of our students have ever seen a powwow, except in a youtube video that I showed while reading "Walk Two Moons."
 |
| Learning about Circle of Nations |
 |
| Learning about other Native Boarding schools |
We then walked over to the main school building and our students got to see their gym. They learned that the students at Circle of Nations love basketball too! Oh the connections :D We were then taken to the library and met the rest of the staff of the school; they were attending a bullying prevention training. They asked our students questions about their trip and the village. It was fun watching the students respond to the questions. We toured a few more classrooms and learned where there were other native boarding schools throughout the US and that Circle of Nations hasn't had a student from Alaska yet, that they know of.
 |
| Student art that the girls admired |
We went outside, intending to look at another building, when the students spotted the playground. Oh boy! No more touring, only playing. They had SWINGS!! So we stopped the tour and let the students play for a bit. They played for about 10 minutes until the humidity really hit them. They suddenly realized the air was a lot heavier and it was HOT. RJ Rabbithead and the principal of the school were nice enough to offer to walk our students to the high school while Sheila, Oscar and I drove the vans to the high school. Our students were grateful to be able to stay outside.
 |
| SWINGS! |
 |
| Of course...basketball |
When we got to the high school we set up for NYO. I should explain why we are at the high school. Wahpeton High School has a summer PE program where you can take PE for around 3 weeks in the summer and not have to take it during the school year. I knew about this program, participated in it when I was in HS, and I thought it would be a lot of fun if we taught the HS summer school class NYO. (Native Youth Olympics) I know that most students from the lower 48 have no idea what NYO is, I had no idea until I went up to Alaska. I emailed the teacher Larry Lasch and he was all for it! When we got there Larry was waiting and we quickly put the NYO balls up and introduced ourselves. Sheila took over our little presentation for this because her knowledge eclipses my own in every way possible. While explaining NYO to the Wahp Students, we had a couple of our students demonstrate the different events: One Foot High Kick, Two Foot High Kick, Alaskan High Kick, One Arm Reach, Toe Kick, Seal Hop, Eskimo and Indian Stick Pull, Kneel Jump and Wrist Carry. After we demonstrated them we sent the Wahpeton students to four different stations, two for girls and two for boys. We had our students spread out between the stations to show the students how to do the events, again girls with girls and boys with boys. It went so well! The Wahpeton students were great and tried out all the events. They were great sports. We had a few of our students, like Brandon, show them how high that people can kick but for the most part it was the Wahpeton students trying all the events.
 |
| One arm reach...the hardest |
 |
| Student attempting one foot high kick |
 |
| Boys trying one foot high kick |
 |
| Indian Stick Pull |
 |
| Indian Stick Pull |
We showed NYO to both the morning class and the afternoon class. Both classes were awesome! Afterward Mr. Lasch gave the students some great Wahpeton Huskie memorabilia, like paw print tattoos ( a favorite with the girls), window stickers, puzzles of places in Wahpeton, and a magazine that showed some highlights of the Wahpeton/Breckenridge area.
 |
| Kneel Jump |
 |
| Boys trying one arm reach |
 |
| Boys trying seal hop...this one is HARD |
 |
| Eskimo stick pull |
 |
| Eskimo stick pull |
 |
| Brandon (left) is a hard contender |
We then left and my dad met us outside the high school. He was going to take us out to a farm south of Wahpeton. We first went back to the Circle of Nations so the students could change out of their sweaty clothes and to make sure they all had water. We took off for the farm and the students were SO excited. Every time we had passed a cow while driving they had to yell, "COW!!!" It's just so exciting. We pulled into Kendall and Sue's Pankow's farm. The students were so excited.....until the smell hit them. The Pankow's farm is a pig and cow farm. The students quickly realized that pigs may be cute...but they do NOT smell good. They have a whole new appreciation for farm life and where pork chops come from. They were also introduced to electricity! They quickly found out which fences had electricity and stayed away.
 |
| Looking at the cows |
 |
| First look at Rhubarb |
 |
| Kyle got a little shock from the fence |
Chris, a family friend, met us and took us around the farm. The students not only learned about cow and pigs, but they also learned where flour comes from. They saw rhubarb for the first time, learned how hay bales are made and got to sit in a tractor and found out how combines work. We all learned where pig and cow food comes from and what it is made of. It was a lot to take in. At the beginning of the tour Chris mentioned baby piglets and after that that's all the girls wanted to see! We finally made it over to the barn with the piglets and they got to not only see the piglets but HOLD them!! We learned that baby piglets do not like to be held and they squeal about it. The students also got to see pregnant pigs and feed them grass (this was a popular activity).
 |
| Learning about the pig food |
 |
| Learning how hay bales are made |
The students also got to sit inside a tractor. They learned that the tractors have horns...thanks Chris....and air conditioning. Each student took a turn sitting inside the tractor and getting their picture taken. Thank God Sue and Kendall are so laid back. Sue was awesome and went around the farm with us and helped Chris explain things. Dad was also a big help and walked around with us and answered questions if Sue or Chris was busy. Sue was a favorite with our girls students. After about an hour and a half the students were ready to go somewhere cooler and less smelly. We thanked Sue, Kendall and Chris for showing us around and Chris (and Sue and Kendall) gave all the students hats with RDO Equipment Co. on them. They also got little flashlights and the boys got some literature on tractors, John Deere, because you never know :D
We headed back to Wahpeton and went downtown to catch a parade. I guess there was a parade in appreciation for the firefighters in the area. The students got to see a ton of different fire trucks from different eras and areas around Wahpeton. They also got CANDY! It was a like a throw party...but with only candy...and the boys got to come :D The students had a great time and walked away with not only a ton of candy but a new friendship with Smokey the Bear!! Talk about celebrity sighting!
The students were getting really hot so I took them down to the Kidder Recreation area and they met Whopper, the world's largest Catfish!! They also got to put their feet in the Red River. Needless to say a water fight broke out. It was great! The students had fun and cooled off at the same time. We made them take a picture with Whopper and the Welcome to Wahpeton ND sign. We needed proof that they had been to North Dakota! We then got back in our vans and drove down a little ways to where there were rapids to look at. The students walked down and again put their feet in the river and just admired the view. After another group shot we headed out and went to my dads.
 |
| Cooling their feet in the Red River |
 |
| WATER FIGHT! |
 |
| Picture with Whopper |
 |
| Proof: They have been to North Dakota |
Dad offered to feed us, what a guy! He grilled hamburgers and brats for us and they were delicious. When we walked in he had a whole spread ready for us, we did NOT go hungry. The students spread themselves out throughout the house and backyard. Sheila, Oscar and I finally got some down time. Sheila and Oscar even squeezed a nap in...lucky dogs.
One special occasion today was that it was one of our students birthdays!! Kelly Nieves turned 14 today! All day we kept asking her how her birthday was and she would always reply, "It's good but it would be better with cake." I kept telling her we didn't have a cake ( no worries, I had my Dad pick one up earlier that day) and we surprised her that night with a cake! We all sang and she got two pieces of cake to celebrate her birthday, she was a happy camper.
 |
| Happy 14th Ms. Kelly Nieves! |
After dinner we all piled in the van and headed back to the Circle of Nations, smellier from the farm, but also happy with how the day turned out....and the candy we aquired at the parade :D
Day 4 coming soon....
No comments:
Post a Comment