February Mittark
NATRI GRANT GETS NATIVE TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM
The Education Department received the Native American Teacher Retention Initiative (NATRI) grant at the end of last year and will spend the next five years working through this grant to support Indigenous teacher retention in k-12 schools.
The grant provides a $3,000 stipend per semester for Indigenous students from a federally recognized tribe who want to go into teaching and helps cover fees associated with getting the MTEL licensure. This is a great opportunity not only for high school students pursuing higher education but also for tribal members looking for a career change who may be interested in teaching.
For teachers already in the field, NATRI provides a $500 stipend per semester, professional development opportunities, and other forms of in-field support.
A major goal of the program is to increase the number of Native American teachers within the school system. Research shows that Native students tend to do better in classrooms where their educator shares a similar identity, and having Indigenous representation within the schools is directly linked to Native student success. Participants in this program are asked to commit to teaching in one of the seven districts primarily serving Mashpee Wampanoag students (Mashpee, Falmouth, Barnstable, New Bedford, Wareham, Sandwich, and Bourne).
PRINCESSES HOST WINTER SOCIAL
Last month, our Mashpee Wampanoag Powwow Princess Jenaya Perry and Little Miss Wampanoag Misqua Wahan Strickland hosted a winter social at the Community and Government Center. The event featured singing and dancing with both traditional social songs and songs on the big drum. There were also multiple raffles and various vendors selling traditional goods. Overall, the event had a high turnout of tribal families and community members who got together to sing, dance, and share a meal. Thank you to all who participated and volunteered their time to make this special event possible!
As it has been a trying time for the Tribe, I believe our journey has always been one of faith, perseverance, forgiveness and healing. I write Our Circle to share with our Tribal community the successes over the past 3 years but also with the hopes that you will continue to trust that this Administration will continue to do our very best to implement initiatives that protect our sovereignty and lift our Tribal nation.
Collectively, we want to assure all that our efforts are constant and come from only good. We came into office with the understanding that we had much to clean up. We also came in with the experience and education to try and do so standing strong on the platform of transparency and listening to the voices of our community.
Explore Additional News in this month's Nashauonk Mittark
List of Committee and Board Seat Openings
