Waterbird's Nest: Sequoyah Schools Offering Summer Learning Program

Dale Auger

Dale Auger: On Art, Blood and Kindred Spirits
by Terri Mason

Defining Dale Auger in one sentence is akin to releasing the colours of a diamond in one cut. It can’t be done. It’s the many facets that release a diamond’s true brilliance, as it is the many facets of Auger’s life, education, ancestry, experiences and beliefs that have shaped and polished his work into the internationally acclaimed and collected artist that he is today.

Born a Sakaw Cree from the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta, Auger’s education began as a young boy when his mother would take him to be with the elders. “I used to say to myself, ‘Why is she leaving me with these old people?’ – but today I see the reason; I was being taught in the old way.”

Auger’s respect for traditional teachings led him on a journey to study art, opening the door to a doctorate in education. He is a talented playwright, speaker and visual artist whose vividly coloured acrylics have captured the attention of collectors that reads like an international ‘Who’s Who’ spanning English to Hollywood royalty. The essence of his work is communication, and now Dr. Auger has come full circle, interpreting the life of his culture – from the everyday to the sacred - through the cross-cultural medium of art.

Read the rest here:

http://www.daleauger.com/printversionbio.cfm

Monday, June 2, 2008

Sequoyah Schools Offering Summer Learning Program

Press release

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Sequoyah Schools will once again offer a variety of classes as part of the Sequoyah Summer Learning Program. Classes will be held June 30 – July 11, from 8:25 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. for any student in the fifth through twelfth grades. Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be provided.

“We’ve added a summer learning program to keep the focus on academics during the summer,” said Gina Stanley, Sequoyah superintendent. “We are providing an option for students in the area to keep their minds focused and give them a head start on the next school year.”

Classes that will be offered at Sequoyah this summer are Cherokee culture, Cherokee language, robotics, leadership, digital photography, physical education, financial literacy for teens, art, drama, media production, college prep, and computer applications. Students will be able to choose three of these classes to participate in during the two-week class period. Structured recreation time will include activities such as swimming, bowling and roller skating.

“We added college prep and media production this year in an effort to attract more high school age kids,” Stanley said. “The college prep class will show kids how to find scholarships and get a head start on some of the paperwork that has to be done for financial aid.”

The Sequoyah cafeteria will provide breakfast, lunch and a snack each day. There is no charge for participation and enrollment is open to any student in the fifth grade and up, but class size is limited so students are encouraged to enroll early. The deadline for enrollment is June 13.

“I encourage any student who is planning to attend Sequoyah in the fall to come to the Summer Learning Program,” Stanley said. “They can meet their teachers and learn their way around the campus.”

For more information on the Sequoyah Summer Learning Program or to request an application, call Tera Shows at (918) 453-5542 or e-mail tshows@cherokee.org.

Sequoyah Schools, a boarding school for Native American students, originated in 1871 as an orphan asylum to care for children who were orphaned by the Civil War. Now known as Sequoyah Schools, it is named for Sequoyah, the scholar who developed the Cherokee syllabary. The school is regionally and state accredited for grades 7-12 and has become the school of choice for more than 400 Native American students every year. Sequoyah Schools is located five miles southwest of Tahlequah, Okla. For more information call (918) 453-5400.