High School Students Use Street Theater Platform to Broadcast Anti-Alcohol Message

During a recent lunch period, the high school student commons was bustling as usual. Students were sitting in groups, milling around, listening to music, and working on schoolwork. All of a sudden, a handful of students stood in the front of the room and called for everyone’s attention. Their schoolmates were about to be introduced to street theater.

The one-act play that followed was created by the Introduction to Theater class, taught by Molly Humphrey. The exercise was the culmination of a unit in which the class looked at how theater is used to effect change in society. Before having the students come up with a topic, Humphrey showed them video clips of street theater, and told them to keep what they saw in mind as they created their own dramatic piece.

The students were asked to think of a subject that was close to home; an issue that affects their lives and their community. The topic that the students settled on was that of the town of Whiteclay, Nebraska. The Pine Ridge Reservation is officially “dry”, meaning that alcohol may not be legally bought, sold, or consumed anywhere on the 3,000-square mile territory. Whiteclay is a tiny town lying two miles south of the town of Pine Ridge, just across the state line in Nebraska, and therefore off the official boundary of the reservation. Its primary reason for existence is to sell alcohol, and the liquor stores that line the town’s main street sell an average of 4 million cans of beer annually.

The play that the students conceived revolved around six main characters; two Pine Ridge teens who speed off to Whiteclay for a night of drinking and partying, two derelicts living homeless in Whiteclay itself, and two tribal police officers. The students worked together to come up with the play’s outline. Then each student who was assigned to play a part wrote his or her lines individually, and they were compiled into the plot and edited for smooth flow. The process took about two weeks from start to finish, including time for the performers to get their lines and blocking down. As for the venue, it was a student who had the original idea to do the play in the student commons at lunch.

The most powerful part of the one-act play came at the closure. One-by-one, the students stepped out of their roles, and delivered strong affirmations of the personal strengths. Examples of these declarations included; “I spend my free time taking care of my horses and dancing in powwows.”, “I am preparing myself to go to college to get my business degree.”, and “I am the pride and joy of my family. I won three art awards at the Lakota Nation Invitational.”

Following their individual affirmations, the students joined together to proclaim the final line: “We are the next generation of the Lakota, and we are on a path to make our ancestors proud.”

Humphrey feels that the play was a success, and hopes that the students can create and perform another such piece before the end of the year. The students involved enjoyed themselves, while at the same time educating themselves about an important community issue. Sophomore Brannon Cousin stated, “We found out about a lot of the negative effects that alcohol has on the reservation, such as how many people are unemployed due to alcohol addiction, and the amount of babies that are born with FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome).” This learning is a key component of much street theater, and also of the educational experience overall. By that measure, the theater class’ project was a resounding success.

Five Red Cloud Students Accepted to Georgetown University's Pathways to Success Program

While many of their teenage peers are relaxing poolside or watching summer reruns, five Red Cloud High School students will be heading to Washington, DC for an intensive academic experience in the fields of science, technology, and health. Junior Tobie Little Finger, and sophomores Savannah Jensen, Genriel Chase In Sight-Ribitsch, Gabriella Rodriguez, and Kirkland Ross were selected for the program and received invitations in mid-February. The invites were contingent on their acceptance, and their willingness to tackle all the rigors of the program, and all five students signed on to go.

Of the group, Little Finger is the only one who is going for the second time, having completed the primary level during the summer of 2011. She had first heard about the program during her freshman year, when a Georgetown representative visited her biology class to talk about Pathways. She recalled, “I instantly knew [Pathways to Success] was for me, so I kept my grades up (the program requires a grade point average of at least 3.5 overall), applied the next year, and got in.”

Little Finger said that the best part of the program overall was being exposed to different medical careers. She explained, “I have an interest in studying in the medical field, becoming a midwife and working with the Indian Health Service. Last summer, we had a day where we visited the Children’s Network Hospital and different doctors came and talked to us about their jobs.” When asked what specific aspects of the experience she most enjoyed, she replied, “My favorite part of last year was being in a big city, and working in the university laboratory and especially learning how to extract DNA…Also, seeing the ocean for the first time.” The greatest challenge, according to Little Finger, was “being the Native girl with the ‘weird’ last name.” That said, she had a good experience overall with her fellow students, and is excited to return for a second year.

The Pathways to Success program has operated annually since 2002, with a founding sponsorship by the Goldman Sachs Foundation. It is currently supported by a $1.2 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, with additional support from The Fedex Foundation. The intensive six-week long summer experience begins with two preparatory weeks of online correspondence work, followed by a month-long academic program on the Georgetown campus in Washington, DC. The goal of the Pathways program is to cultivate in its participants an interest in health, science, and technology, and prepare them to potentially pursue careers in biomedical science, health care, and science technology. It also works to guide its students through the complex world of higher education, including college applications and financial aid.

The central feature of the on-campus component is the three-week-long Summer Biomedical Science Institute. The primary objectives of the Institute, according to program literature, are to: 1) enhance the students’ academic skills, thus increasing college acceptance and retention in science majors; 2) spark enthusiasm and inspire hope for a future health-related career; 3) create a community network providing support for participants and others in the region. Another major benefit is that first-year students receive two college credits for their participation in the courses entitled "Communicating Science Seminar" and "The Language of Health and Disease Laboratory."

Participating students take courses in the National Health Service’s Discovery Center—an ultramodern research laboratory. They also work in the O’Neill Family Foundation Clinical Simulation Center at the NHS—a fully equipped clinical lab that includes adult and pediatric patient simulators.

Even though the program is still a few months away, the students are already getting excited about going. When asked what she was most looking forward to, Genriel Chase In Sight-Ribitsch replied, “I can’t wait to meet new people, and hear their perspective on both college and science.” Kirkland Ross said he knows the program will be a good fit for him because he “plan[s] to go to college, graduate with a major in a science-related subject, and get a Master’s Degree.” When asked what he is most nervous about, he replied, “Flying to Washington DC!”

Ross is not the only one among the group for whom this will be his first trip by plane. It will be the first of many exciting experiences awaiting the five students this summer.

High School Teacher Receives Coaching Award

Red Cloud High School math teacher and longtime wrestling coach Clay Leonard has been selected by his peers to receive a regional coaching award. At a wrestling tournament on February 18, fourteen other regional wrestling coaches voted by anonymous ballot to bestow Leonard with the annual award. He was selected for his commitment to the sport, longevity as a coach, and his track record of success. Leonard will formally receive his award on March 24 at the State AU Championship tournament in Aberdeen, SD.

Leonard has been coaching wrestling here for 24 years. Before his nearly quarter-century tenure at Red Cloud High School, he spent a decade working and coaching in Rushville, Nebraska and in Colorado. Like most Red Cloud coaches, his primary job at the school is that of a teacher. Leonard is the head of the high school Math Department, and teaches classes such as trigonometry and AP calculus. He is also the high school’s Assistant Principal for Academics, overseeing all scheduling and grading-related concerns.

Leonard’s students invariably talk fondly and admiringly of him, both as a coach and as a human being. As senior Tyrell O’Donnell put it, “Clay is a very caring person who wants to see you succeed at everything you do, not just wrestling.” When asked what the most important aspect of wrestling he learned from Leonard during his four years on the team, Sylas Running Eagle ’12 said; “[He taught me] how to constantly be moving during a match.” But Leonard’s instruction extended beyond the edge of the mat. Running Eagle said that in general, he “learned how to accomplish challenging tasks, because wrestling is such a challenging sport.”

Coaching wrestling may be more challenging still. For one, the sport lacks the exceedingly high level of prestige associated with basketball in the local community. Also, according to Leonard, South Dakota wrestling is extremely tough, because his wrestlers generally began competing in middle school at the earliest, but they are often going up against opponents who have been wrestling since they were three or four years old. Furthermore, he says that Red Cloud is now a member of the Black Hills Conference (as of this year), which places a higher emphasis on dual matches, as opposed to multi-school tournaments. And finally, Leonard faces the perennial problem of getting kids to come out for the team in the first place, either because they are nervous about the prospect of wrestling, or because their priority is basketball.

Despite these challenges, however, Leonard has persevered and he continues to create a rich legacy among the students who have worked under him. Blake White, a former Red Cloud parent whose son Kyle wrestled for Leonard back in the 2000s was effusive in his praise, saying, “Clay is probably the most dedicated coach I’ve seen, especially for not having such a big team. He really cares about his students a lot. He would do just about anything for those kids.” Any and all of Clay’s former students and parents would doubtless say the same.

Elementary Students Celebrate Read Across America Day

The Cat in the Hat is back!

Students at Red Cloud Elementary School enjoyed a very special treat on Friday, March 2, as they celebrated Read Across America Day with books and costumes aplenty. The day, which coincides with the birthday of children’s book author “Dr. Seuss”, began with a special breakfast of green eggs and ham, made by the cafeteria staff. The elementary classes (Kindergarten-4th grade) then took turns going to the library during their regularly-scheduled reading classes, and being read to by their “reading buddies” from grades 5-8.

Costumes were also part of the festivities, although perhaps none as elaborate as that worn by elementary librarian Kathleen Siebrasse-Wittenberg, who was dressed as a very convincing Cat in the Hat. Students also made their own stovepipe hats in the style of the Cat, and many wore them around the school all day. The kids were also given the option of wearing pajamas to school, and most of them gladly accepted the offer. As for the older reading buddies, they were able to pay one dollar to participate in the “Grab a Hat and Read with a Cat” fundraiser, which allowed them to wear a cap to school, in exception to the school’s normal dress code. A final perk of the day was that every student, K-8, received a brand-new donated book to take home with them.

Read Across America day is observed nationwide, and is sponsored by the National Education Association. According to NEA literature, the day was conceived as a way to bring awareness and motivation to reading, and to provide parents, caregivers, and children resources and activities in order that they might keep on reading every day of the year. In the words of the NEA task force that first launched Read Across America Day in 1997, "We hold pep rallies to get kids excited about football. We assemble to remember that Character Counts. Why don't we do something to get kids excited about reading?”

The event has since grown to become the largest celebration of reading in the nation, including the 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, and retired educators who make up NEA membership. And if Red Cloud is any indication, the event will thrive well into the future. Second grader Adriano Rama said his favorite part of the reading time was the rhyming. When asked what rhyming he meant, he said “‘The Cat in the Hat’ of course!”

Of course.