Bureau of Indian Education visits GRIC Schools

Emma Hughes

Gila River Indian News

Officials from the U.S. Department of Interior – Bureau of Indian Education (BIE): Travis Clark, chief of staff, Wendy Cooley, senior advisor, Tony Dearman, director, and Tracy Goodluck, senior advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, visited the Casa Blanca Community School (CBCS) in District 5, on Feb. 6.

School staff and board members: Dale Enos, board member, Kim Franklin, principal, Raetava Godinez, assistant principal, Pamela Johnson, board member, Pamela Pratt, board member, and Kenyen Thompson, board member, welcomed the officials, sharing the school’s history.

K-5 student ambassadors also greeted and met with school board members and officials, sharing what they enjoy most about the school’s curriculum and campus.

Officials toured the school’s state-of-the-art facility, which was constructed during the COVID-19 pandemic and completed in 2021, as part of the innovative 105(l) lease program with the Department of Interior. The program was also utilized to construct the Gila Crossing Community School in 2019.

The entire CBCS campus features the Community’s culture and tradition inside and out, from murals done by Community artists to historical photos and a traditional curriculum. Officials then met with school staff, teachers, and the board of trustees, engaging in conversations on the school’s many innovative programs and services.

Pratt, District 3, has served on the school board for a year, sharing, “I have learned so much in this one year of what it takes to actually run a school and I’m really honored that these guests came all the way here from Washington, D.C.”

She added, “I think they were really impressed at what the school is doing here with the children; they focus so much on culture, and that’s important to me because I know that we are on our fourth generation of not knowing the language, the songs, the dances, the stories, and that’s all incorporated into their learning. That’s important to me because when you know who you are and you can be proud of that, then that gives you a one-up in your education.”

To conclude the tour, school staff sat down with the guests in the school’s gymnasium for remarks, strategic direction, and a Q & A session.

Officials also visited fellow BIE schools in the Community: Gila Crossing Community School and Blackwater Community School.