We Feed People with Marc Bluestone

You know those other things that we emulate a lot of things from culture as well I mean when we do we feed people we are big on feeding at any event that we do you know when we have staff kind of activities we say prayers before we start our meal there’s a reason for that it’s what we do in our community now it’s a little bit different because of church and state separation when you’re dealing with kids but when we have staff in service is also a hierarchy even when they eat you know in this community veterans eat first and there is a hierarchy our staff Millsaps I mean and we don’t have to remind them you know it in our in this district it’s veterans it’s elders it’s community service people as our next set and so we include our Legion Auxiliary people in there but also our firefighters our ambulance folks they get the first cent and there’s been as far as I could tell maybe there has been but I haven’t heard any complaints you know we’ve been doing this for 10 years well it’s it’s interesting to watch that we provide our budget for food service or whatever activity we have we share food you know last night at parent-teacher conferences we shared a meal we had a family math night a couple weeks at the elementary school we had food there you know that’s just who we are and then that thought process extends to you know everything that we try and do have as at least culturally relevant for here and we’re hoping that as the kids learn those kind of things that they understand that when they go other places and understand oh there’s they’re providing a meal so no veterans got to go first elders got to go first and I’ll get my chance to do that and so we’re emulating that on a regular basis so you know there’s always a thought process on things on when you come into mr.Moran’s classroom and he you know he has the stage going or he is actually yes cedar going any any smudges you know there’s not a question of when kids come up to them it’s not like or even or even adults around here won’t turn the other direction they know what to do they know what’s expected to do - how to smudge themselves you know and so that’s ingrained as well so it’s not a surprise but when you see non-indians coming in to participate in that as well that’s pretty awesome and so what I think is that we are now in the forefront of continuing language and culture that it’s here to stay it is who we are it’s part of the curriculum it should be taught in every school it should be taught in every area of influence of any curriculum and it should be at it and that’s what this program does and you know I’ve been involved with the program which you know since the beginning but have but have been in the background you know as a school superintendent I don’t get involved as much but the North Dakota Indian Education Advisory Committee which I am an active member of does make the decisions behind this and I have declined in the past not to be too involved but this year it was the right time to bring the training here we’ve sent staff out the training but that first day back to school training with teachers and seeing people talk about who they are and where they came from I was very powerful and there’s a lot of discussions about will there be fought how what kind of more follow-up can I do to do those kind of things a minute I’m very proud of where we’re at and where we continue to want to go as a district how culture and language and our staff are all and is there you know and I as a school superintendent of course who better to promote that and to make sure that people know about that is it’s my job that’s my job as superintendent so I will stay in the forefront and promote as much as possible all the things that we’re doing and continue to do